cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mapping consumers' mental models with ZMET

In the quest to understand the customer, consumer researchers, whether practitioner or academic, must understand the perceived personal relevance of a product, service, or brand from the consumers' perspective. Fundamentally, what must be understood are the cognitive structures or mental models that underlie consumers' feelings of involvement. This article demonstrates the power of the Zaltman metaphor-elicitation technique (ZMET) (Zaltman, 1997) to gain such consumer insight by first eliciting and then mapping consumers' knowledge structures. The article provides illustrations of how ZMET can be used to create a collective cognitive map for a group of consumers, and how ZMET data can be mapped in different ways to give greater insight into consumers' product knowledge structures. Also provided is a description of how the knowledge structures of consumers are subdivided and grouped around important meaning themes that frame and motivate a person's involvement with an activity. Ultimately, it is demonstrated that consumers' mental models are made up of both cognitive (beliefs) and emotional (feelings) components, and that these structures of meaning are activated by the current consumption situation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transformations of sperm nuclei incorporated into sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) embryos at different stages of the cell cycle

In order to test the hypothesis that regulators of male pronuclear development may have a more general role, sharing some relation to factors involved with the cell cycle, Arbacia zygotes and 2- to 8-cell stage embryos were inseminated during different phases of the cell cycle and examined by light and electron microscopy. Differences in the development and morphology of fertilization cones and sperm asters were observed in embryos inseminated during different stages of the cell cycle. Extremely large fertilization cones, approximately four times the length of those found in fertilized eggs, formed in embryos inseminated during metaphase to telophase. Sperm asters developed only in embryos inseminated during prophase to anaphase. These variations are believed to reflect changes in the status of the cortex and cytoskeletal system of the embryo. Although sperm nuclei underwent morphological changes subsequent to incorporation, in general, they failed to develop into male pronuclei. There was a consistent correlation in sperm nuclear transformations and the cell cycle which was expressed in two patterns of morphogenesis: (1) sperm nuclei incorporated into embryos just prior to prophase and at telophase failed, for the most part, to disperse and transformed into aggregations of chromatin granules approximately 40 nm in diameter; and (2) sperm nuclei incorporated into prometaphase-anaphase embryos dispersed and then condensed into chromatin masses, morphologically similar to chromosomes of the embryo. Evidence is discussed which indicates that following the normal period of fertilization changes occur in the zygote, rendering it unable to fully support the transformation of sperm nuclei into male pronuclei.
5-Sulfooxymethylfurfural as a possible ultimate mutagenic and carcinogenic metabolite of the Maillard reaction product, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Heat treatment of foods containing reducing sugars and amino acids during cooking or sterilization triggers a sequence of non-enzymatic reactions collectively known as the Maillard reaction. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), one of the major intermediate products in the Maillard reaction, has been found to possess cytotoxic, genotoxic and tumorigenic activities, but the mechanisms of its toxic actions remain unclear. Formation of an electrophilic allylic ester bearing a good leaving group such as sulfate has been proposed as a possible metabolic activation pathway for HMF. In order to further test this possibility, we compared the mutagenic and carcinogenic activities of HMF and its chemically synthesized sulfuric acid ester, 5-sulfooxymethylfurfural (SMF). SMF induced dose-dependent increases in the number of His+ revertants in Salmonella typhimurium TA100. This intrinsic mutagenicity of SMF was significantly inhibited by ascorbic acid added to the assay media. In the presence of chloride ions, the bacterial mutagenicity of the highly polar sulfuric acid ester of HMF may also be mediated by formation of a lipophilic chloromethyl derivative. When topically applied to mouse skin, both sulfooxymethyl and chloromethyl derivatives of HMF exhibited higher skin tumor initiating activity than the parent hydroxymethyl compound. 5-Chloromethylfurfural was found to be a strong hepatocarcinogen in infant male B6C3F1 mice.
Cyclic electron transfer in Heliobacillus mobilis involving a menaquinol-oxidizing cytochrome bc complex and an RCI-type reaction center

Flash-induced absorption changes arising from b-type hemes were studied on whole cells of Heliobacillus mobilis under physiological and redox-controlled conditions. The sensitivity of the monitored redox changes to inhibitors of cytochrome bc complexes and the redox potential dependence of reduction and oxidation reactions of cytochrome b-hemes demonstrate that the respective b-hemes are part of a cytochrome bc complex. Both the half-time and the extent of flash-induced reduction of cytochrome b titrated with apparent potentials of about −60 and −50 mV (both n = 2), respectively, i.e., close to the Em,7 value of the menaquinone (MK) pool, indicating a collisional interaction between menaquinol and the Qo site of the cytochrome bc complex. At strongly reducing ambient potentials (<−150 mV), a net flash-induced oxidation of b-hemes was observed in agreement with the Em,7 values of the individual hemes of −90 mV (bh) and −190 mV (bl) determined in equilibrium redox titrations on membrane fragments. From the ...
Identification of Critical Nodes and Links in Financial Networks with Intermediation and Electronic Transactions

