cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why are there so many civil wars in Africa? Understanding and preventing violent conflict

Contrary to popular belief, Africa's civil wars are not due to its ethnic and religious diversity. Using recently developed models of the overall prevalence of civil wars in 161 countries between 1960-1999, we draw lessons with special reference to Africa, showing that the relatively higher prevalence of war in Africa is not due to the ethno-linguistic fragmentation of its countries, but rather to high levels of poverty, failed political institutions, and economic dependence on natural resources. We argue that the best and fastest strategy to reduce the prevalence of civil war in Africa and prevent future civil wars is to institute democratic reforms that effectively manage the challenges facing Africa's diverse societies. To promote inter-group cooperation in Africa, specially tailored political governance and economic management institutions are needed and we advance some hypotheses on the nature of such institutions. We suggest that Africa's ethnic diversity in fact helps --it does not impede-- the emergence of stable development as it necessitates inter-group bargaining processes. These processes can be peaceful if ethnic groups feel adequately represented by their national political institutions and if the economy provides opportunity for productive activity.
Blunt and Blast Head Trauma: Different Entities

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) caused by blast-related and blunt head trauma is frequently encountered in clinical practice. Understanding the nuances between these two distinct types of injury leads to a more focused approach by clinicians to develop better treatment strategies for patients. In this study, we evaluated two separate cohorts of mTBI patients to ascertain whether any difference exists in vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) testing (n  55 enrolled patients: 34 blunt, 21 blast) and vestibular-spinal reflex (VSR) testing (n  72 enrolled patients: 33 blunt, 39 blast). The VOR group displayed a preponderance of patients with blunt mTBI, demonstrating normal to high-frequency phase lag on rotational chair testing, whereas patients experiencing mTBI from blast-related causes revealed a trend toward low-frequency phase lag on evaluation. The VSR cohort showed that patients with posttraumatic migraineassociated dizziness tended to test higher on posturography. However, an indepth look at the total patient population in this second cohort reveals that a higher percentage of blast-exposed patients exhibited a significantly increased latency on motor control testing as compared to patients with blunt head injury ( p < .02). These experiments identify a distinct difference between blunt-injury and blast-injury mTBI patients and provide evidence that treatment strategies should be individualized on the basis of each mechanism of injury.
A Self-Tuning Control Algorithm in the Presence of Plant-Model Order Mismatch

A self-tuning control algorithm in the presence of plant-model order mismatch is presented. The bounded-input bounded-output stability is proven. The robustness against plant-model order mismatch is achieved by using a normalized parameter estimation scheme with a dead zone. The algorithm with an incremental predictor produces an integral control term in a natural way, and then the offset is avoided. A simulation example illustrates the main features of the algorithm.
Sustained microgravity reduces the human ventilatory response to hypoxia but not to hypercapnia

We measured the isocapnic hypoxic ventilatory response and the hypercapnic ventilatory response by using rebreathing techniques in five normal subjects (ages 37–47 yr) before, during, and after 16 ...
Gut Bacteria–Brain Axis in Autism

Dario Siniscalco*1,2,3 1Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Italy 2Centre for Autism–La Forza del Silenzio, Caserta, Italy 3Cancellautismo–No Profit Association for Autism Care, Florence, Italy *Corresponding author: Dario Siniscalco, Department of Experimental Medicine–Division of Pharmacology, Second University of Naples, Napoli, Italy; Tel: +39 (0)81 5665880, Fax +39 (0)81 5667503, E-mail: dariosin@uab.edu
Diarylketone Ketoreductase Screen and Synthesis Demonstration to Access mGlu2 Receptor Potentiators

This communication describes proof of concept for an enantioselective enzyme-based synthesis of diarylmethanol (S)-1 to access mGlu2 receptor potentiators. A ketoreductase (KRED) screen was applied to benzophenone 8 to afford chiral diarylmethanol (S)-9, which is a useful intermediate for the preparation of chiral diarylmethanol (S)-1. In addition, a more practical synthesis of benzophenone 8 was demonstrated utilizing Friedel–Crafts acylation and radical bromination chemistry.
Did Americans' Expectations of Nuclear War Reduce Their Savings?

