cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ikiugu’s eclectic method of combining theoretical conceptual practice models in occupational therapy

Background/aim: Occupational therapists are often reluctant to use single theoretical conceptual practice models to guide practice because they recognise the limitation of individual models in addressing clients’ occupational performance issues. However, there is a dearth of eclectic methods of guiding theoretical model combination in the profession. The effectiveness of one such newly developed method in guiding combination of models by students working on a case study was investigated. Methods: This was a mixed methods study with experimental and phenomenological designs in which forty-three occupational therapy students participated. Results: There was increased confidence in ability to apply theory in a case study for all research participants. The improvement was significantly higher for participants in the experimental group, who had been introduced to the eclectic method. Participants in the experimental group were more capable of combining models systematically in a case study compared with those in the control group. Conclusions: Adopting Ikiugu’s eclectic method of combining theoretical conceptual practice models may help students learn how to combine them systematically and increase their likelihood of using theory effectively to guide clinical practice in their future as occupational therapists.
Health IT-enabled Care for Underserved Rural Populations: The Role of Nursing

This white paper explains the strong roles that nursing can play in using information technology (IT) to improve healthcare delivery in rural areas. The authors describe current challenges to providing care in rural areas, and how technology innovations can help rural communities to improve their health and health care. To maximize benefits, rural stakeholders (as individuals and groups) must collaborate to effect change. Because nonphysician providers deliver much of the health care in rural communities, this paper focuses on the critical roles of nurses on IT-enabled caremanagement teams. The authors propose changes in nursing practice, policy, and education to better prepare, encourage, and enable nurses to assume leadership roles in IT- enabled health care management in rural communities.
Surface modifications of implants.

Since the early 1980s, the use of endosseous dental implants for the support of dental restorations has created a revolution in the routine approach to dental care. The high success rate for this elective procedure occurs through the initial stability that is provided by the amount, quality, and distribution of bone within the proposed implant site [111]. Typically, the integration of an implant is characterized by a series of clinical rules based on the concepts of engineering statics, implant surface technologies and conventional prosthodontic principles [123]. These relatively crude clinical parameters involve a lack of signs and symptoms of pathology, a lack of mobility, and a radiographic assessment of the interface [5,122]. The clinical success of implants relies on short
Evaluating Sustainable Competitive Advantages in Brazilian and U.S. Processed Citrus Supply Chains: An Application of Porter's Diamond Framework

The processed citrus industries of Sao Paulo, Brazil and Florida, United States collectively account for over 80 percent of world orange juice production. In recent years, both industries have been confronted with serious plant disease outbreaks. Porter’s Diamond framework is used to assess the strenghts and weakness of the processed citrus industry in each country to confront the combined challenge of effectively combating these diseases while maintaining market competitiveness. Although Sao Paulo and Florida produce a similar product, the Porter’s Diamond framework reveals that there are significant diffences in the organizational structure of the two industries. The article concludes with an analysis of how these differences will impact each industry’s ability to sustain its global leadership in the international processed citrus market.
Selectivity by small-molecule inhibitors of protein interactions can be driven by protein surface fluctuations.

Small-molecules that inhibit interactions between specific pairs of proteins have long represented a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention in a variety of settings. Structural studies have shown that in many cases, the inhibitor-bound protein adopts a conformation that is distinct from its unbound and its protein-bound conformations. This plasticity of the protein surface presents a major challenge in predicting which members of a protein family will be inhibited by a given ligand. Here, we use biased simulations of Bcl-2-family proteins to generate ensembles of low-energy conformations that contain surface pockets suitable for small molecule binding. We find that the resulting conformational ensembles include surface pockets that mimic those observed in inhibitor-bound crystal structures. Next, we find that the ensembles generated using different members of this protein family are overlapping but distinct, and that the activity of a given compound against a particular family member (ligand selectivity) can be predicted from whether the corresponding ensemble samples a complementary surface pocket. Finally, we find that each ensemble includes certain surface pockets that are not shared by any other family member: while no inhibitors have yet been identified to take advantage of these pockets, we expect that chemical scaffolds complementing these “distinct” pockets will prove highly selective for their targets. The opportunity to achieve target selectivity within a protein family by exploiting differences in surface fluctuations represents a new paradigm that may facilitate design of family-selective small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.
Determination of Toxic Pathways of Metabolism by Deuterium Substitution

(1984). Determination of Toxic Pathways of Metabolism by Deuterium Substitution. Drug Metabolism Reviews: Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 1335-1351.
The Puzzle of Marriage Migration in India

