cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can Hospital Rounds With Pocket Ultrasound By Cardiologists Reduce Standard Echocardiography

Abstract Background Frequently, hospitalized patients are referred for transthoracic echocardiograms. The availability of a pocket mobile echocardiography device that can be incorporated on bedside rounds by cardiologists may be a useful and frugal alternative. Methods This was a cross-sectional study designed to compare the accuracy of pocket mobile echocardiography images with those acquired by transthoracic echocardiography in a sample of hospitalized patients. Each patient referred for echocardiography underwent pocket mobile echocardiography acquisition and interpretation by a senior cardiology fellow with level II training in echocardiography. Subsequently, transthoracic echocardiography was performed by skilled ultrasonographers and interpreted by experienced echocardiographers. Both groups were blinded to the results of the alternative imaging modality. Visualizability and accuracy for all key echocardiographic parameters (ejection fraction, wall motion abnormalities, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, inferior vena cava size, aortic and mitral valve pathology, and pericardial effusion) were determined and compared between imaging modalities. Results A total of 240 hospitalized patients underwent echocardiography with pocket mobile echocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography. The mean age was 71 ± 17 years. Pocket mobile echocardiography imaging time was 6.3 ± 1.5 minutes. Sensitivity of pocket mobile echocardiography varied by parameter and was highest for aortic stenosis (97%) and lowest for aortic insufficiency (76%). Specificity also varied by parameter and was highest for mitral regurgitation (100%) and lowest for left ventricular ejection fraction (92%). Equivalence testing revealed the pocket mobile echocardiography outcomes to be significantly equivalent to the transthoracic echocardiography outcomes with no discernible differences in image quality between pocket mobile echocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography ( P = 7.22 × 10 −7 ). All outcomes remain significant after correcting for multiple testing using the false discovery rate. Conclusions The results from rapid bedside pocket mobile echocardiography examinations performed by experienced cardiology fellows compared favorably with those from formal transthoracic echocardiography studies. For hospitalized patients, this finding could shift the burden of performing and interpreting the echocardiogram to the examining physician and reduce the number and cost associated with formal echocardiography studies.
A procedure for occupational clustering

Abstract A logical extension of the individual-differences approach is object clustering or empirical typing. The present paper is a demonstration of this approach in the industrial setting. The subject pool comprised 1346 employees of 46 organizations who were classified by occupation as well as type of organization. Subjects were empirically allocated to one of 15 multivariate “types” on the basis of reported meaning, as measured by semantic differential scales. Occupation was shown to have a greater effect on type appearance than organization. Strategies for personnel program implementation were discussed.
Insulin and Coronary Artery Disease: Is Syndrome X the Unifying Hypothesis?

OBJECTIVE:To review data supporting the hypothesis that syndrome X plays a major role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD), and the effects of lifestyle factors and pharmacologic interventions on insulin, other metabolic parameters, and outcomes.DATA SOURCES:MEDLINE (January 1966–August 1997) and Current Contents database searches identified applicable English-language experimental trials, epidemiologic studies, reviews, and editorials.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:Studies that were included addressed the role of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia in the pathogenesis of CAD or the effects of lifestyle factors and pharmacologic interventions on metabolic parameters and outcomes.DATA SYNTHESIS:The main characteristics of syndrome X are hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. These result in secondary syndrome X features, including hyperglycemia, increased very-low-density lipoprotein concentrations, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hypertension. Insulin resista...
Post-menopausal endometriosis with inferior vena cava invasion requiring surgical management.

Post-menopausal endometriosis is rare after hysterectomy, and preliminary data support treatment with aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Sites for extrapelvic recurrent disease are wide-ranging; however, no previous case reports have described endometriosis invading the inferior vena cava. A 59-year-old woman status post hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for endometriosis developed a peri- aortic mass with ureteral obstruction. Computerized tomography-guided biopsy confirmed recurrent endometriosis and the lesion enlarged despite treatment with AIs. Vascular surgery, urology and gynecology were involved. The mass was resected surgically and pathology con- firmed invasion of the inferior vena cava. Medical management with AIs can be attempted for extra-pelvic endometriosis status post hys- terectomy; however, the efficacy in this setting is limited. Surgical management may be necessary for bulky or invasive disease.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND DELINQUENCY

Family interaction and attachment assume prominent roles in social control theories of delinquency. However, the degree of conceptualization and the measurement strategies generally employed arguably are inadequate to capture the real dynamic quality of such relationships and to specify their effects on delinquency involvement. The purpose of this research is to distinguish more precisely those family interaction mechanisms which are associated with delinquency. The analysis, based on a sample of 824 adolescents, leads to the specification of seven distinct family interaction dimensions: control and supervision, identity support, caring and trust, intimate communication, instrumental communication, parental disapproval of peers, and conflict. Compared with research based on a single attached-unattached dimension, this multidimensional model gives a much more complete and precise sense of the kind of relationships which exist between parents and their more or less delinquent children. In addition, the analysis shows that the family interaction variables have similar effects on delinquency in both-parent, mother-only, and mother/stepfather homes. The analysis by race, sex, and race-sex subgroups suggests, however, that while there is a core of family attachment dimensions that is important for all adolescents, there are several important subgroup differences.
Coffee Consumption and Periodontal Disease in Males

