cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ever at the Mercy of Well-Intentioned Regulations Their Adverse Consequences and Unproven Benefits

> One of the greatest delusions…is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation.1 > > Thomas B. Reed, 1886, speech > The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.2 > > Louis Brandeis, 1928, dissenting opinion, Olmstead v United States Physicians and scientists are privileged members of contemporary society. They are trusted authorities who are obligated to provide expertise without the influence of self-interest. Coupled to this obligation, they have historically been given the privilege of managing their own affairs. In recent years, however, increasingly stringent policies and mandates developed with the best of intentions by a wide range of regulatory bodies have challenged the autonomy of physicians and scientists. In this editorial, I will explore the forces underlying these changes and consider their consequences for society and for the practice of medicine and biomedical research. Physicians and scientists hold what the sociologist Max Weber defines as charismatic authority3 in matters related to their disciplines. According to his construct, charismatic authority is one of three forms of legitimate influence in society, the other two being rational authority (ie, that governed by laws and rules) and traditional authority (ie, that related to cultural norms). Authoritative “charisma,” according to Weber, refers to “specifically exceptional…qualities…not accessible to” other members of society. Physicians possess a unique, complex body of knowledge that can directly affect the physical and emotional well-being of individuals. Similarly, scientists possess a complex body of knowledge that can have broad-reaching effects on the lives of individuals. Science and the rational determinism of the scientific method have become fundamental tenets of modern society and in large measure govern social acceptance of the authority of physicians and scientists. Yet this essential authority can be compromised by aberrant behaviors that exploit the privileges vested in these professions to the disadvantage of members of society. To …
An Eliminativist Theory of Religion

A philosophical theory of religion ought to meet four criteria: it should be extensionally accurate, neutral, phenomenological, and non-circular. I argue that none of the popular theories of religion meet all these criteria, and that, in particular, the extensional accuracy criterion and the non-circularity criterion can’t be met without sacrificing extensional accuracy. I conclude that, therefore, religions do not form a kind, and so, there is no such thing as religion.
The use of platinum and rhodium catalysts for the preparation and cationic ring‐opening polymerization of silicon‐containing epoxides

Regioselective platinum and rhodium catalysts were employed for the preparation of novel silicon-containing polyethers. First, silicon-containing monomers bearing cycloaliphatic epoxy groups were prepared by a rhodium-catalyzed regioselective hydrosilation. Then these monomers were polymerized using a platinum-catalyzed, cationic, ring-opening polymerization to give the linear polyethers. The obtained polyethers were compared with polymers prepared by photoinitiated cationic ring-opening polymerization using onium salt photoinitiators and found to be identical. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Overcoming nucleoside analog chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer: A therapeutic challenge

Clinical refractoriness to nucleoside analogs (e.g., gemcitabine, capecitabine) is a major scientific problem and is one of the main reasons underlying the extremely poor prognostic state of pancreatic cancer. The drugs' effects are suboptimal partly due to cellular mechanisms limiting their transport, activation, and overall efficacy. Nonetheless, novel therapeutic approaches are presently under study to circumvent nucleoside analog resistance in pancreatic cancer. With these new approaches come additional challenges to be addressed. This review describes the determinants of chemoresistance in the gemcitabine cytotoxicity pathways, provides an overview of investigational approaches for overcoming chemoresistance, and discusses new challenges presented. Understanding the future directions of the field may assist in the successful development of novel treatment strategies for enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy in pancreatic cancer.
Development of monoclonal antibodies against the human sodium iodide symporter: immunohistochemical characterization of this protein in thyroid cells.