Two thirds of all Indian women have migrated for marriage, around 300 million women, but little is known about this vast migration. This paper provides a detailed accounting of the puzzlingly large migration of Indian women and evaluates its causes. Contrary to conventional wisdom, marriage migration does not contribute to risk sharing. Nor is it driven by sex ratio imbalances. Instead, I introduce a simple model in which parents must search for a spouse for their daughter geographically. By adding geographical search frictions, the model helps rationalize the large regional differences.
Asset Tangibility and Firm Performance Under External Financing: Evidence from Product Markets

I examine the impact of contract enforceability on corporate performance. My tests sidestep the issue of endogeneity between contracting and economic outcomes using "asset tangibility" (i.e., the resale value or ease of redeployment of corporate assets) as an instrument. Because asset tangibility changes over time for reasons that are outside of the control of firms and financiers (e.g., industry demand for second-hand assets), it can be used to identify a causal link between financing and performance. The identification works along the lines of a moral hazard argument: when asset tangibility is high managers have heightened incentives to perform since firm liquidation/reorganization becomes a more credible threat. I find evidence that the ex post resale value and redeployability of corporate assets drive the relative performance of firms that rely more heavily on external financing for their investment. Specifically, I show that the component of investment that is explained by external financing is associated with superior (inferior) relative-to-rival product market performance, capital market valuation, and accounting returns when asset tangibility turns out to be high (low) after the firm raises financing. Crucially, these sorts of tangibility-driven dynamics are not observed for internally-funded investment (when contract enforceability is irrelevant), and obtain despite the fact that asset tangibility does not unconditionally forecast firm performance. The effect of asset tangibility on investment performance under external financing is magnified when firms are near distress.
Antiepileptic drug interactions in the elderly

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are frequently prescribed in the elderly due to the high prevalence of AED-treatable neuropsychiatric disorders in this age group. There are several factors associated with AED therapy in the elderly that substantially increase the risk of clinically significant drug interactions. The elderly exhibit altered pharmacodynamics resulting in greater sensitivity to both pharmacological and toxicological drug effects. The use of polypharmacotherapy leaves the elderly patient at an increased risk for adverse events. There are no known drug interactions between anticoagulants/antiplatelets and the following AEDs: gabapentin (GBP), lamotrigine (LTG), levetiracetam (LEV), tiagabine (TGB), or zonisamide (ZNS). A number of AEDs either induce or inhibit drug metabolizing enzymes and, in turn, their metabolism is affected by many co-medications. Several of the newer AEDs do not appear to interact with other medications, while others are affected by enzyme induction of inhibition but do not appear to alter the disposition of co-medications.
Physics based modeling of the human face

Modeling of the human face plays an important role in such applications as computer games, medicine, and special effects for movies. The demand for this area is driven by the ability of the human face to convey emotion and information and by the needs of simulation in the context of facial surgery. Face modeling can be divided into defining the geometrical representation, animating the model, and rendering. It has recently enjoyed considerable progress in the movie industry; in particular the rendering has achieved such level that the face in still images has been made to look indistinguishable from real. However, animation still remains a problem, mainly because of the lack of sound algorithmic theory describing facial motion. Our work addresses this problem, proposing a model and tools for its animation, which both reflect the anatomical control structure and are efficient and robust. We built a highly detailed anatomically accurate model of facial passive tissue, embedded musculature and underlying skeletal structure using volumetric data acquired from a living male subject. The tissues are equipped with a highly nonlinear constitutive model including controllable anisotropic muscle activations based on fiber directions. Building this model required the development of an extensive set of tools that was used to process the Visible Human dataset as well as the MRI and laser scans of a living subject. The model is capable of a fast and robust animation, driven by muscle activations and the kinematic parameters defining the placement of cranium and jaw. To achieve versatile realistic animation requires complex coordinated stimulation of the muscles and control of the kinematic parameters. We propose a solution to this problem by automatically estimating the control parameters from face motion capture marker data. This not only offers an efficient way to drive the model, but also offers a framework for definitive description of facial motion, since our control parameters are anatomically derived, as opposed to phenomenologically learned.
Lost in Transnationalism? GMOs in India and the Eclipse of Equitable Development Discourse

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been at the centre of passionate debates in recent years, about their safety, their political economic impact and arguably as a litmus test for broader discourses about development. In India, this debate, focusing on Bt cotton, and more recently on Bt eggplant (brinjal), has been particularly vociferous. This article adds context to the debate by showing how rival perspectives on the role of GMOs in economic development have found differing channels of influence and support, many of them transnational in nature. Drawing on interviews with participants in India, from all sides of the argument—non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research, private and governmental sectors—this article argues that a ‘third’ perspective on the introduction of GMOs, that of ‘equitable development’, has been eclipsed by the transnational resources and media presence of both ‘pro’ and ‘anti’ stances. This article therefore aims to link the study of transnational advocacy with the poli...
Leadership Credibility, Board Relations, and Administrative Innovation at the Local Government Level