A network performance measure for the evaluation of financial networks with intermediation is proposed. The measure captures risk, transaction cost, price, transaction flow, revenue, and demand information in the context of the decisionmakers’ behavior in multitiered financial networks that also allow for electronic transactions. The measure is then utilized to define the importance of a financial network component, that is, a node or a link, or a combination of nodes and links. Numerical examples are provided in which the performance measure of the financial network is computed along with the importance ranking of the nodes and links. The results can be used to assess which nodes and links in financial networks are the most vulnerable in the sense that their removal will impact the performance of the network in the most significant way. Hence, the results have relevance to national security as well as implications for the insurance industry.
The Rocky Flats plea bargain: a case study in the prosecution of organizational crime in the US nuclear weapons complex

The integrated framework proposed by Kramer and Michalowski asserts that state-corporate crimes result from motivations, opportunities, and the absence of social controls. This paper examines the 1989–92 prosecution of environmental crimes at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant in order to examine more closely the social control of state-corporate crimes. This paper relies on social-scientific studies, newspaper and magazine articles, histories, and government reports in order to investigate how and why the prosecution progressed as it did. Political conditions and the presence of sympathetic individuals in key positions allowed the prosecution to go forward. However, the prosecution soon was undermined from within by Justice Department headquarters, who were less receptive to the idea of prosecuting environmental contamination as criminal behavior. Although the plea bargain was badly compromised, it helped promote initiatives outside of the criminal justice system that prompted some reforms at the Ener...
Profiles and predictors of the course of psychological distress across four years after heart transplantation.

Background. Like individuals exposed to other life stressors, patients undergoing organ transplantation typically show elevated psychological distress initially post-transplant, with improvement thereafter. However, this ‘average’ pattern may conceal subgroups with differing profiles of psychological response. We sought to identify unique temporal distress profiles, and their predictors, after heart transplantation. Method. A total of 156 transplant recipients (refusal rate, 6%) were enrolled and assessed at 2, 7, 12, 36, and 42 months post-transplant. Cluster analysis was used to identify distinct distress profiles over time. Multivariate analyses examined health and psychosocial predictors of the profiles. Results. Five groups were identified, with either: ( a ) low distress at all time-points (45% of the sample), ( b ) high, clinically significant distress at all times (21%), ( c ) high distress over several years with low distress only at final assessment (12%), ( d ) high distress during the first several months with decline thereafter (6%), or ( e ) fluctuating distress levels (16%). Patients showing any distress ( versus none) were more likely to have a pre-transplant psychiatric history, poorer social supports and more physical impairment early post-transplant, and continued physical impairment over time. Among distressed patients, those with persistent ( versus declining) distress were most likely to be female, waited more briefly for transplant, and were most physically impaired early post-transplant. While persistently distressed patients had better social supports early post-transplant, these supports subsequently worsened. Conclusions. Individuals differ in whether and when psychological distress abates after heart transplantation. Findings regarding distress profiles and their predictors may inform the design of interventions to address each transplant recipient's unique psychological needs.
Preliminary analysis of a hybrid zone between two subspecies of Zootermopsis nevadensis

For species largely allopatric in distribution, zones of contact provide an opportunity for hybridization, testing grounds for species boundaries, and may result in the formation of a new species. Thus, hybrid zones have the potential to provide important insights into speciation. In this study, we performed a preliminary analysis of a hybrid zone between two subspecies of the dampwood termite, Zootermopsis nevadensis (Z. n. nuttingi and Z. n. nevadensis) near Bartle, CA, using 12 microsatellite loci and a mitochondrial gene. Fifty-seven colonies collected in 36 locations were analyzed. The analysis of genetic markers revealed a large hybrid zone approximately 104 km in width. Although stepped clines best explained the data, we are unable to rule out the existence of a mosaic hybrid zone. We inferred weak selection (s* < 0.05%) against hybrids, but the data also suggested the existence of a barrier to gene flow from Z. n. nevadensis to Z. n. nuttingi, but not in the other direction. Given the large zone of contact, extensive sampling is needed to obtain a more complete characterization of the hybrid zone. However, the results of this study suggest that despite the accumulation of phenotypic and genetic differences and time since divergence (~2 million years), Z. n. nuttingi and Z. n. nevadensis are capable of extensive hybridization.
Foreign Occupation and International Territorial Administration: The Challenges of Convergence