The thyroid sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) is responsible for iodide concentrating ability within thyroid follicular cells. We sought to develop monoclonal antibodies against human NIS (hNIS) for use as reagents in structure-function studies of the protein, as well as potential tools in the assessment of NIS expression in benign and malignant thyroid tissues. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the second ExMD and to the carboxy-terminal ExMD of hNIS were produced and utilized as antigens to develop monoclonal antibodies, which were tested by Western blotting using membranes prepared from COS-7 cells transiently transfected with a pcDNA3 plasmid containing the gene for the full-length hNIS, or a control vector. Western blotting showed a major band with molecular weight (MW) of approximately 97 kDa and several minor bands with MW of approximately 160 kDa, 68 kDa, 30 kDa, and 15 kDa, all specific for hNIS-transfected cells. Immunohistochemistry was performed in various types of thyroid tissues and nonthyroidal tissues, using the monoclonal antibodies. Strong immunostaining was observed in Graves' tissue, intermediate staining in papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, and no staining in Hurthle cell cancer or in nonthyroidal tissue. The staining was specific for the follicular epithelium in each of the tissues and was most intense in the basolateral portion of the cell membrane. Overall, our observations indicate that the monoclonal antibodies are specific for hNIS and will be invaluable reagents for investigating the role of NIS in thyroid disease.
Student Performance and Perceptions of a Lecture-based Course Compared With the Same Course Utilizing Group Discussion

Background and Purpose. Self-directed learning is believed to be an important aspect of the reflective clinical practitioner. This study was a comparison of student learning and student perceptions of course and instructor effectiveness, course difficulty, and amount learned between the active learning and lecture sections of a course. Subjects. Participants in this study were 170 physical therapist students in 3 sections of a physiology course in the first year of their professional program. Methods. Course grades and the results of teacher-course evaluations were compared between a lecture section and an active learning section. The students in the original active learning section were reassessed 1 year later to determine their perceptions of the course. The differences were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results. Course grades were higher in both active learning sections than in the lecture section. However, the students in both active learning sections perceived that they had learned less than students in the lecture section. Students' perceptions of course and instructor effectiveness were lower in the active learning sections than in the lecture section. There were no differences between the lecture and active learning sections on the students' perceptions of course difficulty. Conclusion and Discussion. Although they did better in the active learning environment, physical therapist students in a basic sciences course (physiology) in the first year of their professional program perceived that they had learned less in active learning courses. They also had lower perceptions of course and instructor quality.
Civil disobedience in the shadows of postnationalization and privatization

Bringing together normative political theory and recent empirical research on the state, the essay examines the challenges posed by the postnationalization and privatization of state authority to c...
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in Obese Patients: Overcoming the Difficulties

The prevalence of obesity has significantly increased over recent decades in the United States and other developed western countries. With the rates of obesity and rates of nephrolithiasis rising in parallel, there is a suggestion that the two processes share a common pathophysiology. Obesity presents numerous challenges to the clinician. bese stone formers have been shown to have high stone recurrence rates after treatment compared to nonobese patients with nephrolithiasis. Surgical management of nephrolithiasis in obese individuals may be more laborious, may require additional procedures to achieve similar results, and may pose a higher risk of procedural morbidity to the patient. Herein, we present clinical scenarios of how an obese patient can complicate PCNL and suggest various techniques to overcome these challenges.
Dr. Holliday's Reply

The FDA regulations for infant formulas were directed to infants of normal birth weight and their nutritional requirements during the first 6 to 12 months of life. There are a number of problems relating to feeding of low-birth-weight infants that require the development of separate standards and separate formulas for those infants. The Committee on Nutrition presently is concerned with reviewing the nutritional knowledge relating to nutritional requirements for low-birth-weight infants. The copper requirement cited by Dr. Cordano is an example where the nutritional requirements of low-birth-weight infants differ significantly from those of the normal infant.
Long-term control of arterial blood pressure

