cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis and Modeling of Simultaneous and Staged Emergency Evacuations

Disaster response in areas of high population density is centered on efficient evacuation of people and/or goods. Developing evacuation plans suitable for different levels of urgency based on the intensity of threat is a challenging task. In this study, mathematical models are developed for estimating evacuation time and delay. Evacuation time is the duration required for evacuating all vehicles from a designated region, whereas delay includes queuing and moving delays. The relationship between delay and evacuation time is investigated, and the impact of staged evacuation against simultaneous evacuation is analyzed. An example is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the developed model. A numerical method is adopted to determine the optimal number of evacuation stages. Sensitivity analysis of parameters (e.g., demand density, access flow rate, and evacuation route length) affecting evacuation time and delay is conducted. Results indicate that evacuation time and delay can be significantly reduced if staged evacuation is appropriately implemented.
Literacy in Fifth Century Athens

Exactly as the fossil record can be counted on to fail us at just those crucial moments when new species irrupt, the documentary record of Athenian literacy, just when it was supposed to be abounding in the fifth century B.C.E., is scant. With species, the explanation is easier: down to its last few members from pressure of food supply, climate or predators, species inbreeding increases, thus the probability of mutations increases; if a new species is engendered with an adaptation that enables it to escape what was killing off the parent species, its numbers build up slowly until a threshold is reached when, secure in its niche, there is a sudden proliferation. Meanwhile, fossils are being formed of, say, one in a million individuals; and of those million, say, one is preserved, of which, say, one in a million is discovered and examined by an interested member of Homo sapiens. Naturally, speciation events are virtually absent from the fossil record. In literacy studies, as in nature, when we find a preponderance of documents, like a new species, after a period of scarcity, as we do for the fourth (as compared to the mid fifth) century, we infer that there was a period in between when writing, finding its niche, steeply increased. But where exactly within that frame did the increase occur? Unfortunately for the controversy that confronts us—whether widespread literacy was reached in the fifth, or not until the fourth, century in Athens—the documentary record does not disappoint anticipation: it is paltry. Many of the examples that have traditionally been provided as evidence in the debate are non-Athenian or non-fifth century or both. While acknowledging this methodological problem, we need not shrink from discussion of the meager extant texts we do have, nor from drawing such implications as we can.
Emotional Processing versus Cognitive Restructuring in Response to a Depressing Life Event

The effects of cognitive restructuring (CR), emotional processing (EP), and their combination were compared after a depressing life event. Individuals at risk for depressive symptoms secondary to the death, injury, or illness of a pet completed 3 days of expressive writing in one of the three conditions: CR, EP, or the combination. One month later, participants in the combined condition showed the greatest recovery from depressive symptoms, followed closely by those in the EP alone condition. For those whose pets had died, CR alone led to increases in depressive symptoms. Content analysis of CR and emotional arousal confirmed significant between group differences. Results suggest that EP might be important in the early stages of reaction to a negative event.
Gonadotrophin ovulation induction and enhancement outcomes: analysis of more than 1400 cycles

Abstract Ovulation induction (OI) or ovulation enhancement (OE) with gonadotrophins can be a reasonable treatment option for patients with a variety of infertility diagnoses. It must be used with extensive monitoring and management given the risk of multiple pregnancy, especially high-order multiples. This retrospective study evaluated per cycle outcomes of a large cohort of 1452 gonadotrophin OI/OE cycles at an academic infertility centre, and the efficacy of specific guidelines in limiting multiple pregnancy. The lowest possible gonadotrophin doses were used and cycle cancellation was recommended if more than three dominant follicles were present, and/or if serum oestradiol was above 1500pg/ml. Overall, pregnancy rate (PR) was 12% and live birth rate was 7.7%, with an increasing trend in younger patients ( P =0.0002 and n =8) was significantly lower than other singletons (2882g versus 3250g, P =0.013). Reducing multiple pregnancies from OI/OE cycles remains an important and challenging goal. In this large cohort, high-order multiple clinical PR was limited to 0.7% per cycle by using specific management strategies while maintaining a reasonable PR. High-order multiple pregnancy and live birth may be limited with the use of certain management guidelines in gonadotrophin ovulation induction and enhancement cycles while maintaining a reasonable pregnancy rate. Those guidelines include using the lowest possible dose of gonadotrophins, and cycle cancellation if more than three dominant follicles are present and/or if the oestradiol concentration is >1500 pg/ml.
The addition of heat to a stratified airstream with application to the dynamics of orographic rain

