cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An optical interconnection network and a modified snooping protocol for the design of large-scale symmetric multiprocessors (SMPs)

In symmetric multiprocessors (SMPs), the cache coherence overhead and the speed of the shared buses limit the address/snoop bandwidth needed to broadcast transactions to all processors. As a solution, a scalable address subnetwork called symmetric multiprocessor network (SYMNET) is proposed in which address requests and snoop responses of SMPs are implemented optically. SYMNET not only uses passive optical interconnects that increases the speed of the proposed network, but also pipelines address requests at a much faster rate than electronics. This increases the address bandwidth for snooping, but the preservation of cache coherence can no longer be maintained with the usual snooping protocols. A modified coherence protocol, coherence in SYMNET (COSYM), is introduced to solve the coherence problem. COSYM was evaluated with a subset of Splash-2 benchmarks and compared with the electrical bus-based MOESI protocol. The simulation studies have shown a 5-66 percent improvement in execution time for COSYM as compared to MOESI for various applications. Simulations have also shown that the average latency for a transaction to complete using COSYM protocol was 5-78 percent better than the MOESI protocol. It is also seen that SYMNET can scale up to hundreds of processors while still using fast snooping-based cache coherence protocols, and additional performance gains may be attained with further improvement in optical device technology.
Super‐computer simulation of a multichambered muffler

The problem of attenuating muzzle blast noise produced by firing a gun weapon is studied. A multichambered muffler is attached to a M242 25mm cannon. For this weapons configuration, the transitional ballistics problem is solved numerically using the CRAY XMP computer. The second-order accurate total variation diminishing (TVD) shock capturing scheme of Harten is used to solve the Euler equations of compressible flow. The simulation yields a detailed picture of the flow field, as displayed by pressure and Mach contours. Pressure time histories at selected field locations are recorded for future comparison with experiment. Energy efflux time history, from which predictions of noise attenuation can be made, is also recorded. Noise reduction levels so obtained are seen to compare well with experimental data. From this evidence it appears that the simulation method can become an effective aid in muffler design.
Allograft-prosthetic composite reconstruction for massive bone loss including catastrophic failure in total elbow arthroplasty.

Introduction: Revision total elbow arthroplasty with an allograft-prosthetic composite is a difficult salvage procedure due to massive bone loss and a compromised soft-tissue envelope. High failure rates in prior studies of patients treated with allograft-prosthetic composites and an increased burden of revision total elbow arthroplasties necessitate optimized reconstructive techniques to improve incorporation of allograft-prosthetic composites. The goal of this report is to describe novel techniques for, and outcomes of, reconstructions done with an allograft-prosthetic composite. Methods: From 2003 through 2008, twenty-five patients underwent revision total elbow arthroplasty with an allograft-prosthetic composite in the humerus (six), ulna (eighteen), or both (one). Indications included aseptic implant loosening with a fracture or cortical breach (eleven), aseptic implant loosening without fracture (three), infection (seven), failed implants (one), bone loss after hemiarthroplasty (one), nonunion (one), and resection arthroplasty (one). Three reconstructive strategies were used: intussusception of the allograft-prosthesis-composite (Type I), strut-like coaptation (Type II), and side-to-side contact between the cortices of the allograft-prosthetic composite and the host bone (Type III). The outcomes that were examined included the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), radiographic union, and overall revision and complication rates. Results: The mean MEPS improved from 30 points preoperatively to 84 points at the time of follow-up. Ninety-two percent of the allograft-prosthetic composites incorporated. There were eight major and four minor complications in nine patients, leading to nine reoperations in six patients. Complications included infection (three), fracture (three), nonunion (one), malunion (one), skin necrosis (one), triceps insufficiency/weakness (two), and ulnar nerve paresthesia (one). Four of the twenty-five patients had definitive resection arthroplasty, one had osteosynthesis, and one had a successful revision, so twenty-one (84%) of the twenty-five had a functional elbow. Five of seven infected joints were salvaged with staged allograft-prosthesis-composite procedures. Conclusions: Larger graft-host contact areas in the three types of allograft-prosthetic composites provided good functional outcomes and a high rate of union compared with prior experience and resection arthroplasty. Allograft-prosthetic composites can be a safe, reliable option with an acceptable complication rate for revision total elbow arthroplasty. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Changes in self-efficacy and task value in online learning

This study was designed to investigate whether course content self-efficacy, online technologies self-efficacy, and task value change over the course of a semester. Sixty-nine participating students from four classes provided data through two instruments: (1) the self-efficacy instrument and (2) the task value instrument. Students’ self-efficacy and task value measures were collected three times during the semester (i.e., beginning of semester, mid-term, and final). Data were analyzed using repeated measures of variance. Findings of repeated measures indicate that course content self-efficacy and online technologies self-efficacy fluctuated, but task value remained unaffected during the course of the semester. Educational implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Catahoula Formation as Uranium Source Rock in East Texas: ABSTRACT