This article explores the association between administrative leadership, elected board behavior, and administrative innovation at the municipal level. It is hypothesized that city administrators
CubeSat Deployable Ka-Band Mesh Reflector Antenna Development for Earth Science Missions

CubeSats are positioned to play a key role in Earth Science, wherein multiple copies of the same RADAR instrument are launched in desirable formations, allowing for the measurement of atmospheric processes over a short evolutionary timescale. To achieve this goal, such CubeSats require a high-gain antenna (HGA) that fits in a highly constrained volume. This paper presents a novel mesh deployable Ka-band antenna design that folds in a 1.5 U $(10\times 10 \times 15 \,\text{cm}^{3})$ stowage volume suitable for 6 U $(10\times 20 \times 30 \,\text{cm}^{3})$ class CubeSats. Considering all aspects of the deployable mesh reflector antenna including the feed, detailed simulations and measurements show that 42.6-dBi gain and 52% aperture efficiency is achievable at 35.75 GHz. The mechanical deployment mechanism and associated challenges are also described, as they are critical components of a deployable CubeSat antenna. Both solid and mesh prototype antennas have been developed and measurement results show excellent agreement with simulations.
Perspective of Recent Progress in Immobilization of Enzymes

The commercial application of biocatalysts depends on the development of effective methods of immobilization. The immobilization of enzymes greatly increases the stability of enzymes and eases the burden of enzyme cost and thus, is widely pursued for efficient, selective, and environmentally friendly catalysis. This brief perspective focuses on recent development in the area of enzyme immobilization in porous materials. Recent work regarding the immobilization of enzymes in inorganic mesoporous materials as well as the modifications to those materials is summarized in this paper. The configuration of supported enzyme as membranes and fibers may facilitate their application in areas that require a biocatalytic process. Enzymes immobilized in or on fibrous membranes provide high surface area for high throughput biocatalysis. These membrane bioreactors also allow for biotransformations to be carried out within a continuous flow process while maintaining enzyme stability under operating conditions as a result...
Optimally scheduling small numbers of identical parallel machines

Given a set of n different jobs, each with an associated running time, and a set of k identical machines, our task is to assign each job to a machine to minimize the time to complete all jobs. In the OR literature, this is called identical parallel machine scheduling, while in AI it is called number partitioning. For eight or more machines, an OR approach based on bin packing appears best, while for fewer machines, a collection of AI search algorithms perform best. We focus here on scheduling up to seven machines, and make several new contributions. One is a new method that significantly reduces duplicate partitions for all values of k, including k = 2. Another is a new version of the Complete-Karmarkar-Karp (CKK) algorithm that minimizes the makespan. A surprising negative result is that dynamic programming is not competitive for this problem, even for k = 2. We also explore the effect of precision of values on the choice of the best algorithm. Despite the simplicity of this problem, a number of different algorithms have been proposed, and the most efficient algorithm depends on the number of jobs, the number of machines, and the precision of the running times.
Effect of velocity and mechanical history on the forces of motor units in the cat medial gastrocnemius muscle.

1. Two fundamental aspects of the dynamic behavior of motor units of the cat medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle were measured. Force-velocity (FV) relationships were measured with the use of constant...
Variability in island populations of the house finch

-Coefficients of variation and generalized variances are compared for nine morphological characters from five mainland and four island populations of the House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). The purpose is to test the idea that variability is reduced in isolated populations and that there is a "population variation parameter" that determines the level of variation in most characters. Variability is greater in bill characters for Guadalupe and San Benito Islands than for mainland and other island populations. There are no consistent differences among samples in variability of wing, tail, or hind-limb characters, except for a tendency toward increased tarsus-length variability in a southern Baja Califomia population and reduced variability in this character in San Clemente Island and Guadalupe Island populations. In bill characters, increased variability is found in the most divergent populations. The results do not support the generalization that geographic (= genetic) isolation per se causes much of a change in variability in island populations of birds, nor is there support for the idea of a pervasive quality of the gene pool that determines the level of variability in most characters. Received 29 June 1981, accepted 30 September 1982. ISLAND populations are isolated to varying degrees and, as a result, are often subject to reduced gene flow. They are also often subject to strong directional selection, especially just after colonization of a novel environment. Grant (1979) has proposed that phenotypic variation is reduced in well-isolated populations as a consequence of both diminished gene flow and strong differentiation through directional selection and random genetic drift. Soule (1972) also identified isolation, as well as the intensity of stabilizing selection, as factors in the reduction of variability in island populations. In addition, Soule has stated that there is strong evidence for a "population variation parameter," implying that some pervasive quality of the gene pool determines the level of variability in
The Influence of Low Temperature Clustering on Strengthening Precipitation IN Al-Mg-Si Alloys