Background: Coffee is a major dietary source of antioxidants as well as of other anti-inflammatory factors. Given the beneficial role of such factors in periodontal disease, whether coffee intake is associated with periodontal disease in adult males was explored.Methods: Existing data collected by a prospective, closed-panel cohort study of aging and oral health in adult males was used. Participants included the 1,152 dentate males in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Dental Longitudinal Study who presented for comprehensive medical and dental examinations from 1968 to 1998. Mean age at baseline was 48 years; males were followed for up to 30 years. Participants are not VA patients; rather, they receive their medical and dental care in the private sector. Periodontal status was assessed by probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing, and radiographic alveolar bone loss (ABL), measured on intraoral periapical radiographs with a modified Schei ruler method. Moderate-to-severe periodontal disease was defined as cumulativ...
Müllerian-inhibiting substance function during mammalian sexual development

To investigate the role of Mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) in mammalian sexual development, we generated MIS-deficient mice. Although MIS-deficient males had testes that were fully descended and produced functional sperm, they also developed female reproductive organs, which interfered with sperm transfer into females, rendering most of these males infertile. Their testes had Leydig cell hyperplasia and, in one instance, neoplasia. The actions of the two primary hormones of male sexual differentiation were genetically eliminated using the testicular feminization (Tfm) mutation in combination with the MIS mutant allele. XY Tfm/MIS double mutants developed as females, with a uterus, coiled oviducts, and no male reproductive organs except undescended dysfunctional testes. These results suggest that eliminating the presumptive female reproductive tract in male fetuses facilitates fertility and that in testes MIS is a negative regulator of Leydig cell proliferation. Eliminating the presumptive male reproductive tract is necessary for proper oviductal morphogenesis during female mouse development.
Social Status and Health in Humans and Other Animals

▪ Abstract Dominance hierarchies exist in numerous social species, and rank in such hierarchies can dramatically influence the quality of an individual's life. Rank can dramatically influence also the health of an individual, particularly with respect to stress-related disease. This chapter reviews first the nature of stress, the stress-response and stress-related disease, as well as the varieties of hierarchical systems in animals. I then review the literature derived from nonhuman species concerning the connections between rank and functioning of the adrenocortical, cardiovascular, reproductive, and immune systems. As shown here, the relationship is anything but monolithic. Finally, I consider whether rank is a relevant concept in humans and argue that socioeconomic status (SES) is the nearest human approximation to social rank and that SES dramatically influences health.
Generalized gradient approximation for the exchange-correlation hole of a many-electron system

We construct a generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the density ${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{xc}}$(r,r+u) at position r+u of the exchange-correlation hole surrounding an electron at r, or more precisely for its system and spherical average 〈${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{xc}}$(u)〉=(4\ensuremath{\pi}${)}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$\ensuremath{\int}d${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{\mathit{u}}$ ${\mathit{N}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$\ensuremath{\int}${\mathit{d}}^{3}$r n(r)${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{xc}}$(r,r+u). Starting from the second-order density gradient expansion, which involves the local spin densities ${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\uparrow}}}$(r),${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\downarrow}}}$(r) and their gradients \ensuremath{\nabla}${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\uparrow}}}$(r),\ensuremath{\nabla}${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\downarrow}}}$(r), we cut off the spurious large-u contributions to restore those exact conditions on the hole that the local spin density (LSD) approximation respects. Our GGA hole recovers the Perdew-Wang 1991 and Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof GGA's for the exchange-correlation energy, which therefore respect the same powerful hole constraints as LSD. When applied to real systems, our hole model provides a more detailed test of these energy functionals, and also predicts the observable electron-electron structure factor. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Evidence for the occurrence of induced resistance to pitch canker, caused by Gibberella circinata (anamorph Fusarium circinatum), in populations of Pinus radiata

Summary Pitch canker, caused by Gibberella circinata, was discovered in California in 1986. Although initially quite damaging to Monterey pines (Pinus radiata), the severity of pitch canker has moderated in areas where the disease was first observed and some trees appear to have recovered completely. The absence of symptoms on trees that were once severely affected implies they have become more resistant to the disease. Experimental work has shown that P. radiata can manifest systemic induced resistance (SIR) in response to infection by the pitch canker pathogen and observations of disease remission may indicate that SIR is operative under natural conditions as well. As a test of this hypothesis, the susceptibility of trees in remission was assessed by inoculating them with G. circinata and recording the extent of lesion development. In addition, randomly selected trees in areas that differed in residence time of pitch canker were inoculated to determine if trees with a longer period of exposure to the pathogen were more resistant to the disease. The results of these tests showed that 89% of trees observed to be in remission sustained very limited lesion development, consistent with resistance to pitch canker. Furthermore, trees in areas where pitch canker was well established tended to be more resistant than trees in areas where the disease was of more recent occurrence. In sum, these findings support the view that SIR occurs in P. radiata and is contributing to a moderation of the impact of pitch canker under natural conditions.
Isolation and characterization of a putative intestinal stem cell fraction from mouse jejunum.

