cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CO 2 laser preamplifier capabilities for low-level 10.6-&#181;m direct-detection receivers

We examine the potential of CO 2 laser preamplifiers for sensitivity enhancement in low-level, direct-detection 10.6-μm receivers. For the condition in which a gain-dependent competition exists between the background noise and amplifier spontaneous emission noise (assuming negligible thermal noise), the analysis predicts an optimum useful SNR enhancement of only 6 dB for a blackbody background field of 300 K and 4.1 dB for a background of 260 K, when the amplifier gain bandwidth per p -line is 100 MHz and the infrared (IR) filter bandwidth is 0.10 μm. Based on preselected choice of gain and bandwidth, a two-stage, water-cooled, flowing-gas amplifier of optimized design was constructed. A maximum gain of 3.12 dB was attained for P(20) with a He : CO 2 : N 2 mixture of 5.0 : 1.0 : 0.6 at a coolant temperature of 285 K and a slow gas refresh rate of 0.2 volumes/s. Using a fast-flow system with 12-volume/s refresh rate, we measured an amplifier gain of 3.9 dB, close to the design estimate of 4.1 dB. With a calibrated HgCdTe detector, f/4 cold shield, and narrow-band (0.25 μm) cold filter, a spontaneous emission flux density of \sim 1.0 \times 10^{14} photons/ cm2. s was measured at the 3.12-dB gain level, in close agreement with the theoretical estimate. Excess noise resulting from amplifier discharge was undetectable above the basic detector noise.
Misdiagnosis by transoesophageal echo of post-operative cardiac thrombus and tamponade due to Surgicel® Fibrillar

A 54-year-old man who underwent orthotopic heart transplant developed a progressive drop in his cardiac indices, an elevated central venous pressure, and hypotension requiring inotropic support. A transoesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was performed, demonstrating an echogenic mass measuring 11 × 8 cm located posterior to the heart adjacent to both atria ( Panels A – C , asterisk) without signs of …
Low Temperature Crystal Growth and Characterization of Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 Te for Radiation Detection Applications

Cd0.9Zn0.1Te (CZT) detector grade crystals were grown from zone refined Cd, Zn, and Te (7N) precursor materials, using the tellurium solvent method. These crystals were grown using a high temperature vertical furnace designed and installed in our laboratory. The furnace is capable of growing up to 8” diameter crystals, and custom pulling and ampoule rotation functions using custom electronics were furnished for this setup. CZT crystals were grown using excess Te as a solvent with growth temperatures lower than the melting temperatures of CZT (1092°C). Tellurium inclusions were characterized through IR transmittance maps for the grown CZT ingots. The crystals from the grown ingots were processed and characterized using I-V measurements for electrical resistivity, thermally stimulated current (TSC), and electron beam induced current (EBIC). Pulse height spectra (PHS) measurements were carried out using a 241 Am (59.6 keV) radiation source, and an energy resolution of ~4.2% FWHM was obtained. Our investigation demonstrates high quality detector grade CZT crystals growth using this low temperature solvent method.
Nitrogen cycling in deeply oxygenated sediments: Results in Lake Superior and implications for marine sediments

To understand the nitrogen (N) cycle in sediments with deep oxygen penetration, we measured pore-water profiles to calculate N fluxes and rates at 13 locations in Lake Superior in water depths ranging from 26 to 318 m. Sediments with high oxygen demand, such as in nearshore or high-sedimentation areas, contribute disproportionally to benthic N removal, despite covering only a small portion of the lake floor. These sediments are nitrate sinks (average 0.16 mmol m22 d21) and have denitrification rates (average 0.76 mmol m22 d21) that are comparable to those in coastal marine sediments. The deeply oxygenated (4 to . 12 cm) offshore sediments are nitrate sources (average 0.26 mmol m22 d21) and generate N2 at lower rates (average 0.10 mmol m22 d21). Ammonium is nitrified with high efficiency (90%), and nitrification supports . 50% of denitrification nearshore and , 100% offshore. Oxygen consumption by nitrification accounts for 12% of the total sediment oxygen uptake. About 2% of nitrate reduction is coupled to oxidation of iron, a rarely detected pathway. Our Lake Superior N budget indicates significant contributions from sediment–water exchanges and N2 production and is closer to balance than previous budgets. Our results reveal that sediment N cycling in large freshwater lakes is similar to that in marine systems. They further suggest that denitrification rates in slowly accumulating, welloxygenated sediments cannot be described by the same relationship with total oxygen uptake as in highsedimentation areas; hence, global models should treat abyssal ocean sediments differently than coastal and shelf sediments.
A comparative study of adults with and without self-reported learning disabilities in six English-speaking populations: what have we learned?