SUMMARY The response of a stratified airstream to combined thermal and orographic forcing is investigated theoretically using the linearized hydrostatic equations of motion. The magnitude of the heating aloft is computed from observed rainfall rates. The elevated heating is shown to produce vertically propagating waves whose amplitude, relative to the mountain waves, is determined by the parameter gQb/cpTUaNh (symbols Appendix I). For typical wind speeds and rainfall rates the thermally generated waves will equal or exceed the orographically generated waves. These waves produce large vertical variations in the wave momentum flux at the levels where heat is being added and alter, or even reverse, the mountain drag. In hydrostatic flow, the phase relationship between the heating rate and the induced vertical displacements is found, unexpectedly, to be negative. In the vicinity of the heating, air parcels are displaced downwards. This result can be explained by wave propagation ideas but not by parcel arguments. This helps to explain why mountain wave amplitudes are sometimes reduced in moist atmospheres. The broad heat-induced descent may act to limit the amount of condensation-precipitation occurring in a stable middle-level orographic cloud. Other types of orographic precipitation involving embedded convection in stratus layers, low level feeder clouds, or deep cumulus convection may not be adversely effected by the heat-induced descent.
Estimating 3D vehicle motion in an outdoor scene from monocular and stereo image sequences

The main goal of this research is to test how well existing feature extraction, matching and motion estimation algorithms (with appropriate modification) work on outdoor scenes. For this purpose, a careful calibrated image sequence data base has been created. The data used for the results reported in the paper consists of a sequence of 24 stereo images of an outdoor scene containing a moving truck with stationary background. Two motion estimation methods using feature correspondences were applied in the data: point correspondences over two stereo image pairs and line correspondences over three monocular images. In spite of the large values of the range to baseline ration (10:1) and the range to focal length ration (1000:1), the estimated rotation parameters are reasonably accurate (10-20% errors) in both methods. Although the translation estimates in the monocular method are large, the translation errors in the stereo method are around 1 meter, and are mainly due to image sampling. >
Ecological context, concentrated disadvantage, and youth reoffending: identifying the social mechanisms in a sample of serious adolescent offenders.

Serious youthful offenders are presented with a number of significant challenges when trying to make a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. One of the biggest obstacles for these youth to overcome concerns their ability to desist from further antisocial behavior, and although an emerging body of research has documented important risk and protective factors associated with desistance, the importance of the neighborhoods within which these youth reside has been understudied. Guided by the larger neighborhood effects on crime literature, the current study examines the direct and indirect effects of concentrated disadvantage on youth reoffending among a sample of highly mobile, serious youthful offenders. We use data from Pathways to Desistance, a longitudinal study of serious youthful offenders (N = 1,354; 13.6 % female; 41.4 % African American, 33.5 % Hispanic, 20.2 % White), matched up with 2000 Census data on neighborhood conditions for youth’s main residence location during waves 7 and 8 of the study. These waves represent the time period in which youth are navigating the transition to adulthood (aged 18–22; average age = 20). We estimate structural equation models to determine direct effects of concentrated disadvantage on youth reoffending and also to examine the possible indirect effects working through individual-level mechanisms as specified by theoretical perspectives including social control (e.g., unsupervised peer activities), strain (e.g., exposure to violence), and learning (e.g., exposure to antisocial peers). Additionally, we estimate models that take into account the impact that a change in neighborhood conditions may have on the behavior of youth who move to new residences during the study period. Our results show that concentrated disadvantage is indirectly associated with youth reoffending primarily through its association with exposure to deviant peers. Taking into account youth mobility during the study period produced an additional indirect pathway by which concentrated disadvantage is associated with goal blockage (i.e., the gap between belief in conventional goals and perceived potential to reach those goals), which was then associated with exposure to deviant peers and indirectly, reoffending behavior. We conclude that the neighborhood effects literature offers a promising framework for continued research on understanding the successful transition to adulthood by serious youthful offenders.
Causal cueing system for above ground anomaly detection of explosive hazards using support vector machine localized by K-nearest neighbor

Rapid detection of landmines and explosive hazards is a critical issue for modern military operations. Due to the varied nature of the objects of interest and the complexity of the surroundings, one approach is to utilize the superior recognition capabilities of the human brain in the detection process. We are developing frameworks and algorithms to process image video data from an RGB camera, mounted on a moving vehicle, and to provide cueing capability for a human-in-the-loop detection system. Feedback from the human operator is embedded into the system memory to aid future detection processes (causal). Due to the inherent variation of different objects of interest terms of color and texture appearance, and the inherent variation and complexity of the surroundings, we introduce a classification algorithm that operates on local decision boundaries. Each decision boundary is learned using the support vector machine (SVM) technique. Given test data, the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) method is used to pre-select the nearest training set to localize the scope of SVM training, giving us the local decision boundary.
They Saved the Crops: Labor, Landscape, and the Struggle over Industrial Farming in Bracero-Era California. Don Mitchell. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2012. xii and 529 pp., maps, notes, photos, and index. $26.95 paper (ISBN 978-0-8203-4176-7).

