cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Digester stress as related to iso-butyric and iso-valeric acids

Abstract A recently published study on the long chain volatile fatty acid (VFA) relationships in anaerobic digestion of swine waste using CST reactors proposed using iso-butyric and iso-valeric acid levels as indicators of impending digester failure. The data suggested that individual levels of these acids below 5 mg liter−1 signified good, healthy digestion. Levels between 5 and 15 mg liter−1 suggested that problems were developing and failure was imminent, while a level greater than 15 mg liter−1 indicated failure had already occurred to the extent that a long recovery period would be necessary. When iso-butyric and iso-valeric acids were in the 5–15 mg liter−1 range, the study suggested that this was a signal that provided as much as a week's advance notice of the failure. This short communication gives further supporting data of those relationships from a completely independent study using two different reactor types.
Cyclic AMP selectively enhances bradykinin receptor synthesis and expression in cultured arterial smooth muscle. Inhibition of angiotensin II and vasopressin response.

Abstract Bradykinin receptors on vascular smooth muscle may play an important role in regulating the endogenous effects of the vascular kallikrein-kinin system. The present study examined the effect of cyclic nucleotides on bradykinin-stimulated responses in cultured arterial smooth muscle cells. Short term stimulation (1 min) with cyclic AMP produced a variable inhibition of bradykinin-stimulated calcium mobilization which was lost in later passaged cells. However, long-term stimulation (24 h) produced a consistent increase in bradykinin-stimulated calcium mobilization in both early and late passaged cells. Further analysis demonstrated that chronic exposure to cAMP produced a twofold increase in both the number of cell surface bradykinin receptors and in bradykinin-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis. The increase in bradykinin receptors was time dependent (> 7 h) and blocked by protein synthesis inhibitors, suggesting that cAMP enhanced the synthesis of new bradykinin receptors. The increase in bradykinin receptor binding and calcium mobilization was also stimulated by cholera toxin, forskolin, and isobutylmethylxanthine, but not isoproterenol or prostaglandin E2. Of considerable interest, prolonged exposure to cAMP inhibited both angiotensin II and arginine vasopressin-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and intracellular calcium mobilization. In summary, prolonged treatment with cAMP selectively stimulates the synthesis and expression of bradykinin receptors on arterial smooth muscle while decreasing the responsiveness to vasoconstrictor agonists such as angiotensin II and vasopressin.
{111} Zig-Zag Transgranular Cracking in the Ll 2 Intermetallic Compound Ni 3 Ge

Slip and fracture behavior in Ni 3 Ge with and without 0.06 at.% Boron has been examined by in-situ straining in a TEM. Crack propagate in a zig-zag, transgranular manner and the crack planes are coincident with the slip planes. Slip is activated on two major systems and a transition occurs ahead of dislocation pile-ups which occur on the primary system. Due to the thinning of material from the motion of dislocations, the crack follows alternately on these two slip planes, giving rise to the zig-zag transgranular path. Calculations show that the stress field due to the pile-up drives the slip transition.
Optimal control problems with vector-valued criterion function

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the necessary condition for a non-inferior solution to an optimal control problem with vector-valued criterion function.
Odocoileus virginianus (Boddaert) (White-tailed Deer) with scrotal hernia.

Abstract A male Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) had a 1.42-m segment of large/ small intestine entrapped in its scrotum. This report is the second documented instance of this anomaly, which is common in inbred lines of domestic animals and man.
Right-Angle Crash Occurrence at Signalized Intersections

Right-angle crashes are prone to be severe at signalized intersections. To understand right-angle crash occurrence better and eventually to develop efficient countermeasures, this study investigated the effect of intersection traffic volume, geometric design features, and traffic control and operational features on right-angle crash occurrence at four-leg signalized intersections. Data from a total of 197 such intersections were collected from the Central Florida area. Right-angle crashes were modeled at the intersection, roadway, and approach levels. For the models at roadway and approach levels, crashes were assigned to a certain level, and then the disaggregated crashes were related to the specific roadway or approach features. The generalized estimating equations, which can account for site correlation among repeated observations from the same intersections, were used for the disaggregated models. The cumulative residuals method was used to evaluate the functional forms of the traffic volume and the m...
A boost for hearing in mosquitoes