Background & Aims: Although there have been many recent advances regarding the biology of intestinal stem cells, the field has been hampered significantly by the lack of a method to isolate these cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the hypothesis that viable intestinal stem cells can be isolated as a side population (SP) by fluorescence-activated cell sorting after staining with the DNA-binding dye Hoechst 33342. Methods: Preparations of individual cells from either whole mucosa or epithelium of mouse jejunum were stained with Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide and then sorted using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Cells were characterized using fluorochrome-labeled antibodies to surface markers, intracellular markers, and annexin V to detect early apoptosis. Total RNA was isolated from sorted fractions and used for quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the expression of cell lineage markers and the intestinal stem-cell marker, Musashi-1. Results: Adult and neonatal jejunum contain a viable population of cells that shows the SP phenotype and is sensitive to verapamil. This population of cells (from both mucosal and epithelial preparations) includes a CD45-negative fraction corresponding to nonhematopoietic cells, which shows minimal expression of surface markers typically found on stem cells from other tissues and of intracellular markers found in mesenchymal cells. Additionally, these cells were enriched for Musashi-1 and β1-integrin, were cytokeratin positive, and survived in culture for up to 14 days. Conclusions: The CD45-negative SP fraction, although not pure, represents the successful isolation of a viable population significantly enriched in small intestinal epithelial stem cells.
The Adverse Effects of Alcohol on Vitamin A Metabolism

The objective of this review is to explore the relationship between alcohol and the metabolism of the essential micronutrient, vitamin A; as well as the impact this interaction has on alcohol-induced disease in adults. Depleted hepatic vitamin A content has been reported in human alcoholics, an observation that has been confirmed in animal models of chronic alcohol consumption. Indeed, alcohol consumption has been associated with declines in hepatic levels of retinol (vitamin A), as well as retinyl ester and retinoic acid; collectively referred to as retinoids. Through the use of animal models, the complex interplay between alcohol metabolism and vitamin A homeostasis has been studied; the reviewed research supports the notion that chronic alcohol consumption precipitates a decline in hepatic retinoid levels through increased breakdown, as well as increased export to extra-hepatic tissues. While the precise biochemical mechanisms governing alcohol’s effect remain to be elucidated, its profound effect on hepatic retinoid status is irrefutable. In addition to a review of the literature related to studies on tissue retinoid levels and the metabolic interactions between alcohol and retinoids, the significance of altered hepatic retinoid metabolism in the context of alcoholic liver disease is also considered.
Order-one quadrature rules for flat facets

In this paper, we build on the method of implementing a robust numerical integration based on the method of steepest descents. To our knowledge, this is the first algorithm that works a double integral in a fashion that is asymptotically frequency-independent, or order-1, with some cases yielding error that actually decreases with frequency. We restrict our attention to TE scattering from a flat strip, which has dominant phases {kq} = (-k, kx, k), where kx is the component of the incident field tangential to the strip.
Microbiological monitoring of hatchery and hatching egg sanitation

Wright and Epps (1958), Wright et al (1959) and Magwood (1962) found total bacterial counts of hatcher fluff to be a reliable indication of hatchery sanitation. However, this technique requires the...
Nest mate recognition in ants with complex colonies: within- and between-population variation

The ability to recognize kin is widespread, and especially important in highly social organisms. We studied kin recognition by assessing patterns of aggression within and between nests of the ant Leptothorax longispinosus. Colonies of this species can be fractionated into subunits, a condition called polydomy. The problem of recognizing relatives is therefore more complex when those relatives can live in two or more different places. We hypothesized that spatial subdivision may have resulted in a stronger genetic component to kin recognition than in cases where colonies live in a single location. To test our hypothesis we assessed recognition capabilities for two populations of this ant that differ in the complexity of their colonies. In a New York, USA, population, polydomy is very common, and colonies also can have multiple queens. By contrast, a population in West Virginia, USA, has colonies that typically are monogynous and rarely are polydomous. We conducted introductions of ants between different nests collected in the same neighborhood, with self-introductions and alien introductions as controls. Nests from the two populations showed corresponding differences in their aggression towards intruders. For New York nests, the extent of genetic similarity was the single best predictor of aggression, whereas for West Virginia nests aggression was jointly influenced by genetic similarity and spatial distance. In both populations, we found nest pairs for which aggression was nonreciprocal; these probably reflect recognition errors by one of the nests. After the ants were maintained in the laboratory for 3 months, their aggression scores rose and fewer recognition errors were made. Thus nest-mate and colony-mate recognition in this species are mediated primarily by endogenous cues (genetic similarity); the importance of exogenous cues for nest mate recognition depends on the population’s social system. Key words: nest mate recognition, social insects, ants, colony structure. [Behav Ecol 11:676–685 (2000)]
The Propagation of a Gravity-Inertia Wave in a Positively Sheared Flow*