The purpose of this study was to compare adults with and without self-reported learning disabilities (SRLD and NSRLD) from six English-speaking populations including: English-speaking Canada, Great Britain, The Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, and the United States. These six populations were selected because they were all English-speaking populations, participated in the first administration of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), and included the optional questions regarding the presence of a disability. In this study, we compared the groups on prevalence by population, percentage of each group by age and gender, awareness of learning disabilities and problems in school, document and quantitative literacy proficiency, educational attainment, reasons for dropping out of school, and employment, occupational and financial status. Findings were reported among these six populations within an historical perspective including differences in awareness and definition of learning disabilities, public policy, special education services, reading pedagogy, and teacher preparation. Recommendations are made for improving literacy and long-term outcomes for those with learning disabilities in all nations as well as future research directions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HIV antibody test result knowledge, risk perceptions and behavior among homosexually active men

Abstract The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between gay men's reasons for obtaining HIV antibody test results and selected behaviors and beliefs. Study participants were 249 homosexual or bisexual men seen at a community health center from whom data were collected beginning in January 1985. The vast majority of subjects chose to learn their status because they thought they knew and wanted to confirm their suspicions 42′% wanted the information to help them make changes in their sexual behavior. Of those who chose not to know results, 67% reported concern about the psychological impact of a positive result. Of those who thought they were infected, 39′% actually were positive; of those who thought they, were not infected, 90% actually were negative. The latter group (those who thought they were infected and were not) reported the lowest perceived susceptibility over the five 6-month data collection points. All men reported substantially more protective behavior in 1989 than in 1985, including those men who chose to remain unaware of their serostatus.
Back to the Future: Modeling Time Dependence in Binary Data

Since Beck, Katz, and Tucker (1998), the standard method for modeling time dependence in binary data has been to incorporate time dummies or splined time in logistic regressions. Although we agree with the need for modeling time dependence, we demonstrate that time dummies can induce estimation problems due to separation. Splines do not suffer from these problems. However, the complexity of splines has led substantive researchers (1) to use knot values that may be inappropriate for their data and (2) to ignore any substantive discussion concerning temporal dependence. We propose a relatively simple alternative: including t, t 2 , and t 3 in the regression. This cubic polynomial approximation is trivial to implement—and, therefore, interpret—and it avoids problems such as quasi-complete separation. Monte Carlo analysis demonstrates that, for the types of hazards one often sees in substantive research, the polynomial approximation always outperforms time dummies and generally performs as well as splines or even more flexible autosmoothing procedures. Due to its simplicity, this method also accommodates nonproportional hazards in a straightforward way. We reanalyze Crowley and Skocpol (2001) using nonproportional hazards and find new empirical support for the historical-institutionalist perspective.
Differential Recruitment of Splice Variants from SR Pre-mRNAs to Polysomes During Development and in Response to Stresses

We have previously shown that precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) of serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are extensively alternatively spliced to generate approximately 100 distinct splice variants from 14 SR genes and that the splicing pattern of SR pre-mRNAs changes in different organs and in response to abiotic stresses. About half of the splice variants are potential targets of nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and 25 splice forms were confirmed to be real NMD targets. However, it is not known whether (i) all splice variants are recruited to polysomes for translation; (ii) there is a preferential recruitment of specific splice isoforms to polysomes; and (iii) there is a differential recruitment of splice variants during development and in response to stresses. To address these questions, we analyzed the association of SR splice variants with polysomes from seedlings, different organs and seedlings exposed to heat and cold stress. In seedlings, about one-third of the splice variants (22 out of 72) are not recruited to polysomes. Among those associated with polysomes, the functional isoforms that code for full-length proteins and some candidate putative and confirmed NMD targets were identified. There was preferential recruitment of some splice forms over others. Predominant recruitment of functional isoforms along with a few NMD candidates was found in different organs. Furthermore, we observed differential recruitment of isoforms in different organs. Heat and cold stress enhanced or reduced recruitment of specific splice variants. Our studies reveal differential recruitment of SR splice variants to polysomes under normal conditions, during development and in response to stresses.
Effect of groundwater flow on remediation of dissolved-phase VOC contamination using air sparging

This paper presents two-dimensional laboratory experiments performed to study how groundwater flow may affect the injected air zone of influence and remedial performance, and how injected air may alter subsurface groundwater flow and contaminant migration during in situ air sparging. Tests were performed by subjecting uniform sand profiles contaminated with dissolved-phase benzene to a hydraulic gradient and two different air flow rates. The results of the tests were compared to a test subjected to a similar air flow rate but a static groundwater condition. The test results revealed that the size and shape of the zone of influence were negligibly affected by groundwater flow, and as a result, similar rates of contaminant removal were realized within the zone of influence with and without groundwater flow. The air flow, however, reduced the hydraulic conductivity within the zone of influence, reducing groundwater flow and subsequent downgradient contaminant migration. The use of a higher air flow rate further reduced the hydraulic conductivity and decreased groundwater flow and contaminant migration. Overall, this study demonstrated that air sparging may be effectively implemented to intercept and treat a migrating contaminant plume.
Low nuclear proliferative activity is associated with nonmetastatic islet cell tumors.