The Oligocene-Miocene Catahoula Formation of the Texas Gulf coastal plain is a fluvial and lacustrine volcaniclastic unit composed of "normal" fluvial material mixed with distal rhyolitic air-fall ash. In the lower Texas Gulf coastal plain, it consists of stream-transported detritus from the volcanic source area in Trans-Pecos Texas and adjacent Mexico. This volcaniclastic component has altered to release uranium to mineralization processes in the lower Gulf Coast, but there has not been uranium production in the middle and upper Gulf Coast. To evaluate the potential of the upper Texas Gulf coastal plain for uranium ore deposits, a geochemical study was undertaken. The Catahoula Formation was analyzed for U, Th, K, Rb, Sr, Zr, and Ti to estimate the nature of volcanic glass and its abundance and alteration. Concentrations from three key outcrops were compared. They were also compared to samples from a volcanic area in Trans-Pecos Texas, which is chemically appropriate as a source for the volcanic material in the Catahoula Formation. In the lower Texas Gulf coastal plain, where uranium is produced, the glassy volcanic material has been pervasively altered, but in the upper coastal plain much glass remains. Because glass alteration is necessary for uranium release and concentration, the potential is low for large, shallow uranium ore bodies in the upper Texas Gulf coastal plain. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1214------------
Practical Aspects of Charging Phenomena in XPS as demonstrated in Oxidized-Al Films on Al and Al Alloys

Understanding the surface and interface structure, composition and chemistry of insulating materials has long been of importance in surface analysis. The relevance of insulating surfaces to the environment, and the increasing use of newer and more complex oxide films in electronic and optical applications significantly increases the information needed about these materials. Through a series of examples using Al-oxide films, this paper summarizes some conceptual and practical issues related to analysis of insulators, including vacuum-level and Fermi-level referencing, charge buildup at interfaces, the use of charge neutralization, the impact of electron and ion-beam damage, and the influence of impurities on oxide properties and measurements. Many of the measurements are understood through consideration of potential variation through a specimen. Current results, along with many in the literature, demonstrate that surface charging is not a problem that can be readily solved and ignored, but is a tool providing important information about materials and films.
The Use of High Levels of Distillers Dried Grains Plus Solubles in Broiler Diets

Abstract Due to the increasing interest in the distillation of ethanol from grains a study was conducted to examine the potential usage of high levels of distillers residue in broiler diets. Two series of diets were formulated with up to 25% distillers dried grains plus solubles (DDGS). In one series the dietary energy was held constant at 3200 ME kcal/kg (fixed energy), while in the second series the energy declined as the level of DDGS increased but the energy:nutrient ratios were maintained constant (optimum energy). Diets were fed in mash form to chicks in battery brooders from day-old to 42 days of age. In the fixed energy series no significant differences in body weights or feed conversion efficiency were observed at 42 days of age that were related to the level of DDGS in the diet. In the optimum energy series there was a general decline in body weight gains and feed conversion efficiency at DDGS levels of 15% or more. However, the chicks on all levels of DDGS made similar utilization of the dietary energy, measured as calories per gram of gain. Therefore, levels of up to 25% DDGS could be used in broiler diets should price and supply dictate.
TDP-43: the relationship between protein aggregation and neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Accumulations of aggregated proteins are a key feature of the pathology of all of the major neurodegenerative diseases. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was brought into this fold quite recently, with the discovery of TDP-43 inclusions in nearly all ALS cases. In part this discovery was fueled by the recognition of the clinical overlap between ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, where ubiquitinated TDP-43 inclusions were first identified. Later the identification of TDP-43 mutations in rare familial forms of ALS confirmed that altered TDP-43 function can be a primary cause of the disease. However the simple concept that TDP-43 is an aggregation prone protein that forms toxic inclusions capable of promoting neurodegeneration has not been upheld by initial investigations. This review discusses observations from human pathology, cell culture, and animal model systems, to highlight our somewhat murky understanding of the relationship between TDP-43 aggregation and neurodegeneration.
Chromosome lesions which could be interpreted as "fragile sites" on the distal end of Xq.

Chromosome lesions which could be interpreted as “fragile sites” on the distal end of the long arm of the X chromosome were identified during a cytogenetic study of 160 mentally retarded adult males with no apparent cause of their mental retardation and one normal adult female with a family history of fra (X) syndrome. Peripheral blood samples were cultured in either M199 or RPMI 1640 medium with FUdR or BrdU. Metaphases were examined for chromosome lesions or fragile sites on the distal end of Xq and 3 distinct sites were observed: Xq26, Xq27.2, and Xq27.3. Other chromosome lesions at Xq28 were observed and interpreted as nonspecific telomeric structural changes. Chromosome lesions were observed in cells from 14 of the 161 individuals. These included: 5 patients with an Xq26 site, 2 with the recently reported Xq27.2 site, 4 with the Xq27.3 site (characteristic of the fra (X) syndrome), 2 with nonspecific telomeric structural changes, and one individual with 2 lesions (a nonspecific telomeric structural change and an Xq26 site). Additional research is necessary to determine the frequency and clinical significance, if any, of lesions occurring in this region of the X chromosome and to distinguish among heritable fragile sites, constitutive fragile sites, and nonspecific telomeric structural changes.
A Comparison and Critique of Eucalyptus, OpenNebula and Nimbus