Two concepts for the long-term regulation of arterial pressure were considered in this review, the neural control hypothesis and the volume regulation hypothesis. The role of the nervous system and fluid volume regulation are intertwined in a way that has made it difficult to experimentally evaluate their separate contributions in the long-term regulation of arterial pressure. Nevertheless, from a substantial body of work related to the neural control of cardiovascular function, it appears that the ability of the nervous system to control arterial pressure is limited to the detection and correction of rapid short-term changes of arterial pressure. A long and exhaustive search has yet yielded no new neural mechanisms beyond the classic sinoaortic baroreceptors that can detect changes of arterial pressure. The baroreceptor mechanisms are of great importance for the moment-to-moment stabilization of arterial pressure, but because they do not possess sufficient strength and because they reset in time to the prevailing level of arterial pressure, they cannot provide a sustained negative feedback signal to provide long-term regulation of arterial pressure in face of sustained stimuli. This is not to say that the nervous system cannot affect the long-term level of arterial pressure. A distinction is made here between the many factors that can influence the long-term level of pressure and those that actually serve to detect changes of pressure and serve to maintain the level of pressure within a narrow range over the period of our adult lifetime. In this sense, there is evidence that in genetically susceptible individuals, environmental stresses can influence the long-term level of arterial pressure via the central and peripheral neural autonomic pathways. It is inappropriate, however, to view the nervous system as a long-term controller of arterial pressure because there is yet no evidence that the CNS can detect changes of arterial pressure nor changes in total body sodium and water content over sustained periods whereby it could provide an adequate long-term normalization of such error signals. In contrast, evidence has grown in support of the renal pressure-diuresis volume regulation hypothesis for the long-term control of arterial pressure over the past decade. An enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of pressure diuresis-natriuresis coupled with studies exploring how changes of vascular volume can influence vascular smooth muscle tone provide a compelling basis for this hypothesis of long-term arterial pressure regulation. This overall concept is represented and summarized in Figure 12.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Diffusion of Trust and Cooperation in Teams with Individuals' Variations on Baseline Trust

Baseline trust, which refers to the personality aspect of trust and varies with different individuals, is essential for understanding the development of trust and cooperation in a team. At the same time, informal, non-work-related conversations (aka, cheap talk) have positive influences on the diffusion of trust and cooperation in global software engineering (GSE) practice. This paper seeks to develop an understanding of the influences of individuals' baseline trust on the diffusion of trust and cooperation, in the presence of cheap talk over the Internet. We employ a novel approach, designing a virtual experiment that integrates abstract agent-based modeling and simulation with realistic, empirical network structures and baseline trust data from two large open source projects (Lucene and Google Chromium OS). The results highlight the significant impact of baseline trust on the diffusion of trust and cooperation, for instance, the emergence of non-traditional diffusion trajectories. The results also demonstrate that proper seeding strategies can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of diffusion of trust and cooperation.
Charge Trapping and Exciton Dynamics in Large-Area CVD Grown MoS2

There is keen interest in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide films for a variety of optoelectronic applications due to their direct band gap and fast carrier dynamics. However, the mechanisms dominating their carrier dynamics are poorly understood. By combining time-resolved terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and transient absorption, we are able to shed light on the optoelectronic properties of large area CVD grown mono- and multilayer MoS2 films and determine the origins of the characteristic two-component excited state dynamics. The photoinduced conductivity shows that charge carriers, and not excitons, are responsible for the subpicosecond dynamics. Identical dynamics resulting from sub-optical gap excitation suggest that charge carriers are rapidly trapped by midgap states within 600 fs. This process complicates the excited state spectrum with rapid changes in line-width broadening in addition to a red-shift due to band gap renormalization and simple state-filling effects. These dynamics are insensi...
Bath Model for N2 + C6F6 Gas-Phase Collisions. Details of the Intermolecular Energy Transfer Dynamics

Relaxation of vibrationally excited C6F6* in a thermalized bath of N2 molecules is studied by condensed-phase chemical dynamics simulations. The average energy of C6F6 as a function of time, ⟨E(t)⟩, was determined using two different models for the N2–C6F6 intermolecular potential, and both gave statistically the same result. A simulation with a N2 bath density of 20 kg/m3 was performed to check the convergence and validate the results obtained previously with a higher bath density of 40 kg/m3. The initial ensemble of C6F6 is nearly monoenergetically excited, but the ensemble acquires as energy distribution P(E) as it is collisionally relaxed. An evaluation of P(E) and the root-mean-square deviation ⟨ΔE2⟩1/2 of P(E), versus time, shows that P(E) first broadens and then narrows. Simulations with the C6F6 vibrational excitation energy of 85.8 kcal/mol, studied experimentally, show that the width of P(E) does not affect the average collisional deactivation rate. The role of the intramolecular vibrational fre...
Sweat sodium levels in congestive heart failure.

