cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative effectiveness research and big data: balancing potential with legal and ethical considerations

Big data holds big potential for comparative effectiveness research. The ability to quickly synthesize and use vast amounts of health data to compare medical interventions across settings of care, patient populations, payers and time will greatly inform efforts to improve quality, reduce costs and deliver more patient-centered care. However, the use of big data raises significant legal and ethical issues that may present barriers or limitations to the full potential of big data. This paper addresses the scope of some of these legal and ethical issues and how they may be managed effectively to fully realize the potential of big data.
THE EQUILIBRIUM APPROACH TO DISCRETIONARY MONETARY POLICY UNDER AN INTERNATIONAL GOLD STANDARD, 1926‐1932

This paper uses the Collery-Barro equilibrium approach to the gold standard to develop a model of discretionary monetary policy under an international gold standard. Monetary policy is defined in terms of changes in the ratio of the monetary gold stock to the currency stock. This is equivalent to defining discretionary policy actions in terms of deviations from the "rules of the game." Unlike other policy indicators such as gold flows, interest rates, or monetary aggregates, the gold-reserve ratio can be used to generate a quantitative estimate of the impact of a single country's monetary policy on the world price level. Copyright 1991 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester
Measures of symmetry

Three discrimination, rating, and ranking experiments were conducted to test the utility of two new single-form measures of symmetry in predicting response to plane figures. The predictive power of the new measures varied with the type of the perceptual task, prediction being better for tasks of a more clearly perceptual nature. The rest of variance in response was due to poorly defined conceptions of symmetry in many Ss, the confusion of symmetry with compactness, and the overestimation of symmetry in figures that approximate in appearance their ideally symmetric prototypes. These and previously conducted experiments lead to the conclusion that in many instances the symmetry parameter of random polygons has no significant influence on response variance and that, for figures of a given level of complexity, the only practically significant predictor of response is a measure of dispersion of shape contours.
Postnatal development of catecholamine uptake and storage of the newborn rat heart.

Abstract The ability of atria and ventricular slices of heart removed from Sprague-Dawley rats at ages 1–21 days to take up and store catecholamines was studied to correlate this activity with the previously observed physiologic immaturity of the cardiac sympathetic nervous system in the neonatal mammal. Total uptake and subcellular distribution at 1, 4, 7, 14, and 21 days were determined at various time intervals between 5 and 30 min. In the artria there was a small amount of uptake observed during the first postnatal day, which increased only slightly by 4 days of age. The greatest change occurred between 4 and 7 days. Uptakes at 7, 14, and 21 days were similar to adult values. Reserpine inhibited the 30-min uptake 57% during the first day of life, increasing to 69% inhibition by 7 days of age. Uptake of norepinephrine into the ventricular slices, both with and without reserpine, was less at each age point until 14 days of age, at which time it equaled atrial uptake. The uptake and the effect of reserpine in the particulate fraction of homogenate from both atria and ventricular slices paralleled the developmental pattern seen in the slice. Application of Michaelis-Menten kinetics to uptake at 4 and 7 days revealed a common K m but differing V max . These studies suggest that the increases in the ability of the developing rat heart to accumulate norepinephrine is due to increases in the number or storage capacity of synaptic vesicles.
Trading control intelligence for physical intelligence: muscle drives in evolved virtual creatures

Traditional evolved virtual creatures [1] are actuated using unevolved, uniform, invisible drives at joints between rigid segments. In contrast, this paper shows how such conventional actuators can be replaced by evolvable muscle drives that are a part of the creature's physical structure. Such a muscle-drive system replaces control intelligence with meaningful morphological complexity. For instance, the experiments in this paper show that control intelligence sufficient for locomotion or jumping can be moved almost entirely from the brain into the musculature of evolved virtual creatures. This design is important for two reasons: First, the control intelligence is made visible in the purposeful development of muscle density, orientation, attachment points, and size. Second, the complexity that needs to be evolved for the brain to control the actuators is reduced, and in some cases can be essentially eliminated, thus freeing brain power for higher-level functions. Such designs may thus make it possible to create more complex behavior than would otherwise be achievable.
ANIONIC COORDINATION COMPLEXES OF Mo AND W WHICH CRYSTALLIZE FROM LIQUID CLATHRATE MEDIA WITH OXONIUM ION-CROWN ETHER CATIONS