Heat-treatable 6000 series aluminum alloys are the most commonly extruded materials in the world. The precipitation process in these alloys is both complex and well characterized. The earliest clustering stage has been shown to have a large effect on subsequent strengthening precipitation, however little is known about the influence of clustering as a function of composition and processing parameters. The current work examines this influence considering the factors of relative and absolute magnesium and silicon content, and the extent of natural aging. Billets were cast and extruded prior to heat-treatment, and the hardening response was evaluated with hardness, conductivity, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This work advances the current understanding of Al-Mg-Si precipitation by correlating the kinetics of age hardening to composition and processing, and may lead to further optimization of 6000 series alloy strength and toughness.
The Controlling Mechanism for Potential Loss in CH3NH3PbBr3 Hybrid Solar Cells

We investigated moisture and thermal stability of MAPbBr3 perovskite material. Cubic MAPbBr3 was found to be moisture-insensitive and can avoid the thermal stability issues introduced by low-temperature phase transition in MAPbI3. MAPbBr3 and MAPbI3 hybrid solar cells with efficiencies of ∼7.1% and ∼15.5%, respectively, were fabricated, and we identified the correlation between the working temperature, light intensity, and the photovoltaic performance. No charge-carrier transport barriers were found in the MAPbBr3 and MAPbI3 solar cells. The MAPbBr3 solar cell displays a better stability under high working temperature because of its close-packed crystal structure. Temperature-dependent photocurrent–voltage characteristics indicate that, unlike the MAPbI3 solar cell with an activation energy (EA) nearly equal to its band gap (Eg), the EA for the MAPbBr3 solar cell is much lower than its Eg. This indicates that a high interface recombination process limits the photovoltage and consequently the device perfor...
Linguistic Discrimination in an English Language Teaching Program: Voices of the Invisible Others

This descriptive research provides insight into how linguistic discrimination in fluences students’ academic performance in the English teaching program at Fundacion Universitaria Luis Amigo in Medellin. Five groups were observed on four different occasions to accomplish the purpose of the study. Four professors and twelve students were interviewed to find out what attitudes and beliefs emerged inside the classroom. The analysis of data showed that standard language, native-speaker idealization, pressure from the professor, disesteem of one’s own language-level, and discriminatory attitudes affected students’ performance in aspects such as socio-affective factors, fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension, devaluation of students’ language variation, academic performance homogenization, mother-tongue restriction, extra visibility of high-proficiency students, discriminatory jokes, linguistic segregation, difficulty in interaction, and self-isolation. This study concluded that academic performance is affected by all types of discriminating attitudes, either in professors or classmates. Discriminato ry attitudes trigger responses such as fear, segregation, anxiety, and apprehension, among others, thereby restraining and limiting class participation, quality of interaction, new concept and knowledge appropriation, motivation towards language, and course contents.
Evolution of a Digital Library: Testing the Limits of Universal Collecting at the Library of Congress

This article provides an example of the complexity of management in all its various stages and aspects, starting from the initial creation of a digital library as a prototype. The author describes the management difficulties involved from the very birth of the idea, to more structural and developmental phases, which were strongly related to the progress of new technology. There were several difficulties in the accomplishment of this project, including technical problems related to technological evolution at the time, as well as the justification of this project, not having precedents, and related trouble with funding. Another problem was the definition of objectives for the staff working on this project, who, not having precedents, were unable to clearly define their goals. Last but not least, human resources presented a problem, wherein the creation of teams was not clearly organized and thus created backlogs within the organizational structure.
Adaptation of the Grasha Riechman Student Learning Style Survey and Teaching Style Inventory to assess individual teaching and learning styles in a quality improvement collaborative