It is hard to imagine ears more different from a human's than a mosquito's. Look at a mosquito head-on, and you'll see a pair of large, wraparound eyes, and projecting from the front of its face is a pair of long, hairy antennae—its ears. Each antenna arises from a large, spheroidal base, the Johnston's organ (JO). Function follows form. Whereas human ears are pressure detectors, a mosquito's detects the particle velocity component of a sound field, which is restricted to the immediate vicinity of the sound source in acoustic near field. The mosquito's ears are insensitive to pressure fluctuations in the acoustic far field. The antenna, with its fine, interlacing network of flagellar hairs, senses movements of air particles as they are swept to and fro by impinging acoustic waves. The antennal movements excite the sensory receptors contained within the JOs to generate action potentials that flood into the insect's brain. The bottom line of functional hearing is acuity—maximize sensitivity and sharpen the tuning of each receptor cell. This tuning goes on at the level of cell and molecular biophysics—and when it comes down to fundamentals, functional similarities are often more apparent than differences, even in animals as diverse as humans and mosquitoes. As Jackson and Robert (1) cleverly demonstrate in this issue of PNAS, nonlinearities dominate the biomechanics of hearing that enhance acuity. Similar nonlinearities have been known in mammalian ears for several decades, where they also enhance acuity.
Minimalism in graphics

Two experiments examined Tufte's rule that graphs should use minimal "ink" (or filled pixels) to display data [2]. Experiment 1 showed that the time to answer questions using a graph constructed according to Tufte's rule (no axes and minimal indicators) was 13% faster than for a more traditional graph with axes and full indicators. Experiment 2 demonstrated that (a) the advantage of the minimal graph was due to eliminating the Y-axis, (b) the ink in the indicators had no effect and, (c) the presence of an X-axis improved performance.
Imido and amido complexes of hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate-rhenium

Rhenium(V) para-tolylimido complexes TpRe(NTol)X2 (X = Cl (2a); I (2b)) are formed on refluxing the oxo derivatives TpRe(O)X2 (X = Cl (1a); I (1b)) with para-toluidine (Tp = hydrotris(pyrazalyl)borate; Tol = para-tolyl). Reaction of 2a with ZnEt2 in benzene gives the imido-ethyl complex TpRe(NTol)(Et)Cl ((3) Et = CH2CH3), which was characterized by an X-ray crystal structure. Photolysis of 2a and 3 apparently lead to ReI and ReC bond homolysis, as in their oxo congeners, but the analogous photoproducts are not observed. Reaction of 1a with amines at ambient temperatures leads to the oxo-amido compounds TpReO(NRR′)Cl. Complexes with primary amido ligands, TpReO(NHR)Cl (R = Et (4); nPr (5); iPr (6)) exist as two isomers by 1H NMR. Similarly, NMR spectra of compounds with symmetrical amido ligands, TpReO(NR2)Cl (R = H (7); Et (8); NR2 = piperidyl (9)), show inequivalent substituents. These data indicate restricted rotation about the ReN amido bond. Based on the X-ray crystal structure of 8, the barrier to rotation is electronic as well as steric in origin.
MacCueSee: A quality control program for the Macintosh computer

Abstract MacCueSee was written to perform routine calculations on quality control concentration values from radioimmunoassay. It is written in Microsoft ® QuickBASIC for the Apple ® Macintosh ™ computer. The program calculates within and between assay standard deviation (S.D.) and coefficient of variation from a spreadsheet file containing concentration values of controls analyzed. It also calculates the average concentration ± 1 S.D. and contraction ± 2 S.D. to establish between assay ranges. Its flexibility permits varying replicates between assays and automatic exclusion of missed assays. Within assay variability calculations are made for single, duplicate, and triplicate tubes. Results are displayed and can optionally be printed. In addition to radioimmunoassay, MacCueSee can be applied to a number of analytical methods in which quality control is monitored. An example of program use is included.
Can Product‐by‐Process Patent Claims Provide Protection for Modernized Chinese Herbal Medicine?

The rising importance of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in alleviating human suffering has created a potential niche for East Asian countries in the profitable global pharmaceutical market. However, modern CHM that involves modern biomedical technologies presents new issues regarding the proper degree and methods of protection that apply to these products or inventions. Pharmaceutical industries most commonly seek patent protection, which offers different types of protections for different types of inventions. This article explores whether product-by-process patent claims provide proper protection to CHM product inventions and the likely implications of such an approach. It concludes that product-by-process patent claims may offer proper protection for CHM product inventions at the current status quo but might be an inadequate approach when the industry matures in the future.
An immune basis for lung parenchymal destruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema are a frequent result of long-term smoking, but the exact mechanisms, specifically which types of cells are associated with the lung destruction, are unclear.
Control of interconnected systems over a communication network with queues

In many industrial applications, sensors are located in different parts of the system. It may be cost-effective and efficient to use a shared communication network to connect these sensors, control processors and actuators. However, the trade-off is the induced random delays being generated by the network traffic. These delays may significantly affect the stability and performance of the system. In the present paper, we consider an interconnected system which closes its feedback control loop via this type of communication network. A novel multi-mode state prediction scheme is developed to estimate the current no-delay system states based on the given measurements and knowledge of the length of each queue. An active suspension system example is given to show the performance of the proposed scheme. >
An world-independent approach for the calibration of mobile robotics active stereo heads