Summary(1) Sweat sodium concentrations were determined by a method applicable to sick patients confined to bed. (2) Congestive heart failure patients were studied while retaining edema fluid, before and after mercuhydrin injection, and, in a few instances, when recompensated. There was no evidence that increased adrenal electrolyte hormone activity contributed to the sodium retention of heart failure. The mean sweat sodium concentration of one group of congestive failure patients was significantly higher than that of the controls. (3) Mercuhydrin did not affect sweat sodium concentration. (4) In addition to the adrenal cortex, there may be numerous non-endocrine factors that affect sweat electrolyte composition.
Microfossil processing: a damage report

Students of micropaleontology need to be aware of the dangers to their specimens inherent in some preparation techniques. This article summarizes much of the published work on the damage caused to calcareous, phosphatic and siliceous material, both fossil and Recent, during mechanical and chemical processing in the laboratory, and includes the unpublished results of my own work. It stresses the importance of keeping records of procedures but does not attempt to explain the chemical reactions that must occur. Subject matter is arranged alphabetically under the headings "Mechanical and Chemical Methods and Miscellaneous Items".
Infinitely many positive harmonic functions with an oscillating boundary condition on exterior regions

This paper describes the existence of infinitely many, arbitrarily small, positive weak solutions of the Laplacian in an exterior regionUR N when N ≥ 3, sub- ject to an oscillating, nonhomogeneous Neumann or Robin boundary condition on ∂U. Other related results are also briefly discussed.
Condylura cristata from the Coastal Plain of South Carolina

On the morning of April 3, 1954, two of our local boys, James Taylor and Ken Brown, brought a live but seriously injured star-nosed mole ( Condylura cristata ) to …
Cloning and Sequence Analysis of the Flagellin B Gene of Helicobacter hepaticus

Objective The flagellin B(fla B) gene of Helicobacter hepaticus(H.hepaticus) was amplified,cloned and sequenced in order to investigate its function.Method A pair of primer was used for amplifying H.hepaticus fla B gene of BJ 0801 strain with PCR.The amplified fragment was cloned into the pGEM-T vector and transformed into competence E.coli DH5α.The recombinant plasmid was identified by PCR,endonuclease analysis and electrophoresis,and confirmed by sequencing.The nucleotide sequence was compared with the fla B gene of H.hepaticus ATCC 51449.Results The results demonstrated that nucleotide homology of H.hepaticus BJ 0801 fla B gene with H.hepaticus ATCC 51449 fla B gene was 99%.Conclusion Characterization of the H.hepaticus BJ 0801 strain at the genetic identification would be an important step toward investigating H.hepaticus fla B gene function.
Investigation on An Outbreak of Foodborne Disease Occurred in A College of Guangzhou

Objective To investigate the cause of gastrointestinal distre ss of some students in a college of Guangzhou. Method 80 patients were confirme d with foodborn disease from 141 reported cases. The incubation period was 6.5～ 47 hours, with an average of 15.5 hours. The main symptom was first to have feve r and followed with diarrhea and vomiting. The white blood cell and neutrophil c ount was raised. Result Salmonella enteritis was detected in the most of the sa mples which were collected on site. Conclusion The investigation testified that this is an outbreak of foodborne disease caused by the food contamination with Salmonella enteritis.
The metabolite 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 enhances lymphokine-mediated activation of the oxidative metabolism of the U937 cell line and phosphorylation of a 48-kD respiratory burst-associated protein.

U937 cells respond to a variety of stimuli with increased differentiation as manifested by reduced growth, increased adherence, increased expression of several surface receptors, and increased capacity for phagocytosis and formation of reactive oxygen intermediates. In the present study the effects of lymphocyte conditioned media, recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) on the ability to form reactive oxygen intermediates by U937 cells were measured by using the luminol-dependent luminescence (LDL) assay. Neither 1,25(OH)2D3 alone nor IFN-gamma alone enhanced competence for phorbol myristate acetate- stimulated LDL. Cells were capable of moderate LDL after exposure to lymphocyte conditioned media, and this was enhanced by 1,25(OH)2D3 (10(- 8) mol/L) and other vitamin D metabolites at higher concentrations. This effect was not secondary to accelerated production of myeloperoxidase, which is important in the LDL assay. Enhanced phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated phosphorylation of a 48-kd substrate was observed in 32P-labeled intact cells treated with 1,25(OH)2D3 alone or in combination with IFN-gamma. Treatment of cells with IFN-gamma or lymphocyte conditioned media did not alter phosphorylation. These results support the concept that 1,25(OH)2D3 plays a role in phagocyte differentiation and activation beyond the effects of lymphokines. Protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation reactions may be necessary for the ability of U937 cells to reduce O2 and required for maximal activity under some conditions of incubation.
Postmortem injection of calcium chloride effects on beef quality traits.