Eucalyptus, Open Nebula and Nimbus are three major open-source cloud-computing software platforms. The overall function of these systems is to manage the provisioning of virtual machines for a cloud providing infrastructure-as-a-service. These various open-source projects provide an important alternative for those who do not wish to use a commercially provided cloud. We provide a comparison and analysis of each of these systems. We begin with a short summary comparing the current raw feature set of these projects. After that, we deepen our analysis by describing how these cloud management frameworks relate to the many other software components required to create a functioning cloud computing system. We also analyse the overall structure of each of these projects and address how the differing features and implementations reflect the different goals of each of these projects. Lastly, we discuss some of the common challenges that emerge in setting up any of these frameworks and suggest avenues of further research and development. These include the problem of fair scheduling in absence of money, eviction or preemption, the difficulties of network configuration, and the frequent lack of clean abstractions.
Oxyanion Substituted Ettringites: Synthesis and Characterization; and their Potential Role In Immobilization of As, B, Cr, Se and V

Long-term batch leaching studies of composites of lignite combustion and gasification ashes with a calcium-based scrubber waste have shown the prominent formation of an ettringite structure phase, accompanied by reductions in solution concentrations of potentially hazardous elements such as boron and selenium. The possibility that oxyanions such as arsenate, borate, chromate, molybdate, selenate and vanadate might substitute for sulfate in the ettringite structure has been explored. There are literature reports of fully substituted borate, chromate and selenate [ettringites]*, and of two minerals with partial borate for sulfate substitution. X-ray diffraction phase pure products with chromate and selenate, substituted completely for the sulfate in ettringite, and with arsenate, borate and vanadate partially substituted for sulfate, have been synthesized at room temperature by mixing soluble Ca, Al and sulfate sources and maintaining a pH> 12 with NaOH additions. Attempts to substitute substantial amount of molybdate for sulfate were unsuccessful. The resulting phases were characterized chemically by ICAP spectrometry, ion chromatography and thermal analysis, and for phase purity and unit cell size by XRD. The speciation of the oxyanions in the substituted [ettringite] were confirmed by FTIR spectrometry. In solid solutions, the sulfate/oxyanion ratio was greater in the precipitated solid than in the synthesis solution. Chemical analyses of the [ettringites] did not give simple stoichiometries analogous to Ca6Al2(SO4)(OH)12 ·26H2O. Because nonstoichiometry can be attributed to numerous possibilities for charge balance and defects, structural formulae of the oxyanion substituted [ettringites] could not be established.
BIRTH OF PIGLETS AFTER TRANSFER OF EMBRYOS CRYOPRESERVED BY CYTOSKELETAL STABILIZATION AND VITRIFICATION

Pig embryos suffer severe sensitivity to hypothermic conditions, which limits their ability to withstand conventional cryopreservation. Research has focused on high lipid content of pig embryos and its role in hypothermic sensitivity, while little research has been conducted on structural damage. Documenting cytoskeletal disruption provides information on embryonic sensitivity and cellular response to cryopreservation. The objectives of this study were to document microfilament (MF) alterations during swine embryo vitrification, to utilize an MF inhibitor during cryopreservation to stabilize MF, and to determine the developmental competence of cytoskeletal-stabilized and vitrified pig embryos. Vitrified morulae/early blastocysts displayed MF disruptions and lacked developmental competence after cryopreservation; hatched blastocysts displayed variable MF disruption and developmental competence. Cytochalasin-b did not improve morula/early blastocyst viability after vitrification; however, it significantly (P < 0.05) improved survival and development of expanded and hatched blastocysts. After embryo transfer, we achieved pregnancy rates of almost 60%, and litter sizes improved from 5 to 7.25 piglets per litter. This study shows that the pig embryo cytoskeleton can be affected by vitrification and that MF depolymerization prior to vitrification improves blastocyst developmental competence after cryopreservation. After transfer, vitrified embryos can produce live, healthy piglets that grow normally and when mature are of excellent fecundity.
ZVT DC-DC PWM converters with magnetically-coupled auxiliary voltage source: a unifying analysis

A generalised circuit diagram for ZVT PWM converters with magnetically-coupled auxiliary voltage source is proposed. The generalised circuit is presented and analysed; its operation modes and constraints are defined. By means of the proposed generalised topology, published ZVT PWM converters with magnetically coupled auxiliary voltage source can be systematised and better evaluated. Based on the approach presented, the transformer (or coupled inductor) turns ratio N is determined for each topology analysed, guaranteeing a more realistic soft-switching boundary. In addition, a comparative analysis concerning the volume of magnetic ferrite cores is carried out. The comparative analysis addresses some of the most important ZVT converters with magnetically-coupled auxiliary voltage sources. The efficiency performance of these converters is evaluated and experimental results given, obtained from 1 kW–100 kHz laboratory prototypes, which confirm the value of the proposal and theoretical analysis.
Isotopic labeling of taurine; implications for its synthesis in selected tissues of Homarus americanus