The Bracero Program, until quite recently, lay dormant in the annals of U.S. history—as both public memory and scholarly accounts of the period from 1942 to 1964 rendered it either forgotten or ign...
Naming in aphasia: Interacting effects of form and function

Abstract The naming difficulties of Broca's and anomic aphasics were explored in relation to a recently developed model of the normal mental lexicon which stresses the importance of integrating perceptual and functional information in the act of naming, and equally stresses the inherent vagueness of conceptual categories based on such information. Subjects were shown line drawings of various food containers varying in physical features such as height and width; they were required to select a name for the object from a multiple choice list (cup, bowl, or glass). Prototypical as well as nonprototypical objects were shown. The Broca's aphasics showed relatively normal naming profiles. In contrast, the posterior patients were unable to integrate perceptual and functional information and were insensitive to the fuzzy boundaries between conceptual categories. The results obtained for the posterior patients are interpreted as reflecting an impairment in the underlying conceptual organization of the lexicon rather than retrieval difficulties.
Osteochondral defects of the talus treated with autologous bone grafting

We reviewed, retrospectively, 13 patients who had undergone open anterograde autologous bone grafting of the talus for symptomatic osteochondral defects of the dome of the talus. The mean age of the seven men and six women was 38.4 years. The defects included the full thickness of articular cartilage, extended through the subchondral plate and were associated with subchondral cysts. Six patients (46%) were clinical failures requiring further surgery. Of the remaining seven, functional outcome results were obtained at a mean of 51.9 months after surgery. The mean outcome scores for the Musculoskeletal Outcomes Data Evaluation and Management System foot and ankle questionnaire and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scale were 87.0 and 84.3, respectively. There was an overall 46.2% patient satisfaction rate. We believe that the technique of autologous bone grafting presented should be used with extreme caution, when considered as the primary treatment for the adult patient with a symptomatic advanced osteochondral defect of the talus.
Isolation of Histomonas meleagridis from embryonated eggs of Heterakis gallinarum.

SYNOPSIS. Histomonas meleagridis was isolated from eggs of Heterakis gallinarum by culturing artificially hatched eggs in a modified DeVolt's alkaline serum medium. The presence of the protozoon in the cultures was established by microscopic examination and confirmed by producing histomonosis in turkeys by intracecal inoculation with quantities of the cultures.
The effect of various environmental and design parameters on methane oxidation in a model biofilter.

Methane from landfills built with RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) covers is frequently vented directly to the atmosphere. Alternatively, landfill gasses could be vented through a layer of soil that could serve as a biofilter to oxidize CH4 to carbon dioxide and water. Properly designed soil biofilters may reduce atmospheric CH4 emissions from landfills and help reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. This study was conducted to investigate the performance of a lab-scale model biofilter system using soil as the filter-bed medium in packed columns to measure the effect of a variety of environmental and design factors on the CH4 oxidation capacity of a soil biofilter.Biofilter performance was tested under a variety of environmental and design conditions. The optimum soil moisture content for CH4 oxidation in a loamy sand was 13% by weight. Addition of NO3-N did not affect the CH4 oxidation rate. Soil depths of 30 cm and 60 cm were equally efficient in CH4 oxidation. When...
Combined Endo-Laparoscopic Surgery is Significantly Less Costly than Traditional Surgery

CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that bacterial killing in the intestine with oral antibiotics during experimental colitis leads to decreased intestinal inflammation and improved gut architecture in PGC1aDIEC mice. 16S evaluation will reveal whether baseline differences in microbial composition exist in PGC1a DIEC mice that contribute to an increased susceptibility to colitis. Strategies aimed at enhancing PGC1a activity and altering the intestinal microbiome may improve treatment regimens for human IBD.
Catnip Essential Oil as a Barrier to Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the Laboratory