We test a rational-actor model predicting individuals' savings behavior as, in part, a result of their expectations of war. To do so we analyze the effect on savings of a newly compiled and cleaned survey time-series of the American public's expectations of nuclear war, and a previously employed measure of elite expectations from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists . An econometric time-series analysis shows a significant negative impact of war expectations on savings in much of the 1948–1993 era.
Subglacial bathymetry and sediment layer distribution beneath the Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, West Antarctica, modeled using aerogravity and autonomous underwater vehicle data

Pine Island Glacier (PIG), West Antarctica, has been experiencing acceleration in its flow speed and mass loss for nearly two decades, driven in part by an increase in the delivery of relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW). However, at present, the configuration of the sub-ice-shelf cavity and bed conditions beneath the PIG ice shelf that dictate such oceanic influences remain poorly understood. Here, we use aerogravity data and ocean bottom depths measured by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to model the bathymetry and sediment layer thickness beneath the PIG ice shelf. Results reveal that the deep basins, previously found by AUV on both landward and seaward sides of a submarine ridge, extend substantially to the north and south. The water column thickness of the basins reaches 400-550 m on the landward side of the ridge and 500-600 m on the seaward side. The sediment layer covers the whole expanse of the seabed beneath the ice shelf, and the thickness is in the range ∼200-1000 m. The thinnest sediments (<200 m) are found on the seaward slope of the submarine ridge, suggesting that erosion by advancing ice may have been concentrated in the lee of the topographic high.
Some Factors Iiifluencing the Breeding Season of Praomys Natalensis

As part of a demographic study of Praomys natalensis in an agricultural area on the Rhodesian highveld, a preliminary investigation was carried out into some of the factors which might be of importance in determining the timing of its breeding season. Information on breeding and nutrition was obtained by both live and snap trapping. Breeding was confined to the late summer months in natural grassland areas but occurred in winter in wheat fields. Availability of nesting sites was adequate at all times. Analysis of stomach contents indicated that the protein content of the diet was adequate for breeding in all seasons. The possible influence of green grass and insects in the diet is discussed.
Effect of L-Carnitine on Adriamycin-induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Rats

Objective To observe the histopathological change in Adriamycin-induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy and effect of L-Carnitine(L-CN) on Adriamycin-induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Rats.Method Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: the ADR group,L-CN group and control groups.Adriamycin-induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy model was established in Rats,interfering with L-carnitine,the quantity of MDA in serum and GSH in blood was measured at the second weekend and 6th weekend,the heart weight index(HWI),was calculated and the histopathological change of my-ocardium was observed.Results MDA in the L-CN group was significantly lower than that in the ADR group(P0.01),GSH in the L-CN group was significantly higher than that in the ADR group(P0.01),HWI in the L-CN group was significantly lower than that in the ADR group(P0.01),there was no signif-icantly deference between the L-CN group and the control groups,the myocardial pathological change in the L-CN group was significantly better than that in the ADR group.Conclusion L-CN can improve energy metabolish of myocardium effectly,attenuate the cardiomyopathy induced by oxidize,decrease the degree of myocardial pathological change,L-CN has a preventive effect on cardiomyopathy induced by ADR.
The Laparoscopic Soave Pull-Through for Hirschsprung Disease in Newborns and Small Infants

ObjectiveTo introduce the laparoscopic Soave pull-through for Hirschsprung disease in newborns and small infants. [WT5”HZ]Methods[WT5”BZ] Laporoscopic Soave pull-through procedures were performed in 10 newborns and small infants with Hirschsprung disease.Suspected aganglionic colon or sigmoid and rectum were mobilized by dividing the supplying vessels and cutting the perirectal peritoneal reflection.By the anal approach,under direct vision,a transverse incision was made on the rectal mucosa 1 cm above the dentate line.Through this endo-anal incision,the rectal mucosal sleeve was freed from its muscular sheath for 4 or 5 cm upward.The freed rectal mucosal sleeve with its attached proximal rectum was pulled downward making the rectum prolapsed outside of the anus.The prolapsed rectum was transected by dividing the rectal muscular sheath at its reflection from the dissected rectal mucosal sleeve.The freed proximal rectum continuing with distal colon was further pulled downward until the total pathological colon appeared outside the anal opening.It was then resected and removed.Coloanal anastomosis was made between the cut end of the colon and the cut edge of the mucosa above the dentate line. [WT5”HZ]Results [WT5”BZ]The operation time of the two groups was about the same.Oral feeding was resumed earlier in the laparoscopic group than in the control group (1∶4.5 days).Intravenous fluids and antibiotics were given less in the laparoscopic group (3.5∶6.3 days; 3∶5days respectively).The laparoscopic group had a shorter hospital stay (7.3∶10.6 days).[WT5”HZ] Conclusion [WT5”BZ]The laparoscopic Soave pull-through for Hirschsprung disease in newborns and small infants is safe and preferable.The advantages of this procedure include minimal trauma to the abdomen,rapid return of bowel functions and quick recovery of aquality life.
"Size-Independent" Single-Electron Tunneling