Abstract 1. 1. The abdominal muscle and ventral nerve chord of Homarus americanus were incubated with radioactive precursors. 2. 2. 35SO4 and 14C-CO2 were not incorporated into amino acids in the abdominal muscle. 3. 3. 14C-glucose was incorporated into serine, cysteine, cysteine-sulfinic acid and taurine in the abdominal muscle. 4. 4. 14C-CO2 appeared to be slightly incorporated into taurine in the ventral nerve chord. 5. 5. 14C-glucose incubation with the ventral nerve chord resulted in labeling of the same amino acids as in the abdominal muscle. 6. 6. The results are discussed in view of the catabolism of carbohydrates and the synthesis of taurine.
A New Synonym of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Differentiation of Adult Males of H. zea and H. armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae)

Abstract The taxonomic history of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) is discussed. Heliothis stombleri Okumura and Bauer is a new synonym of H. zea. The best diagnostic characters occur in the vesica of the male genitalia. These include (1) number of diverticula at the base, (2) length and number of coils, (3) number of cornuti visible on the uninflated vesica inside the aedoeagus, and (4) valve length. All diagnostic characters are described and shown. Methods for examining large samples of H. zea for possible H. armigera include placing the entire sample into suitable containers of 10% KOH for 18–24 h and dissecting the genitalia and measuring the valve length. It was found that H. zea had a longer mean valve length than H. armigera, but there was some overlap. Specimens whose valve length was <5.0 mm were examined for the diagnostic characters present on the vesica.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery: Treatment of Brain Metastasis Without Interruption of Systemic Therapy.

Purpose To evaluate the prevalence, outcomes, and toxicities of concurrent delivery of systemic therapy with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for treatment of brain metastases. Methods and Materials We conducted a retrospective review of 193 patients treated at our institution with SRS without prior whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for brain metastases between 2009 and 2014. Outcome metrics included administration of concurrent systemic therapy, myelosuppression, neurotoxicity, and survival. Results One hundred ninety-three patients with a median age of 61 years underwent a total of 291 SRS treatments. Thirty-seven percent of SRS treatments were delivered concurrently with systemic therapy, of which 46% were with conventional myelosuppressive chemotherapy, and 54% with targeted and immune therapy agents. Myelosuppression was minimal after treatment with both systemic therapy and SRS, with 14% grade 3-4 toxicity for lymphopenia and 4-9% for leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Neurotoxicity was also minimal after combined therapy, with no grade 4 and P Conclusions Systemic therapy can be safely given concurrently with SRS for brain metastases: our results suggest minimal myelosuppression and neurotoxicity. Concurrent therapy is an attractive option for patients who have both intracranial and extracranial metastatic disease and may be particularly beneficial in patients with a new diagnosis of primary cancer with brain metastasis.
Liver transplantation recipient with malignant transformation of hepatic adenomas

Hepatic adenomas are uncommon benign liver neoplasms. These tumors can undergo malignant transformation into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transformations associated with anabolic steroid use are seldom reported. The ability to differentiate hepatic neoplasms is important in pre-liver transplant evaluation. Differentiating hepatic adenomas from HCC has been aided by phenotyping classification systems. We examine the case of a 39-year-old male, former athlete, with β-catenin-activated hepatic adenomas associated with anabolic steroid use that underwent malignant transformation into HCC. Ultrasonography showed an enlarged liver with multiple nodules. MRI images demonstrated multiple tumors with no invasion of biliary tract or major vessels. Biopsies of a segment 5 lesion resulted in a well-differentiated hepatocellular neoplasm (most consistent with hepatic adenoma, β-catenin phenotype negative). Specimens of a segment 7/8 lesion demonstrated a small focus on HCC positive for the β-catenin phenotype. The overall interpretation of the specimens was that the tissue represented early HCC without definite evidence of stromal invasion. Ultimately, an angiogram showed multiple hyper-vascular masses. The patient underwent liver transplantation and has been followed for 130 weeks with no evidence of further tumor progression/recurrence. This experience serves as support towards phenotyping adenomas for β-catenin in order to predict those patients with higher risk of developing HCC. Also, this case supports that adenomas with the β-catenin phenotype have a higher risk of malignant transformation. Such a finding reinforces the concept that transplantation should be recommended for the patient population that is unresectable and who is at higher risk of developing HCC. Additionally, further developments in the techniques of genotyping mutations and deletions will further enhance our ability to stratify risk for HCC transformations.
207Pb NMR of PbZrO3 and PbZr1-xTixO3 solid solutions