Abstract When a gravity–inertia wave in two dimensions is generated by flow over a stationary boundary above the critical level, its vertical propagation will depend on whether it encounters the singular level at which kU/f is equal to unity. If so, the wave is cellular below this level and vertically propagating above it, with drag and momentum flux oscillating in time between positive and negative, with no steady state approached. This is demonstrated by simulation and explained by analysis as the result of near resonance. When the disturbance is excited by flow over an isolated ridge, the flow will, or will not, oscillate depending on its Rossby number and on the width of the ridge as scaled by the wavelengths of the oscillatory portion of the spectrum. In particular, the quasigeostrophic solution is highly oscillatory.
The sequential cueing effect in children's speech production

This article investigated the development of phonological encoding in speech production by examining the production of reiterant two-word sequences varying in phonological similarity. Two groups of typically developing children and a group of college-aged adults participated. Both groups of children produced target words with longer durations when they were preceded by words sharing initial consonant–vowel (CV) sequences than when preceded by phonologically unrelated words or words sharing vowel–consonant (VC) sequences. For adults, the duration of target words was shorter when they were preceded by words sharing final VC sequences than in the other conditions. The developmental decrease in the influence of CV-related prime words on target-word duration may be related to changes in the level of activation of lexical items during speech production. Developmental changes in the influence of VC-related prime words are less clear, but may be due to age-group specific behavior in the production of identical sequences of words. Children’s early speech production differs considerably from that of adults. Young children possess a limited repertoire of segments and syllable shapes. As a consequence, children’s first words are coarse approximations of the target forms. They typically are characterized by systematic additions, deletions, and substitutions relative to adults’ productions. Throughout the preschool and early elementary school years, these differences decline. Eventually, accurate phoneme production is mastered and children produce words that adults identify as matching the target forms. It is generally thought that this is the point at which a child has acquired the phonology of the ambient language. In contrast, a great deal of evidence suggests that children’s phonologies continue to develop and mature beyond the point when they produce words that match adult targets. Acoustic studies of children’s speech that is perceived to be correct have shown that speech–motor control continues to develop after phoneme accuracy is mastered. A variety of studies have shown that the temporal and spectral characteristics of children’s speech, as well as variability in these measures, continue to develop throughout childhood and adolescence (e.g., Kent & Forner, 1980; Lee, Potamianos, & Narayanan, 1999; Munson, 2004; Nittrouer, 1995; Smith, 1978; Smith, Kenney, & Hussein, 1996). In general, the duration of children’s speech declines throughout childhood. In addition, intraspeaker variability
The suboptimality of angle coding in the CORDIC algorithm

The CORDIC algorithm has enjoyed widespread recognition as an efficient, compact, and VLSI-suitable algorithm for planar vector rotation. Nevertheless, very little research is available on the finite-precision numerical effects of CORDIC, with a few notable exceptions. It is shown that CORDIC's angle coding scheme is suboptimal, which results in nonminimal approximation-error statistics. The suboptimality is quantified by simulating both CORDIC angle coding and optimal coding across the entire ROC while incrementing the number of iterations. The variances of the resulting errors are compared. It is concluded that the suboptimality is significant over only a limited range of angles. However, it is plausible that a modified coding scheme could exploit this suboptimality to produce superior error performance. >
The Beauty of the Moment Lakota and Humanbecoming Perspective of Time

Time is an enigmatic concept, that despite considerable attention by philosophers and scientists, remains poorly understood by nurses. After a brief discussion of the general literature on time, the author discusses Parse's humanbecoming school of thought and the Lakota Native American view of time and related concepts. Implications for nursing are discussed.
Decoupled multiuser code-timing estimation for code-division multiple-access communication systems

We present herein a decoupled multiuser acquisition (DEMA) algorithm for code-timing estimation in asynchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) communication systems. The DEMA estimator is an asymptotic (for large data samples) maximum-likelihood method that models the channel parameters as deterministic unknowns. By evoking the mild assumption that the transmitted data bits for all users are independently and identically distributed, we show that the multiuser timing estimation problem that usually requires a search over a multidimensional parameter space decouples into a set of noniterative one-dimensional problems. Hence, the proposed algorithm is computationally efficient. DEMA has the desired property that, in the absence of noise, it obtains the exact parameter estimates even with a finite number of data samples which can be heavily correlated. Another important feature of DEMA is that it exploits the structure of the receiver vectors and, therefore, is near-far resistant. Numerical examples are included to demonstrate and compare the performances of DEMA and a few other standard code-timing estimators.
Identification of Patterns via Region-Growing Parallel SOM Neural Network