International organizations have increasingly joined states as occupiers of territory. Yet international law doctrine and policymakers have regarded occupation by states and administration by international organizations as distinct legal and political phenomena. The stigma associated with state occupation has translated into an assumption that the two operations are governed by different norms and their tactics for asserting control subject to different standards of legitimacy. This article rejects that dichotomy and the doctrinal parsing that comes with it. It emphasizes the common traits and challenges of these occupations and argues for a joint legal and political appraisal. From the legal perspective, the two sorts of missions operate under common legal frameworks; those managing both need to find the proper balance among international humanitarian law, international human rights law, local law, and any mandate from an international organization. As a political matter, each encounters resistance from those in the territory opposed to its presence, leading to coercive responses whose legitimacy will be questioned from within and outside the territory. The article concludes with some modest thoughts on how each sort of occupier might learn something from the other.
Morbidity of lung resection after prior lobectomy: results from the Veterans Affairs National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Backround Lobectomy is the current standard operation for localized lung cancer. Patients who undergo lobectomy have a 1% to 2% chance per year of developing a second lung cancer. The risks of repeat lung resection have not been well quantified or analyzed. We used a national, prospectively recorded database to evaluate the complication rate and risk factors in this population. Methods The Veterans Affairs National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database was queried for all patients who underwent lobectomy, followed by an additional lung resection, between 1994 and 2002. Preoperative variables, intraoperative variables, and complications were analyzed. Pulmonary function data were not collected. Results Excluding 17 patients who underwent repeat resection for complications of lobectomy, 186 patients underwent 191 repeat resections. The 30-day mortality was 11%; the complication rate was 19%. Mortality for pneumonectomy was 34%, lobectomy, 7%; segmentectomy, 0%; and wedge resection, 6%. The most frequent complications were pneumonia (9%), reintubation (8%), ventilator dependence (6%), cardiac arrest (3%), dysrhythmia (3%), and sepsis (3%). Multivariate analysis revealed that operative time exceeding 2 hours, preoperative dyspnea at rest or with minimal exertion, and white blood cell count of more than 10,000/mm 3 were predictors of complication. Presence of a contaminated/infected case, pneumonectomy, and intraoperative transfusion were predictors of death. Age, complications from prior lobectomy, time interval between lobectomy and repeat resection, smoking history, other comorbidities, and preoperative laboratory values were not independent predictors. Conclusions Repeat lung resection after lobectomy carries an 11% overall mortality predicted by the presence of a contaminated/infected case, need for intraoperative transfusion, and pneumonectomy versus a lesser resection.
The changing impact of genes and environment on brain development during childhood and adolescence: Initial findings from a neuroimaging study of pediatric twins

Human brain development is created through continuing complex interactions of genetic and environmental influences. The challenge of linking specific genetic or environmental risk factors to typical or atypical behaviors has led to interest in using brain structural features as an intermediate phenotype. Twin studies in adults have found that many aspects of brain anatomy are highly heritable, demonstrating that genetic factors provide a significant contribution to variation in brain structures. Less is known about the relative impact of genes and environment while the brain is actively developing. We summarize results from the ongoing National Institute of Mental Health child and adolescent twin study that suggest that heritability of different brain areas changes over the course of development in a regionally specific fashion. Areas associated with more complex reasoning abilities become increasingly heritable with maturation. The potential mechanisms by which gene–environment interactions may affect heritability values during development is discussed.
Context by region ancestry

In this paper, we introduce a new approach for modeling visual context. For this purpose, we consider the leaves of a hierarchical segmentation tree as elementary units. Each leaf is described by features of its ancestral set, the regions on the path linking the leaf to the root. We construct region trees by using a high-performance segmentation method. We then learn the importance of different descriptors (e.g. color, texture, shape) of the ancestors for classification. We report competitive results on the MSRC segmentation dataset and the MIT scene dataset, showing that region ancestry efficiently encodes information about discriminative parts, objects and scenes.
Some Practical Simplifications of Perspiration Electrolyte Analysis ("Sweat Test")

A simple, practical, rapid, and effective routine system for recovery and analysis of abdominal perspiration samples is described. The results of its application to control subjects and patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas are reported and compared with those of other investigators.
Hemodynamic characteristics and progression to heart failure in regurgitant lesions.

Mitral and aortic valvular regurgitation are two lesions that share the common denominator of left ventricular (LV) volume overload. Both lesions, in severe cases, can result in progressive LV dilatation, systolic dysfunction, and clinical heart failure in the absence of correction. Despite these similarities, the pathophysiology of LV adaptation to the volume-overload states created by mitral regurgitation (MR) and aortic regurgitation (AR) is distinctly different, as are the clinical sequelae and outcomes. This article reviews the mechanisms of disease, compensation, and eventual decompensation in both disorders.
The Effects of Stress on the Interdiffusion in Si1-xGex/Si Superlattices

The effects of grown-in stress and applied external stress on the interdiffusion behavior in long-period Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 /Si is examined using x-ray diffraction and Raman Spectroscopy. Both symmetrically and asymmetrically–strained superlattices have been examined, and an activation energy for interdiffusion of 3.9 eV and 4.6eV have been obtained, respectively. In addition, an enhanced interdiffusion has also been measured when the asymmetrically–strained superlattice was subjected to an external tensile stress during annealing. In both cases, enhanced interdiffusion has been measured whenever the Si barrier layers experience tensile stress during annealing. The Raman results indicate that enhanced Ge diffusion into the Si barriers occur when these barriers are put under tensile stress. This result will be discussed in terms of the kinetics of defect formation and motion in the strained Si barriers.
Role of eosinophils in uterine responses to estrogen.