The essential oil of catnip, Nepeta cataria (Lamiacae) was evaluated for behavioral effects on two populations of subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and R. virginicus (Banks) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). The catnip essential oil contained approximately 36:64 E,Z-nepetalactone and Z,E-nepetalactone, respectively. The time to 50% dissipation (DT50) of the isomers in sand was dependent on dose, and ranged from 5.7 to 12.6 d for the E,Z-isomer and 7.7-18.6 d for the Z,E-isomer. For R. flavipes, the 24-h topical LD50 value was approximately 8200 microg/g termite. The 24-h fumigation LC50 value for R. flavipes was between 36 and 73 microg/ml air, and the 7-d fumigation LC50 value was between 14 and 36 microg/ml air. Exposure of R. virginicus to treated sand resulted in a 24-h LC50 value (95% F.L.) of 84 (67.6, 112) microg/cm2 and a 7-d LC50 value of 21.1 (16.4, 26.8) microg/cm2; for R. flavipes these values were 63.2 (53.7, 73.9) and 44.4 (34.6, 58.1) microg/cm2, respectively. Vertical tunneling through treated sand was eliminated at 500 ppm for R. virginicus and at 250 ppm for R. flavipes. Horizontal tunneling was stopped at 250 ppm for R. virginicus and reduced at doses above 250 ppm for R. flavipes. Although tunneling ceased in these tests, mortality was not high, indicating that the termites avoided the treated sand. Efficacy of catnip oil was equivalent to other monoterpenoids reported in the literature.
E3 transcription unit of adenovirus.

Mammals have innate and adaptive defenses that protect them from virus infections. Viruses, in particular the large DNA viruses (adenoviruses, herpesviruses, poxviruses), have evolved mechanisms that counteract the host’s antiviral defenses. In general, these viruses prevent killing of infected cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), block the inflammatory response, inhibit complement fixation, prevent shut-off of cellular protein synthesis in response to interferon, and block apoptosis (which may be a host defense against virus infection). Reviews have appeared recently on how some of these proteins function (Gooding 1992; G.L. Smith 1994). Here we will focus on the human adenoviruses, in particular the E3 transcription unit, which appears to be, at least in part, a cassette of genes that functions to counteract the host’s antiviral defenses. Recent reviews on this topic are by Paabo et al. (1989), Wold and Gooding (1989, 1991), Gooding and Wold (1990), Gooding (1992), and Wold (1993).
Feeding Responses by Adults of Five Species of Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to Sucrose and Sterols

Feeding responses of black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus (F.); obscure root weevil, Sciopithes obscurus Horn; alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal); pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus (L.); and cabbage seedpod weevil, Ceutorhynchus assimilis (Paykull), to sucrose and several sterols were studied. Sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, cholesterol, and lanosterol were tested alone and in combination with sucrose. The species varied in their response to sucrose, sterols, and combinations of the two. Sucrose by itself stimulated feeding in all except pea leaf weevil. With that insect, only combinations of sucrose with sitosterol stimulated feeding. Sitosterol alone acted as a phagostimulant for black vine weevil, obscure root weevil, and alfalfa weevil. At the rates tested, lanosterol, campesterol, and cholesterol were inactive as a feeding stimulant for any of the weevil species examined.
Lecanodiaspis subterranea n. sp. from Australia (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Lecanodiaspididae)

Descriptions and illustrations are given of the adult female and 1st instar of Lecanodiaspis subterranea new species is species. Affinities are given and revised key couplets are provided to differentiate it from other related species. This unusual root inhabiting false pit scale from New South Wales, Australia.
Class Identification among Working Wives: Educational Attainment and Union Membership, but Not Occupational Prestige:

St~mmary.-Past research has suggested that the occupational attainment of working wives influences their perception of their social class membership. However, several correlates of occupational anainment, such as education, age, race, and union membership, which may have independent effects on class identification, were not controlled in earlier studies. The present study utilized data from three national surveys and included previously omitted variables in the analyses to show that working wives' educational attainment and union membership, bur not their occupational attainment, influenced their class ' identification. A series of papers (Duncan, 1961; Watson & Barth, 1964; Acker, 1973; Haug, 1973; Hiller & Philiber, 1978; Philiber & Hiller, 1977, 1979) have questioned the long-standing proposition among students of social stratification that all members of the family unit derive their social status and life style solely from the social and economic achievements of the "husband-head" of the family (Davis, 1949; Parsons, 1954). This proposition was based not only on the observation of the past dominance of men in the economic and power systems of society but also on the postulated social necessity of a tightly organized, single-headed family unit whose stability would supposedly be threatened by dual sources of stratification determinants. Most recently Philiber and Hiller (cited above) have used multiple regression analysis on data from several NORC General Social Surveys in attempts to determine the independent effects of working wives' and the husbands' of working wives occupational attainments on subjective class identification. Their results suggested that, in general, wives' class identification was a product of both personal and spouse's occupational attainments but husbands' class identification was influenced only by personal and not by wives' occupational attainment. However, Philiber and Hiller only controlled for one additional objective stratification characteristic in their analyses, total family income. The present scudy attempted to re-evaluate the Philiber and Hiller results through a more rigorous analysis. First, not only occupational but also educational attainments of both husbands and wives were included as independent variables in the analyses. Second, family income a?~d age, and race were included in the analyses so that the effects of these variables on subjective class identification would not be confounded with the true effects of occupational and educational attainment. Finally, two additional characteristics of occupations were added
Progress on MATE Transporters of Stress Resistance in Rice