Abstract The complexes [H3O+·18-crown-6][MoOCl4(H2O)−], 1, and [H2O·aza-18-crown-6·(H+)] [MoOCl4(H2O)−], 3, were synthesized from a mixture of Mo(CO)6, HCl(g), H2O and either 18-crown-6 for 1 or mono-aza-18-crown-6 for 3, in toluene. For complex 4, [H2O·aza-18-crown-6·(H+)]2[WOCl4(H2O)−][Cl−], reaction conditions were as for 3 except W(CO)6 was used in place of Mo(CO)6. Similarly, for complex 2, [H3O+·18-crown-6][WOBr4(H2O)−], W(CO)6 and HBr were used in the reaction mixture. These reactions were promoted by UV radiation and formed liquid clathrates almost immediately upon reaction. X-ray crystal structures were performed on each compound. Complex 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P/i with a = 10.206(1), b = 10.486(1), c = 11.701(1) A, α = 71.11(1), β = 74.60(1), γ = 75.08(1)°, and D c = 1.649 g cm−3 for Z = 2. Refinement based on 3925 observed reflections led to a final R value of 0.078. Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 9.710(1), b = 19.824(1), c = 12.399(1) A...
Small Nonhuman Primates as Potential Models of Human Aging.

Both theoretical and practical reasons exist for developing a small nonhuman primate model for aging research (a fuller treatment of the logic of selection of animal models for aging research may be found in Sprott and Austad 1996). Conceptually, the issue is evolutionary propinquity to humans. Any animal species will bear some traits that are relatively general, that is, shared by large groups of animals, and other traits that are more idiosyncratic, or particular to more narrowly defined groups. It is an axiom of comparative biology that species with a close evolutionary relationship share, on average, more traits than more distantly related species, whether those traits are anatomical features like skull shape or functional characteristics such as mechanisms of aging (Harvey and Pagel 1991). For instance, humans share with the great apes and Old World monkeys, but with few other mammals, the age-related phenomenon of menopause (Hayssen and others 1993; NRC 1981) as well as a tendency to develop atherosclerotic vascular disease (NRC 1981). In principle, then, the most relevant animal model of any human trait would be chimpanzees {Pan troglodytes) or bonobos {Pan paniscus), equally close biological relatives of humans. However, there are insupportable drawbacks to the use of large apes as models for aging research, including their prohibitive acquisition and maintenance costs and their longevity, which can be more than 5 decades in captivity.
The Allen test.

There has been renewed interest in radial artery bypass conduits for coronary artery revascularization, and surgeons should be familiar with methods of assessing circulation of the hand to determine which patients are candidates for this procedure. The Allen test originally was described in 1929, and this report reviews its initial description and contribution to our surgical heritage.
Enhancement of a Turbulence Sub- model for More Accurate Predictions of Vertical Stratifications in 3D Coastal and Estuarine Modeling

This paper presents an improvement of the Mellor and Yamada’s 2nd order turbulence model in the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) for better predictions of vertical stratifications of salinity in estuaries. The model was evaluated in the strongly stratified estuary, Apalachicola River, Florida, USA. The three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was applied to study the stratified flow and salinity intrusion in the estuary in response to tide, wind, and buoyancy forces. Model tests indicate that model predictions over estimate the stratification when using the default turbulent parameters. Analytic studies of density-induced and wind-induced flows indicate that accurate estimation of vertical eddy viscosity plays an important role in describing vertical profiles. Initial model revision experiments show that the traditional approach of modifying empirical constants in the turbulence model leads to numerical instability. In order to improve the performance of the turbulence model while maintaining numerical stability, a stratification factor was introduced to allow adjustment of the vertical turbulent eddy viscosity and diffusivity. Sensitivity studies indicate that the stratification factor, ranging from 1.0 to 1.2, does not cause numerical instability in Apalachicola River. Model simulations show that increasing the turbulent eddy viscosity by a stratification factor of 1.12 results in an optimal agreement between model predictions and observations in the case study presented in this study. Using the proposed stratification factor provides a useful way for coastal modelers to improve the turbulence model performance in predicting vertical turbulent mixing in stratified estuaries and coastal waters.
Bony avulsion of the medial ulnar collateral ligament in a gymnast: A case report

The risk of injury in gymnastics is higher during periods of rapid growth and is directly related to the level of competition. Gymnasts spend an estimated 29% of their season altering their training routine as a result of injury. Most injuries in these athletes are the result of overuse, with upper extremity injuries occurring more frequently in male gymnasts and lower extremity injuries more often in females. Elbow injuries are relatively common in gymnasts due to the repetitive compressive varus and valgus stresses applied. These super-physiologic loads likely contribute to the development of osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum and medial epicondylitis or apophysitis. Catastrophic injury, such as an acute dislocation, is frequently seen as a result of a missed move, a fall from the apparatus, or an improper dismount. Several case studies have described the extreme of these injuries, such as bilateral elbow dislocations, in a gymnast. In high-level gymnasts, similar to the need of the medial elbow structures in a pitcher in an effort to withstand extreme valgus force, there is a significant valgus load imparted to the elbow with weight bearing and compressive activities such as a back handspring. These forces average 3% of body weight times body height (about 18 Nm). Therefore, the integrity of the ulnar collateral ligament is vital to perform these routines and protect the lateral elbow structures. We describe a case of a young competitive-level gymnast who sustained an injury to both elbows during an uneven bars routine. She had an acute elbow dislocation on her left elbow and an avulsion of the ulnar collateral ligament from the sublime tubercle of the ulna on the right
An Efficient Signature-Based Scheme for Securing Network Coding Against Pollution Attacks