Administration of estradiol (E2) to ovariectomized mice results in a dramatic increase in uterine growth and an influx of eosinophilic leukocytes. This influx is mediated by stimulation of an E2-dependent eosinophilic chemotactic factor in the uterus (ECF-U). The role of this eosinophil infiltration in uterus is presently unknown but could involve early growth and/or remodeling processes. In an attempt to better define eosinophil function in uterine tissue, we produced ovariectomized mice severely depleted of circulating eosinophils by administration of a purified rat IgG monoclonal antibody against interleukin-5 (IL-5). Seven days later, animals were submitted to estradiol treatment. Experimental groups included mice treated with saline alone, saline followed by E 2, IgG followed by E 2, and anti-lL-5 followed by E 2. Pretreatment with IL-5 antibodies led to no significant alteration in E 2-induced increase in uterine wet weight. However, histological evaluation demonstrated a clear and almost complete blockade of E 2-stimulated influx of eosinophils in anti-lL-5 treated animals. In addition, IL-5 antibody administration significantly reduced E 2-induced increase in peroxidase activity. Dramatic reduction of eosinophils did not affect E 2 stimulation of ECF-U activity by stromal cells or complement C 3 synthesis by the epithelial cells. Thus, it appears that differences in E 2 responses in eosinophil-deficient mice are not directly associated with presence or absence of eosinophils. Taken together, these data suggest that eosinophils most likely do not contribute to early growth in the E2-stimulated uterus. A possible role in other events such as remodeling remains to be elucidated.
Empirical Studies in Action Selection with Reinforcement Learning

To excel in challenging tasks, intelligent agents need sophisticated mechanisms for action selection: they need policies that dictate what action to take in each situation. Reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms are designed to learn such policies given only positive and negative rewards. Two contrasting approaches to RL that are currently in popular use are temporal difference (TD) methods, which learn value functions, and evolutionary methods, which optimize populations of candidate policies. Both approaches have had practical successes but few studies have directly compared them. Hence, there are no general guidelines describing their relative strengths and weaknesses. In addition, there has been little cross-collaboration, with few attempts to make them work together or to apply ideas from one to the other. In this article we aim to address these shortcomings via three empirical studies that compare these methods and investigate new ways of making them work together. First, we compare the two approaches in a benchmark task and identify variations of the task that isolate factors critical to the performance of each method. Second, we investigate ways to make evolutionary algorithms excel at on-line tasks by borrowing exploratory mechanisms traditionally used by TD methods. We present empirical results demonstrating a dramatic performance improvement. Third, we explore a novel way of making evolutionary and TD methods work together by using evolution to automatically discover good representations for TD function approximators. We present results demonstrating that this novel approach can outperform both TD and evolutionary methods alone.
More Men Run Relatively Fast in U.S. Road Races, 1981–2006: A Stable Sex Difference in Non-Elite Runners:

Recent studies indicate that more men than women run fast relative to sex-specific world records and that this sex difference has been historically stable in elite U.S. runners. These findings have...
Memory Similarities Between Essential Tremor and Parkinson's Disease: A Final Common Pathway?

Objective: A growing body of literature supports the view that essential tremor (ET) involves alteration of cerebellar–thalamo–cortical networks which can result in working memory and executive deficits. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that individuals with ET would exhibit worse performance on memory tasks requiring more intrinsic organization and structuring (i.e., word lists) relative to those with fewer ‘executive’ demands (i.e., stories), similar to that previously observed in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Method: Participants included a convenience sample of 68 ET patients and 68 idiopathic PD patients, retrospectively matched based on age, education, and sex. All patients underwent routine neuropsychological evaluation assessing recent memory, auditory attention/working memory, language, and executive function. Memory measures included the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-R and WMS-III Logical Memory. Results: Both ET and PD patients performed significantly worse on word list than ...
Rat hypothalamic NPY mRNA and brown fat uncoupling protein mRNA after high-carbohydrate or high-fat diets

We measured the influence of diet composition on hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) message and brown fat uncoupling protein (UCP) mRNA using different diets. Sprague-Dawley rats ate ad libitum either chow, a high-carbohydrate (HC), an intermediate-carbohydrate (IHC), a high-fat (HF), or an intermediate-fat (IHF) diet, all with equal protein content (g/kcal). The HF and IHF groups ate less food mass and, except for HC, all groups consumed similar kilocalories during the study. After 1 wk, we killed the animals and extracted total RNA from arcuate nucleus, cortex, and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Arcuate NPY mRNA in the HF group was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than in the HC and chow group. There were no differences between groups in NPY message in cortex or NPY protein in the paraventricular nucleus. BAT UCP message levels were significantly higher (P = 0.001) in the HF group. Thus HF compared with HC and chow diet reduces expression of NPY mRNA in hypothalamic nuclei and increases expression of BAT UCP message.
Experiments, Journals, and Ethics