Negative factors in environment including abiotic stress and biotic stress and so on are toxic for rice(Oryza sativa L.)growth and development.Thus rice has developed many mechanisms of stress resistance by themselves for their healthy growth.Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion(MATE)transporters,which involve detoxication of toxic compounds of cells,present a new large family protein in plants.They play an important role of detoxication for plant cell.In order to provide new thoughts and theoretical basis of rice stress resistance,the characteristics for MATE transporters,molecular mechanism and their biological function were stated in the paper.Meanwhile,the role of MATE transporters for stress resistance in rice was also set forth.
Chain STATCOM Control System Based on EtherCAT Bus Technology

This paper put forward a control system of static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) based on the EtherCAT bus technology, which had the characteristics of flexible expandability, Flexible information allocation function, high transfer rate, very short data exchange time, and accurate synchronized clock. The control system used two EtherCAT bus nets: main control net and module net. The main control net adopted series communication mode, and had data sample slave, data input and data output slave, regulation and protection slave, and transient fault record slave in the main control net. The module net adopts stelliform communication mode, and all slaves are derived from the couples. There are regulation protection slave, transient fault record slave, and all module slaves in the module net. The regulation protection slave and the transient fault record slave belonged to two EtherCAT bus nets. Digital signals processor (DSP) was used in the regulation protection slave, the transient fault record slave and the module slaves, which could improved signal transmission and control speed, and meet the requirements of real-time control. The experiment results show that the control system can significantly increase the device expandability, allocation function and transfer rate, achieve precise synchronization. The control system can be applied in the chain STATCOM and other flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) used chain converter, which has the characteristics of clear control purposes, easy to implement and stable control effect.
Creating Civically Engaged Writing in a Cross-Cultural Teacher Education Class: Challenges and Possibilities

This is an account of using blogging in a teacher education fieldwork seminar as an avenue for student entry into the public discourse about schooling, teaching, and learning. Students drew on their lived experiences and time spent in field placements in urban public schools in order to select an educational issue of interest to research and create a post about for a class blog. The assignment aimed to send the message that students’ personal funds of knowledge were a valuable source for entering into the public conversation about education, while also serving as an engaging opportunity to learn about and apply some academic conventions for argumentative and expository writing. The students’ responses to the assignment revealed how meaning-making about academic discourses is shaped by individual’s social, cultural, and economic positionality and by the messages that positionality has generated about one’s power and possibilities in society. Implications focus on the extent to which community college educators looking to make civically engaged writing an integral part of their coursework need to be very self-aware about their personally held notions about the purposes of academic discourse, what the cultural origins of those notions are, and what different notions students might hold, rooted in their own cultural experiences. Discussion addresses the need to create an open, inclusive classroom environment, in which diverse, divergent ideas flow freely, if students are to be encouraged to add their writerly voices to the civic conversation on an ongoing basis.
Analysis on newly diagnosed cases of pneumoconiosis in Chenzhou City from 2008-2012

[Objective]To understand incidence of pneumoconiosis in Chenzhou City from 2008 to 2012,provide scientific basis for control of pneumoconiosis.[Methods]The diagnosis data of occupational disease in Chenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention from January 1,2008 to December 31,2012 were collected,and the newly diagnosed cases of pneumoconiosis were analyzed retrospectively by SPSS 17. 0 statistical software.[Results]A total of 627 newly diagnosed pneumoconiosis cases were reported in Chenzhou City from 2008 to 2012,and all patients were male,including 233 cases at stageⅠ,278 cases at stageⅡ,and 116 cases at stage Ⅲ. The average onset age was 49. 24 ± 8. 74 year-old,and the average dust exposure year was 16. 38 ±8. 14 years. There were significant differences in diagnosed age and dust exposure year among different stage groups. Most cases occurred in private enterprises,which mainly concentrated in coal mining,washing industry,and nonferrous metal mineral acquisition. The pneumoconiosis cases were reported in all 11 counties of Chenzhou City. According to the location of enterprises and registered residence of workers,the top three counties of incidence were Jiahe County,Yizhang County and Yongxing County,The serious lung function damages were observed in patient with high stage of pneumoconiosis.[Conclusion]In order to control the occurrence and development of pneumoconiosis,it is urgent to strengthen the prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis in coal mining and nonferrous metal industry,enhance the scope and intensity of regular health examination among workers,and discover pneumoconiosis patients as early as possible.
Celebrate the Moments of Your Life: An Investigation of Time as a Cultural Value in American Television Advertising