This paper describes an approach for calibrating active stereo heads for which no prior knowledge of the world coordinate system is required. During an automated procedure derived from this approach, the mobile robot can be loosely positioned in front of a calibration pattern. Through our procedure, both the camera calibration and the neck-eye calibration are obtained. With this set of calibration matrices, the XYZ coordinates of a landmark can be determined with respect to the robot coordinate frame. The so calculated XYZ coordinates are accurate regardless of the orientation of the stereo head, even for orientations that were not used for calibration. This paper validates our approach by presenting results as accurate as a few millimeters in the calculation of the XYZ coordinates of objects at 1.5m from the stereo head.
Coastal Water Level Fluctuations

This chapter is concerned with coastal water level fluctuations caused by waves having longer periods than those generated directly by the wind, and other nonwave fluctuations in coastal water levels. In particular, these may be classified as: 1. Astronomical tide—periodic fluctuations caused by the interaction of gravitational and centrifugal forces primarily between the earth, sun, and moon 2. Tsunamis—surface waves generated by underwater disturbances primarily of seismic origin 3. Basin oscillations—resonant response of water bodies to long period wave and nonwave excitations 4. Storm surge—setup and setdown of coastal water levels caused by meteorological forces 5. Climatological/geological effects—long-term changes in relative sea level owing to atmospheric warming coupled with coastal uplift or subsidence.
The geometric transfer function for slant-hole collimators

Summary form only received as follows: In this paper the authors provide a complete description of the geometric response properties of slant-hole (SH) collimators by deriving the SH collimator geometric transfer function (GTF). In doing so, they follow a method first used by Metz et al. (1980) and later employed by Tsui and Gullberg (1990) to derive the GTF for conventional parallel- and converging-hole collimators, respectively. After deriving the GTF for SH collimators, the authors validate the result via simulation and experimental studies. In the simulations, the Monte-Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) software package is used to simulate the images obtained from a point source with a variety of SH collimators with different design parameters. Results of these simulations are then compared to those obtained from theoretical derivations. Also, the theoretical results are compared to experimental results obtained from point source images obtained using a 4-segment SH collimator in the authors' laboratory. The authors found that the theoretical formulation is highly accurate in predicting the GTF of SH collimators from their design parameters. The theoretical formulation will be useful for both the design of SH collimators with specific imaging properties, and the modelling and compensation of the image degrading effects of the SH collimator GTF in an iterative reconstruction algorithm.
Multi‐order initialization of CG solution of FE discretizations

The conjugate gradient method holds great appeal for the solution of the stiffness equation set up with finite elements. Inexpensive, low-order finite-element discretization solutions are suggested as initial guesses for higher-order, more accurate, discretizations.
Visible and near-ultraviolet emission Characteristics of Ne, Ar, and Ar/N/sub 2/ excited in silicon microcavity discharge arrays

Atomic and molecular emissions provide a convenient diagnostic of the spatial uniformity of the electrical characteristics of Si microcavity discharge arrays. 10/spl times/10 arrays of (50 /spl mu/m)/sup 2/, inverted pyramidal Si microcavity pixels have been studied with Ne, Ar, and Ar/N/sub 2/ gas mixtures at pressures up to 800 torr. Nonuniform power loading of pixels in the array, as well as the comparative strength of the electric field within each pixel at the device perimeter, are evident from images of the surface emission from the array.
Emission and absorption spectra of InBr in low pressure discharges

This paper studies heated inductively driven rf-discharges using emission and absorption spectroscopy. The dependence on parameters such as pressure, heating temperature and amount of InBr in different background gases has been investigated. The measured spectra are compared to simulations of the InBr emission based on molecular constants, Franck-Condon factors and transition probabilities, providing information about rotational, vibrational and electronic population of the electronic states involved in the transition.
Contextually-based utility: an appraisal-based approach at modeling framing and decisions

Creating accurate computational models of human decision making is a vital step towards the realization of socially intelligent systems capable of both predicting and simulating human behavior. In modeling human decision making, a key factor is the psychological phenomenon known as "framing", in which the preferences of a decision maker change in response to contextual changes in decision problems. Existing approaches treat framing as a one-dimensional contextual influence based on the perception of outcomes as either gains or losses. However, empirical studies have shown that framing effects are much more multifaceted than one-dimensional views of framing suggest. To address this limitation, we propose an integrative approach to modeling framing which combines the psychological principles of cognitive appraisal theories and decision-theoretic notions of utility and probability. We show that this approach allows for both the identification and computation of the salient contextual factors in a decision as well as modeling how they ultimately affect the decision process. Furthermore, we show that our multidimensional, appraisal-based approach can account for framing effects identified in the empirical literature which cannot be addressed by one-dimensional theories, thereby promising more accurate models of human behavior.
Effects of Phase Change of Pb-Free Flip-Chip Solders During Board-Level Interconnect Reflow