As political science experiments have increasingly moved out of the traditional western university laboratory setting, researchers have had to confront many new issues that had previously received less attention from experimentalists. Much ink and effort has been expended on the methodological issues involved due to the loss of experimental control and the difficulty in implementing and maintaining true random assignment. Moreover, as experimentation has become increasingly popular and more attention has been paid to the way in which we collect and analyze data generally, many are concerned with disconnects between design proposals and actual implementations – especially with the possibility of burying null findings or reporting findings that just barely meet standardized levels of significance – and with the ability of researchers to replicate results. Furthermore, questions of harm to human subjects – and notions of informed consent – have had to be revisited in situations far from the conditions in which these concepts were originally developed.
Orthostatic Tremor in Two Siblings (P04.050)

Objective: To report the occurrence of orthostatic tremor (OT) in two siblings. Background OT is an infrequently diagnosed form of tremor in which patients experience tremor in the legs upon standing. The tremor is usually relieved by the initiation of movement or decreased weight bearing. OT has rarely been reported to co-occur within families; indeed there are only two prior reports of OT in siblings. The presence of such cases raises the possibility that susceptibility genes could contribute to the etiology of this disease. Design/Methods: Case reports with clinical and clinical neurophysiologic assessments. Results: A brother (age 79) and sister (age 75) who both had onset of tremor at age 73 were seen in our movement disorders center. Both described tremor in the legs upon standing, which was relieved by walking or sitting. The tremor was accompanied by the sensation of imbalance, and falls in the brother, and the use of a walker for stability in the sister. No other family members had OT, including both parents and three other siblings. On examination, both developed visible tremor in the legs soon after standing. Both had mild kinetic and intention tremor in the upper extremities. Tremor analysis with EMG was performed, and in both siblings, standing induced 13.5 Hz synchronized agonist-antagonist burst discharges in the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles. When standing on one leg, the tremor was only evident in the weight-bearing leg. Both experienced improvement on clonazepam, however the dose was limited by side effects in each (1mg/day in the sister and 2 mg/day in the brother). Conclusions: This report of electrophysiologically-confirmed OT in siblings raises a possible genetic etiology in these cases. Supported by: Supported in part by the Parkinson9s Disease Foundation (S.L.P. and T.V.). Disclosure: Dr. Virmani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Louis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Waters has received personal compensation for activities with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novartis, and Teva Neuroscience as a speaker. Dr. Pullman has nothing to disclose.
Clinical decision-making: acute myelogenous leukemia in first complete remission.

SUMMARY: Most patients with acute myelogenous leukemia achieve complete remission but are not cured with chemotherapy alone. Bone marrow transplantation is an alternative to chemotherapy, but there is controversy as to which patients benefit from transplantation. KEY POINTS: Outcome can be predicted by, and therapy tailored to, specific prognostic factors such as age and karyotype. Younger patients with good-risk karyotypes such as t(8;21) and inv16 have a long-term disease-free survival rate of 75% or more with chemotherapy alone. Patients with poor-risk karyotypes have a survival rate less than 10% with chemotherapy alone and may benefit from bone marrow transplantation, which is associated with cures in up to 50% of patients. Most patients do not have a compatible donor for allogeneic transplantation. High-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation is an option for patients with no marrow donor, and has cure rates of as high as 50%. Patients with intermediate-risk karyotypes generally have a survival rate between 20% and 50% with chemotherapy alone. It is uncertain if allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation offers any additional advantage in this group.
Devil in the Details: Effects of Depression on the Prosocial Response Depend on Timing and Similarity

Most accounts of empathy acknowledge the importance of shared experience, but debate continues regarding the precise mechanism and necessity of similarity for an empathic response. The perception-action model posits that empathy and understanding are processed through observers’ own internal representations for states and situations, which increase in complexity with experience and produce more accurate, prosocial responses when observers and targets experience events similarly. We tested this model by measuring the degree to which past and current depression in observers influenced the perception of sad, distressed targets and the empathic, prosocial response to them. Participants with either prior or current depression perceived a greater number of types of negative affect in distressed targets. Past depression was also associated with an increased prosocial response to distressed patients if observers viewed them as similar. However, participants with current depression symptoms felt less empathy and gave less help to distressed targets. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing between past and current shared experience, with important consequences for clinical and social interactions.
Hot Sauce and White Chocolate: And1 and ghetto style in basketball