Abstract Context.—Traditional morphologic features of tumor aggression are of limited value in predicting the malignant behavior of endocrine neoplasms. We explored the potential value of nuclear proliferative activity (using Ki-67 immunostaining with semiquantitative scoring) in predicting the clinical behavior of pancreatic islet cell tumors (ICTs), and we correlated this characteristic with hormone expression. Objective.—To evaluate whether Ki-67 immunostaining using a semiquantitative scoring system has value in predicting the clinical behavior of pancreatic ICTs. Design.—We studied 39 pancreatic ICTs from 39 patients. Twenty-two ICTs did not metastasize in a median follow-up period of 91 months. The remaining 17 neoplasms did produce metastases (8 in liver, 7 in regional lymph nodes, and 2 in peritoneum). Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies to Ki-67 and pancreatic hormones (insulin, glucagon, gastrin, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and cortico...
Variation-aware stochastic extraction with large parameter dimensionality: Review and comparison of state of the art intrusive and non-intrusive techniques

In this paper we review some of the state of the art techniques for parasitic interconnect extraction in the presence of random geometrical variations due to uncertainties in the manufacturing processes. We summarize some of the most recent development in both sampling based (non-intrusive) and expansion based (intrusive) algorithms for the extraction of both general impedance and capacitance in the presence of random geometrical variations. In particular, for non-intrusive algorithms we discuss both the stochastic model reduction algorithm for general impedance extraction under uncertainty and the path recycling floating random walk algorithm for capacitance extraction under uncertainty. For intrusive algorithms we summarize the Neumann expansion, the standard stochastic Galerkin method, the combined Neumann Hermite expansion and the stochastic dominant singular vectors method. Finally, we end the paper by comparing the presented algorithms on four very large and complex impedance and capacitance extraction examples.
Shifting the Culture of Higher Education: Influences on Students, Teachers, and Pedagogy

This article identifies a critical tension within the traditional higher education setting—specifically teacher education classrooms. Using the metaphor of a journey, the authors describe pedagogy and practice using inspirations from the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Participation in a monthly inquiry group is the catalyst for shifts in roles, expectations, outcomes, and assessment. Documentation (e.g., photos, video, narrative) of teachers' and students' learning guides teaching and learning practices that include emphasis on relationships and content, extension of learning and retention of principles, and active engagement and thoughtful reflection.
Labor Scheduling, Part 2: Knowing How Many On-duty Employees to Schedule

This paper, second in a series, focuses on using forecasts of customer demand for service to estimate the number of employees needed to provide that service. There are three basic approaches to tra...
Scour Effect on Bridge and Vehicle Responses under Bridge–Vehicle–Wave Interaction

AbstractBridge scour is a major cause of bridge failures and has emerged as a significant concern for bridge engineers. Most studies focus on the scour mechanism, modeling, detecting and monitoring, and countermeasures. To detect or monitor the scour, the scour effect on the response and feature change of the bridge structure should be studied first to choose an effective measurement. Currently, very few studies have been performed on the scour consequences. Therefore, the present study investigated the scour effect on the responses of the entire bridge, including the superstructure and substructure, and even the responses of vehicles traveling on the bridge, which in turn could be used to detect or monitor the scour of foundations. A field bridge with scour history was adopted, and the bridge–vehicle–wave interaction was considered. First, the soil model, scour model, and wave loads were created. The free vibrations and dynamic analyses under wave loads were then conducted on a single pile and pile group...
Additional validity evidence for the PROMIS Smoking Assessment Toolkit