Incorporating single-electron tunneling (SET) of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) into modern electronic devices offers great promise to enable new properties; however, it is technically very challenging due to the necessity to integrate ultrasmall (<10 nm) particles into the devices. The nanosize requirements are intrinsic for NPs to exhibit quantum or SET behaviors, for example, 10 nm or smaller, at room temperature. This work represents the first observation of SET that defies the well-known size restriction. Using polycrystalline Au NPs synthesized via our newly developed solid-state glycine matrices method, a Coulomb Blockade was observed for particles as large as tens of nanometers, and the blockade voltage exhibited little dependence on the size of the NPs. These observations are counterintuitive at first glance. Further investigations reveal that each observed SET arises from the ultrasmall single crystalline grain(s) within the polycrystal NP, which is (are) sufficiently isolated from the nearest neighbor grains. This work demonstrates the concept and feasibility to overcome orthodox spatial confinement requirements to achieve quantum effects.
Origins of the photorefractive effect on BaTiO3

Photorefractive materials offer great promise for applications in adaptive optics and optical data processing using degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM). BaTiO3 is a particularly promising material, primarily because the very large value of the electrooptic tensor component r42 yields correspondingly large values of grating efficiency, beam coupling gain, and DFWM reflectivity.
Humanitarian Invasion: Global Development in Cold War Afghanistan

Humanitarian Invasion is the first book of its kind: a ground-level inside account of what development and humanitarianism meant for Afghanistan, a country touched by international aid like no other. Relying on Soviet, Western, and NGO archives, interviews with Soviet advisers and NGO workers, and Afghan sources, Timothy Nunan forges a vivid account of the impact of development on a country on the front lines of the Cold War. Nunan argues that Afghanistan functioned as a laboratory for the future of the Third World nation-state. If, in the 1960s, Soviets, Americans, and Germans sought to make a territorial national economy for Afghanistan, later, under military occupation, Soviet nation-builders, French and Swedish humanitarians, and Pakistani-supported guerrillas fought a transnational civil war over Afghan statehood. Covering the entire period from the Cold War to Taliban rule, Humanitarian Invasion signals the beginning of a new stage in the writing of international history.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and development of pulmonary embolism in pregnancy: case report

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome caused by assisted reproductive technology can lead to pulmonary embolism, a rare but serious side effect.
Winds of Change

As the conventional order changes in response to the will of the people, it is a good time to assess the status quo. After all, it is a desire to blow up the status quo that leads to cataclysmic changes, whether it is Brexit or the U.S. election that has resulted in President-elect Trump. In both
Radiation transport in kinetic simulations and the influence of photoemission on electron current in self-sustaining discharges

A kinetic description for electronic excitation of helium for principal quantum number n 4 has been included into a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation utilizing direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) for electron-neutral interactions. The excited electronic levels radiate state-dependent photons with wavelengths from the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to visible regimes. Photon wavelengths are chosen according to a Voigt distribution accounting for the natural, pressure, and Doppler broadened linewidths. This method allows for reconstruction of the emission spectrum for a non-thermalized electron energy distribution function (EEDF) and investigation of high energy photon effects on surfaces, specifically photoemission. A parallel plate discharge with a fixed field (i.e. space charge neglected) is used to investigate the effects of including photoemission for a Townsend discharge. When operating at a voltage near the self-sustaining discharge threshold, it is observed that the electron current into the anode is higher when including photoemission from the cathode than without even when accounting for self-absorption from ground state atoms. The photocurrent has been observed to account for as much as 20% of the total current from the cathode under steady-state conditions.
Automatic Discovery of Common and Idiosyncratic Latent Effects in Multilevel Regression

We present a flexible non-parametric generative model for multilevel regression that strikes an automatic balance between identifying common effects across groups while respecting their idiosyncrasies. The model is built using techniques that are now considered standard in the statistical parameter estimation literature, namely, Hierarchical Dirichlet processes (HDP) and Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models (HGLM), and therefore, we name it “Infinite Mixtures of Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models” (iHGLM). We demonstrate how the use of a HDP prior in local, groupwise GLM modeling of response-covariate densities allows iHGLM to capture latent similarities and differences within and across groups. We demonstrate iHGLM’s superior accuracy in comparison to well known competing methods like Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM), Regression Tree, Least Square Regression, Bayesian Linear Regression, Ordinary Dirichlet Process Regression, and several other regression models on several synthetic and real world datasets.
Refining the cheatgrass–fire cycle in the Great Basin: Precipitation timing and fine fuel composition predict wildfire trends