AbstractIn the 1980s and early 90s, American professional basketball benefited from a steady rise in its popularity and appeal. With Michael Jordan's retirement after the 1998 season, however, a new era was in progress. Incoming NBA players like Latrell Sprewell, Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson brought energetic, but polarizing, personas to professional courts. Cultural critics Todd Boyd and Kenneth Shropshire examined the contemporary media reaction to these players, which exploited racially-coded terms like “thug” and “gangster” to disproportionately demonize black athletes’ transgressions. Their analysis provides a window onto an era that saw several upstart athletic apparel companies capitalize on a new wave of distinctly “authentic” and "urban" aesthetics. And1, a sportswear company that emerged in 1993, fought a vigorous and creative underdog campaign against sports marketing giants like Nike to define basketball style. And1 peaked as the number two domestic retailer of basketball shoes behind Nik...
Solution for Abnormal One-order Critical Vibration of Turbine-generator Set by Low-speed Dynamic Balancing

Abnormal vibration of generators surpassing one-order critical speed is generally caused by one-order unbalance of the rotor.In a long period,high-speed dynamic balancing is taken as a means to solve such vibration.However,low-speed dynamic balancing has advantages over the high-speed way in time,labor and cost-saving.Two successful low-speed dynamic balancing examples are being presented with the specific application process and effect shown.
Design of WC5 Low-height Explosion-proof Diesel Trackless Rubber-tyred Vehicle

In order to meet transportation requirement of low-height crawlway of Shendong Group,the paper proposed a design scheme of WC5 low-height explosion-proof diesel trackless rubber-tyred vehicle.The low-height vehicle was designed with mature design technology of WC5 explosion-proof diesel trackless rubber-tyred vehicle.Its part of front stand higher than regulation height was reformed combining with characteristics of driving in crawlway,back carriage was redesigned and safety design was also added to the low-height vehicle.The practice proved that the low-height vehicle decreases labor intensity of underground workers and improves work efficiency,safety and comfortableness.
Discussion on Comprehensive Sewage Discharge Standard of Liaoning Province

There were some questionable problems in the execution process of the Comprehensive Sewage Discharge Standard in Liaoning Province(DB21/1627—2008).Through the comprehensive analysis of the standard(DB21/1627—2008)and the comparison of developed countries's sewage discharge standard with the standard(DB21/1627—2008),the four aspects of the standard(DB21/1627—2008)should be improved to make the Comprehensive Sewage Discharge Standard in Liaoning Province(DB21/1627—2008)adapt to the economy and technology development of the society.The four aspects included executing different limits for the different sewage treatment plants with different construction time,relaxing the total nitrogen limits,making different Sewage Discharge Standard for different sub-basins and establishing a technical support system for the standard.
Preschoolers explore interactive storybook apps: The effect on word recognition and story comprehension

Two experiments explored the effects of reading digital storybooks on tablet computers with 25 preschoolers, aged 4---5. In the first experiment, the students' word recognition scores were found to increase significantly more when students explored a digital storybook and employed the read-aloud function than when they were read to from a comparable print book. Their comprehension scores did not change significantly in the two conditions. In Experiment 2, the same students explored digital storybooks with more animation embedded in them. The students listened to the read aloud function on the tablet computer and explored digital storybooks in both conditions, but in one condition a teacher guided the talk about the story. Contrary to expectations, the students' word recognition and story comprehension scores were higher in the independent condition than in the guided condition. One explanation for the higher word recognition scores when students were reading with the tablet computer is the effect of multimedia, like hotspots and/or text tracking. Although digital storybooks are not a substitute for adult interaction, these preschoolers learned surprisingly well on their own. The importance of digital storybook design, as well as what elements to look for in an e-book to encourage literacy learning are discussed.
International Children’s Rights

People often need help desperately, and sometimes that help is not or cannot be provided from within their own countries. At times international assistance is provided in spectacular ways. On April 5, 1991 the Security Council of the United Nations passed a resolution condemning Iraq’s repression of the Kurds and calling for humanitarian assistance. On the same day the U.S. president ordered the U.S. military to begin airdropping humanitarian supplies to Kurds camping along the Iraq-Turkey border. In December 1992 the United States Marines, acting under United Nations cover, moved into Somalia to rescue a faltering humanitarian assistance program. The airdrop of emergency food supplies to remnants of what had been Yugoslavia was started in March 1993. The problems of providing humanitarian assistance in the midst of armed conflict have been clearly documented in connection with the civil war in the Sudan.1 Even in non-conflict situations, assistance becomes the victim of all kinds of inefficiencies and political pressures.2 Often there is no attempt to assist. What principles should guide the provision of humanitarian assistance?
Understanding the school curriculum: Theory, politics and principles

School curriculum development provides grist for constant discussion throughout areas of education. Parents, students, teachers, administrators, and elected officials at all levels seek answers to ...
Hysteresis and the Cholesterol-Dependent Melting Transition of the Martini Model