NIATx200, a quality improvement collaborative, involved 201 substance abuse clinics. Each clinic was randomized to one of four implementation strategies: (a) interest circle calls, (b) learning sessions, (c) coach only or (d) a combination of all three. Each strategy was led by NIATx200 coaches who provided direct coaching or facilitated the interest circle and learning session interventions. Eligibility was limited to NIATx200 coaches (N = 18), and the executive sponsor/change leader of participating clinics (N = 389). Participants were invited to complete a modified Grasha Riechmann Student Learning Style Survey and Teaching Style Inventory. Principal components analysis determined participants’ preferred learning and teaching styles. Responses were received from 17 (94.4 %) of the coaches. Seventy-two individuals were excluded from the initial sample of change leaders and executive sponsors (N = 389). Responses were received from 80 persons (25.2 %) of the contactable individuals. Six learning profiles for the executive sponsors and change leaders were identified: Collaborative/Competitive (N = 28, 36.4 %); Collaborative/Participatory (N = 19, 24.7 %); Collaborative only (N = 17, 22.1 %); Collaborative/Dependent (N = 6, 7.8 %); Independent (N = 3, 5.2 %); and Avoidant/Dependent (N = 3, 3.9 %). NIATx200 coaches relied primarily on one of four coaching profiles: Facilitator (N = 7, 41.2 %), Facilitator/Delegator (N = 6, 35.3 %), Facilitator/Personal Model (N = 3, 17.6 %) and Delegator (N = 1, 5.9 %). Coaches also supported their primary coaching profiles with one of eight different secondary coaching profiles. The study is one of the first to assess teaching and learning styles within a QIC. Results indicate that individual learners (change leaders and executive sponsors) and coaches utilize multiple approaches in the teaching and practice-based learning of quality improvement (QI) processes. Identification teaching profiles could be used to tailor the collaborative structure and content delivery. Efforts to accommodate learning styles would facilitate knowledge acquisition enhancing the effectiveness of a QI collaborative to improve organizational processes and outcomes. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00934141 Registered July 6, 2009. Retrospectively registered.
Compatible Dynamical Models of Environmental, Sensory, and Perceptual Systems

ABSTRACTOne of the cornerstones of the ecological stance in psychology is the compatibility, or symmetry, between animal and environment. In this article, it is argued that a first principles reevaluation of the dynamical systems that structure the information signals animals live through is an important step in understanding how compatibility is possible. What is especially important is how environmental properties are encoded by dynamical laws into the information signals of the environment and how these signals can reveal environmental properties. It is argued that that compatibility is not just 2-way compatibility between animal and environment but also 3-way compatibility of environmental, sensory, and perceptual systems. The argument is illustrated using a conceptual exegesis of 2 dynamical systems, Newtonian mechanics and Webster's acoustic horn equation. The discussion of the latter equation is accompanied by the extraction of articulatory information from speech signals of 50 speakers. It is beli...
Best Practices for Culturally Sensitive Data Visualizations

Organizations are undergoing significant changes in their business environment. Competing on a global scale means that organizations must better understand cultural issues of their customers, employees, and key stakeholders. As business analytics grows in importance, managers are sharing data visualizations to a variety of different cultures and beliefs. When creating culturally sensitive data visualizations, a set of best practices is required to assist managers to make timely and accurate decisions with the least possible cultural bias. This article aims to develop these best practices by analyzing cultural traits, communication habits, and other differences between the western and eastern global regions.
A medieval physician: Amirdovlat Amasiatsi (1420-1495)

We aimed to acquaint the reader with a medieval physician, Amirdovlat Amasiatsi, who lived and practiced in the 15th century Anatolia. Amirdovlat wrote several books on medicine mainly focusing on phytotherapy and pharmacology using medicinal plants, animal-derived products and minerals. All his works were written in Middle Armenian, spoken Armenian language of the time. In his writings, Amirdovlat described unique recipes that represent a portrayal of medical knowledge and practice at the time in Anatolia where he lived and worked. He discussed the physical and therapeutic properties as well as geographic distributions of various plants and minerals, using different languages, mainly Turkish, Greek, Arabic, French and Persian. Amirdovlat's works not only enhanced our understanding of Armenian medical practices but also provided great deal of information on those of Ancient Greco-Roman as well as Islamic world, demonstrating close relationship of Armenian medicine with Greco-Roman and Islamic medicine. Amirdovlat accomplished this by amalgamating the past and contemporary practices of his time. In this regard, Amirdovlat's works, in particular "Useless for the Ignorant", are very unique playing a significant role in preserving traditions and heritage of different cultures.
From law-like knowledge to concept hierarchies in data

In this paper we analyze relationships between different forms of knowledge that can be discovered in the same data matrix (database): regularities, concept descriptions and conceptual clusters (hierarchies). These relationships, very important for our understanding of knowledge, have not received sufficient attention, neither in the domain of machine learning nor from the perspective of knowledge based systems. We argue for the basic role of regularities (law-like knowledge) and we show how a subset of the discovered regularities, made of regularities which approximate logical equivalences, can be used to construct concept hierarchies. We show how each of those regularities leads to an element of the conceptual hierarchy and how those elements are linked to form elements of higher empirical contents. One-way implications can also contribute to the empirical contents of hierarchy elements. Next we show how to combine hierarchy elements into concept hierarchy. Different hierarchies are possible, leading to the question of choice between hierarchies, for which we provide our optimality criteria. The algorithm is illustrated by a walk-through application on the soybean database. We compare our results with results obtained earlier by the COBWEB clustering approach.
Commentary: Is there a there there in hair? A reflection on child maltreatment and hair cortisol concentrations in White et al. (2017).