Abstract Introduction The Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Smoking Initiative has developed six item banks for assessing smoking behaviors and biopsychosocial correlates of smoking among daily and nondaily adult cigarette smokers. This paper presents new validity evidence for the item banks including correlations of the item banks to the existing legacy measures of smoking (Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU), and the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM)). Methods Using data from a follow-up sample (N = 491) and a community sample (N = 369) of adult daily and nondaily smokers, we replicated the findings from Edelen et al. (2014a) and examined the correlations of legacy smoking measures with the new item bank scores. Results Preliminary validity findings were largely replicated with the new data. Correlations among the banks are moderate and bank score associations with measures of smoking behavior, quitting history, and other PROMIS measures follow expected patterns (e.g., nicotine dependence is most strongly associated with smoking quantity and time to first cigarette of the day; health and psychosocial expectancies are most related to quitting recency and interest). Correlations of bank scores with legacy measures are moderate to strong. The PROMIS nicotine dependence scores were most strongly associated with the legacy instruments. Conclusions These analyses provide strong evidence for the validity of the PROMIS Smoking item banks in two independent samples.
Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Evaluating the Atrial Myopathy Underlying Atrial Fibrillation: Identifying the Arrhythmogenic and Thrombogenic Substrate”

Jogia and Liang correctly identify hypertension as an important underlying cause of atrial fibrillation. They also correctly note that the mechanism by which hypertension predisposes to atrial fibrillation is not understood and requires further research. These observations underscore the difference between an associated condition, such as hypertension, and the atrial substrate that is responsible for the arrhythmia. Figure …
Use of comprehensive laboratory data as a management tool.

Effective administrative management of a patient’s medical care requires comprehensive retrievable objective medical information. Studies using such information indicate that good medical care is cost effective and that missing or delaying a diagnosis may result in care that is more expensive than necessary.
The Reform and Innovation Development of the Minority Higher Education in the Western Region

Since the reform and the development of the minority higher education in western region has its own feature,the author of the present article believes that only by creating a more harmonious learning environment can minority students be inspired to learn in a more creative manner.
Effects of liver damage on ketone-body production and nitrogen balance in starved rats

The metabolic effects of intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride (1ml/kg) were studied in starved rats. The most notable change in circulating substrates was an 80% fall in ketone-body concentrations, which was associated with the doubling of urinary nitrogen losses. The results demonstrate the importance of starvation ketosis in permitting fat mobilization to decrease effectively protein losses during starvation.
3-D numerical analysis of settlement of City Wall of Ming Dynasty of Jiu-huashan tunnel traversing position

The methods of foundation reforcement and leading supporting were adopted to reduce settlement and cracking of City Wall of Ming Dynasty.The settlement of the typical cross section of City Wall of Ming Dynasty with and without control methods was calculated by 3-D numerical method.Analysis shows that the settlement is reduced by about 38% with control methods,and the settlement increases quickly with tunnel through the cross section.The settlement calculated corresponds to the settlement monitored.The project traversing successfully City Wall of Ming Dynasty show that the methods of reforcement and leading supporting play an important role in controlling displacement of the building on the ground.
Spectrum of sensitized allergens in pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis in Kunming

Objective To investigate the main allergens in children with allergic rhinitis(AR) in Kunming.Methods Thirteen kinds of common allergens in Kunming were used for performing skin prick test(SPT) in 567 children suffering from suspected AR.All the children were divided into 9 age groups and 2 gender groups.And the distributions of different allergens in all the groups were analyzed.Results ① The positive rates of SPT for Dermatophagoides farinae(Der f),Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus(Der p),Mugwort,Platanus in female group were significantly higher than those in male group(t = 2.701,P = 0.012).② The differences of allergens distributions among different age groups were statistically insignificant(P 0.05).③ The total positive rate was 93.5 %,including 2.1 % with single positive allergen and 91.4 % with multiple allergens.As for Der f and Der p,the rates with single positive allergen and dual positive allergens were 5.46 % and 85.4 % respectively.④ The average numbers of positive allergens were increasing with increasing age(F = 8.738,P = 0.012),while the differences between different genders were insignificant in each age group(F = 1.873,P = 0.400).Conclusions Dust mites,Mugwort and Platanus are identified as the most common allergens among pediatric patients with AR in Kunming.The average numbers of positive allergens are increased with increased age.
The objective of acute stroke therapy and neuroprotective therapeutic approaches

In this article we review the concept of ischemic penumbra and emphasize the potentially reversible aspect as a function of time, which is the basis of the concept of a therapeutic window. Also, we briefly consider the physiopathology of the ischemic cascade, emphasizing the levels at which the different neuroprotector drugs under investigation have their effect.
New electronic method for measuring hematocrit: Clinical evaluation