Twenty-two Bos indicus type steers were commercially slaughtered, and their carcasses were chilled and processed to determine the effects of injecting calcium chloride (CaCl2) on beef steak palatability and quality traits. Top loin and inside round subprimals were removed from each carcass using industry fabrication procedures. No injection (control) or injection of 200 mM CaCl2 at 5% (wt/wt) was applied at 30 h postmortem to subprimals from alternating right and left sides. After vacuum storage for 7 d postmortem at 2 degrees C, 2.54-cm thick steaks were cut from each subprimal. Eighty-six percent of the control longissimus lumborum (LL) steaks and 78% of the semimembranosus (SM) control steaks had Warner-Bratzler (WBS) values > 4.5 kg, and the injection of CaCl2 reduced this percentage to 43 and 24%, respectively. The injection of CaCl2 improved (P .05) flavor intensity or causing any off-flavor problems (P > .05), compared with the controls. Lean color scores for the LL were not affected (P > .05) by the injection of CaCl2, but SM lean color was lighter red (P < .05) than controls. Therefore, a 5% (wt/wt) injection of 200 mM CaCl2 solution can be applied under commercial conditions to improve beef steak tenderness and reduce tenderness variation without detrimental effects on other palatability or quality traits.
Political Law, Legalistic Politics: A Recent History of the Political Question Doctrine

The phrase "political question doctrine" seems innocuous. This is partly because of familiarity. It is also because the three words are lined up in a reassuring sequence. Although "political" has unruly and unsavory connotations, it is followed by the tame "question." The phrase is concerned, not with political power or political dilemmas or political passions, but with those political issues that come rounded to an intellectual point, that are shaped into questions. And the last word, "doctrine," removes whatever sting remains. Suggestive of rules, predictability, and stodgy formalism, "doctrine" assimilates the political into the legal. In the brief space of three words, the phrase "political question doctrine" funnels the noisy sounds of conflict into a staid category of law; it collapses the wide world-where aspirations, hatreds, and interests are in collision-into a small, identifiable arena. The boundaries to this arena mark the limits of the judicial function, but even as courts acknowledge the political, they subordinate it. To have a doctrine that defines where political decision making is appropriate, after all, is only to make an exception to a norm of judicial sovereignty over the fundamental issues called "constitutional." My theme is that the political question doctrine is not innocuous. Like many dangerous things, it has been given a safe appearance and name. But what looks like a slight crack is a fault line. This doctrine, so frequently criticized and discounted, nevertheless has a tenacious hold on our jurisprudence. After two hundred years of growth and consolidation, the nation's judicial system is an imposing edifice built over a break that looks small but does not go away. Indeed, it is worth tracing some of the ways that jurists and scholars have minimized the "doctrine" of political questions because that idea turns out to be more subversive even as it is dismissed with greater certainty.
The effects of dietary changes in the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on lung carcinogenesis in A/J mice.

Fifth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, Nov 12-15, 2006 A223 Polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites are known to be involved in inflammation, and fatty acid precursors and metabolites may also exert genomic control over the expression of genes involved in proliferation and differentiation. Some researchers suggest that a higher ratio of omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids would be beneficial in cancer prevention and therapy, either alone or as an adjuvant to traditional treatments. In this study, we examined whether dietary supplementation with fish oil (with a high omega-3/omego-6 ratio) or corn oil (with a low omega-3/omega-6 ratio) could influence lung carcinogenesis in the NNK carcinogen-induced mouse model of lung cancer. A/J mice (n=14/group) were fed AIN-93M semi-purified rodent diet alone or supplemented with menhaden fish oil (10% wt/wt), corn oil (10% wt/wt), or soybean oil (10% wt/wt, as an isocaloric control) for three weeks prior to a single dose carcinogen injection (100 mg NNK/kg body weight), and 17 weeks thereafter. We found that dietary supplementation with 10% menhaden fish oil was able to decrease lung tumor multiplicity by 78%, compared to a control group receiving soybean oil supplementation (80% decrease vs. NNK injection alone). Corn oil supplementation had no effect on tumor incidence or tumor multiplicity. The mechanism behind these chemopreventive effects remains elusive, but does not seem to involve modulation of the nuclear hormone receptors RXRα, RARβ, or PPARγ; the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21; the inducible enzyme cyclooxygenase-2; nor modulation of the mitogen IGF-I or its binding protein IGFBP-3 in total lung tissue. Ongoing research aims to determine molecular changes occurring at tumor initiation sites and molecular mechanisms of action at the cellular level.
Any Time for Fun