The depiction of time as a cultural value has received rather limited attention in the advertising literature, despite its frequent use in message strategy. This study fills that void by offering a framework for analyzing the many ways that time is depicted in advertising. The key time elements noted were Limited Time, Marking Time, More Time, Oriented Time, and Sequenced Time.
Caddo Parish Study Counts and Calculations

This paper is a spreadsheet display of the counts and calculations underlying the Caddo (LA) Parish Study on Race, Homicides, and Prosecutions 1988-2014.The article this report refers to can be found here: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1743712
Elective cholecystectomy reduces morbidity of cholelithiasis in pediatric sickle cell disease.

Background Cholelithiasis is a frequent complication in pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD). Though it is standard practice to perform a cholecystectomy in pediatric SCD patients with symptoms of cholelithiasis, the use of elective cholecystectomy for asymptomatic patients remains controversial. Procedure Records of 191 pediatric sickle cell patients with cholelithiasis who underwent cholecystectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Patients classified as follows: (i) elective—no preoperative symptoms, cholelithiasis on screening ultrasound, comprehensive preoperative plan; (ii) symptomatic—preoperative symptoms of cholelithiasis on diagnostic ultrasound, comprehensive preoperative plan; or (iii) emergent—hospitalization for acute cholecystitis symptoms, cholelithiasis on diagnostic ultrasound, limited preoperative preparation. We compared the morbidity of cholecystectomy by examining pre- and post-cholecystectomy hospital admission days, length of stay for cholecystectomy, and surgical complications. Results Patients with SCD underwent a total of 191 cholecystectomies over a 10-year period: 51 elective, 110 symptomatic, and 30 emergent. Patients who required emergent cholecystectomy had a longer postoperative hospitalization time than elective or symptomatic cholecystectomy (7.3 vs 4.3, P < 0.001). Baseline values for total bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly elevated (P < 0.02 and P < 0.07, respectively) in patients requiring emergent cholecystectomy. Conclusions This represents the largest reported retrospective review of pediatric cholelithiasis and cholecystectomy in SCD to date. These data strongly suggest that elective cholecystectomy decreases morbidity associated with emergent cholecystectomy. The overall outcomes for symptomatic and elective patients are favorable. However, our study indicates the need for prospective studies to identify clinical indicators for those emergent patients.
Epistemic Communities, Human Rights, and the Global Diffusion of Legislation against the Organ Trade

Over the past several decades, over 100 countries have passed legislation banning commercial organ transplantation. What explains this rapid, global diffusion of laws? Based on qualitative data from in-depth interviews, historical analysis, and secondary sources, this paper explores the role played by the medical epistemic community and human rights in the global spread of laws against the organ trade. In addition to shaping, guiding, and influencing norms and approaches to transplantation, the epistemic community has been instrumental in the development of various resolutions, policy initiatives, recommended practices, statements, legislation, and model laws. Moreover, the epistemic community helped position the organ trade as an issue of societal and global importance, and it persistently encouraged states to undertake actions, such as implementing legislation, to combat the organ trade. Critically, the epistemic community’s efforts against the organ trade incorporated the concepts of human rights, integrity, and dignity, which had diffused globally and become institutionalized in the period after WWII.
Current Methods to Detect Stressed Staphylococci

Many of the operations employed in food processing can sublethally damage staphylococci, temporarily rendering the cells incapable of growth on selective media commonly employed for their enumeration. Stressed staphylococci are, under the proper conditions, capable of recovery and subsequently normal growth, including enterotoxin production by some strains. Therefore, to ensure the safety of foods, alternative enumeration methods designed to include stressed cells should be employed. Several methods have been proposed which employ a period of preincubation in/on a non-selective medium (liquid or solid) to allow recovery before exposing the cells to selective agents. In addition, recent findings have indicated that the increased sensitivity of stressed staphylococci is at least partially due to hydrogen peroxide toxicity: based on these findings direct plating and most-probable-number techniques containing catalase to degrade peroxide have been proposed. Greatly improved enumeration of stressed cells is possible, employing these methods without the use of a preincubation period.
Error Statistics for Reinforced Concrete Beams