The impact of phase change (from solid to liquid) on the reliability of Pb-free flip-chip solders during board-level interconnect reflow is investigated. Most of the current candidates for Pb-free solder are tin-based with similar melting temperatures near 230 degC. Thus, Pb-free flip-chip solders melt again during the subsequent board-level interconnect reflow cycle. Solder volume expands more than 4% during the phase change from solid to liquid. The volumetric expansion of solder in a volume constrained by chip, substrate, and underfill creates serious reliability issues. The issues include underfill fracture and delamination from chip or substrate. Besides decreasing flip-chip interconnect reliability in fatigue, bridging through underfill cracks or delamination between neighboring flip-chip interconnects by the interjected solder leads to failures. In this paper, the volume expansion ratio of tin is experimentally measured, and a Pb-free flip-chip chip-scale package (FC-CSP) is used to observe delamination and solder bridging after solder reflow. It is demonstrated that the presence of molten solder and the interfacial failure of underfill can occur during solder reflow. Accordingly, Pb-free flip-chip packages have an additional reliability issue that has not been a concern for Pb solder packages. To quantify the effect of phase change, a flip-chip chip-scale plastic ball grid array package is modeled for nonlinear finite-element analysis. A unit-cell model is used to quantify the elongation strain of underfill and stresses at the interfaces between underfill and chip or underfill and substrate generated by volume expansion of solder. In addition, the strain energy release rate of interfacial crack between chip and underfill is also calculated
Black Streetcorner Districts

This study traces a set of beliefs about perceived societal normlessness to types of residential areas and to the mode of interaction experienced by the person in different residential settings. Introducing the idea of a "streetcorner district," it explores how a resident's perception of society as integrated or normless is affected by the presence of absence of streetcorner relationships in his or her neighborhood. The study is based on a secondary analysis of 1965 survey data on black adults from two low-income black areas -one where streetcorner relationships and institutions abound, the other where such patterns are relatively scarce. Consistent with the model of streetcorner normlessness developed in this paper, we find that beliefs about societal normlessness are more widespread in the streetcorner than in the non-streetcorner district. The results underscore the danger of viewing the exploitative and guarded relationships of a streetcorner district as typical of personal ties in all low-income black neighborhoods. Unquestionably the first important study to deal in depth with life among lower-class streetcorner blacks was Elliot Liebow's Tally's Corner which examined a group of rootless adult black males who regularly congregated on a streetcorner in a run-down section of a Washington, D.C., black ghetto during the early 1960s. Liebow characterized the streetcorner as a setting where the men engage in a variety of expressive and attentiongetting activities, ranging from drinking, gambling, and exchanging stories about their prowess as males, to hustling one another for limited resources. Many students of the black experience-both before and since Liebow's influential study-have also observed streetcorner relationships in other black residential areas throughout the United States, indicating that these phenomena are not peculiar to the ghetto district where Liebow conducted his research (see e.g., Abrahams; Binderman et al.; Drake and Cayton; Hannerz; Lewis; Rainwater).'
Drug Dose Prediction With Flexible Test Doses

This article presents the first known practical method to apply one-compartment pharmacokinetic modeling to prediction of doses for drugs from one or more blood-drug concentrations, without requiring approximations or a computer. It should be useful for regulating doses of orally administered CNS drugs whose effects develop over a day or more, e.g., lithium, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants. Pharmacokinetic calculations for sequences of one, two, and three test doses are condensed into graphs that can be rapidly applied for clinical purposes. These graphs account for dose division, blood sampling time, and drug elimination rate; they show that the ratio of the steady-state day-mean drug level to the test-drug blood level is independent of the half-life if the test level is about a day after the last test dose. The calculations show the same value as experimental measurements for the ratio between steady-state serum lithium level and serum lithium level measured after a test dose. A rational strategy for drug-loading doses is discussed.
Digital Middletown Schools Project: A Glance to the Future

This article reports on the deployment of a high-bandwidth wireless network for content distribution to two schools. The project, titled Digital Middletown, builds upon the sociological Middletown studies from the 1920s (Lynd & Lynd, 1929) to understand how “Middle America” reacts to and addresses societal change. We report on the deployment of different types of content by way of a high wireless bandwidth over long distances in an effort to establish a national prototype. As bandwidth becomes cheaper; compression and distribution technologies improve, new and more pervasive long distance high bandwidth wireless technology will make content such as high definition media files, synchronous videoconferencing, and simulations and games part of the educational process.
Patterns of Genitalic Morphology around Suture Zones in North American Lycaeides (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): Implications for Taxonomy and Historical Biogeography