A 2008 journal article carried the ominous title, “No fun anymore: Leisure and marital quality across the transition to parenthood” (Claxton & Perry-Jenkins, 2008). The authors found that during the transition to parenthood, both husbands and wives reported a decline in leisure activities. Indeed, as couples become parents, leisure time seems to get “set aside” and viewed as a “bonus activity” (p. 28). Several other studies have reported a decline in couples’ joint leisure time when they become parents (Belsky, Spanier, & Rovine, 1983) and as compared to non-parents (Huston, McHale, & Crouter, 1986; Cowan & Cowan, 1988; Kurdek, 1993). The situation may improve once the baby gets older. In one study, the low levels of leisure time that characterize the transition to parenthood recover somewhat once the baby is a year old and as wives return to paid employment (Claxton & Perry-Jenkins, 2008).
Study on the key factors of regional power grid renewable energy accommodating capability

It has become the inevitable trend to actively develop and utilize renewable energies, and to continuously improve the proportion of renewable energy generation such as wind power and PV power in terminal energies. The grid connection of large-scale renewable energy generation brings huge challenge to the operation and planning of power system. It become a key problem to be solved in the future that how to use the renewable energy generation as much as possible under the premise of ensuring stable operation of power system. This paper analyzes the capacity of regional power grid to accommodate renewable energy generation as well as the influencing factors. The impacts of large-scale renewable energy generation on power system dispatching is explored, and the measures to improving the accommodation capacity of renewable energy generation is presented.
Relationship of Genetic Variants With Procedural Pain, Anxiety, and Distress in Children.

Objective:This study used a candidate gene approach to examine genomic variation associated with pain, anxiety, and distress in children undergoing a medical procedure.Study Design:Children aged 4–...
Operative and late coronary artery bypass grafting outcomes in matched African-American versus Caucasian patients: evidence of a late survival-Medicaid association.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine whether African-American versus Caucasian race is a determinant of early or late coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) outcomes. BACKGROUND African Americans are referred to CABG less frequently than Caucasians and Medicaid coverage is disproportionately common among those who are referred. How these factors affect the relative early and late CABG outcomes in these groups is incompletely elucidated. METHODS A retrospective cohort comparison of operative and 12-year outcomes for 304 African-American and 6,073 Caucasian consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG (1991 to 2003) at an urban community hospital was used. Results were further confirmed in propensity-matched subgroups (n = 301 each). RESULTS African Americans were younger (62 vs. 64 years, median), more were female (46% vs. 30%), more were on Medicaid (29% vs. 6.3%) and had more comorbidities. These differences were eliminated after matching. A total of 161 operative and 1,080 late deaths have been documented. Operative mortality was similar (African American versus Caucasian: 3.0% vs. 2.5%; p = 0.81). Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier survival at 1, 5, and 10 years (93.4%, 80.3%, and 66.1% vs. 94.8%, 86.5%, and 71.7%) was worse in African Americans (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.38; p = 0.004), but similar for matched groups (HR = 1.03; p = 0.97). After risk adjustment, race did not predict operative (odds ratio = 1.17; p = 0.69) or late (HR = 1.15; p = 0.28) mortality. However, Medicaid status (HR = 1.54; p < 0.005) predicted worse survival, which was verified in a case-matched Medicaid (n = 469) versus non-Medicaid analysis. The latter showed that in younger Medicaid patients without companion Medicare coverage, late mortality was nearly doubled (HR = 1.96; p = 0.003) with systematically increasing death hazard after the second year. CONCLUSIONS African-American race per se is not associated with worse operative or late outcomes underscoring that CABG should be based on clinical characteristics only. Alternatively, Medicaid status, which is more prevalent among African Americans, is associated with worse late survival, especially in non-Medicare patients. Studies are needed to elucidate this late Medicaid-CABG outcome association.
Effects of thread interruptions on tool pins in friction stir welding of AA6061