PbZrO 3 undergoes a phase transition to a paraelectric phase at 230°C. During this phase transition the unit cell changes from orthorhombic to cubic. Structural changes of PbZrO 3 have been monitored using solid state NMR by measuring the variation in the 207 Pb chemical shielding tensor as a function of temperature. The two distinct lead sites show rather different behavior as a function of temperature. The less shielded lead maintains an almost constant asymmetry parameter η = 0.2 from 0°C to 200°C while the more shielded lead resonance becomes more axially symmetric as the temperature is raised going from η = 0.24 at 0°C to [.eta] = 0.08 at 200°C. Powder pattern singularities become less distinct near the phase transitions, but the temperature dependence of the chemical shift tensor principal values remains continuous, and there is no evidence of an intervening higher-symmetry phase. At the phase transition, both resonances collapse into a single narrow line characteristic of a nucleus at a high-symmetry site. Results of a preliminary study of the PbZr 1−x Ti x O 3 solid solutions by 207 Pb solid state NMR are also presented.
Gadolinium-DTPA in the Evaluation of Intradural Extramedullary Spinal Disease

Gadolinium-DTPA was used in MR imaging of the spine to determine the ability of a contrast agent to increase the detection and characterization of disease in the intradural extramedullary space. Although MR imaging, especially with recent technological improvements, has been shown to be at least competitive with, and often superior to, myelography and postmyelography CT in the study of intramedullary and extradural disease, its use in the assessment of intradural extramedullary disease has been questioned. We selected 12 patients with intradural extramedullary disease as demonstrated by positive CSF cytology and/or myelographic findings and performed MR examinations on them before and after administering gadolinium-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg). Gadolinium-DTPA was extremely effective in depicting intradural extramedullary disease of the spine. Small nodules of 3 mm, virtually invisible on noncontrast MR scans, enhanced strongly and were easily detected. In addition, leptomeningeal spread of tumor along nerve roots was also visualized, sometimes more readily than by myelography and postmyelography CT. The remarkable sensitivity of gadolinium-DTPA to intradural extramedullary disease assures its role in future MR examinations of the spine.
Creating an optical spectroscopy system for use in a primary care clinical setting(Conference Presentation)

While there are a plethora of in-vivo spectroscopic techniques that have demonstrated the ability to detect a number of diseases in research trials, very few techniques have successfully become a fully realized clinical technology. This is primarily due to the stringent demands on a clinical device for widespread implementation. Some of these demands include: simple operation requiring minimal or no training, safe for in-vivo patient use, no disruption to normal clinic workflow, tracking of system performance, warning for measurement abnormality, and meeting all FDA guidelines for medical use. Previously, our group developed a fiber optic probe-based optical sensing technique known as low-coherence enhanced backscattering spectroscopy (LEBS) to quantify tissue ultrastructure in-vivo. Now we have developed this technique for the application of prescreening patients for colonoscopy in a primary care (PC) clinical setting. To meet the stringent requirements for a viable medical device used in a PC clinical setting, we developed several novel components including an automated calibration tool, optical contact sensor for signal acquisition, and a contamination sensor to identify measurements which have been affected by debris. The end result is a state-of-the-art medical device that can be realistically used by a PC physician to assess a person’s risk for harboring colorectal precancerous lesions. The pilot study of this system shows great promise with excellent stability and accuracy in identifying high-risk patients. While this system has been designed and optimized for our specific application, the system and design concepts are universal to most in-vivo fiber optic based spectroscopic techniques.
Monte Carlo simulations of a novel Micromegas 2D array for proton dosimetry

Modern proton therapy affords control of the delivery of radiotherapeutic dose on fine length and temporal scales. The authors have developed a novel detector technology based on Micromesh Gaseous Structure (Micromegas) that is uniquely tailored for applications using therapeutic proton beams. An implementation of a prototype Micromegas detector for Monte Carlo using Geant4 is presented here. Comparison of simulation results with measurements demonstrates agreement in relative dose along the proton longitudinal dose profile to be 1%. The effect of a radioactive calibration source embedded in the chamber gas is demonstrated by measurements and reproduced by simulations, also at the 1% level. Our Monte Carlo simulations are shown to reproduce the time structure of ionization pulses produced by a double-scattering delivery system.
An interactive nonrandom-mating two-sex model whose intrinsic growth rate lies between one-sex rates.