Extensive Martini simulation data, totaling 5 ms, is presented for binary mixtures of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and cholesterol. Using simulations initiated from both gel and liquid-disordered (L d ) phases, significant and strongly cholesterol-dependent hysteresis in the enthalpy as a function of temperature is observed for cholesterol mole fractions from 0 to 20 mol% — adding just a single cholesterol to each leaflet of a pure DPPC bilayer more than doubles the width of the hysteresis loop relative to a pure DPPC bilayer.
Knowledge Discovery Approach for Recommendation

This chapter presents concepts of action rules, proposed by Ras and Wieczorkowska in 2000 [RW00] and meta-actions, as a proposed approach for building a rule-based (knowledge-based) recommender system for tinnitus treatment, and motivation for using such methods. It also presents theoretical foundations and algorithms for automatic action rules extraction, as methods for domain knowledge discovery.
Associations of Metabolic Syndrome, Elevated C-Reactive Protein, and Physical Activity in U.S. Adolescents.

Abstract Purpose The aim was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), and physical activity (PA) as well as the odds of MetS criteria in those active versus inactive utilizing a representative sample of U.S. adolescents. Methods The study sample (n = 676) included male and female adolescent (12–17 years) participants in the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The criteria analyzed were based on a modified definition of MetS using the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Current adult cut points were used to determine elevated CRP. Activity was estimated using reported days per week and minutes per day of moderate/vigorous PA. Results The MetS criteria with the highest and lowest overall prevalence estimates were elevated fasting glucose and elevated blood pressure (20.7% [95% confidence interval, 17.02–24.38] and 5.7% [95% confidence interval, 3.70–7.70], respectively). The prevalence of elevated CRP was 7.1% (6.3% and 7.8% in males and females, respectively; p = .42). The prevalence of insufficient PA was 75.0%. Odds of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly lower in active adolescents when compared with inactive adolescents (odds ratio = .39, p Conclusions In a representative sample of U.S. adolescents, elevated fasting glucose is the most prevalent MetS criterion. One out of five U.S. adolescents has elevated fasting glucose, and three out four do not meet the daily federal PA recommendations. Adolescents meeting the federal PA recommendation demonstrate approximately 60% lower odds of having low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Alignment correction for antenna scans in imaging

In this paper, we propose a software correction technique to eliminate the misalignment errors in the measurement of antenna radiated fields for frequency-diverse imaging. It is shown that by using RF fiducials integrated into the antennas, the effect of rotation (range and cross-range) and offset misalignment errors can be corrected to a good accuracy, holding significant potential for applications where precise alignment is required for antenna field measurements.
Bioavailability differences in naltrexone oral and injectable extended release

Undoubtedly the rise of opioid use in the United States is a frightening upsurge When exogenous opioids are ingested they mimic the same pathways in the body that naturally occurring morphine would For this reason if used in a manner that is not prescribed opioids can be dangerous Looking at opioid use disorder several pharmacotherapies exist One such pharmacotherapy that is studied in high volumes in the use of naltrexone an opioid antagonist This article looks at the significantly advantageous bioavailability factors of injectable extended release naltrexone over daily oral administration
A Dynamic Slope Scaling Procedure for the Fixed-Charge Cost Multi-Commodity Network Flow Problem

This chapter deals with multi-commodity network flow problems with fixed-charge arc costs. Such problems arise frequently in practice, for instance in supply chain optimization. We generalize a heuristic that was recently developed for the single commodity variant of our problem, so that it can be applied to the multi-commodity case. We evaluate the performance of the heuristic on a set of randimly generated production, inventory, and transportation problems.
PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES Dentists and Dental Hygienists: Allow Dental Hygienists to Perform Dental Screenings Without Supervision Under Certain Conditions; Provide for Information and Fees

The Act authorizes dental hygienists to perform dental screenings without supervision under certain circumstances. The Act also provides that each person who receives a dental screening must be informed in writing of the limitations of a dental screening and advised to seek a more thorough examination by a dentist. Additionally, the Act provides that individual hygienists shall not charge fees for such screenings.
REASONING AND PROBLEM SOLVING IN YOUNG CHILDREN

The reasoning skills of preschool children were examined through three types of problems: Prediction, Explanations, and Explanations of Predictions. The 3-year-olds successfully answered half of the Prediction problems; the 4-year-olds two-thirds of the Prediction problems and better than a third of the other two groups; the 5-year-olds showed high levels of success on all three groups. The results indicate that preschoolers have a capacity for reasoning that has often not been sufficiently appreciated.
Epidemiology of Hypertension in Diabetes