Larger, more frequent wildfires in arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been associated with invasion by non-native annual grasses, yet a complete understanding of fine fuel development and subsequent wildfire trends is lacking. We investigated the complex relationships among weather, fine fuels, and fire in the Great Basin, USA. We first modeled the annual and time-lagged effects of precipitation and temperature on herbaceous vegetation cover and litter accumulation over a 26-year period in the northern Great Basin. We then modeled how these fine fuels and weather patterns influence subsequent wildfires. We found that cheatgrass cover increased in years with higher precipitation and especially when one of the previous 3 years also was particularly wet. Cover of non-native forbs and native herbs also increased in wet years, but only after several dry years. The area burned by wildfire in a given year was mostly associated with native herb and non-native forb cover, whereas cheatgrass mainly influenced area burned in the form of litter derived from previous years’ growth. Consequently, multiyear weather patterns, including precipitation in the previous 1–3 years, was a strong predictor of wildfire in a given year because of the time needed to develop these fine fuel loads. The strong relationship between precipitation and wildfire allowed us to expand our inference to 10,162 wildfires across the entire Great Basin over a 35-year period from 1980 to 2014. Our results suggest that the region's precipitation pattern of consecutive wet years followed by consecutive dry years results in a cycle of fuel accumulation followed by weather conditions that increase the probability of wildfire events in the year when the cycle transitions from wet to dry. These patterns varied regionally but were strong enough to allow us to model annual wildfire risk across the Great Basin based on precipitation alone.
Gender-Inclusive Bathrooms Signal Fairness Across Identity Dimensions:

While gender-inclusive bathrooms serve a practical function of providing a safe public restroom for transgender individuals, they may also signal identity safety for women and racial minorities who...
The Role of Testimony in Children’s Belief in the Existence of the Unobservable

In the current chapter, we focus on how children come to develop concepts about things they cannot observe for themselves. We argue that the formation of belief in the unobservable—which includes entities that are difficult or impossible to experience first-hand—arises primarily through the testimony from trusted adults. We note that the impact of testimony is similar for both natural (e.g., scientific or historical facts) and supernatural (e.g., God, Santa Claus) concepts. We suggest that children’s own developing understanding of physical possibility constrains the impact of testimonial information, leading to differences in how children come to think of natural and supernatural unobservables. Finally, we present a broader perspective of testimony’s role in children’s concept formation, examining the known and potential impacts of the community and cultural consensus.
Layers of rotting wood: a meditation on the curricular value of the ugly

In this piece, I argue that the marginalized status of ugliness in the field of aesthetics, particularly in aesthetic conversations in the broader field of curriculum, is indicative of an as-of-yet...
Impacts of Present-Day Popularization

As a popularizer of science, I wish to enter a plea for greater attention from sociologists, philosophers and historians of science to present-day communications by scientists of the facts and ideas involved in their work to persons beyond their immediate circle.
Environmental Sustainability and the Role of LNG in a Carbon Constrained World

Publisher Summary This chapter analyzes whether LNG is a contributor to a sustainable energy future in the context of greenhouse gas emissions and LNG supply chain emissions and provides an overview of some of the various ways in which the LNG industry can enhance environmental sustainability including methane mitigation and technological efficiencies. The world is facing serious energy-related challenges that are further complicated by increasing concerns about global climate change. While energy is a key driver of economic progress throughout the world, the development, transport, and use of fossil fuels has contributed to an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These duel concerns have been brought to the top of the agenda in business, politics, and public debate and people around the world are searching for ways to meet rising energy demand in a cleaner and more sustainable manner.
The Prismatic Bar

We have seen in Chapter 25 that three-dimensional solutions can be obtained to the problem of the solid or hollow cylindrical bar loaded on its curved surfaces, using the Papkovich-Neuber solution with spherical harmonics and related potentials. Here we shall show that similar solutions can be obtained for bars of more general cross-section, using the complex-variable form of the Papkovich-Neuber solution from §21.6.
Regional Peer Coaching Program for Basic Science Faculty

Junior basic science faculty teaching in the foundational sciences courses at Central Michigan University (CMED), Oakland University (OUWB), and Western Michigan University (WMED) new medical schools outnumber senior faculty resulting in limited opportunities for mentoring support from experienced colleagues. Faculty developers at these new medical schools created a distance (using telecommunications) peer coaching program that would provide support to basic science faculty in their teaching, research, and career development. This program shows promise for future peer coaching initiatives and could be applied to faculty from other disciplines and expanded to include faculty from beyond the region.
Neurite Collapse and Altered ER Ca2+ Control in Human Parkinson Disease Patient iPSC-Derived Neurons with LRRK2 G2019S Mutation.

Summary The Parkinson disease (PD) genetic LRRK2 gain-of-function mutations may relate to the ER pathological changes seen in PD patients at postmortem. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons with the PD pathogenic LRRK2 G2019S mutation exhibited neurite collapse when challenged with the ER Ca2+ influx sarco/ER Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (THP). Baseline ER Ca2+ levels measured with the ER Ca2+ indicator CEPIA-ER were lower in LRRK2 G2019S human neurons, including in differentiated midbrain dopamine neurons in vitro. After THP challenge, PD patient-derived neurons displayed increased Ca2+ influx and decreased intracellular Ca2+ buffering upon membrane depolarization. These effects were reversed following LRRK2 mutation correction by antisense oligonucleotides and gene editing. Gene expression analysis in LRRK2 G2019S neurons identified modified levels of key store-operated Ca2+ entry regulators, with no alterations in ER Ca2+ efflux. These results demonstrate PD gene mutation LRRK2 G2019S ER calcium-dependent pathogenic effects in human neurons.
Healthcare data scientist qualifications, skills, and job focus: a content analysis of job postings.