Abstract A new rapid electronic method for measuring hematocrit utilizes the principle that the electrical resistance of a column of blood is a function of the relative volume per cent of erythrocytes. A description is presented of a small light electronic instrument which is portable, completely transistorized, and powered only by a standard transistor radio battery; it measures the resistance of a small column of blood in a plastic cuvette. A clinical evaluation of this instrument compared the hematocrit of eighty-seven patients' finger-tip capillary blood measured by this instrument with that measured by a standard centrifuged microhematocrit technique. There was no clinically significant systematic difference between the two methods (mean difference of 1.0 hematocrit per cent units); the standard deviation was ± 3.0 hematocrit per cent units. In experiments using reconstituted blood of different protein concentration, it is shown that the reading is subject to correction in patients suspected of having abnormally large deviation in total serum protein concentration. This new technique is useful in circumstances requiring very rapid hematocrit determination or where a centrifuge or electric power source is not available.
Intestinal Absorption of Bacterial Cell Wall Polymers in Rats

Bacterial cell wall polymers initiate and sustain chronic granulomatous inflammation and characteristic immunological changes in animal models after local and systemic injection (1,2). The component of the cell wall responsible for the inflammation and immunodulation is the covalently bound peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) complex, which is found in nearly all bacterial species, including the normal enteric flora. Purified aqueous suspensions of PG-PS can induce granulomatous enterocolitis that persists for 6 months in rats after intramural injection and chronic relapsing synovitis, uveitis, vasculitis with skin lesions, hepatic granulomas, carditis and anemia after systemic injection (3). PG-PS activates macrophages and the alternate complement pathway and has mitogenic, adjuvant and immunogenic properties for B cells (4). Because the histologic appearance, immunologic response and location of systemic inflammation of PG-PS-induced inflammation resembles that seen in Crohn’s disease and because high concentrations of bacteria are found in the distal intestine, we postulate that PG-PS from intestinal bacteria may be important in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease However, to be etiologically significant, PG-PS must cross the intestinal epithelium. The purpose of these experiments is to investigate absorption of gavage-fed PG-PS by measuring systemic uptake and serum antibody response in rats.
Swipe Authentication: Exploring Over-the-Shoulder Attack Performance

Swipe passwords are a popular method for authenticating on mobile phones. In public, these passwords may become visible to attackers who engage in shoulder surfing. There is a need for strategies that protect swipe passwords from over-the-shoulder attacks (OSAs). We empirically explored the impact of providing gesture visual feedback on OSA performance during successful and unsuccessful swipe login attempts on mobile phones. We found evidence that entry visual feedback facilitates OSAs. As users are biased towards symmetrical swipe patterns, we investigated their impact on attack performance. We found that symmetrical swipe patterns were less vulnerable than asymmetrical patterns, possibly due to the speed of entry. As users tend toward simple patterns, we investigated the impact that nonadjacent, diagonal knight moves have on OSAs. We found that knight moves significantly decreased OSA performance. We recommend users turn off gesture entry visual feedback and use knight moves for greater password security.
Lumbar vertebral body and pars fractures following laminectomy

A 56-year-old alcoholic male incurred L5 vertebral body and bilateral L4 pars fractures with progressive L4 on L5 anterolisthesis following low-energy falls while intoxicated. Recently, he had a L3-S1 laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis with claudication. Preoperative imaging and radiographs were negative for pars defects and instability, so an isolated decompressive surgery was performed. Following low-energy falls, his outpatient work-up revealed fractures through the bilateral L4 pedicles and posterior third of L5 vertebral body, with recurrence of axial back pain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. He underwent revision decompression from L4-S1 and posterior instrumented fusion with transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion performed at each revised level. His axial back pain and radiculopathy improved postoperatively. Instability of a lumbar spine fracture pattern can be due to the remote or prior iatrogenic disruption of the posterior ligamentous complex. Our patient benefitted from surgery and his low back pain was resolved.
Investigating the function spiral in later life: Aging attitudes, physical activity, and gait.

This study tests the Function Spiral Model, which proposes that functional decline often occurs prematurely: negative aging attitudes reduce activity engagement, which then advances functional decl...
Attempts to Lose Weight Among US Children: Importance of Weight Perceptions from Self, Parents, and Health Professionals