The self-organizing map (SOM) is an effective method for topologically mapping datasets. By adapting the neurons to the inputs, the network can conform to the data and form clusters. However, with the classical SOM and growing architectures such as growing cells and growing grid, the neurons are simply points in space and do not cover entire regions of the input space. Therefore, inputs that are introduced after the network is trained need to have cluster membership determined by proximity to the trained neurons. The ParaSOM, being a different SOM architecture, where each neuron actually covers a region of the input space, opens up possibilities for different approaches to clustering and classification. An algorithm has been proposed to take advantage of the unique characteristics of the ParaSOM. The neighbors of each neuron are evaluated by distance to determine cluster separation. Once the clusters have successfully been identified, new inputs can be introduced to effectively determine which, if any, cluster each belongs to.
Experimental and Computational Characterization of High Heat Fluxes During Transient Blackbody Calibrations

High heat fluxes are encountered in numerous applications, such as on the surfaces of hypersonic vehicles in flight, in fires, and within engines. The calibration of heat flux gauges may be performed in a dual cavity cylindrical blackbody. Insertion of instruments into the cavity disturbs the thermal equilibrium resulting in a transient calibration environment. To characterize the transient heat fluxes, experiments were performed on a dual cavity cylindrical blackbody at nominal temperatures varying from 800°C to 1900°C in increments of 100°C. The pre-insertion, steady state, axial temperature profile is compared experimentally and numerically. Detailed transient thermal models have been developed to simulate the heat flux calibration process at two extreme fluxes: the high flux is 1 MW/m 2 and the relatively low is 70 kW/m 2 . Based on experiments and numerical analysis, the optimum heat flux sensor insertion location as measured from the center partition was determined. The effect of convection (natural and forced) in the blackbody cavity during the insertion is calculated and found to be less than 2% at high temperatures but reaches much higher values at relatively lower temperatures. The transient models show the effect of inserting a heat flux gauge at room temperature on the thermal equilibrium of the blackbody at 1800°C and 800°C nominal temperatures. Also, heat flux sensor outputs are derived from computed sensor temperature distributions and compared with experimental results. The numerical heat flux agreed with the experimental results to within 5%, which indicates that the numerical models captured the transient thermal physics during the calibration. Based on numerical models and all experimental runs the heat transfer mechanisms are explained.
Low profile ultra-wideband antennas for software defined radio

There is great interest in developing low profile ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas to support software-defined radio (SDR). Typical bandwidth requirements for SDR are 2 MHz to 2000 MHz, and achieving such a bandwidth using a single small antenna is rather challenging. This large bandwidth requirement stems from high data rate transmission and reception requirements (>5 MB/s). In designing such antennas for airframe or ground vehicles, aperture size and profile should be reduced in size by a factor of 10 or more from currently available wavelength size antennas (e.g. 5 m or ~15 ft at 30 MHz for a typical λ/2 dipole). Unfortunately, bandwidths of electrically-small antennas decrease inversely with the third power of their electrical length ka [1]. Thus, there is a concurrent need for high bandwidth and small size antennas, implying significant challenges in RF aperture design.
A new duty-cycle-shifted PWM control scheme for half-bridge DC-DC converters to achieve zero-voltage-switching

Asymmetric control scheme is an approach to achieve ZVS for half-bridge isolated DC-DC converter. However, it is not suited for wide-range input voltage due to the uneven voltage and current components stresses. This paper presents a new "duty-cycle-shifted PWM control" scheme for half-bridge isolated DC-DC converters to achieve ZVS operation without asymmetric penalties and without adding additional components. Because the duty cycle width is kept identical for both switches, the asymmetric current and voltage stresses problem is eliminated. The principles of operation and key features are illustrated. Experimental results verify that higher efficiency is achieved with the proposed "duty-cycle-shifted" control method, especially at higher switching frequency.
Helping minorities read better: Problems and promises

Abstract Students from ethnic and racial minorities are over‐represented in remedial reading programs. The authors advance the thesis that this over‐representation is based on cultural discontinuity between the home and school rather than on environmental or cognitive deficits. Reading instruction in non‐English languages is discussed, and the use of reading materials and methods based on the students’ cultural background is described. Three exemplary reading programs for minority students are described: The Los Lunas program for students from Pueblo Indian, Hispanic, and white cultures; the Kamehameha program for students from Native Hawaiian (Polynesian) culture; and the Rock Point program for students from the Nava‐jo Indian culture. Finally, a model of a responsive reading teacher is described who meets the needs of minority background students through locally appropriate reading materials.
Significance of Digging Behavior to Mortality of Red Imported Fire Ant Workers, Solenopsis invicta, in Fipronil-Treated Sand