Objective Growth in big data and its potential impact on the healthcare industry have driven the need for more data scientists. In health care, big data can be used to improve care quality, increase efficiency, lower costs, and drive innovation. Given the importance of data scientists to U.S. healthcare organizations, I examine the qualifications and skills these organizations require for data scientist positions and the specific focus of their work. Materials and methods A content analysis of U.S. healthcare data scientist job postings was conducted using an inductive approach to capture and categorize core information about each posting and a deductive approach to evaluate skills required. Profiles were generated for 4 job focus areas. Results There is a spectrum of healthcare data scientist positions that varies based on hiring organization type, job level, and job focus area. The focus of these positions ranged from performance improvement to innovation and product development with some positions more broadly defined to address organizational-specific needs. Based on the job posting sample, the primary skills these organizations required were statistics, R, machine learning, storytelling, and Python. Conclusions These results may be useful to organizations as they deepen our understanding of the qualifications and skills required for data scientist positions and may aid organizations in identifying skills and knowledge areas that have been overlooked in position postings.
Determination of Brain Metabolite T1 Without Interference From Macromolecule Relaxation.

BACKGROUND J-coupled metabolites are often measured at a predetermined echo time in the presence of macromolecule signals, which complicates the measurement of metabolite T1 . PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility and benefits of measuring metabolite T1 relaxation times without changing the overlapping macromolecule baseline signals. STUDY TYPE Prospective. SUBJECTS Five healthy volunteers (three females and two males; age = 27 ± 7 years). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 7T scanner using a point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS)-based spectral editing MR spectroscopy (MRS) sequence with inversion recovery (IR). ASSESSMENT F-tests were performed to evaluate if the new approach, which fitted all the spectra together and used the same baselines for the three different IR settings, significantly reduced the variances of the metabolite T1 values compared to a conventional fitting approach. STATISTICAL TESTS Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB), within-subject coefficient of variation, and F-test. RESULTS The T1 relaxation times of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), total creatine (tCr), total choline (tCho), myo-inositol (mI), and glutamate (Glu) were determined with CRLB values below 6%. Glutamine (Gln) T1 was determined with a 17% CRLB, and the T1 of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was determined with a 34% CRLB. The new approach significantly reduced the variances (F-test P < 0.05) of NAA, Glu, Gln, tCr, tCho, and mI T1 s compared to the conventional approach. DATA CONCLUSION Keeping macromolecule signals intact by using only long IR times allowed the use of a single macromolecule spectral model for different IR settings and significantly reduced the variances of NAA, Glu, Gln, tCr, tCho, and mI T1 s. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.
Tourism, financialization, and short-term rentals: the political economy of Dublin’s housing crisis

The impact of short-term rentals (STRs) such as Airbnb on housing markets has been of increasing concern to scholars, policy makers and housing advocates. Yet they do not take place in a vacuum. Th...
Genetic Polymorphisms Complicate COVID-19 Therapy: Pivotal Role of HO-1 in Cytokine Storm

Coronaviruses are very large RNA viruses that originate in animal reservoirs and include severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and other inconsequential coronaviruses from human reservoirs like the common cold. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and is believed to originate from bat, quickly spread into a global pandemic. This RNA virus has a special affinity for porphyrins. It invades the cell at the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor and binds to hemoproteins, resulting in a severe systemic inflammatory response, particularly in high ACE-2 organs like the lungs, heart, and kidney, resulting in systemic disease. The inflammatory response manifested by increased cytokine levels and reactive oxygen species results in inhibition of heme oxygenase (HO-1), with a subsequent loss of cytoprotection. This has been seen in other viral illness like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola, and SARS/MERS. There are a number of medications that have been tried with some showing early clinical promise. This illness disproportionately affects patients with obesity, a chronic inflammatory disease with a baseline excess of cytokines. The majority of the medications used in the treatment of COVID-19 are metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, primarily CYP2D6. This is further complicated by genetic polymorphisms of CYP2D6, HO-1, ACE, and ACE-2. There is a potential role for HO-1 upregulation to treat/prevent cytokine storm. Current therapy must focus on antivirals and heme oxygenase upregulation. Vaccine development will be the only magic bullet.
Computer Simulation Studies of Adsorption of Simple Gases on Alkali Metal Surfaces

Wetting properties of simple gases on alkali metal surfaces are of fundamental importance because they manifest the least attractive gas-surface interactions in nature and because their critical behavior is described by the two-dimensional Ising model. We report simulation results for the adsorption of neon and hydrogen on alkali metal surfaces. These use the grand canonical (classical) Monte Carlo and (quantum) path integral Monte Carlo methods, respectively. We find a set of wetting transitions at temperatures which are very sensitive to the adsorption potentials. Comparison is made with recent experiments and with predictions of a model of Cheng, et al. in which the transition temperature is estimated from a simple cost-benefit analysis involving the surface tension and the adsorption potential.
Peri-incisional perfusion does not differ between running versus interrupted Allgöwer-Donati suture technique in ankle fracture surgery: a pilot randomized controlled trial of wound perfusion.