The error statistics that describe the probability distribution function of the ultimate moment resistance of under-reinforced concrete beams are estimated by multiple, linear, regression analysis. Data from 109 specified beam tests are analyzed in order to produce a median prediction equation with a known probability distribution of equation error. This median prediction is compared with the existing design procedure equation to show general agreement in functional behavior. The comparison also permits a calibration of the relative prediction capabilities of each equation. The particular mathematical form of the median prediction equation allows the computation and inclusion of workmanship error in the variance of the resistance of veams in actual structures. The computation of workmanship error variance requires the availability of coefficients of variation of in-place beam properties about specified median values. It is expected that future quality control and workmanship surveys will provide this statistical information. While certain test data inconsistencies, sampling errors, and uncertainty of workmanship error values make it necessary to term all resulting numerical values as preliminary estimates, the regression analysis procedure provides a means of identifying, organizing, and combining the individual components of strength prediction error. The final log-normal error statistics are used to compute an under-strength factor that will provide for a selected high probability of safety under known load conditions.
Cognitive Impairment and Older Age Bipolar Disorder

Older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD) frequently experience cognitive problems that are greater than what would be expected during the normal aging process. This chapter reviews the studies that have comprehensively measured cognition and function in this group, and suggests possible mechanisms for decline from the available literature. Suggestions for specific screening measures for cognitive impairment that can be readily used in clinical settings are discussed, in addition to when and how to refer for neuropsychological evaluation. This chapter concludes with a review of the small but growing literature on the treatment of cognitive problems in OABD and suggests areas for further investigation.
Nauka przed sądem: analiza racjonalności naturalizmu metodologicznego

In this essay, I closely scrutinize the proposal presented in a recently edited volume entitled The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence of an Intelligent Designer by J.P. Moreland. Moreland chides Christians for what he takes as their failure to understand the proper integration of their faith with secular disciplines, particularly the natural sciences. Contributors to this volume propose a „theistic science” which focuses primarily on the tactical or strategic proscription against direct reference to divine agency (methodological naturalism). These authors endorse the inclusivity principle, that is, the claim that explanations in terms of the direct and immediate activity of a divine agent may constitute a proper part of natural science. As I see it, the recommendation takes two forms: (1) it is positively irrational for the Christian engaged in natural science to remain committed to methodological naturalism, and (2) because science has no intrinsic individuating features, it is irrational for the broader scientific community to continue to resist appeal to immediate divine agency as a proper part of natural science. Specifically, I argue that the first statement is mistaken, and the second is ill-advised. The disciplinary distinction, as determined in part by methodological naturalism, is well-grounded, intrinsically valuable, and, when properly understood, a critical component of Christian inquiry. I conclude that permitting direct reference to divine agency in natural science severely undermines the overall quest for truth.
Abstract A69: Building a pipeline of minority researchers: Minority students' knowledge of cancer health disparities Moira E. Stuart, PhD. Northeastern Illinois University

Introduction: Research has shown that cancer disparities disproportionally affect racial, ethnic and underserved populations. This study examined knowledge of cancer risk factors among college students attending a minority serving institution within a P20 funded partnership. Results reflect baseline data used to build a pipeline for students from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds to pursue education, research, and careers in cancer health equity professions. Methods: Students (N= 912) attending a Hispanic Serving Institution in the Midwest completed a questionnaire that included questions from the NCI prevalence and survivor facts and general cancer health risk behavior questions from the National American College Health Association Survey. Students ranged in age from 21-64 (m=27), and represented a range of racial/ethnic backgrounds (32% Latino, 10% Black/African American, 10% Asian, and 49% white/Caucasian). Students answered 10 questions about cancer prevalence and morbidity rates among various racial and ethnic populations in the U.S. Example questions included, “What racial ethnic group has the highest overall cancer incidence and death rates for different populations living in the United States?” Respondents were asked to select the correct answer from a choice of five ethnic groups including their own. Responses were analyzed as a dichotomous variable of correct or incorrect providing an accuracy percent for each question. Demographic variables included age, ethnicity, and year in school, and income. Results: Latino males had the lowest accuracy rates (38 %) regarding cancer mortalities and incidences across all ethnicities including their own followed by Latina women at 39%. African American females had slightly higher accuracy of cancer health disparities knowledge with 49% answering accurately. Accurate knowledge levels were lowest among first and second year students (26%); 58% (n = 912) of respondents did not know the cancer incidence and morbidity rates for their own racial or ethnic group. Overall the majority of students (75%) did not know the factors that contribute to cancer health disparities. Knowledge was significantly lower among men, younger respondents and those with less education (P Citation Format: Moira E. Stuart. Building a pipeline of minority researchers: Minority students9 knowledge of cancer health disparities Moira E. Stuart, PhD. Northeastern Illinois University. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A69.
Radiofrequency Renal Denervation Protects the Ischemic Myocardium