Within the North American Lycaeides (Hubner) fauna, there are at least three major lineages that exhibit extensive morphological and ecological variation, especially at suture zones where these lineages meet. We examined male genitalic morphology inLycaeides populations spanning much of North America to evaluate the current taxonomy and to address questions about the patterns of morphological variation at suture zones and potential evolutionary processes responsible for the patterns. Our genitalic measurements were based on those of V. Nabokov who revised North American Lycaeides taxonomy in the 1940s. Canonical discriminant analysis validated NabokovOs original species designations, but it did not support many of his subspeciÞc designations. Populations at a suture zone in the Great Lakes region are similar to populations on the east side of this zone. Populations at a western suture zone in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent ranges exhibit intermediate morphology between lineages on either side of this suture zone. We tested the hypothesis that contemporary gene sow contributes to the patterns of morphology in suture zones by testing for the increased variance in quantitative traits that is expected in a hybrid swarm. Based on a comparison of variances from populations within and outside of these suture zones, there is no evidence of current hybridization between lineages, with the sole exception of the population sample from the White Mountains of eastern California. The intermediate morphology and the general absence of increased variance within western suture zone populations imply that hybridization may have been important in the evolution of North American Lycaeides.
Length of stay and mortality in neurocritically ill patients: Impact of a specialized neurocritical care team

Objective:To determine predictors of in-hospital and long-term mortality and length of stay in patients admitted to the neurosciences critical care unit.Design:Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database.Setting:Neurosciences critical care unit of a large academic tertiary care hosp
Can the Classical Logician Avoid the Revenge Paradoxes

Most work on the semantic paradoxes within classical logic has centered around what this essay calls “linguistic” accounts of the paradoxes: they attribute to sentences or utterances of sentences some property that is supposed to explain their paradoxical or nonparadoxical status. “No proposition” views are paradigm examples of linguistic theories, although practically all accounts of the paradoxes subscribe to some kind of linguistic theory. This essay shows that linguistic accounts of the paradoxes endorsing classical logic are subject to a particularly acute form of the revenge paradox: that there is no exhaustive classification of sentences into “good” and “bad” such that the T-schema holds when restricted to the “good” sentences unless it is also possible to prove some “bad” sentences. The foundations for an alternative classical nonlinguistic approach is outlined that is not subject to the same kinds of problems. Although revenge paradoxes of different strengths can be formulated, they are found to be indeterminate at higher orders and not inconsistent
Cosmological constraints to dark matter with two- and many-body decays

We present a study of cosmological implications of generic dark matter decays. We consider two-body and many-body decaying scenarios. In the two-body case the massive particle has a possibly relativistic kick velocity and thus possesses a dynamical equation of state. This has implications to the expansion history of the Universe. We use recent observational data from the cosmic microwave background, baryon acoustic oscillations and supernovae type Ia to obtain constraints on the lifetime of the dark matter particle. We find that for an energy splitting where more than 40% of the dark matter particle energy is transferred to massless, relativistic particles in the two-body case, or more than 50% in the many-body case, lifetimes less than the age of the Universe are excluded at more than 95% confidence. When the energy splitting falls to 10% the lifetime is constrained to be more than roughly half the age.
The Ideological Antecedents of the First-Series Renminbi Worker-and-Peasant Banknote or What Mao Tse-tung May Have Owed to Dziga Vertov

This paper traces the history of an iconic Socialist Realist image — that of the worker, peasant, soldier, or leader viewed from below whilst gazing heroically into the symbolic dawn of a Socialist future — from its origins in mid-1920s Soviet Russia through its use on three banknotes in Communist China’s first renminbi series of 1949 to its effective dissolution in the iconography of Deng-era currency. It argues that this iconic type — familiar not only from Stalinist but also from Italian Fascist and German National Socialist imagery — arose initially as a consequence of the legitimation crisis provoked in the USSR by Lenin’s death in January 1924, and that it may have originated in cinema before spreading from there to photography and poster art. An examination especially of the film work of Dziga Vertov shows that the icon encodes in its visual syntax techniques of political, technological, and media pedagogy meant both to form the “new Soviet man” and to orient populations within a chain of symbolic identifications supporting the charismatic authority of their leaders. It is suggested that Mao’s documented decision to use this image on renminbi instead of his own otherwise ubiquitous portrait reflects a perception of the propagandistic value of this visual syntax, and that both Mao’s posthumous reappearance on Chinese currency and the icon’s transformation on fourth-series renminbi from class pairs gazing upward to ethnic pairs gazing laterally reflects, among other things, the Deng-era shift from a hieratic semantics of charismatic legitimation to a more sober strategy of legitimation by political and economic rationalization.
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Skin Color among American Blacks