Network coding provides the possibility to maximize network throughput and receives various applications in traditional computer networks, wireless sensor networks and peer-to-peer systems. However, the applications built on top of network coding are vulnerable to pollution attacks, in which the compromised forwarders can inject polluted or forged messages into networks. Existing schemes addressing pollution attacks either require an extra secure channel or incur high computation overhead. In this paper, we propose an efficient signature-based scheme to detect and filter pollution attacks for the applications adopting linear network coding techniques. Our scheme exploits a novel homomorphic signature function to enable the source to delegate its signing authority to forwarders, that is, the forwarders can generate the signatures for their output messages without contacting the source. This nice property allows the forwarders to verify the received messages, but prohibit them from creating the valid signatures for polluted or forged ones. Our scheme does not need any extra secure channels, and can provide source authentication and batch verification. Experimental results show that it can improve computation efficiency up to ten times compared to some existing one. In addition, we present an alternate lightweight scheme based on a much simpler linear signature function. This alternate scheme provides a tradeoff between computation efficiency and security.
SidePoint: a peripheral knowledge panel for presentation slide authoring

Presentation authoring is an important activity, but often requires the secondary task of collecting the information and media necessary for both slides and speech. Integration of implicit search and peripheral displays into presentation authoring tools may reduce the effort to satisfy not just active needs the author is aware of, but also latent needs that she is not aware of until she encounters content of perceived value. We develop SidePoint, a peripheral panel that supports presentation authoring by showing concise knowledge items relevant to the slide content. We study SidePoint as a technology probe to examine the benefits and issues associated with peripheral knowledge panels for presentation authoring. Our results show that peripheral knowledge panels have the potential to satisfy both types of needs in ways that transform presentation authoring for the better.
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OBJECTIVELY MEASURED SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR AND RED BLOOD CELL DISTRIBUTION WIDTH IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF US ADULTS

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), an indicator of anisocytosis, is a novel biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality (1). Although findings are inconclusive, the pathophysiology linking RDW with morbidity/mortality may pertain to inflammation and/or disordered iron homeostasis (2). Consequently, identification of modifiable behaviors for prevention of unequal RDW, particularly in the general population, is needed. Emerging research demonstrates that sedentary behavior (SB), even independently of physical activity, is predictive of CVD and premature mortality (3). Although results have been inconclusive, potential mechanisms for explaining this relationship include SB-induced inflammation and modulation of metabolic risk (4). Consequently, it is plausible to suggest that SB may be related to CVD and mortality via SB-induced anisocytosis. However, to our knowledge, no study has yet examined the association between SB and RDW. Identification of such an association may help to delineate a potential mechanism through which SB may influence CVD. Therefore, we decided to evaluate this possible association.
Material-handling of random packages: design for reliability

A generalized approach is presented for the evaluation of alternative container designs in the transportation of multiple package types of random size and weight between multiple locations. It is assumed that each of the package types is small in comparison with the size of a semi-trailer, and resources (such as fork lifts and pallets) are available to move moderate-size filled containers (less than 2000 pounds or 900kg). In a case study which demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach, there is quantitative justification of the dimensional design of an alternative container. Statistical evidence is provided to support the evolutionary direction of dimensional specifications of semi-trailers purchased in the future. >
Parallel FPGA-based all-pairs shortest-paths in a directed graph

With rapid advances in VLSI technology, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are receiving the attention of the parallel and high performance computing community. In this paper, we propose a highly parallel FPGA design for the Floyd-Warshall algorithm to solve the all-pairs shortest-paths problem in a directed graph. Our work is motivated by a computationally intensive bio-informatics application that employs this algorithm. The design we propose makes efficient and maximal utilization of the large amount of resources available on an FPGA to maximize parallelism in the presence of significant data dependences. Experimental results from a working FPGA implementation on the Cray XD1 show a speedup of 22 over execution on the XD1's processor.
Optical imaging of matrix metalloproteinase-7 activity in vivo using a proteolytic nanobeacon