Abstract In a recent paper, the author has presented an interactive two-sex model and applied it to the U.S. population, 1940–1971. While the model has removed many inconsistencies in the one-sex models for males and females, it has two major limitations. First, the model assumes random mating of men and women within their reproductive ages. Second, it gives an intrinsic growth rate that is not necessarily intermediate between the male and the female intrinsic growth rates, as obtained from the one-sex models. A new two-sex model is provided in this paper that removes both these limitations. The new model is applied to the U.S. population for the years 1940–1974.
Religion, and not just Religious Reasons, in the Public Square: A Consideration of Robert Audi’s and Nicholas Wolterstorff’s Religion in the Public Square

For the last several decades, philosophers have wrestled with the proper place of religion in liberal societies. Usually, the debates among these philosophers have started with the articulation of various conceptions of liberalism and then proceeded to locate religion in the context of these conceptions. In the process, however, too little attention has been paid to the way religion is conceived. Drawing on the work of Robert Audi and Nicholas Wolterstorff, two scholars who are often read as holding opposing views on these issues, I argue that, for the purposes of their argument about liberalism, both have implicitly accepted a concept of religion that has come under severe attack in recent work on the subject. Namely, they have accepted a concept of religion that identifies religion primarily with belief, ritual practice, and ecclesial institutions. Following recent scholarship, I suggest that religion is better conceived as a kind of culture. To conclude the essay, I gesture toward what the beginnings of a re-visioned debate about religion and liberal society might look like if one started from this revised conception of religion.
Discriminating Between Legitimate and Predatory Open Access Journals: Report from the International Federation for Emergency Medicine Research Committee

Author(s): Hansoti, MBChB, MPH, Bhakti; Langdorf, MD, MHPE, Mark I.; Murphy, MLIS, Linda I. | Abstract: Introduction: Open access (OA) medical publishing is growing rapidly. While subscription-based publishing does not charge the author, OA does. This opens the door for “predatory” publishers who take authors’ money but provide no substantial peer review or indexing to truly disseminate research findings. Discriminating between predatory and legitimate OA publishers is difficult.Methods: We searched a number of library indexing databases that were available to us through the University of California, Irvine Libraries for journals in the field of emergency medicine (EM). Using criteria from Jeffrey Beall, University of Colorado librarian and an expert on predatory publishing, and the Research Committee of the International Federation for EM, we categorized EM journals as legitimate or likely predatory.Results: We identified 150 journal titles related to EM from all sources, 55 of which met our criteria for OA (37%, the rest subscription based). Of these 55, 25 (45%) were likely to be predatory. We present lists of clearly legitimate OA journals, and, conversely, likely predatory ones. We present criteria a researcher can use to discriminate between the two. We present the indexing profiles of legitimate EM OA journals, to inform the researcher about degree of dissemination of research findings by journal.Conclusion: OA journals are proliferating rapidly. About half in EM are legitimate. The rest take substantial money from unsuspecting, usually junior, researchers and provide no value for true dissemination of findings. Researchers should be educated and aware of scam journals. [West J Emerg Med. 2016;17(5)497- 507.]
Case 3-2017. A 62-Year-Old Man with Cardiac Sarcoidosis and New Diplopia and Weakness.

A 62-year-old man with sarcoidosis was admitted to this hospital because of diplopia and weakness. Examination of the CSF revealed elevated opening pressure and leukocytosis. The patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He died 10 days later. A diagnosis was made.
Estimation of Structural Change and Adaptive Behavior of a Commodity Industry Subject to Random Energy Price Fluctuations

Abstract The energy price shock of eight years ago has had time to work its way through many energy intensive industries. This paper postulates that the response to the petroleum cartel pricing policy by the U.S. steel scrap industry was a rapid dynamic increase of the elasticity of scrap output relative to energy inputs. Time series data from this industry is used to estimate dynamic models of the monthly fractional change of its energy elasticity before and after the petroleum cartel. A comparison of the resultant before and after model spectral densities provides evidence that the gradual increase of output per unit energy input seen in this industry since the cartel has been an efficiency reflected by an increase in its energy elasticity.
More Than a Rape Kit.

On a seemingly average emergency room shift, I grab the next chart. When “sexual assault” registers and my eyes search for your age, complete disquiet washes over me when I read you are only seven.
On Sensing Nitro-Group Containing Compounds Using Thin Planar Arrays of Titanium Dioxide Nanowires

Previous laboratory results have suggested that unheated TiO2 nanowire arrays provide a means to detect trace level concentrations of nitro-group containing compounds in the gas phase with fast response and high chemical selectivity. The detection method is based on the chemiresistive effect, where an electron-deficient compound adsorbed to the surface of an n-type semiconductor causes a surface charge deficit on the semiconductor leading to an increase in its resistance. However, a major issue with this method is that chemiresistive sensors based on TiO2 are also sensitive to the presence of water vapor, and this cross-sensitivity could lead to artifacts for sensors used under environmental conditions. Results are presented here, where thin planar arrays of TiO2 nanowires were tested to determine the sensitivity towards water vapor, along with the detection limits and response times towards several nitro-containing organic molecules as a function of gas-phase water vapor concentration. When water vapor concentrations were carefully controlled to ensure they remain constant throughout the testing cycle, it was found that TiO2 nanowire devices could detect 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene at a concentration as low as a few tens of part per trillion by volume with a response time in the range of $10^{2}$ – $10^{3}$ s, depending on experimental conditions.
Note on Purity and Algebraic Compactness for Modules