Both chronic and acute stressors have typically been understood to produce elevations in cortisol, as a means to maintaining homeostatic balance. In the past two decades, however, individuals experiencing high levels of chronic early adversity have been shown to manifest an alternate profile involving blunted cortisol levels. In the context of this emerging evidence, a number of questions about diminished cortisol have remained unclear. The study by White et al. (2017) is the first to measure hair cortisol concentrations in the context of adversity, and provides validation for the stability of diminished cortisol in maltreated individuals, the association between neglect and low cortisol, and a mediating role for dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in the association between early maltreatment and behavioral dysregulation.
Classifiers in the Form of Rulesets

Some classifiers take the form of so-calledif-then rules: if the conditions from theif-part are satisfied, the example is labeled with the class specified in thethen-part. Typically, the classifier is represented not by a single rule, but by a set of rules, aruleset. The paradigm has certain advantages. For one thing, the rules capture the underlying logic, and therefore facilitate explanations of why an example has to be labeled with the given class; for another, induction of rulesets is capable of discovering recursive definitions, something that is difficult to accomplish within other machine-learning paradigms.
Primary Caregivers in a Network Context.

OBJECTIVES Caregiving to individuals affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) is a family-systems process where tasks are distributed between multiple caregivers in a network. We evaluate the extent to which multiple network members nominate one another as filling primary caregiver (PCG) roles and factors associated with nomination. METHOD Data come from the Caregiving Roles and Expectations Networks project, which aimed to characterize the caregiving networks of families affected by ADRD. All persons affected by ADRD were either full-time residents in residential care facilities or community-dwelling adult day-care participants. Generalized Poisson regression was used to model the count of incoming PCG nominations of each network member. RESULTS On average, there were multiple network members identified as PCGs across different network contexts. Network members who were perceived to perform essential caregiving tasks, such as making decisions on behalf of and spending time with the care recipient, received more primary caregiving nominations from their network peers, adjusting for personal attributes, and the context of care. DISCUSSION Having multiple PCGs in a network may result in lack of consensus in who fills those roles, potentially putting families at risk for interpersonal conflicts. Future work aimed at intervention development should fully assess the social contexts surrounding caregiving processes in order to better understand how network composition might impact outcomes.
Mechanical robustness of AREVA NP's GAIA fuel design under seismic and LOCA excitations

Abstract Recent events in the nuclear industry have resulted in a movement towards increased seismic and LOCA excitations and requirements that challenge current fuel designs. AREVA NP's GAIA fuel design introduces unique and robust characteristics to resist the effects of seismic and LOCA excitations. For demanding seismic and LOCA scenarios, fuel assembly spacer grids can undergo plastic deformations. These plastic deformations must not prohibit the complete insertion of the control rod assemblies and the cooling of the fuel rods after the accident. The specific structure of the GAIA spacer grid produces a unique and stable compressive deformation mode which maintains the regular array of the fuel rods and guide tubes. The stability of the spacer grid allows it to absorb a significant amount of energy without a loss of load-carrying capacity. The GAIA-specific grid behavior is in contrast to the typical spacer grid, which is characterized by a buckling instability. The increased mechanical robustness of the GAIA spacer grid is advantageous in meeting the increased seismic and LOCA loadings and the associated safety requirements. The unique GAIA spacer grid behavior will be incorporated into AREVA NP's licensed methodologies to take full benefit of the increased mechanical robustness.
Electronic Cigarettes and Future Marijuana Use: A Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND: Cigarettes have been strongly associated with subsequent marijuana use among adolescents, but electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are now rapidly replacing traditional cigarettes among youth. This study examines associations between youth e-cigarette use and subsequent marijuana use in a national sample. METHODS: Youth (aged 12–17 years) never marijuana users at wave 1 ( n = 10 364; 2013–2014) from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study were followed-up in 1 year (wave 2, 2014–2015). Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to evaluate associations between e-cigarette use at wave 1 and ever/heavy marijuana use in the past 12 months (P12M) and at wave 2. RESULTS: Among never marijuana users, e-cigarette ever use (versus never use) at wave 1 was associated with increased likelihood of marijuana P12M use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–2.5) at wave 2. There was a significant interaction between e-cigarette use and age ( P CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette use predicts subsequent marijuana use among youth, with a stronger associations among young adolescents. Reducing youth access to e-cigarettes may decrease downstream marijuana use.
On parabiopolitical reason