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are extracellular proteolytic enzymes involved in tumor progression. We present the in vivo detection and quantitation of MMP7 activity using a specific near-infrared polymer-based proteolytic beacon, PB-M7NIR. PB-M7NIR is a pegylated polyamidoamine PAMAM-Generation 4 dendrimer core covalently coupled to a Cy5.5-labeled peptide representing a selective substrate that monitors MMP7 activity (sensor) and AF750 as an internal reference to monitor relative substrate concentration (reference). In vivo imaging of tumors expressing MMP7 had a median sensor to reference ratio 2.2-fold higher than a that of a bilateral control tumor. Ex vivo imaging of intestines of multiple intestinal neoplasia (APC Min) mice injected systemically with PB-M7NIR revealed a sixfold increase in the sensor to reference ratio in the adenomas of APC Min mice compared with control intestinal tissue or adenomas from MMP7-null Min mice. PB-M7NIR detected tumor sizes as small as 0.01 cm2, and the sensor to reference ratio was independent of tumor size. Histologic sectioning of xenograft tumors localized the proteolytic signal to the extracellular matrix; MMP7-overexpressing tumors displayed an approximately 300-fold enhancement in the sensor to reference ratio compared with nonexpressing tumor cells. In APC Min adenomas, the proteolytic signal colocalized with the endogenously expressed MMP7 protein, with sensor to reference ratios approximately sixfold greater than that of normal intestinal epithelium. PB-M7NIR provides a useful reagent for the in vivo and ex vivo quantitation and localization of MMP-selective proteolytic activity.
Investigation and Control of an Outbreak of Achromobacter xylosoxidans Bacteremia

Objective.To define the extent of an outbreak of Achromobacter xylosoxidans bacteremia, determine the source of the outbreak, and implement control measures.Design.An outbreak investigation, including environmental and infection control assessment, and evaluation of hypotheses using the binomial distribution and case control studies.Setting.A 50-bed medical surgical unit in a hospital in Illinois during the period January 1–July 15, 2006.Interventions.Discontinuation of use of opioid delivery via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) until the source of the outbreak was identified and implementation of new protocols to ensure more rigorous observation of PCA pump cartridge manipulations.Results.Calculations based on the binomial distribution indicated the probability that all 9 patients with A. xylosoxidans bacteremia were PCA pump users by chance alone was <.001. A subsequent case control study identified PCA pump use for administration of morphine as a risk factor for A. xylosoxidans bacteremia (odds ratio, undefined; P< .001). Having a PCA pump cartridge with morphine started by nurse C was significantly associated with becoming a case-patient (odds ratio, 46; 95% confidence interval, 4.0–525.0; P< .001).Conclusions.We hypothesize that actions related to diversion of morphine by nurse C were the likely cause of the outbreak. An aggressive pain control program involving the use of opioid medication warrants an equally aggressive policy to prevent diversion of medication by staff.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(2):180-184
What Is The Predominant Source of Intravascular Catheter Infections

The predominant source of intravascular catheter-related bloodstream infections has been a research and clinical question for more than 30 years. During that time, we've moved from the position of a single source predominating in all clinical scenarios to a more realistic appraisal that both skin at the insertion site and the catheter hub/connector (ie, an extraluminal and an intraluminal source of infection, respectively) are important and that maximally effective prevention programs must address both sources of infection.
University education in future studies— a mark III critique: Part II

Abstract In 1970 an initial survey was made of futures courses at university level based on forty courses that could be located in the United States and Canada [Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 2, 133–148 (1970)]. This was replicated during 1970–1972 on approximately 200 North American courses and reported changes in the field at the Third World Future Research Conference in Bucharest, September 1972 (Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change, 4, 387–407 [1973]). A third interation was funded by the World Institute Council and published in abstracted form with their permission here. The conclusions to be drawn from some six years of analysis of such courses, and drawn especially from the specifics of the 300 courses in the third iteration, can be lumped under five main headings: (1) All disciplines are to some degree finally alerted to the future implications of both their research and their teaching. (2) There remains still much “froth and nonsense” in futures courses. How to control this and encourage lively creativity is a complex problem-especially since the intellectual image of futurism today is not that high! (3) There appears to be no reliable sociocultural change theory backing future studies and there is precious little solid theory backing future studies and there is precious little solid theory in the field itself-offset by some progress in methodology. (4) Despite these strictures, if all future-oriented courses in American/Canadian universities were lumped together (future Studies per se; technology forecasting/assessment; policy sciences; peace studies; demography; environmental/ecology courses; general systems theory/system analysis/system dynamics; mathematical modelling and game theory; eschatology; utopian literature and science fiction; even black studies and women's courses) the total might approach 5000 and it is still growing, as is popular and academic understanding of the necessity “to plan ahead” in this period of human malaise. (5) Informal education of varied worth, from free swinging communes to middle management cram courses conducted by think-tanks, may turn out to be more useful in future-oriented advanced education than that which takes place in formal “walled” traditional institutions.
Community Street Theatre as a Tool for Interventions on Alcohol Use and Other Behaviors Related to HIV Risks