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate how perceptions of weight by children themselves, parents, and health professionals influence children's persistent attempts to lose weight. Methods The sample included 4,914 children aged 8 to 15 years from the 2005 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (representing 20.7 million children). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results About 34.2% never made an effort to lose weight, whereas 28.2% made persistent attempts to lose weight. Children's persistent attempts to lose weight were highly related to their own BMI percentile. Children's self-perceptions of overweight increased the odds of persistent attempts to lose weight more than sevenfold. Health professionals' perceptions that children were overweight increased the odds of persistent attempts to lose weight almost threefold. However, parents' perceptions of children as overweight had a relatively small though significant influence on children's attempts to lose weight. Conclusions As perceptions of children's weight status play big roles in children's attempts to lose weight, interventions focusing on increasing accuracy of perceptions may help promote healthy weight loss efforts. Although parents are key agents in controlling their children's weight gain, especially among minority school-aged children, the study findings also emphasize the greater importance of health professionals on children's attempts to lose weight across different racial/ethnic groups.
Sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) in children with spinal cord injury.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity and responsiveness of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) for evaluating trunk control in children with spinal cord in...
Khmer Rouge Irrigation Schemes During the Cambodian Genocide

Between 1975 and 1979 Cambodia was witness to a period of mass violence in which approximately two million people died from famine, disease, and murder. This violence was the result of policies ini...
Cardiovascular Endurance Training for Blind Persons

Cardiovascular endurance training (CVET), or continuous, whole-body activity involving a major portion of the total muscle mass, is suggested as a positive and feasible activity for blind persons. ...
¿Las infraestructuras como proyecto de ciudad?: algunas reflexiones sobre Burgos, ciudad intermedia de Castilla y León

Desde hace ya algunos anos las infraestructuras han superado la simple funcion de artefactos que facilitan la vida urbana y se estan convirtiendo en objetivo, en componente destacado de las politicas publicas que planifican el futuro de buena parte de nuestras ciudades. Carreteras, ferrocarriles, aeropuertos, poligonos industriales ... se disenan, hoy en dia, como autenticos proyectos de ciudad, como elementos capaces, por si mismos, de sustentar no solo la estructura morfologica y la identidad de cada urbe, sino tambien de inducir su crecimiento economico, mejorar su mercado laboral y aumentar, en fin, su grado de bienestar. Ahora bien, ?son las infraestructuras, en si mismas, un verdadero proyecto de futuro para una ciudad? ?De que modo se articula la ordenacion de estas infraestructuras en la planificacion municipal vigente en Espana? ?Que relacion tiene esta articulacion con las politicas sectoriales de las que en muchas ocasiones dependen este tipo de infraestructuras? ?Existe horizonte posible para una ciudad sin infraestructuras? Este articulo se plantea algunas reflexiones al respecto en relacion con la ciudad intermedia de Burgos, una de las capitales de provincia de la region de Castilla y Leon, en la que durante los ultimos anos se esta desarrollando un interesante proceso de crecimiento y transformacion urbana vinculado directamente a la implantacion de relevantes infraestructuras.
Production of the alpha particle emitting radionuclide At-211 at the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute

1431 Objectives The need of viable production methods of At-211 is necessary to continue research in alpha particle targeted radionuclide therapy. Our objectives were to establish the production of Astatine-211 at Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute, optimize the production methods to reduce the generation of contaminants formation and maximize At-211 production, as well as assess the radiological safety aspect of At-211 production. Methods We studied the production of the alpha particle emitting At-211 radionuclide at the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute using the K500 superconducting cyclotron. Following the production reaction Bi-209(α, 2n)At-211 using a thick target of 500 μm. The initial alpha particle beam energy was 80 MeV, which was degraded using multiple Cu and Al foils to 28.1 and 25.7 MeV for two separate experiments. The bombardment time was 4 hours for both experiments. Gamma ray spectroscopy was utilized to quantify the production yield and impurities within the bismuth target. Results The resulting At-211 yields for both experiments were 34.6 and 12.7 MBq/(μA-h), respectively. However, several impurities were produced using the 28.1 MeV run that included At-210, Bi-206, and Bi-207. On the other hand, when the 25.7 MeV beam was used, the impurities At-210, Bi-206, and Bi-207 were resolved. Conclusions The production yields were in accordance to published results. From the success of these initial experiments, additional steps were taken to produce At-211 in excess quantities for distillation purposes. In order to obtain viable quantities of At-211, the gross yield needed to be increased due to losses occurred during distillation and through radioactive decay. In order to produce high yields of this isotope, a redesign of the target and use of the K150, for its capabilities in delivering high intensity beams, is required
Microbiology Milestone: Herbert W. Conn, Lifetime Achievements: A keen observer, moralist, and humanist, Conn focused on dairy microbiology but also cared about broader issues of public health

ASM honored microbiologist Herbert W. Conn (1859–1917) last year, designating the University of Connecticut its 8th Milestones in Microbiology site. The October 2013 dedication ceremony included a symposium highlighting Conn's many achievements in microbiology research and teaching, while also recognizing his many contributions to ASM, including his role as a cofounder and, later in 1902, as a president of the Society of American Bacteriologists (SAB), the forerunner of ASM.
Development and application of a high throughput natural language processing architecture to convert all clinical documents in a clinical data warehouse into standardized medical vocabularies