Our current ecumene is governmentalistically plural. The biopolitical technology of the regulation of one or another bounded population remains active among many other such technologies. The mode o...
Combination Cellular Therapy for Regenerative Medicine: The Stem Cell Niche

In 1988, Gluckman and colleagues performed the first successful transplantation of umbilical cord blood (CB) cells.1 The patient was suffering from Fanconi’s anemia, complicated by severe aplastic anemia. The mother was shown to be carrying a sibling that was unaffected by the disease and was human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identical to the patient. The CB was collected and stored frozen in liquid nitrogen. After conditioning with low-dose cyclophosphamide and thoraco-abdominal irradiation, the patient received the thawed CB product. Twenty years later this patient is alive and cured of the anemia.
Use of crop residues in the production of biofuel

Abstract: The potential and challenges of using global net primary productivity (NPP) of crop residues and forestry co-products, and of diverting additional land and water resources to biofuel production are explored. Particular attention is paid to the impact of soil and water resources for food production and nature conservancy. The effect of addressing energy demand by establishing energy plantations of biofuels is explored with reference to the greenhouse effect.
Performance Evaluation of Mobile Ad-Hoc Routing Protocols

In this paper we are considering the performance evaluation of three routing protocols in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs). We have tested the effect of speed, TCP types, and maximum queue length for Destination Sequence Distance Vector (DSDV) protocol, Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), and Ad-hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV).
Assessment of the Effect of Adjustment for Patient Characteristics on Hospital Readmission Rates: Implications for Pay for Performance.

Importance In several pay-for-performance programs, Medicare ties payments to readmission rates but accounts only for a limited set of patient characteristics—and no measures of social risk—when assessing performance of health care providers (clinicians, practices, hospitals, or other organizations). Debate continues over whether accounting for social risk would mitigate inappropriate penalties or would establish lower standards of care for disadvantaged patients if they are served by lower-quality providers. Objectives To assess changes in hospital performance on readmission rates after adjusting for additional clinical and social patient characteristics by using methods that distinguish the association between patient characteristics and readmission from between-hospital differences in quality. Design, Setting, and Participants Using Medicare claims for admissions in 2013 through 2014 and linked US Census data, we assessed several clinical and social characteristics of patients that are not currently used for risk adjustment in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program. We compared hospital readmission rates with and without adjustment for these additional characteristics, using only the average within-hospital associations between patient characteristics and readmission as the basis for adjustment, thereby appropriately excluding hospitals’ distinct contributions to readmission from the adjustment. Main Outcomes and Measures All-cause readmission within 30 days of discharge. Results The study sample consisted of 1 169 014 index admissions among 1 003 664 unique Medicare beneficiaries (41.5% men; mean [SD] age, 79.9 [8.3] years) in 2215 hospitals. Compared with adjustment for patient characteristics currently implemented by Medicare, adjustment for the additional characteristics reduced overall variation in hospital readmission rates by 9.6%, changed rates upward or downward by 0.37 to 0.72 percentage points for the 10% of hospitals most affected by the additional adjustments (±30.3% to ±58.9% of the hospital-level standard deviation), and would be expected to reduce penalties (in relative terms) by 52%, 46%, and 41% for hospitals with the largest 1%, 5%, and 10% of penalty reductions, respectively. The additional adjustments reduced the mean difference in readmission rates between hospitals in the top and bottom quintiles of high-risk patients by 0.53 percentage points (95% CI, 0.50-0.55;P Conclusions and Relevance Hospitals serving higher-risk patients may be penalized substantially because of the patients they serve rather than their quality of care. Adjusting solely for within-hospital associations may allow adjustment for additional patient characteristics to mitigate unintended consequences of pay for performance without holding hospitals to different standards because of the patients they serve.
Influence of Hydrogen on Age-Hardening Processes in 15-5 Precipitation Hardened Stainless Steel

The aging characteristics of 15-5 precipitation hardened stainless steel were altered when age-hardening took place in a hydrogen environment. The presence of hydrogen increased the peak hardness and decreased the time toachieve peak hardness. Furthermore, the hardness of the hydrogen-aged samples increased to a maximum value with time of storage at room temperature. These observations are discussed in terms of proposed mechanisms for hydrogen embrittlement.
The cost of mine suspension from social conflict: A decision tree model