This paper presents data on the role and implementation of street theatre as a communications technique for HIV behavioral interventions in low income slum communities in Mumbai. Second, we situate the uses of street theatre as a social intervention strategy within a long history of outdoor drama as entertainment and social action in India. Street theatre with accompanying activities was a central element of the RISHTA project’s communications strategy in communities in Mumbai, designed to deliver tailored risk reduction messages to married men who were involved in extramarital relationships. The paper presents examples of the contents and delivery of alcohol risk reduction messages through street plays that were developed and performed by actors from low income communities. The paper situates street plays as part of the domain of prevention strategies, which can be effective in reducing HIV risks, including those related to alcohol use.
Role of the Primate Flocculus During Rapid Behavioral Modification of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex: Clinical Implications

The activity of single Purkinje cells (P-cells) was recorded in the flocculus of monkeys trained to track a smoothly moving visual target while undergoing sinusoidal horizontal vestibular stimulation. In complete darkness, head rotation evoked eye movement equal and opposite to head movement, as expected of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and P-cell firing rate was unmodulated. In contrast, when the monkey suppressed the VOR by fixating a target spot that was affixed to his chair and rotated exactly with him, the activity of the same P-cells became deeply modulated in phase with imposed head velocity. During sinusoidal smooth pursuit tracking in the absence of head rotation, P-cells displayed firing rate modulation in phase with ipsilateral eye velocity. Acting over known pathways to extraocular motoneurons, P-cell activity is appropriate in all three conditions to help drive the eye movements the monkey is required to make. Thus our experiments suggest that the viability of the flocculus can be tested clinically by measuring the patient’s ability to 1. suppress the VOR during visual fixation and 2. to make visually controlled smooth pursuit eye movements.
Studies on homologous random and alternating segmented conjugated polymers with and without silicon synthesized by ADMET

Using acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET), we synthesized homologous luminescent conjugated polymers with two aromatic segments based on thiophene and substituted phenylene, either alternating or randomly distributed, and either directly connected or separated by Si-linkers. In the polymers with Mn ∼ 5000–14 600 g mol−1, random or alternating placement of two segments yielded similar electro-optical properties (absorption λmax at ∼363 nm, emission, λmax ∼ 411 nm, HOMO–LUMO gap 3.00–3.07 eV), although alternating segments showed a slightly more defined absorption with slightly higher absorptivity and emission efficiency (57% vs. 51%). The alternating segments directly conjugated (without Si-linkers) showed a longer wavelength absorption and emission (λmax at ∼490 nm and ∼556 nm respectively), and slightly lower emission efficiencies (40%), as well as a smaller HOMO–LUMO gap of 2.21 eV. DFT calculations support the above results and analyses. Understanding such specific interactions between the aromatic units might provide guidance for future designs of segmented conjugated polymers.
Lyme Borreliosis in Laboratory Animals: Effect of Host Species and in Vitro Passage of Borrelia burgdorferi

Abstract The susceptibility of several common laboratory animal species to a known pathogenic isolate of Borrelia burgdorferi (N40) was evaluated following intraperitoneal (ip) inoculation of 106–8 spirochetes into 3-day-old Lewis rats, CD-1 mice, Syrian hamsters, and 3-week-old American Dutch rabbits. At 30 days, tissues were cultured for spirochetes and examined histologically. All species developed multisystemic infection as well as arthritis and carditis, but disease was most severe in rats and mice. In order to evaluate the effect of in vitro passage on the pathogenicity of B. burgdorferi, 3-day-old Lewis rats were inoculated ip with borreliae passaged in culture 2, 5, 11, 17, 21, 26, and 31 times, and evaluated at 30 days by culture, histology, and ELISA antibody titers. Based upon these parameters, B. burgdorferi (N40) lost its virulence at 17–21 passages. This study demonstrated that B. burgdorferi was infectious for infant rats, mice, hamsters, and 3-week-old rabbits, although pathogenicity was modulated by host species and the in vitro passage history of the spirochete. Of the 4 laboratory animal species evaluated in this study, rats and mice appear to have the most potential for further use as animal models of Lyme disease.
Comparative analysis of trans-radial approach and trans-femoral approach in coronary bypass graft angiography