Objectives To compare peri-incisional perfusion, perfusion impairment and wound closure time between the conventional interrupted Allgower-Donati (IAD) technique and a modified running Allgower-Donati (RAD) technique in ankle fracture surgery. Design Prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting Level I and II trauma centers. Patients Twenty-five healthy adults with ankle fractures (AO/OTA 44-A, 44-B, or 44-C) between November 2017 and December 2018. (Of 26 patients enrolled in this study, 1 was lost to follow-up.). Intervention Participants were randomized into the IAD or the RAD group (13 patients each). All participants were followed for at least 3 months after surgery to assess for wound complications. Main outcome measurements Skin perfusion was assessed immediately after wound closure with laser-assisted indocyanine green angiography. Wound closure time, mean incision perfusion, and mean perfusion impairment were measured and compared with analysis of variance. Alpha = 0.05. Results The RAD technique was significantly faster in terms of mean (± standard deviation) wound closure time (6.2 ± 1.4 minutes) compared with the IAD technique (7.3 ± 1.4 minutes) (P = 0.047). We found no differences in mean incision perfusion and mean perfusion impairment (all, P > 0.05). Conclusion The IAD and RAD techniques resulted in similar peri-incisional perfusion and perfusion impairment. Closure time was significantly shorter for the RAD technique compared with the IAD technique. Level of evidence I.
Assessment in Child Welfare Practice

Chapter 8 provides concrete skills needed for assessment and intake in child welfare practice. This chapter explores the various ways safety and risk are assessed by type of abuse and in different contexts. This chapter documents the assessment tools used by practitioners, such as actuarial and clinical-based approaches, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each and how they inform decision-making. This chapter also discusses new ways states and child welfare agencies are identifying families in need of services (i.e., predictive analytics). This chapter describes how to conduct family and home assessments and assessing for child and family needs and strengths. The chapter outlines documentation procedures and how to write effective case notes.
What Taft-Hartley Did to Joint-Employer Doctrine

In the debate over joint-employer doctrine under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a key premise is that, because of how the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 amended the NLRA, the NLRA’s joint-employer legal standard must be consistent with the common-law of agency. This paper argues that this premise is unsound. Taft-Hartley does not require the NLRA’s joint-employer legal standard to be consistent with the common-law of agency, and thus does not constrain how the National Labor Relations Board develops its joint-employer doctrine. To support this argument, the paper examines not only statutory text and legislative history, but also, among other sources, an original hand-coded dataset of National Labor Relations Board opinions issued in the decade before Taft-Hartley. The paper then shows what its argument implies not only for the NLRA, but also many other similarly drafted statutes, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Spectral transmittance of selected greenhouse construction and nursery shading material.

Abstract Spectral transmittance properties of several greenhouse construction and shading materials were determined by measuring the quantity and quality of solar radiation transmission on non-clou...
The Conflict Between the General and the Particular—Some Legal Background

A recurrent conflict, in both theoretical discussions of the law and in its practical application, is that between the intellectual urge to greater generality and the cautionary counsel of experience to focus as much as possible on the particular. The ideal or universal audiences to which legal argument is directed are constantly torn by these conflicting impulses. In the history of common-law adjudication, one of the principal areas in which this conflict has been played out is the field of tort law or what in other systems of law is generally called either the law of delict or the law of non-contractual obligations. After the law of torts developed as a separate field of law in the second half of the nineteenth century, scholars began to argue about whether the law of torts was just a convenient amalgam, for purposes of study and classification, of a large set of discreet types of actions which would continue to develop in their separate ways, or whether it now reflected the application of some broad general principles that were implicit in the structure of the older law and which would henceforth guide its future development.1 That what is now the modern law of torts was historically a set of different forms of action each with its own peculiarities and restrictions, was indisputable. The question was whether it had evolved into something else.
Predictors of neonatal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity at delivery