The effect of fipronil-treated sand on digging behavior and mortality of red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, workers was examined in the laboratory. No-choice digging bioassays where fipronil-treated sand was the only available digging substrate were conducted on two colonies at fipronil concentrations of 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50, and 2.00 ppm. Workers dug into the fipronil-treated sand in all cases, even at 2.0 ppm level, which caused 100% mortality in acute toxicity tests for both colonies. At 1.5 and 2.0 ppm, workers from the less sensitive colony had significantly higher mortality than those from the more sensitive colony, which might be explained by the significantly higher digging activity of the less sensitive colony. In two-choice digging bioassays where untreated sand was also available, workers dug into the fipronil-treated sand in 29 of 30 cases, even at 10.0 ppm level. At 1.0 and 10.0 ppm, mortality was positively correlated to digging effort in treated sand; however, such correlation was significant only at 1.0 ppm level. This indicates that digging did affect mortality; however, such effect is concentration dependent.
POTASSIUM CITRATE DECREASES BONE RESORPTION IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH OSTEOPENIA: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND CLINICAL TRIAL.

ABSTRACT Objective: Diets rich in animal protein, such as the typical American diet, are thought to create a high acid load. An association between acid load and bone loss has led to the idea that providing positive alkaline salt therapy could have beneficial effects on bone metabolism. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of potassium citrate (K-citrate), 40 mEq daily, over 1 year on bone resorption and formation. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 83 women with postmenopausal osteopenia. Levels of bone turnover markers, specifically urinary N-telopeptide of collagen type 1 (u-NTX), amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), and osteocalcin (OC) were compared. Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) were also examined. Results: K-citrate decreased both u-NTX (P = .005) and serum P1NP (P Conclusion: In women with postmenopausal osteopenia, treatment with K-citrate for 1 year resulted in a significant decrease in markers of turnover. The effect on markers of bone formation was not consistent. K-citrate may serve as a potential treatment for bone loss that is well tolerated and without any significant known long-term consequences. Abbreviations: BMD = bone mineral density BSAP = bone-specific alkaline phosphatase Ca:Cr = calcium to creatinine ratio CTSC = Clinical Translational Science Center CV = coefficient of variation DXA = dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry K-citrate = potassium citrate OC = osteocalcin P1NP = amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen u-NTX = urinary N-telopeptide of collagen type 1
Affordance theory for engineering design

Affordance theory shows promise in engineering design, but its adoption has been slow due to uncertainty regarding the relationship between the concepts of function and affordance. Function is a widely accepted foundational concept for design activities, and while affordances have the potential to be a more broadly applicable, little work has been done to show how this new approach can be reconciled with more familiar design modeling practices. In this paper, affordances are shown to provide an alternative means for linking intentional and physical design descriptions across the product life cycle. This approach involves a renewed engagement with the affordance ontology of ecological psychology, which is compared, contrasted, and integrated with function theory. This integrated perspective is used to shine light on the possibilities and limitations of affordance-based design reasoning and to construct a representational hierarchy for use in the design process. This work demonstrates the robustness of the ecological perspective in design scenarios and highlights ways in which function- and affordance-based design processes can be integrated while retaining the strengths of both. The outcome of this integration is a stronger representational and reasoning framework for early-stage design that supports instead of supplants traditional methods of engineering design.
Other Greenhouse Gases

Methane, CH4 is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2 but its concentration is much less. It is produced by anaerobic bacteria. These occur in bogs and rice paddies, but also in the intestines of ruminant animals (cattle) and termites. Before oxygen appeared in Earth’s atmosphere methane may have been the most important greenhouse gas. The dominant sites of production of methane are low-latitude wetlands, but with warming of the Earth, increasing amounts of methane are being released from Arctic bogs. Methane can combine with water to form an ice, termed a clathrate. These ices form under the pressure of a few hundred meters of seawater at temperatures well above the freezing point of the water itself. Clathrates cement sediment grains together, acting in some areas to stabilize continental slopes. Warming of the ocean may decompose clathrates releasing methane into the seawater or atmosphere and resulting in tsunami-producing slope failure on the continental margins. Nitrous Oxide, N2O, is another powerful greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere from decaying vegetation. Since the middle of the last century, it has been artificially produced for munitions and then fertilizer but through overuse it has become an anthropogenic pollutant. It is becoming the most effective destroyer of ozone in the twenty-first century.
Differences in the Hydrostatic Implosion of Metallic and Composite Tubes Studied Using Digital Image Correlation