The association between skin color, a measure of black-white genetic admixture, and left ventricular hypertrophy was examined in 551 black men and women, from three US cities, who underwent electrocardiography and skin reflectance measurements during 1972-1974. The overall prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (Minnesota Code 3-1 or 3-3) was 14% (18% in men; 11% in women). Left ventricular hypertrophy was strongly associated with systolic (p less than 0.001) and diastolic (p = 0.001) blood pressure, but less so with skin color (p = 0.09) [corrected]. The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy was 16% in the darkest versus 12% in the lightest quartile of skin color. In a multiple logistic regression model, adjusting for systolic blood pressure and blood pressure medication use, the relation between left ventricular hypertrophy and skin color was insignificant (p = 0.18); the odds ratio of having left ventricular hypertrophy in dark (75th percentile of skin color) versus light (25th percentile) skinned blacks after adjustment for systolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure medications, age, and sex was 1.2 (95 percent confidence interval 0.8-1.8). Overall, the association between left ventricular hypertrophy and skin color was weak and not statistically significant, suggesting that black individuals do not have a genetic susceptibility to the effects of blood pressure on the myocardium. We did not postulate any significant effect modification of this association by sex. However, the data suggest that the association between skin color and left ventricular hypertrophy may be different between men and women.
Outcomes, Data, and Indicators of Violence at the Community Level

Youth violence is a major problem in the United States. It remains the third leading cause of death among youth between the ages of 10 and 24 years and the leading cause of death in Blacks between 10 and 24 years of age. In its effort to prevent youth violence, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention funds six Youth Violence Prevention Centers (YVPCs) to design, implement and evaluate community-based youth violence prevention programs. These Centers rely on surveillance data to monitor youth violence and evaluate the impact of their interventions. In public health, surveillance entails a systematic collection and analysis of data, typically within defined populations. In the case of youth violence, surveillance data may include archival records from medical examiners, death certificates, hospital discharges, emergency room visits, ambulance pickups, juvenile justice system intakes, police incident reports, and school disciplinary incidents and actions. This article illustrates the process the YVPCs used for collecting and utilizing youth violence surveillance data. Specifically, we will describe available surveillance data sources, describe community-level outcomes, illustrate effective utilization of the data, and discuss the benefits and limitations of each data source. Public health professionals should utilize local surveillance data to monitor and describe youth violence in the community. Further, the data can be used to evaluate the impact of interventions in improving community-level outcomes.
Outcome of implanted spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of chronic pain: arachnoiditis versus single nerve root injury and mononeuropathy. Brief clinical note

Over a 3 1/2-year period, a series of 20 chronic pain patients with back pain and with documented organic difficulties were treated by means of implanted spinal cord stimulation. Short-term treatment outcome was found to be significantly related to diagnosis, with single nerve root injury and mononeuropathy patients having better treatment outcomes than arachnoiditis patients with multiply injured nerve roots. Outcome was not related to the psychological evaluation, or age, sex, number of previous pain surgeries, pain location, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or the Pain Assessment Index. Implications for patient selection are discussed.
Design of System Protecting Devices Based on Digital Substations

With the gradual maturity of digital substation technology,the function and combining mode of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) may have plenty of room for changes. A schema for the realization of a system protecting device is proposed based on data sharing and unified data source in the digital substation. Also discussed are its hardware design,software functions realization,adaptability and reliability in application. As system protection is the organic integration of many decentralized monitoring and control function modules in the digital substation,the system data flow is optimized and simplified. Owing to its low cost,easy maintenance,high performance and high reliability,it can adapt to the future development of power system automation and market demand.
Study of Reliability And Validity Of Comprehensive Work Ability Index Scale

Objective To evaluate the reliability and validity of Comprehensive Work Ability Index(CWAI) through investigation of steelworkers,and provide a basis for the application of CWAI scale.Methods With stratified cluster sampling method,914 steelworkers in a steel enterprise were selected as objects of study,and were investigated by CWAI to evaluate the homogeneity reliability and construct validity.The homogeneity reliability was evaluated by the consistency between each item score and the total score,split-half reliability,Cronbach′s α coefficient,Cronbach′s θ coefficient and Cronbach′s Ω coefficient.The construct validity was evaluated by Factor Analysis method.Results The correlation coefficients among each item,dimension degree score and the total score were in 0.410-0.691,and the value was more than 0.60 between every dimension degree score and the total score.Spearman-Brown correlation coefficient,Cronbach′s α coefficient,θ coefficient and Ω coefficient of CWAI scales were 0.72、0.85,0.86 and 0.95 respectively.Cronbach′s α coefficient,θ coefficient and Ω coefficient of every dimension degree were more than 0.75 except for W2.The factor analysis of construct validity showed that 8 common factors were extracted and the cumulating contribution rate of them reached 77.63%.Variances of factors of each item were in 0.64-0.96.Except for W2,the other dimensions had the big load at corresponding common factors,it fit the theory basically.Few items were unstable.Conclusion CWAI scale was of high reliability and fair validity in steelworkers' investigation,but a few items needed to be modified.
STUDIES ON SUBSPECIES TAXONOMY OF CITELLOPHILUS TESQUORUM BY ELEMENTAL MICROANALYSIS TECHNIQUES