Objective Natural language processing (NLP) engines such as the clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System are a solution for processing notes for research, but optimizing their performance for a clinical data warehouse remains a challenge. We aim to develop a high throughput NLP architecture using the clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System and present a predictive model use case. Materials and methods The CDW was comprised of 1 103 038 patients across 10 years. The architecture was constructed using the Hadoop data repository for source data and 3 large-scale symmetric processing servers for NLP. Each named entity mention in a clinical document was mapped to the Unified Medical Language System concept unique identifier (CUI). Results The NLP architecture processed 83 867 802 clinical documents in 13.33 days and produced 37 721 886 606 CUIs across 8 standardized medical vocabularies. Performance of the architecture exceeded 500 000 documents per hour across 30 parallel instances of the clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System including 10 instances dedicated to documents greater than 20 000 bytes. In a use-case example for predicting 30-day hospital readmission, a CUI-based model had similar discrimination to n-grams with an area under the curve receiver operating characteristic of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.74-0.76). Discussion and conclusion Our health system's high throughput NLP architecture may serve as a benchmark for large-scale clinical research using a CUI-based approach.
Pride and Prejudice: Same-Sex Marriage Legalization Announcements and LGBT Hate-Crimes

We examine whether same-sex marriage legalization announcements impact the occurrence of LGBT hate-crimes. We exploit variation in the timing of same-sex marriage legalization announcements across states, using a difference-in-differences design. We find that a same-sex marriage legalization announcement leads to a reduction in the LGBT hate-crime rate of 0.111 per 100,000 people from a base of 0.3. This result is mostly driven by reductions in violent hate-crimes. There is also evidence of a reduction in property hate-crimes. Additional analyses indicate that the effect is stronger in counties with a large share of likely perpetrators. Our results show suggestive evidence that same-sex marriage bans have the opposite effect on the LGBT hate-crime rate. The results demonstrate that salient LGBT-specific policy announcements are effective at reducing hate-crimes based on sexual orientation.
A Stabilizing Centralized Controller for On-Chip Power Delivery Networks

A major challenge currently facing integrated systems, such as microprocessors and systems-on-chip is power delivery. With increasing system size and complexity, multiple voltage regulators are often needed for a single power domain. This connection raises non-trivial stability issues that often render the system useless. It is therefore of great practical interest to tackle the stability of such systems. This brief proposes the design of a centralized controller with the aim of rendering such power delivery networks (PDNs) stable without compromising their performance. Theoretical results are confirmed with extensive transistor-level simulations and demonstrate that the controller is capable of stabilizing PDNs with much greater area efficiency than conventional techniques.
A novel in vitro model for experimental therapeutic and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies of antineoplastic drugs.

2127 Dosing, scheduling, and sequencing (DSS) of anticancer agents plays an important role in the effective treatment of patients. We sought to develop a novel in vitro system that would: i) allow for the exposure of cancer cells to drug concentration-time profiles as achieved in humans, ii) provide a mechanism to study the effects of DSS, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) in vitro, iii) permit the evaluation of multiple doses/cycles of treatment, iv) and determine optimal strategies for delivering individual and combination regimens. ∼106 HL60 cells/mL × 15mL were exposed to 1-β-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C, IC50 34.7 nM) in vitro in a hollow-fiber model which simulates the plasma concentration-time profiles of ara-C in patients. The model system utilizes computer programmable peristaltic pumps to circulate media (RPMI 1640, 10% FCS) thru HL60 containing hollow fiber bioreactors. Drugs are dosed into the system to achieve desired ‘peak’ concentrations, and eliminated according to the appropriate human half-life and pharmacokinetic profile of the drug. Continuous infusion (CI) ara-C was administered over 7days at 1X, 5X, 15X, and 50X the IC50. The same total cycle doses were fractionated, and administered as a single bolus, and by an every 12-hour dosing schedule. Samples from the bioreactor are taken every 24hours, and endpoints include cell counts, viability, and DNA analysis by FACS for cell cycle parameters. Data were analyzed by fitting an Emax PK/PD model to the log change in viable cells from baseline for each dose level and growth control (WinNonlin 3.3). Over 7 days of treatment, the change from baseline in viable cell counts for the growth control, 1X, 5X, 15X, and 50X IC50 doses given as CI were +0.79, −0.12, –1.07, −1.74, and –2.35 logs, respectively. The Emax PK/PD model fit the experimental data excellently (r2 = 0.99), with an Emax (CV%), EC50 and Eo of −2.47 (7.6%) logs, 126.7 (27.7%) nM, and 0.71 (21.1%) logs, respectively. The in vitro model correctly confirmed that, at equivalent total doses, administration of ara-C by CI provides significantly more potent activity compared to bolus dosing. The model also demonstrated saturable intracellular metabolism of ara-C whereby further increases in dose failed to provide additional cell kill. The ability of this in vitro pharmacodynamic model to assess the response of cancer cells to different doses and schedules of antineoplastic agents may be useful in the design of optimal dosing regimens for clinical trials, but requires validation with other cell lines and classes of drugs. Additional studies to evaluate the optimal scheduling and sequencing of drug combinations are in progress.
Practices in synagogues regarding Jewish genetic disease education