In this note we wish to study how some results concerning purity in abelian group theory can be extended to R-modules in general and to modules oyer Noetherian rings R, in particular. All rings are assumed to have an identity 1 and all modules are unitary left modules.
The impact of waiting time on liver transplant outcomes.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of patient waiting time on the probability of graft failure following liver transplantation. DATA SOURCES: Observations on all patients receiving transplants between 1995 and 1997 collected by the United Network for Organ Sharing. STUDY DESIGN: This study uses a two-stage probit algorithm. The first stage is an ordinary least squares regression of controls and indicators of patient blood type (the instrument set) on waiting time. The second uses the predicted value from the first regression in a probit analysis where the dependent variable is graft failure. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Waiting time has a statistically and clinically significant effect on the probability of graft failure following transplantation. Waiting 50 additional days for a transplant increases the probability of graft failure at one year by between one and two percentage points. CONCLUSIONS: Policies to reduce waiting times will yield clinical benefits beyond decreasing the length of time patients spend in poor health.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Political Representation of the States: Process Federalism in Statutory Construction Cases

This research explores whether the U.S. Supreme Court uses process-based principles to enforce federalism values, a key issue driving the political (or judicial safeguards) debate in National League of Cities v. Usery (1976) and Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority (1985). The research compares how the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts doctrinally apply process-based conceptions of constitutional law to statutory construction federalism cases to test whether the Supreme Court is continuing to use Rehnquist-style process federalism rules to protect the states from federal incursions. While the Supreme Court has formally repudiated Usery’s judicial safeguards approach in favor of Garcia’s political safeguards doctrine, the findings suggest that the Supreme Court continues to insist that Congress or federal agencies speak with a clear voice in statutory construction cases implicating federalism values in a substantial minority of cases; but whether this evidence has replaced Garcia’s political safeguards standard is far less clear in light of other cases showing the justices are not as proactive in safeguarding state sovereignty or interests. Regardless, the findings indicate that judicially-inspired clear statement rules are likely to remain a viable source of judicial decision-making and conflict in subsequent litigation raising the political or judicial safeguards issue.
On the feasibility of quantifying mechanical anisotropy in transversely isotropic elastic materials using acoustic radiation force (ARF)-induced displacements

Many soft tissues, including skeletal muscle and kidney, can be modeled astransversely isotropic (TI) materials defined by an axis of symmetry (AoS) perpendicular to a plane of isotropy. In such materials, mechanical properties differ along versus across the AoS. The degree of mechanical anisotropy in TI materials was previously assessed as the ratio of peak displacement (PD) achieved when the long axis of an asymmetric acoustic radiation force (ARF) excitation point spread function (PSF) was aligned along versus across the material’s AoS, but the measurement was qualitative. The objectives of this work were: (i) to derive an empirical model describing the relationship between the PD ratio and shear moduli ratio; (ii) to investigate the impact of ARF excitation PSF aberration due to speed of sound (c), attenuation (α), and dimension of ARF excitation PSF on the empirical model; and (iii) to estimate mechanical anisotropy in excised pig biceps femoris muscles and in vivo pig kidney using the empirical model. The empirical model was derived by simulating ARF Impulse (ARFI) imaging of ‘train’ TI materials (shear moduli ratios varying from 1.0 to 10 in steps of 0.75) and validated on ‘test’ materials (shear moduli ratios varying from 1.25 to 8.75 in steps of 0.75) using finite element method (FEM) models. Siemens VF73 transducer parameter with lateral F/1.5 was simulated for ARFI imaging. The speed of sound and attenuation was set to1540 ms-1 and 0.5 dB/cm/MHZ, respectively for train materials and was set to1540 or 1620 ms-1 and 0.5 or 1.0 dB/cm/MHZ, respectively for test materials. To find the impact of ARF excitation PSF dimension, a matrix array was simulated and the lateral and elevational F/# was set to 2.0 and 3.4, respectively for train materials and was set to 2.0 or 3.0 and 3.4 or 5.1, respectively for test materials. Ultrasound tracking of FEM displacements was performed in Field II with an SNR of 30 dB. The average absolute percent error in predicting shear moduli ratio of all ‘test’ materials was 1.6%. The empirical model was not impacted by the deviation from expected attenuation, sound speed, and ARF excitation PSF dimension. Shear moduli ratios derived using the empirical model matched those derived from shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) in pig muscle (model: 4.44 ± 0.47 and SWEI: 4.38 ± 0.27), renal medulla (model: 1.31 ± 0.07 and SWEI: 1.32 ± 0.04) and renal cortex (model: 2.0 ± 0.19 and SWEI: 1.99 ± 0.06). These results suggest the feasibility of using the PD empirical model to quantify mechanical anisotropy in biological tissues.
In-operando observation of helium-irradiation ion effects on surface deuterium retention through LiOH bonding in lithium films on tungsten substrates