The compositions and ratios of the elements N and C of four subspecies of Citellt,philus tesquorum weredetermined by elemental microanalysis(EMA)method.The results of different N/C:ratios o{ four subspecies could be used to distinguish them.T--test results showed that the dif.ference.s of N/C ratio betWeenfour subspecies were very significant. It is reasonable to divide C' tesquorum of China intO four subspecies,i. e. C. t.sungarl's, C. t. mongrel''￣us, C' t'altai'cu.s and C.t.dzetysuensi.s. The EMA method might beuseful in classification of subspecies of flea.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls Induce Oxidative DNA Adducts in Female Sprague–Dawley Rats

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic chemicals that were traditionally produced and widely used in industry as mixtures and are presently formed as byproducts of pigment and dye manufacturing. They are known to persist and bioaccumulate in the environment. Some have been shown to induce liver cancer in rodents. Although the mechanism of the toxicity of PCBs is unknown, it has been shown that they increase oxidative stress, including lipid peroxidation. We hypothesized that oxidative stress-induced DNA damage could be a contributor for PCB carcinogenesis and analyzed several DNA adducts in female Sprague–Dawley rats exposed to 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126), 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153), and a binary mixture (PCB 126 + 153) for 14, 31, and 53 wks. Eight adducts were measured to profile oxidative DNA lesions, including 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG), 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (1,N6-edA), N2,3-ethenoguanine (N2,3-eG), 1,N2-ethenodeoxyguanosine (1,N2-edG), as well as malondi...
When a Null Pocketbook Effect is the Artifact: Strategically Underreported Income and the Attenuation of Egotropic Voting

When a Null Pocketbook Effect is the Artifact: Strategically Underreported Income and the Attenuation of Egotropic Voting
Local labor markets and criminal recidivism

Abstract This paper estimates the impact of local labor market conditions on criminal recidivism using administrative prison records on four million offenders released from 43 states between 2000 and 2013. Exploiting the timing of each offender's release from prison, I find that being released to a county with higher low-skilled wages significantly decreases the risk of recidivism. The impact of higher wages on recidivism is larger for both black offenders and first-time offenders, and in sectors that report being more willing to hire ex-offenders. These results are robust to individual- and county-level controls, such as policing and corrections activity, and do not appear to be driven by changes in the composition of released offenders during good or bad economic times.
Insights into the Link Between Obesity and Cancer

Adipocytes have adapted to store energy in the form of lipid and also secrete circulating factors called adipokines that signal to other tissues to coordinate energy homeostasis. These functions are disrupted in the setting of obesity, promoting the development of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Obesity is linked to an increased risk of many types of cancer and increased cancer-related mortality. The basis for the striking association between obesity and cancer is not well understood. Here, we review the cellular and molecular pathways that appear to be involved in obesity-driven cancer. We also describe possible therapeutic considerations and highlight important unanswered questions in the field.
Brains, environments, and policy responses to addiction.

With 1 in 8 deaths globally due to the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, the director-general of the World Health Organization ( 1 ) recently called for more scientifically informed public policies regarding addiction. In the United States, where an average of 91 people per day die of opioid overdose, a presidential task force is to present, on 27 June, policy recommendations to combat opioid addiction, although the House of Representatives passed an Affordable Care Act repeal bill that would withdraw health insurance from two million people with addictions. Despite these urgent challenges, research on the brain and its interactions with the environment, which can help policymakers advance more effective and humane policies than some traditional approaches to addiction, has only occasionally been applied in public policy.
Field Evaluation of an Improved Formulation of Gypchek (a Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Product) Against the Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

Prior to 1994, Gypchek® (USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC), the gypsy moth nuclear multicapsid polyhedrosis virus (LdMNPV), was used in operational programs against gypsy moth Lymantria dispar (...
Uncle Sam's diet sensation: MyPyramid--an overview and commentary.