Summary Objective Clinical and preclinical studies indicate that maternal stress during pregnancy may exert long-lasting adverse effects on offspring. This investigation sought to identify factors mediating the relationship between maternal and neonatal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axes in pregnant women with past or family psychiatric history. Patients Two hundred and five pairs of maternal and umbilical cord blood samples from a clinical population were collected at delivery. Measurements Maternal and neonatal HPA axis activity measures were plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), total cortisol, free cortisol and cortisol-binding globulin concentrations. The effects of maternal race, age, body mass index, psychiatric diagnosis (DSM-IV), birth weight, delivery method and estimated gestational age (EGA) at delivery on both maternal and neonatal HPA axis measures were also examined. Incorporating these independent predictors as covariates where necessary, we evaluated whether neonatal HPA axis activity measures could be predicted by the same maternal measure using linear regression. Results Delivery method was associated with umbilical cord plasma ACTH and both total and free cord cortisol concentrations (T = 10·53–4·21; P < 0·0001–0·010). After accounting for method of delivery and EGA, we found that maternal plasma ACTH concentrations predicted 23·9% of the variance in foetal plasma ACTH concentrations (T = 6·76; P < 0·0001), and maternal free and total plasma cortisol concentrations predicted 39·8% and 32·3% of the variance in foetal plasma free and total cortisol concentrations (T = 5·37–6·90; P < 0·0001), respectively. Conclusion These data suggest that neonatal response is coupled with maternal HPA axis activity at delivery. Future investigations will scrutinize the potential long-term sequelae for the offspring.
Radioactivity of Dry Particulate Matter in an Urban Atmosphere

Total beta activity of dry atmospheric particles collected in Chicago, Illinois, ranged from 8973 pC per 100000 ft/sup 3/ of air in December 1958 to 177 pC per 100000 ft/sup 3/ in November 1959. From July to November 1959 the total beta activity decreased from 6990 to 399 pC per g of panticles, and the strontium- 90 activity from 229 to 16 pC per g. The activity of 1- to 1O-micron particles was related to the cube of the particle diameter in the summer and to the fourth power in the winter. It is postulated that the activity resulted from rainsoaking during the particles' residence on the eanth's surface. It was found that nonradioactive particles produced by urban activity dilute various size fractions of radioactive debris to different degrees. (auth)
Nanosecond time-resolved proton transfer studies with dehydroluciferin and its complex with luciferase.

Abstract Fluorescence lifetime measurements have been used to obtain nanosecond time-resolved emission spectra of dehydroluciferin in various solvents and when bound to luciferase. The blue fluorescence caused by the phenol decreases with decay time relative to the green emission caused by the phenolate. The time course of excited state ionization may thus be measured directly. The rate of proton transfer is very fast in aqueous solution but slower in 80% ethanol. Addition of imidazole increases the rate of proton transfer. Dehydroluciferin when bound to luciferase shows a slow rate of proton transfer, suggesting that the binding site is hydrophobic.
From Peg to Float: Exchange Market Pressure and Monetary Policy in the Czech Republic

Exchange market pressure (EMP) in the Czech Republic is calculated for 1995–2006, when the Czech National Bank transitioned to inflation targeting (IT). EMP is a useful indicator of incipient foreign exchange market pressures, a signal of the need for policy adjustments and a clear delineator of monetary policy regime change. VAR estimates clearly identify quite different policy responses during the two regimes. During 1995–98, interest rate and domestic credit responses to EMP were statistically significant and in accord with traditional theory, i.e. domestic credit creation and interest rates were managed to maintain the exchange rate target as if policymakers were explicitly responding to changes in EMP. During the 1998–2006 IT regime there is a link between domestic credit creation and EMP, with no interest rate effects. Exchange market interventions were incidental and supportive of IT goals. Impulse response functions mirror the VAR and Granger causality results.
Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism With Thrombolysis

To the Editor: I have read with interest the article by Dr Konstantinides and colleagues1 regarding clinical outcomes after treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) with either heparin or thrombolysis. Although not a randomized trial, appropriate multivariate analysis was performed so that although not the “final word,” the results might have some validity. Unfortunately, as published, this study has a tremendous design flaw that could potentially result in a selection bias that is not addressed by the multivariate analysis. Specifically, 27% of the patients did not have confirmation of PE by either ventilation/perfusion scanning or pulmonary angiography. The use of only clinical criteria to diagnose some of these patients (we don’t know how many of this group had other studies, such as Doppler ultrasound) is fraught with difficulty. In the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) study, only about a third of patients with suspected PE were found to have PE at angiogram.2 How, then, does this issue result …
Bayesian models for pooling microarray studies with multiple sources of replications