Abstract This paper presents a method which incorporates the risk associated with project suspension from social conflict into a mining project's net present value (NPV). The model applies a series of decision trees to a project's discounted cash flow (DCF) allowing for the chance of project suspension from a company-community conflict event. The model determines a social-risk-adjusted NPV for the project based on the likelihood of project suspension and the potential loss of future opportunity. This paper applies the model to a generic mining cash flow using two different approaches to estimating the project's likelihood of suspension and compares the efficacy of each method. The paper then applies the model to the proposed Pebble Project in Southwestern Alaska. The work concludes that after the risks associated with stakeholder opposition are accounted for, the NPV of the Pebble Project drops from approximately $6 billion to $1.1 billion. The model translates stakeholder concerns and priorities into potential financial consequences for investors, thereby demonstrating the business case for incorporating stakeholder positions into mine design and planning.
Unique Impedametric Cell Deformability Assay Using a Multi-Constriction Microfluidic Biosensor

A unique microfluidic device consisting of a multi-constriction microfluidic channel with embedded microelectrodes analyzes bioelectrical and biomechanical attributes of single cells. The biosensor can differentiate cancer cells and their non-tumorigenic counterparts. This study reports the first analysis of mechanical and electrical properties of the normal prostate cell-line (PWR-1E) and prostate cancer cell-line (LNCaP C4-2B). Also, the system is the first that utilizes sensors for rapid measurements of cell velocities and bioimpedance as they transit through multiple iterative constrictions. Distinguishing these normal and tumorigenic prostate cells using solely biomechanical properties resulted in an identification accuracy of 85% at single cell level. The addition of bioelectrical parameters enhanced the identification power to 92% for both cell types.
Regulated control of gene therapies with a drug induced switch

Abstract To date, gene therapies for human application rely on engineered promoters that cannot be finely controlled. Here, we report a universal switch element that allows precise control for gene silencing or gene replacement after exposure to a small molecule. Importantly, these small molecule inducers are in human use, are orally bioavailable when given to animals or humans, and can reach both peripheral tissues and the brain. Moreover, the switch system (Xon) does not require the co-expression of any regulatory proteins. Using Xon, translation of desired elements for gene knockdown or gene replacement occurs after a single oral dose, and expression levels can be controlled by drug dose or in waves with repeat drug intake. This universal switch can provide temporal control of gene editing machinery and gene addition cassettes that can be adapted to cell biology applications and animal studies. Additionally, due to the oral bioavailability and safety of the drugs employed, the Xon switch provides an unprecedented opportunity to refine gene therapies for more appropriate human application.
Efficient exploration of zero-sum stochastic games.

We investigate the increasingly important and common game-solving setting where we do not have an explicit description of the game but only oracle access to it through gameplay, such as in financial or military simulations and computer games. During a limited-duration learning phase, the algorithm can control the actions of both players in order to try to learn the game and how to play it well. After that, the algorithm has to produce a strategy that has low exploitability. Our motivation is to quickly learn strategies that have low exploitability in situations where evaluating the payoffs of a queried strategy profile is costly. For the stochastic game setting, we propose using the distribution of state-action value functions induced by a belief distribution over possible environments. We compare the performance of various exploration strategies for this task, including generalizations of Thompson sampling and Bayes-UCB to this new setting. These two consistently outperform other strategies.
Multicommodity port throughput from truck GPS and lock performance data fusion

Inland waterways ports are key elements of an efficient multimodal freight transportation system. Data on the capacity and throughput of inland waterway ports by commodity support effective long-term freight planning and travel demand modeling. More specifically, such data can be used to estimate multimodal commodity-based freight fluidity performance measures and to support location selection for freight transload facilities. State-of-the-practice means of obtaining commodity flows data, such as shipper/carrier surveys and vessel and vehicle movements, are limited in their ability to provide monthly or seasonal statistics on individual port operations; rather, they provide annualized statistics for river segments which may contain multiple ports. These limitations are addressed herein by developing a multicommodity assignment model to quantify commodity throughput at inland waterways ports. The model fuses waterborne lock performance monitoring system data, which provides the commodity dimension, and anonymous truck Global Positioning System (GPS) data, which allows for spatial disaggregation. A goal-programming approach minimizes the deviation between known and estimated truck flows at each port. The methodology was applied to the Arkansas River, a 308-mile navigable waterway served by 14 locks and 43 freight ports. Overall, 84% of ports showed less than 20% difference between observed and predicted truck flows. The model is applicable to any inland waterways system with aggregated commodity flow data and truck GPS coverage and fills a critical data gap by describing commodity throughput at inland waterway ports using publicly available data.