The sympathetic nervous system plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure. This study tested whether pre-conditioning with radiofrequency renal...
Negative Bias Temperature Instability and Gate Oxide Breakdown Modeling in Circuits With Die-to-Die Calibration Through Power Supply and Ground Signal Measurements

With the scaling of CMOS technology, negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) and gate oxide breakdown (GOBD) are serious issues for transistors. Normally, degradation due to NBTI and GOBD are modeled based on test structure data during process development and monitored with embedded test structures in product die. In this paper, we present a method to determine NBTI and GOBD model parameters through I/O measurements. This work targets products that do not include embedded test structures for wearout monitoring. The ground and power supply bounce signals are used for the calculation of delay and amplitude shifts, which in turn estimate threshold voltage shifts due to NBTI and leakage resistance decreases from gate dielectric degradation. From this data, the NBTI and GOBD parameters are estimated. We calculate the lifetime for each chip individually using calibrated NBTI and GOBD models. The methodology enables the extraction of NBTI and GOBD model parameters for individual chips, not just for the manufacturing process, and hence it becomes possible to differentiate chips that are more or less vulnerable to NBTI and GOBD.
The Epidemiology of Pediatric Head Injury Treated Outside of Hospital Emergency Departments.

Background:Although head trauma–related deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits are well characterized, few studies describe pediatric patients presenting outside of emergency departments. We compared the epidemiology and extent of healthcare-seeking pediatric (0–17 years) patients
Moderators of Treatment Outcomes After Telehealth Self-Management and Education in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Objective To examine moderators of treatment effects in a randomized controlled trial comparing a telehealth self-management intervention with a telehealth multiple sclerosis (MS) education intervention for fatigue, pain, and mood in adults with MS. Design Secondary analysis of a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Setting Community. Participants Adults with MS and chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and/or moderate depressive symptoms (N=163) recruited from across the United States. Interventions Two 8-week, telephone-delivered symptom interventions delivered 1:1: a self-management intervention (n=75) and an MS education intervention (n=88). Main Outcome Measures Outcome measures were fatigue impact pain interference, and depressive symptom severity assessed at baseline and posttreatment. Potential moderators of treatment effects assessed at baseline were demographics (age, sex, and education), clinical characteristics (disease duration and disability severity), symptoms (perceived cognitive impairment and pain intensity), baseline levels of the treatment outcomes (pain interference, fatigue impact and depressive symptom severity), and cognitive behavioral factors (pain catastrophizing, fatigue catastrophizing, self-efficacy, and patient activation). Results Moderation analyses found significant moderation for fatigue impact but not for pain intensity or depressive symptom severity. Baseline patient activation interacted with treatment group to predict fatigue impact at posttreatment (P=.049). Among participants with high baseline patient activation, the self-management group reported significantly less fatigue at posttreatment than the education group. No other variables moderated the study outcomes. Conclusions At the group level, participants responded to both interventions, regardless of disease characteristics, demographics, symptom levels, and cognitive behavioral factors. Self-management and education are both potentially beneficial symptom treatments that may be recommended to individuals with MS and chronic pain, fatigue, and/or depressive symptoms.
Effect of lattice topology on photon statistics

Coherent light traversing disordered media usually attains a random field both in amplitude and phase with independent Gaussian statistics and results in thermal light (associated with Bose-Einstein photon-number statistics) upon ensemble averaging. This is expected according to the central limit theorem, which dictates the addition of a large number of independent random variables leads to a normal (Gaussian) distribution. Here, we show that certain network topologies that light travels within preclude the central limit theorem and result in non-Gaussian statistics. We realize such networks in the form of evanescently-coupled waveguide arrays (photonic lattices) and obtain the photon statistics at the output by time gating and averaging over multiple realizations of disordered photonic lattices. The effect of lattice topology, however, only exists when the photonic lattice is endowed with chiral-symmetric eigenmode pairs a disorder-immune symmetry where the eigenmodes appear in pairs with oppositely signed eigenvalues and the coherent input field satisfies certain conditions. We specifically examine one-dimensional arrays of randomly coupled identical waveguides (off-diagonal disorder) arranged on linear and ring topologies. The emerging field exhibits super-thermal statistics (associated with modified Bose-Einstein photon-number statistics) only for ring lattices with even parity and linear lattices (independent of its parity), whereas input coherent fields traversing ring lattices with odd parity attain sub-thermal statistics. By controlling the relative phase of a coherent input field exciting two neighboring lattice sites, we also demonstrate a deterministic tuning of photon-number statistics, namely photon bunching, while maintaining the mean photon number fixed.