Approximately one in three Ashkenazi Jews are carriers for an autosomal recessive Jewish genetic disease (JGD). However, studies indicate that most Jews are uneducated on this topic and obstetricians do not routinely offer carrier screening to Jewish patients. Both the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism call for JGD education to take place within the synagogue; however, little is known about the extent of this education occurring today. An online survey was created for Reform and Conservative rabbis to assess the types of JGD education taking place within the synagogue. Additionally, the survey included questions to assess JGD knowledge and possible factors that could predict counseling activity and knowledge level. Of the 94 participants, 91% had provided education about JGDs to congregants, with 98.8% providing this education during premarital counseling sessions. For most respondents, explaining recessive inheritance pattern and carrier screening was the extent of the discussion. Additionally, the majority of rabbis scored below 50% on the knowledge portion of the survey, with an average score of 1.9/4. There were no statistically significant differences between JGD education in Reform vs. Conservative synagogues, and there were no statistically significant predictors of knowledge score or JGD education frequency. In conclusion, while the number of rabbis discussing this topic is encouraging, discussion topics were found to be limited and their knowledge of JGDs was found to be poor.
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously undiagnosed health care workers at the onset of the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic

Abstract Importance Healthcare workers are presumed to be at increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to occupational exposure to infected patients. However, no epidemiological study has examined the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of healthcare workers during the early phase of community transmission. Objective To determine the baseline prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of previously undiagnosed healthcare workers and a comparison group of non-healthcare workers. Design Prospective cohort study Setting A large U.S. university and two affiliated university hospitals Participants 546 health care workers and 283 non-health care workers with no known prior SARS-CoV-2 infection Exposure Healthcare worker status and role Main outcome(s) and measure(s) SARS-CoV-2 infection status as determined by presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in oropharyngeal swabs. Results At baseline, 41 (5.0%) of participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, of whom 14 (34.2%) reported symptoms. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher among healthcare workers (7.3%) than in non-healthcare workers (0.4%), representing a 7.0% greater absolute risk (95% confidence interval for risk difference 4.7%, 9.3%). The majority of infected healthcare workers (62.5%) worked as nurses. Positive tests increased across the two weeks of cohort recruitment in line with rising confirmed cases in the hospitals and surrounding counties. Conclusions and relevance In a prospective cohort conducted in the early phases of community transmission, healthcare workers had a higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-healthcare workers, attesting to the occupational hazards of caring for patients in this crisis. Baseline data reported here will enable us to monitor the spread of infection and examine risk factors for transmission among healthcare workers. These results will inform optimal strategies for protecting the healthcare workforce, their families, and their patients. Clinicaltrials.gov registration number:NCT04336215 Key points Question Among previously undiagnosed individuals, is the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection higher in U.S. healthcare workers compared to non-healthcare workers in the early phase of the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic? Findings The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 7.3% in healthcare workers and 0.4% in non-healthcare workers, representing 7.0% greater absolute risk in the former (95% confidence interval for risk difference 4.7%, 9.3%). Infections were most common among nursing staff. Meaning Health care workers, particularly those with high levels of close patient contact, may be particularly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additional strategies are needed to protect these critical frontline workers.
The Elusive Search for Rights-Centred Public Health Approaches to Drug Policy: A Comment

While it is common for United Nations member states in international meetings to espouse ‘public health approaches’ to drug policy, actual policies appear not to have caught up with this rhetoric. There is a lingering over-emphasis in narcotic drug policies on policing and incarceration at the expense of urgently needed investment in health and social services for people who use drugs. These policies have lethal consequences in the transmission of potentially fatal infections and preventable overdose deaths, and they impede progress in social and economic development. The experience of a number of countries, mostly in the European Union, highlights that bringing public health evidence into the center of drug policy decision-making can have broad social, economic and public health benefits.