Given the prevalence and impact of hypertension on vascular disease in diabetic patients, the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in diabetes has important implications for healthcare policy and professional guidelines. This report examines changes in the clinical epidemiology of hypertension in diabetes from 1988 to 2008 using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database subdivided into 1988–1994, 1999–2004, and 2005–2008. Over time, prevalent hypertension, defined as blood pressure (BP) ≥140/≥90 mmHg or self-reported hypertension treatment, increased from 51 % to 66 %, p < 0.001. BP declined from 145.2/74.7 to 136.5/69.7, p < 0.001, among all patients with diabetes and hypertension. The reduction in BP reflected improvements in hypertension awareness (83–92 %, p < 0.001), treatment (73–87 %, p < 0.001), proportion of treated patients controlled (48–62 %, p < 0.01), and controlled to <140/<90 (35.5–54.6 %, p < 0.001). BP control to the more stringent target of <130/<80 rose (18–36 %, p < 0.01). The proportion of patients with diabetes and hypertension who had normal BP (<120/<80) increased from 10.7 % to 20.8 %, whereas the proportion with Stage 2 hypertension (BP ≥160/≥100) decreased from 23.5 % to 14.5 % (both p < 0.001). Hypertension control improved, although body mass index increased from 31.3 to 33.1 kg/m2, p < 0.001, and likely reflected a decrease in hypertension treated with 0–1 and an increase in treatment with ≥3 antihypertensive medications. Time trends in the clinical epidemiology of hypertension among patients with diabetes are positive, except for prevalence, and parallel findings reported in all patients with hypertension over the same time period.
Evaluation of a fluorapatite-spinel ceramic as a bone implant

The objective of this study waa to produoe a oeramlo that oan be used as a hard tissue Implant. After inves­ tigation of several mixtures of trioalolum phosphate, oalolum fluoride, magnesium carbonate and alumina, a composite of fluorapatlte and spinel was selected as the ceramic material. The ability to prepare sound samples and the minimum solubility In tissue fluids were the main reasons for the selection of a composite with one mole of fluorapatlte to three moles of magnesium alumlnate spinel. The ceramic was tested to determine the effect of porosity on strength so that the optimmm coalajLnation of microstructure and mechanical properties could be obtained. The effect of the duration of stay in the physlologloal environment on the bending strength was determined after in vitro tests in Ringer's solution for porous and nonporous bars, and also after in vivo tests of non-perous subcutaneous implants. Porous bone bridges Implanted in dogs were studied in terms of bone ingrowth, Implant stabilization and tissue compatibility. Thin sections of tte bone-oeramlo interface were prepared and analyzed using optical micros­ copy with polarized transmitted llgh*»
Sage wisdom or anecdotal dictum? Equivalent opioid use after open, laparoscopic, and robotic inguinal hernia repair.

Abstract Background Purported benefits of minimally-invasive inguinal hernia repair techniques include less postoperative pain, but objective data is lacking. We analyzed prescribing habits and opiate requirements to provide an objective comparison. Methodology Inguinal hernia repairs performed on patients aged 18–65 from October 2016 through February 2018 were examined. Patients with prior opiate use or complicated operative courses were excluded. Discharge prescriptions, morphine milligram equivalents(MME), and additional prescriptions within three months were evaluated. Results 173 patients met criteria including 90 open(OMR), 34 laparoscopic(TEP), and 49 robotic(RTAPP) repairs. There was no difference in age or gender. There was no difference in average opiate prescriptions(OMR 230 MME, TEP 229 MME, RTAP 208 MME; p = 0.581), percentage prescribed acetaminophen(OMR 96.7%, TEP 97.1%, RTAPP 98.0%; p = 0.910), or percentage prescribed NSAIDs(OMR 43.3%, TEP 44.1%, RTAP 46.9%; p = 0.919). On follow up, there was no difference in repeat opiate prescriptions(OMR 10.0%, TEP 8.8%, RTAPP 8.2%; p = 0.934). Conclusions Patients undergoing open, laparoscopic, and robotic inguinal hernia repairs showed no evidence of differing pain medication requirements. The implication that minimally-invasive techniques cause less pain may be inaccurate.
Energy Efficient Clustering for Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks – A Survey

Ongoing advancements in electromechanical, power electronics and wireless communications have made possible the use of wireless sensor networks in remote applications. A wide range of applications such as monitoring of environmental conditions, forest fire protection, disaster management, and target monitoring in military applications utilize these sensor networks to solve problems. This has made wireless sensor networks the hottest topic for research today. These remote and unattended applications require a huge number of sensor nodes working efficiently together for a common goal. Since sensor nodes have limited resources, like processing, power and sensing capacity, these resources need to be used in efficient manner in order to improve a network’s lifetime. One of the most important methods to achieve this is using clusters. Nodes may not have the same energy levels, which makes it even more important for these clusters to work efficiently together to save power. Wireless sensor networks are of homogeneous and heterogeneous type. This paper presents a survey of energy-efficient clustering mechanisms in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. Nodes in homogeneous wireless sensor networks have similar resources, however heterogeneous networks have nodes with different energy levels that can be effectively used to enhance a network’s lifetime.