Objective To investigate the feasibility and safety of trans-radial approach in coronary bypass graft angiography.Methods Fifty patients with remote surgical cardiac revascularization were divided into two groups:trans-radial approach(TR) group and trans-femoral approach(TF) group when selective catheterization of coronary bypass grafts was carried out.The success rate of puncture and procedure,the time to left internal mammary artery(IMA),the time of X-ray exposure,the number of angiography catheters and the volume of contrast were compared between two groups.Results Three of TR group were crossed into TF group due to failure of puncture or radial artery spasm.The success rate of puncture in TR group was 96.0%(24/25) while that of TF group was 100%(25/25)(P0.05).Success rate of procedure in TR group was 88.0%(22/25) and that of TF group was 100%(25/25)(P0.05).Time to left IMA of TR group and TF group was respectively(2.94±0.70) min vs(3.64±0.58) min(P0.01).Time of X-ray exposure of TR group was(27.04±5.03) min,while that of TF group was(23.35±6.06) min(P0.05).The number of catheters of TR group was 2.04±0.57,while that of TF group was 1.32±0.47(P0.01).The volume of contrast in TR group was(130.90±9.71) ml,while that of TF group was(127.14±16.91) ml(P0.05).Radial artery spasm was found in two cases of TR group(P0.05).Subcutaneous hematoma was found in three cases of TF group(P0.05) and pseudoaneurysm of femoral artery was found in one case of TF group(P0.05).Conclusion Trans-radial approach is feasible and safe as an alternative of trans-femoral approach in the angiography of coronary bypass grafts.
Characterization and Performance of Stress- and Damage-Sensing Smart Coatings

Mechanical enhancement of polymers with high modulus reinforcements, such as ceramic particles, has facilitated the development of structural composites with applications in the aerospace industry where strength to efficiency ratio is of significance. These modifiers have untapped multifunctional sensing capabilities that can be enabled by deploying these particles innovatively in polymer composites and as coatings. This chapter highlights some of the recent and novel findings in the development of piezospectroscopic particle-reinforced polymers as smart stress- and damage-sensing coatings. The sections in this chapter describe the piezospectroscopic effect for alumina-based particulate composites, show the derivation of multiscale mechanics to quantify substrate stresses with piezospectroscopy, and demonstrate their performance in stress and damage sensing applied to a composite material. The noninvasive instrumentation is outlined and discussed for current and future applications in the industry ranging from manufacturing quality control to in-service damage inspections.
Regionalism in International Trade

The major influences which have shaped the institutional framework of world trade during the 1960s have been the emergence of two powerful regional trading blocs in Europe. Even the world-wide trading initiative of the Kennedy Round can reasonably be regarded as being, in large measure, a consequence of the regional development in Europe: at any rate it is unlikely that the United States Government would have proposed its scheme for a massive across-the-board tariff cut and got it through Congress in this form without the European Common Market to supply America with a motive. By the late 1960s some 40 per cent of total world exports came from the two regional blocs in Western Europe, E.E.C. and EFTA. If the Soviet trading bloc is added, the total comes to just over 50 per cent. The question that I am going to examine in this paper is whether the regional pattern established in the 1960s is likely to continue during the next decade, and if so how it is likely to affect the structure of international trade.
On the Steiner-Routh theorem for simplices

AbstractIt is shown in [28] that, using only tools of elementary geometry, the classical Steiner—Routh theorem for triangles can be fully extended to tetrahedra. In this article, we first give anot...
Critical Accounting Estimate Disclosures and the Predictive Value of Earnings

SYNOPSIS: In the early 2000s, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) called on firms to provide new Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) disclosures about their critical accounting estimates (CAEs). The quantitative sensitivity disclosures outline reasonably likely changes in firms' highly uncertain accounting estimates and allow firms to communicate with users about accounting measurement uncertainty. Using a sample of S&P 500 firms, I find that the predictive value of earnings with respect to future cash flows is negatively associated with the presence of a CAE disclosure. Consistent with the SEC's intended purpose of the new disclosure practice, this finding suggests that CAE disclosures convey instances of heightened accounting measurement uncertainty and potentially aid users in assessing the level of uncertainty in accounting estimates. JEL Classifications: M41.
How NGOs Abandoned Governance in the Caspian Region

The emerging Caspian Environment Programme anticipates extensive public participation and NGO involvement. Environmental NGOs in the former Soviet Union are no longer capable of carrying the burden anticipated for them by the Programme, and current NGO and civil society development programs in the former Soviet Union are not strengthening NGOs. For the Caspian Environment Programme’s public participation goals to be met alternatives to NGOs must be considered or a new approach to developing NGOs must be pioneered.
Chemical Pretreatment Techniques for Biofuels and Biorefineries from Softwood

Lignocellulosic materials, such as wood, grass, and agricultural and forest residues, are potential resources for the production of bioethanol. The biochemical process of converting biomass to bioethanol typically consists of three main steps: pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation. During the whole process, pretreatment is probably the most crucial step since it has a large impact on the efficiency of the overall bioconversion. The aim of pretreatment is to disrupt recalcitrant structures of cellulosic biomass to make cellulose more accessible to the enzymes that convert carbohydrate polymers into fermentable sugars. Physical, physical–chemical, chemical, and biological processes have been used for pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials. This chapter summarizes the leading technologies in chemical pretreatment on softwood, particularly pine species, which generally show relatively higher recalcitrance than hardwood, grass, and other lignocellulosic materials. Different chemical pretreatment techniques, including dilute acid pretreatment, alkaline hydrolysis, wet oxidation, sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose (SPORL), organosolv, ionic liquids pretreatment, and ozonolysis process are intensively introduced and discussed. In this chapter, the key points are focused on the structural changes primarily in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin during the above leading pretreatment technologies.
Cam Newton and Russell Westbrook's Symbolic Resistance to Whiteness in the NFL and NBA