Biologists often conduct multiple but different cDNA microarray studies that all target the same biological system or pathway. Within each study, replicate slides within repeated identical experiments are often produced. Pooling information across studies can help more accurately identify true target genes. Here, we introduce a method to integrate multiple independent studies efficiently. We introduce a Bayesian hierarchical model to pool cDNA microarray data across multiple independent studies to identify highly expressed genes. Each study has multiple sources of variation, i.e. replicate slides within repeated identical experiments. Our model produces the gene-specific posterior probability of differential expression, which provides a direct method for ranking genes, and provides Bayesian estimates of false discovery rates (FDR). In simulations combining two and five independent studies, with fixed FDR levels, we observed large increases in the number of discovered genes in pooled versus individual analyses. When the number of output genes is fixed (e.g., top 100), the pooled model found appreciably more truly differentially expressed genes than the individual studies. We were also able to identify more differentially expressed genes from pooling two independent studies in Bacillus subtilis than from each individual data set. Finally, we observed that in our simulation studies our Bayesian FDR estimates tracked the true FDRs very well. Our method provides a cohesive framework for combining multiple but not identical microarray studies with several sources of replication, with data produced from the same platform. We assume that each study contains only two conditions: an experimental and a control sample. We demonstrated our model's suitability for a small number of studies that have been either pre-scaled or have no outliers.
A Merchant Adventurer in Brazil 1808–1818

At thirty-seven John Luccock was looking forward with quiet assurance to a gentle transition into the comfortable middle age of a sedentary merchant. Napoleon and Jefferson spoiled his view, and before he was thirty-eight he had gone rolling down to Rio. There for ten years he imported and exported; watched a sleepy colonial outpost transform itself painfully into an imperial capital city; rambled, notebook in hand, around the almost trackless interior of Brazil, studying the remnants of an aboriginal culture and the way of life of those who had come to conquer. At forty-eight he returned home, leaving his health and middle age behind him. At fifty-six he died.
Frequency and clinical spectrum of myocardial dysfunction in severe sepsis and septic shock

Myocardial dysfunction is reportedly a common complication of sepsis that requires specific management. Although frequently reported in the literature, the clinical spectrum and frequency of this organ failure have not been fully appreciated. We sought to determine the frequency of myocardial dysfunction in severe sepsis and septic shock and to describe the clinical spectrum of this entity with transthoracic echocardiography.
Molecular Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus-Related Diseases

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis, and it may also be found in a wide variety of benign and malignant lesions including oral hairy leukoplakia, inflammatory pseudotumor, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and gastric carcinoma. Molecular testing is increasingly important in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients affected by these diseases. In biopsy tissues, molecular detection of EBV-encoded RNA transcripts by in situ hybridization remains the gold standard for proving that a histopathological lesion is EBV-related. EBV-encoded RNA hybridization and EBV LMP1 immunostains are used routinely to detect latent EBV in tissues affected by posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) or in enlarged nodes from patients with infectious mononucleosis. Traditional serology is the best test for evaluating acute versus remote infection in healthy individuals. High serological titers serve as a tumor marker for some EBV-related malignancies, but titers are not a dependable tumor marker in immunocompromised hosts. EBV viral load testing by quantitative DNA amplification of blood samples is a promising new laboratory test that has proven useful for early diagnosis and monitoring patients with PTLD. Recent studies suggest a role for EBV viral load testing in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, and AIDS patients with brain lymphoma. Further research is needed to define more fully the clinical utility of viral load tests in the full spectrum of EBV-associated diseases. Gene expression profiling is on the horizon as a means to improve subclassification of EBV-related diseases and to predict response to therapy.
Simulation of Sea Ice Dynamics During AIDJEX

A mathematical model is used to simulate sea ice conditions observed during May 15–25, 1975 as part of the Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment. Calculated motions and forces within the region are compared with observed values. Ice velocity and tractions exerted on the upper and lower ice surface compare well with observed values. Results of another calculation using different boundary layer parameters help assess the effect of boundary layer models on the computed ice drift. The calculated strain field does not compare with observed strains well enough to allow prediction of stress in the pack ice. Several sources of error have been identified for future study.
Additive Manufacturing and its Implications for Military Ethics

Recent advances in so-called ‘additive manufacturing’ pose significant, new challenges, in scope if not in kind, for military ethicists. While the problem of dual-use technologies (i.e. technologies that can be used for both good and malevolent purposes) is not new, the possibility of the rapid, uncontrolled replication of highly sophisticated tools of violent action – tools that heretofore have been largely inaccessible to laymen – could vastly expand the number of persons able to commit violent acts, or even wage war, far beyond traditional boundaries. This article explains the nature of additive manufacturing and identifies the challenges it poses for militaries and governments with the de facto responsibility to keep war-making tools out of the wrong hands. In light of the industrial revolution occasioned by the advent of additive manufacturing and the revolution in military affairs that it portends, it proposes a research agenda for military ethicists. In particular, it argues that military ethicists...
Physics at enormous momentum transfers: An interpretation of the CERN ISR results☆

Abstract The inclusive cross section for large- k ⊥ particles at ISR energies is shown from a bootstrap theory of asymptotic hadron interactions to have an exponential behavior of the form E d σ /d 3 k ≈ s ν e − c √ k ⊥ . Preliminary data agrees well with this prediction.