A comparative experimental study is conducted to investigate the mechanisms and energies associated with the hydrostatic implosion of hollow cylinders of different materials. Experiments are performed in a 2.1 m diameter spherical pressure vessel designed to provide constant hydrostatic pressure through the collapse event. Aluminum, glass/polyester, and carbon-fiber/epoxy tubes are studied to explore the effect of material type on the modes of failure. 3-D Digital Image Correlation technique, which is first calibrated for the underwater environment, is used to capture the full-field real-time deformation during the implosion event. Dynamic pressure transducers measure the pressure pulses generated by the implosion event and evaluate its damage potential. Using these measurement techniques, the differences in mechanisms of failure as well as their effects on the local pressure history are characterized.
Pathways to policy: Partisanship and bipartisanship in renewable energy legislation

ABSTRACTThe effort to transition energy sources away from dependence on fossil fuels has become highly divided along partisan lines in some countries, but the social-science literature has not yet caught up with this important problem. Policy-adoption studies do not address the specific problem of polarization and gridlock, and the literature on gridlock does not examine conditions for breaking gridlock for renewable energy and energy efficiency (REEE) policy. Qualitative research can help to fill the void by identifying strategies that legislators use for achieving support for REEE policy where there is gridlock, polarization, and/or strong opposition. Interview data from a stratified sample of US states reveals three strategies that state-government legislators use to enhance REEE policy development under these conditions: bring to the process countervailing industrial interests to align REEE with business; transfer decision making to public service commissions; and use extra-legislative consultation pr...
The New Class Structure Engendered by the High-Technology Economy, the Bureaucratic State and the Service Sector

The high-technology capitalist industrial system, and the complex bureaucratic state connected with it have given rise to a whole new set of strata which we must analyse in terms of their impact on the emerging political process of the modern world.
Separate Single-author Books, Pamphlets, and Broadsides

AN ∣ EVENING WALK. ∣ An EPISTLE ; ∣ IN VERSE. ∣ ADDRESSED TO A YOUNG LADY, ∣ FROM THE ∣ LAKES ∣ OF THE ∣ NORTH OF ENGLAND. ∣ BY ∣ W. WORDSWORTH, B.A. ∣ Of ST. JOHN'S, CAMBRIDGE. ∣ LONDON : ∣ PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, ST. PAUL's CHURCH-YARD. ∣ 1793. (28.3 × 22.6 cm): [A] 2 χ 1 B–D 4 E 2 . [1] title; [2] blank; [3] argument; [4] blank; [5] errata; [6] blank; 1–27 text, followed on 27 by conclusion notice; [28] publisher's advertisement (for DS ). L. 425 of text numbered ‘525’. $1,2 sgd center foot. Type area 21.0 × 13.9 cm. Page numbers set center head within square brackets. Catchwords pp. 1–26. Press figures: ‘1’ p. 22; ‘3’ p. 6; ‘4’ p. 14. Errata page usually found printed somewhat askew. Laid paper, ∣∣ 2.6–2.8 cm; watermark of a fleur-de-lys. Stab-sewed, 2s. Probably issued without wrapper. A copy of EW 93 described as having a soiled title page, errata leaf, and “three pages at end” was auctioned at Sotheby's 30 Mar 1971; a copy with “title slightly soiled” at Sotheby's 20 Nov 1974; and a copy with title page and last leaf “a little soiled and wrinkled” at Sotheby's 15 Nov 1977. Wrappers plainly not modern have been noted on some copies, but even the earliest of them were on sets of EW 93 and its companion DS 93 (A2) bound deliberately as matched pairs (Berg, CnlU) or two-volumes-in-one (StJ), whereas the publisher marketed the books separately.
Analyzing the Utility Problem

This research project was motivated largely by my observation that explanation-based learning is not guaranteed to improve problem solving performance. In this chapter, I discuss why this is so, and briefly review some theoretical and experimental results that bear on this issue.
Phrase Mining from Massive Text and Its Applications

A lot of digital ink has been spilled on "big data" over the past few years. Most of this surge owes its origin to the various types of unstructured data in the wild, among which the proliferation of text-heavy data is particularly overwhelming, attributed to the daily use of web documents, business reviews, news, social posts, etc., by so many people worldwide. A core challenge presents itself: How can one efficiently and effectively turn massive, unstructured text into structured representation so as to further lay the foundation for many other downstream text mining applications? In this book, we investigated one promising paradigm for representing unstructured text, that is, through automatically identifying high-quality phrases from innumerable documents. In contrast to a list of frequent n-grams without proper filtering, users are often more interested in results based on variable-length phrases with certain semantics such as scientific concepts, organizations, slogans, and so on. We propose new principles and powerful methodologies to achieve this goal, from the scenario where a user can provide meaningful guidance to a fully automated setting through distant learning. This book also introduces applications enabled by the mined phrases and points out some promising research directions.
A Model of the Effect of Lens Development on Refraction in Schoolchildren.