Using critical rhetorical analysis (McKerrow, 1989) as a method of analysis and critique, and informed by critical whiteness studies (Nakayama & Krizek, 1995) and Black feminist thought (Collins, 1...
Increasing flight software reuse with OpenSatKit

In January 2015 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) released the core Flight System (cFS) as open source under the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA) license. The cFS is based on flight software (FSW) developed for 12 spacecraft spanning nearly two decades of effort. The cFS can provide about a third of the FSW functionality for a low-earth orbiting scientific spacecraft. The cFS is a FSW framework that is portable, configurable, and extendable using a product line deployment model. However, the components are maintained separately so the user must configure, integrate, and deploy them as a cohesive functional system. This can be very challenging, especially for organizations with minimal FSW development experience, such as universities, that are building CubeSats. This paper describes the OpenSatKit[2] that was developed to address the cFS deployment challenges and to serve as a cFS training platform for new users. OpenSatKit provides a fully functional out-of-the box software system that includes NASA's cFS, Ball Aerospace's command and control system COSMOS, and a NASA dynamic simulator called 42. The kit is freely available, since all of the components have been released as open source. The kit runs on a Linux platform. It includes eight cFS applications, several kit-specific applications, and built in demos that illustrate how to use key application features. It also includes the software necessary to port the cFS to a Raspberry Pi and instructions for configuring COSMOS to communicate with the target. All of the demos and test scripts can be rerun unchanged with the cFS running on the Raspberry Pi. OpenSatKit can serve two significant architectural roles that will further help the adoption of the cFS and help create a community of users that can share assets. First, the kit is being enhanced to automate the integration of applications with the goal of creating a virtual cFS ‘App Store’. Second, a platform certification test suite can be developed that would allow users to verify the port of the cFS to a new platform. This paper will describe the current state of these efforts and plans for the future.
Children with type 1 diabetes who experienced a honeymoon phase had significantly lower LDL cholesterol 5 years after diagnosis

Importance Landmark studies showed that partial clinical remission in new-onset type 1 diabetes is associated with reduced prevalence of long-term complications, but early clinical indicators of this favorable outcome are poorly characterized. Aim To determine if there were any differences in lipid parameters, especially LDL-cholesterol, between remitters and non-remitters 4 to 5 years after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes after controlling for hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, and pubertal status. Subjects and methods A longitudinal retrospective cohort study of 123 subjects of mean age 11.9 ± 2.9 years, [male 11.7 ± 2.9 years, (n = 55); female 12.0 ± 2.9 years, (n = 68), p = 0.60] with type 1 diabetes of 4–5 years duration. Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the 4th or 5th year after diagnosis in line with the American Diabetes Association recommendation to initiate screening for complications in children either at the beginning of puberty or 4–5 years after diagnosis. Puberty was defined by Tanner stages II-V. Partial clinical remission was defined by the gold-standard insulin-dose adjusted hemoglobin A1c (IDAA1c) of ≤9. Results There were 44 (35.8%) remitters (age 13.0 ± 2.5y; male 52.3%). Both the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in remitters compared to non-remitters: LDL-C: 78.8 ± 28.7 mg/dL vs. 91.6 ± 26.5 mg/dL, p = 0.023; and total cholesterol: 151.5 ± 32.6 mg/dL vs. 167.0 ± 29.6 mg/dL, p = 0.015. Other lipid fractions were similar between the groups. There were no differences between the groups for glycemic control, body mass index z score, thyroid function, celiac disease occurrence, or vitamin D status. A greater number of remitters were in puberty compared to non-remitters (86.4% vs. 60.8%, p = 0.006). LDL-C concentration was similar in prepubertal remitters vs. non-remitters (p = 0.93), but was significantly lower in remitters in puberty compared to non-remitters in puberty (p = 0.018) after adjusting for age and duration of diabetes. Conclusions Children with type 1 diabetes who underwent a honeymoon phase had significantly lower LDL cholesterol 5 years after diagnosis. This early divergence in lipidemia may explain the dichotomy in the prevalence of long-term complication in type 1 diabetes between remitters and non-remitters. It also offers a pathway for targeted lipid monitoring in type 1 diabetes, by establishing non-remission as a non-modifiable risk factor for vascular complication in type 1 diabetes.
Early Life Hypoxic or Hypoxic/Hypercapnic Stress Alters Acute Ventilatory Sensitivity in Adult Mice