Abstract MyPyramid symbolizes the federal nutrition policy, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, replacing the 1992 Food Guide Pyramid. This Internet-based educational tool, available at http://MyPyramid.gov, provides general guidance for food selection from 5 food groups (grains, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat and beans). Additionally, MyPyramid addresses the obesity crisis by placing a strong emphasis on reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity. Although some experts praise this new, interactive pyramid, many believe that the government missed an opportunity to direct Americans toward healthier diets. Furthermore, the information available at MyPyramid.gov is not likely to be accessed by the populations that need it most: the underprivileged. Because obesity prevention programs structured only to educate and inform have generally been unsuccessful, the federal government must take the next step and revise agriculture policies and programs to promote healthy eating
Sociopolitical sources of creative cultural capital in U.S. counties

ABSTRACTThis article examines the social, political, and demographic sources of variation in creative cultural capital in over 3,100 U.S. counties. The analysis presented here focuses on institutionalized forms of creative activity, as reflected by employment in museums, libraries, and the visual and performing arts sectors. Study results indicate that community-level variables account for a statistically significant portion of variation in creative cultural capital. Cultural industries are likely to thrive in communities that rely on different forms of social and religious capital and the presence of certain types of political culture legacy. Mean education level tends to increase creative cultural capital, whereas income inequality and Internet connectivity tend to depress it. These effects, however, vary by metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural geographical settings. Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the goal of enhancing creative cultural capital at the local community l...
Junction temperature estimation of SiC MOSFETs based on Extended Kalman Filtering

State of health monitoring, reliability improvement, and lifetime extension of power electronic systems necessitate accurate and real-time junction temperature estimation of semi-conductor devices. This paper presents a non-invasive real-time junction temperature estimation method for SiC MOSFETs. A state-space thermal model of the MOSFET is developed. Based on the developed model, a real-time junction temperature estimation method based on an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is proposed to measure the junction temperature of a SiC MOSFET. A boost converter is used to experimentally validate the accuracy of the developed model and effectiveness of the proposed junction temperature estimation method.
Abstract 2996: Insulator dysfunction and epigenetic oncogene activation in SDH-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Metabolic lesions with profound effects on epigenetic regulation are widely implicated in cancer, yet the mechanistic links between this epigenetic dysregulation and tumorigenesis remain unclear. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) deficiency, responsible for a subset of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), causes accumulation of the metabolite succinate and DNA hypermethylation. We identified convergent mechanisms involving altered chromosomal conformation and pseudo-hypoxia that mediate the tumorigenic effects of SDH deficiency in GIST. To investigate epigenetic alterations in this disease, we created epigenetic maps of 14 clinical GIST specimens; including KIT and PDGFRA mutant, and SDH-deficient tumors. We characterized the landscapes of enhancers, genetic regulatory elements which can drive gene expression, through histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq). We characterized both the DNA methylation and CTCF occupancy of insulators, elements which help control chromatin conformation and restrict enhancer-gene interactions, through hybrid selection bisulfite sequencing and CTCF ChIP-seq, respectively. Analyzing these data, we uncovered thousands of putative insulators where DNA methylation replaced CTCF binding in SDH-deficient GISTs. One of the strongest disrupted insulators protected the receptor tyrosine kinase and known driver of GIST, c-KIT, from a nearby superenhancer. Chromatin conformation studies confirmed an SDH-deficient-specific interaction of this superenhancer with the KIT gene. CRISPR-mediated excision of the insulator in an SDH-intact GIST model resulted in enhancer interaction and KIT upregulation. Immunohistochemical studies confirm strong expression of c-KIT in SDH-deficient GIST clinical samples. SDH deficiency has also been reported to cause pseudohypoxia in tumors. We confirmed that the enhancer landscape of SDH-deficient tumors had a signature of pseudohypoxia. Additionally, following pseudohypoxia induction in a SDH-intact GIST model, the c-KIT ligand Stem Cell Factor (SCF/KITLG) was upregulated 12-fold. While activating KIT mutations drive the majority (~75%) of GIST tumors and are mutually exclusive with SDH deficiency, we show that a primary consequence of SDH loss is in fact induction of KIT signaling. Our findings demonstrate how metabolic lesions can provide alternate epigenetic mechanisms to activate classic tumorigenic pathways in the absence of canonical genetic mutations. Citation Format: William A. Flavahan, Yotam Drier, Sarah E. Johnstone, Daniel R. Tarjan, Esmat Hegazi, Ewa T. Sicinska, Matthew L. Hemming, Chandrajit P. Raut, Jason L. Hornick, George D. Demetri, Bradley E. Bernstein. Insulator dysfunction and epigenetic oncogene activation in SDH-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2996.
Cylindrical Bending of Bonded Layered Thick Composites

In this paper, a mathematical model is developed to describe the mechanical behavior of adhesively bonded multi-layer thick composites. Based on the proposed novel deformation field, the stress field is derived for the layered composite joint. Unlike conventional shell theory, the proposed model developed takes into account the transverse shear deformation in the composite and adhesive layers; the adhesive layers are normally much more vulnerable to cracking. The validity and accuracy of the proposed model is investigated by comparing the results with finite element prediction for various loading scenarios.
Grafting: A Rapid Method for Transplanting Tissue

I present a fast and flexible method for transplantating tissue with which a single worker can routinely perform 80 transplantations in a day. It is thus practical to accumulate sample sizes large enough for quantitative studies of the hydra transplantation phenomena.