SIGNIFICANCE The study provides a new theory on the mechanism underlying myopia development, and it could be useful in clinical practice to control myopia development in schoolchildren. PURPOSE To model the effect of the crystalline lens on refractive development in schoolchildren. METHODS The Zemax 13 was used to calculate Zernike aberrations and refractions across 50° horizontal visual fields. Optical effects of the anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and radii of curvature of the lens surfaces on refractions were modeled. Refractive changes induced by lens development in emmetropic and myopic eyes, based on a previous longitudinal study from literature, were calculated. RESULTS A lens thickness reduction with an anterior chamber depth deepening caused a hyperopic shift over the visual fields and even more at the periphery. Opposite effects were found when the lens was thinned without any change of the anterior chamber depth. While a flattening of the anterior lens surface produced hyperopic refractions overall, a posterior lens flattening caused a myopic shift at the periphery, but a hyperopic shift of the central refraction. In the myopic eye, lens development induced refractive change toward more hyperopic over the visual fields and more at the periphery. CONCLUSIONS Lens thinning and lens axial movement participate in peripheral refractive development in schoolchildren, and lens development with a deeper anterior chamber depth and a flatter lens surface in the myopic eye could generate extra hyperopia over visual fields. The myopic lens development could be due to a backward movement of the lens, driven by a backward growth of the ciliary process, which might be a causative factor of myopia development.
Irons’ Patch Test

To judge the quality of any element formulation, starting from resolving controversies that surrounded Taig’s four-node element, the patch test (The author failed to locate the first publication where Irons introduced this revolutionary concept of the patch test. In internal documents of Rolls-Royce, Derby, UK, most likely in the early sixties, definitely after the groundwork of Taig (Structural analysis by the matrix displacement method. Tech. rep., British Aircraft Corporation, Warton Aerodrome: English Electric Aviation Limited, Report Number SO 17 based on work performed ca. 1957, 1962), Irons presented the concept. In 1965 (Irons et al., Triangular elements in plate bending–conforming and nonconforming solutions. In: Proceedings of the conference of matrix methods. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 1965), Irons first authored a paper on plate bending where the issue beyond constant stress elements was unavoidable.) furnished a guideline. Irons thus made the most fundamental contribution in the science of finite elements. Irons’ (co-authored) books, e.g. Irons and Razzaque (Experience with the patch test for convergence of finite elements method. In: Aziz A (ed) Mathematical foundations of the finite element method with application to partial differential equations. Academic, New York, pp 557–587, 1972), Irons and Ahmad (Techniques of finite elements. Ellis Horwood, Chichester, 1980), Irons and Shrive (Finite element primer. Wiley, New York, 1983), bear testament to his tremendous insight in analyzing spatially discretized field problems of mathematical physics. This innovative notion has inspired researchers, for example Anufariev et al. (Exactly equilibrated fields, can they be efficiently used in a posteriory error estimation? In: Physics and mathematics. Scientists notes of the Kazan University, vol 148. Kazan University, Kazan, pp 94–143, 2006), Stewart and Hughes (Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 158(1):1–22, 1998), over the last 50 years or so (Professor Robert L. Taylor in: http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/projects/feap/example.pdf furnishes explanations with numerical examples.) and no doubt many more interesting papers will appear on this subject.
Teleconsultation to Support the Education of Students with Visual Impairments: A Program Evaluation

Teleconsultation is being increasingly used in schools to support children with disabilities; however, further evaluation of the impact of this practice is needed. This study describes a teleconsul...
Designing a Programmatic Digital Learning Environment: Lessons From Prototyping:

Promoted as a way to enhance learning and improve efficiencies, the steady rise of technology adoption across higher education has created both new opportunities and new challenges. Borrowing princ...
Treating Tobacco Use in Patients with Incurable Malignancies: Should We Even Start the Conversation?

Abstract Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend that all medical providers address tobacco use with patients, as the long-term health benefits of becoming tobacco free are well documented. What happens, though, when a patient has an incurable malignancy and, therefore, will not reap the long-term benefits? Clinical Consideration: Our case study encourages providers to consider the relevance of tobacco use treatment for those with incurable diseases. Discussion: Although long-term benefits will not provide realistic motivation, other equally important rewards (e.g., decreased shortness of breath), a sense of accomplishment shared by patients and family, and the ability to exert control over a behavior can be equally motivating for some patients.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana Williamson) via NGS sequencing.

AbstractHere, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly (HED), Somatochlora hineana Williamson. Data were generated via next generation sequencing (NGS) and assembled using a mitochondrial baiting and iterative mapping approach. The full length circular genome is 15,705 bp with 26.6% GC content. It contains the typical metazoan set of 37 genes: 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) and 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and an A + T-rich control region. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the complete HED mitogenome.