In this study we investigated the effect of early life conditioning (hypoxia ± hypercapnia) on adult acute ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia and hypercapnia. Mice were exposed to either hypoxia (5% O2) or hypoxia/hypercapnia (5% O2/8% CO2) in a normobaric chamber for 2 h at postnatal day 2 (P2), and then returned to normoxia. At 3 months of age, hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) and hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR) were measured using a plethysmograph system. Results showed that HVR was significantly decreased in the P2-hypoxia mice but not in the P2 hypoxia/hypercapnia mice as compared to the P2-normoxic mice, respectively. However, HCVR was significantly decreased in the P2 hypoxia–hypercapnia group but not in the P2-hypoxia group. These data suggest early postnatal hypoxic stress vs. hypoxic/hypercapnic stress plays different roles in fetal programming of the respiratory control system as shown by altered adult acute ventilatory sensitivity.
Prokaryotic Intercellular Signalling

Although most bacteria are single-cell creatures, they are far from solitary, independent organisms. Indeed, many bacteria in the natural environment are in close physical proximity in dense populations where they are involved in a desperate competition for food and space. In these environments, intercellular signalling is common and perhaps unavoidable. Although we have only begun to understand the range of interactions affected by signalling, the diversity of those few systems currently being explored is striking. Cell signalling can involve soluble signal molecules such as pheromones which diffuse between cells, cell-associated signals which require intimate contact, or both. Cell-to-cell communication via diffusible signals often takes place at high cell densities, as part of an adaptive response to impending nutrient depletion and crowding. Thus far, the majority of cell-associated signals have been identified in microbes that exhibit complex structural development patterns. However, as new approaches to identify cell bound signals are developed, the list of signalling mechanisms that require cell-to-cell contact is likely to increase. For both diffusible and cell-contact-dependent signalling, high population densities are often required. The various niches where one finds the highest concentrations of bacteria are the surfaces of tissues of fungi, plants and animals, as well as the surfaces of soil particles and other inanimate objects where nutrients may be concentrated. In this Chapter we will attempt to encapsulate the current understanding of prokaryotic intercellular communication, focussing first on the better understood diffusible signalling pathways, and following with a discussion of cell-associated mechanisms.
Singlet Oxygen Involvement in Membrane Photomodification

Membranes are critical targets leading to cell killing as a result of cellular photosensitization. Published results indicate that synthetic dyes (acridines, phenothiazines and xanthenes), porphyrins (hematoporphyrin, hematoporphyrin derivative and protoporphyrin) and other naturally occurring sensitizers (alpha terthienyl and phenylheptatriyne) can inactivate living cells via membrane effects. These effects have been demonstrated on such diverse organisms as viruses, bacteria, cells of hamsters, mice and humans, as well as plant tissues (Valenzeno, 1987). Thus a comprehension of sensitized photomodification of cellular membranes is important to an understanding of photosensitized cell killing/inactivation.
Practical Resolution, Gain, and Processing Structures

Applying wavelet theory in many scientific fields requires general design criteria or performance measures that can be traded off against one another. The tradeoffs between using wavelet transforms versus other transforms are usually stated in terms of resolutions, gains, robustness, noise immunity, and many other criteria. For wideband signals and systems the criteria are often measured with uncertainty functions, point-spread functions, and ambiguity functions.
Swine manure composition affects the biochemical origins, composition, and accumulation of odorous compounds,

Odors from swine production facilities are associated with the storage and decomposition of manure. Diet is linked to manure composition and will likely affect odor, but the microbial mechanisms responsible for manure decomposition and odor production are poorly understood. To identify the sources of odor during manure fermentation, substrates (starch, casein, and cellulose) were added to slurries of fresh swine manure, and the anaerobic accumulation of fermentation products and the consumption of substrates were measured relative to no addition of substrates. Volatile fatty acids and alcohols were the dominant fermentation products in all treatments. The total VFA concentration from starch treatment was greater (P < 0.001) than for all other treatments. Branched-chain VFA and aromatic compounds accumulated in all treatments, but accumulation in the casein treatments was greater (P < 0.001) than in all other treatments. Thus, addition of carbohydrate to swine manure slurries did not circumvent protein fermentation, as was previously observed in cattle manure slurries. Based on substrate loss, starch and protein fermentation were equivalent in all treatments, with losses of each exceeding 4% of the DM. Substrate additions had a limited effect on the overall accumulation of odor compounds in manure and on odor compound composition. Compared with the results of the earlier fermentation study of fresh cattle manure, swine manure fermentation produced less lactate and more products of protein fermentation (branched-chain VFA and aromatic ring compounds). We hypothesize that differences in manure organic matter composition between cattle and swine, a result of diet and digestion, select for bacterial communities that are adapted to the available substrate composition.
Identification and referral of women at risk for BRCA mutations.

1514Background: It is estimated that less than 10% of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers have been identified, despite well-documented evidence of reduced cancer morbidity and mortality with targeted screen...