Abstract The plasma surface interactions within a fusion device are one of the limiting factors to long pulse, power generating operation. A plasma facing component material will require effective heat tolerance, minimal erosion yield, and minimal fuel retention properties. Tungsten (W) has been selected as the divertor material for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) due to its high thermal conductivity and high sputter threshold. However, when W is exposed to high particle flux (>1022 ions/m2s) at high surface temperatures (>600 °C), the surface will develop defects such as pits, blisters, and nano-structured tendrils, reducing the beneficial properties of W. To overcome this limitation, a more radiation tolerant thin film material could be used, such as lithium (Li). In addition, the lithium film can protect the plasma from high-Z W sputtered atoms. In multiple tokamak devices, a Li wall coating, has improved the plasma performance by reducing fuel recycling from the walls, stabilizing the edge plasma and decreasing the number of edge localized modes (ELMs). Since ELMs help eject impurities from the core plasma, the complete suppression of ELMs is detrimental. Methods to regulate the frequency of ELMs have been investigated using gas puffs. In this work we report a new method to control the ELM frequency by tuning fuel recycling via the intrinsic helium (He) ions produced as ash from the deuterium (D) – tritium (T) fusion reaction. In Li films, one mechanism to retain D is via a chemical interaction between Li, O (oxygen), and D. Previous work has shown that when He ions are introduced with D ions, in a dual beam irradiation of Li films on W, a reduction in the dynamic surface D retention is observed. To further investigate this phenomenon, 1–2 um films of Li on W were exposed to sequential irradiations of D and He. The He fluence was ≈5% of the D (3.3 × 1020 ions/m2). The energies for the He and D ions were 1000 eV and 250 eV/amu, respectively and samples were exposed at room temperature. The surface chemistry was characterized with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine changes in retention. The XPS scans were conducted in-situ and in-operando for the irradiations. Our results showed a decrease in the surface retention when He follows D ions and little change in the retention when D follows He. This indicates that He breaks the D retention mechanism in Li.
Hypertension Management in Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: Lessons from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial

Based on observational and clinical trials, formulation of hypertension guidelines began in 1977. Successive guideline reports recommended lower blood pressure goals, with emphasis shifting to treatment of systolic hypertension. In 2013, responsibility for hypertension guidelines was assigned to the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. The new hypertension guideline was published in 2017, and the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) informed many of the recommendations in the new guidelines. This article describes the SPRINT study results and the new guideline recommendations regarding hypertension management and blood pressure goals, with emphasis on chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Metalinguistic negotiation and speaker error

In recent work, we have argued that a number of disputes of interest to philosophers – including some disputes amongst philosophers themselves – are metalinguistic negotiations. Prima facie, many o...
A pilot study evaluating a simple cardiac dysfunction score to predict complications and survival among critically-ill patients with traumatic brain injury.

Abstract Purpose To describe the frequency of cardiovascular complications and cardiac dysfunction in critically-ill patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) and cardiac factors associated with in-hospital survival. Methods Retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort study at a single Level-1 trauma center with a dedicated neuro-trauma intensive care unit (ICU). Adult patients admitted to the ICU with msTBI were consecutively enrolled in the prospective OPTIMISM study between November 2009 and January 2017. Cardiac dysfunction was measured using a combination of EKG parameters, echocardiography abnormalities, and peak serum troponin-I levels during the index hospitalization. These items were combined into a cardiac dysfunction index (CDI), ranging from 0 to 3 points and modeled in a Cox regression analysis. Results A total of 326 patients with msTBI were included. For every one-point increase in the CDI, the multivariable adjusted risk of dying during the patient's acute hospitalization more than doubled (adjusted HR 2.41; 95% CI 1.29–4.53). Conclusion Cardiac dysfunction was common in patients with msTBI and independently associated with more severe brain injury and a reduction in hospital survival in this population. Further research is needed to validate the CDI and create more precise scoring tools.
Identification of Spatial Patterns in Water Distribution Pipe Failure Data Using Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis

AbstractIdentifying spatial patterns of water distribution pipe breaks can improve the understanding of the significant factors that promote the deterioration of water infrastructure systems. Such ...
The Woman Proprietor in Elizabeth Stuart Phelps’s The Silent Partner: Social Reform Novel as Paradigm of John Stuart Mill’s Liberal Political Economy

Phelps’s 1870 The Silent Partner portrays a businesswoman who engages with John Stuart Mill’s liberal political economic theories to question the prevailing laissez-faire conditions of American industrialism, offering an original worldview and a moral and ethical vindication of new roles for women wishing to participate fully in the late-nineteenth-century’s business (rather than the culturally prescribed domestic) sphere. The novel seeks to educate middle-class readers in the injustices of industrial capitalism and to propose a possible, if ultimately faltering, alternative to exploitive capitalism based on Mill’s ideas of individual development and empathy to accomplish collective good. By demonstrating women’s interest and capacity for business enterprise, Phelps’s novel pioneers the social and industrial inquiries later launched by the Progressive movement of the early twentieth century.