ABSTRACTIn this work, effects of pin thread and thread interruptions (flats) on weld quality and process response parameters during friction stir welding (FSW) of 6061 aluminium alloy were quantified. Otherwise, identical smooth and threaded pins with zero to four flats were adopted for FSW. Weldability and process response variables were examined. Results showed that threads with flats significantly improved weld quality and reduced in-plane forces. A three-flat threaded pin led to production of defect-free welds under all examined welding conditions. Spectral analyses of in-plane forces and weld cross-sectional analysis were performed to establish correlation among pin flats, force dynamics and defect formation. The lowest in-plane force spectra amplitudes were consistently observed for defect-free welds.
An efficient incentive mechanism for cloud-based mobile sensor network

Mobile sensor networks (MSNs) enable extensive applications of data collection, such as accident report in transportation and health prediction in public health. Incentive mechanism (IM) is applied for sensing user (SU) recruitment. However, the IM used in traditional MSN is not efficient due to limited information of SU used for recruitment. With the development of cloud computing technology, cloud-based MSN is the trend to use more information of SUs for IM design to improve its efficiency. In this paper, a novel cloud-based MSN model is presented. Three parties are considered, including data request party, cloud-based platform and SUs. A data quality model is proposed to measure the credit level of SUs. In addition, with consideration of social connections of SUs, a SU recruitment strategy is presented. SUs are divided into first and second degrees based on how they join the sensing task. The utility functions of first degree SUs and cloud-based platform are presented, respectively. At last, an efficient IM is proposed by formulating a Stackelberg game. The performance of the proposed IM on data quality and SU recruitment time comparing with other method are presented and discussed. The simulation results illustrate that the proposed IM ensures data quality for data request party and recruits SUs more efficiently.
Analyzing on-line video club discussions focused on formative assessment

The goal of this qualitative study was to examine teacher noticing of specific interactions related to the formative assessment process during teachers' participation in an on-line video club. Nineteen teachers used an electronic video coaching platform, Edthena to view peers' videos and provide electronic feedback specific to the formative assessment process. Seven hundred and twenty-seven comments by participants were analyzed for both topics of comments related to interactive formative assessment and the type of response. The findings revealed that comments within the on-line video club focused predominantly on one aspect of formative assessment, questioning. Additionally, teachers were most comfortable validating fellow teachers' practices as opposed to providing recommendations for future practice. Implications for future use of on-line video clubs are included.
Engaging vulnerable populations in parent-led support groups: Testing a recruitment strategy

Abstract Despite the proven benefits of parenting interventions, parent engagement in such interventions remains low and is particularly challenging among vulnerable populations. This theoretically grounded study tested the effectiveness of a recruitment strategy – a simulated parent-led support group (PSG) – to increase intentions to attend a PSG in a predominantly low income, minority sample. The study also examined sociodemographic characteristics that may influence the effectiveness of the recruitment strategy and engagement in PSGs. Surveys assessing intentions to attend a PSG were administered before and after the simulation, and a 2-month follow-up survey assessed subsequent PSG attendance. A total of 95 participants were included in this study. Results indicate that participants’ intentions to attend a PSG significantly increased following the PSG simulation (Cohen’s d = 1.15), especially among Hispanics. However, PSG attendance in the 2 months following the PSG simulation was relatively low, with only 13% of parents attending a PSG or a planning meeting to start a new PSG. Nevertheless, this recruitment strategy may serve as an important component of a larger engagement effort, especially given the substantial challenges of engaging vulnerable populations in PSGs and other parenting interventions to reduce educational and health disparities.
Effect of group health behaviour change coaching on psychosocial constructs associated with physical activity among university employees

Lifestyle behaviours are a contributing factor in approximately 80% of chronic diseases, making them a primary target for employee wellness programmes (EWPs). To effectively change health behaviour...
Abstract P267: Placental Ischemia Causes Cardiac Structural and Functional Abnormalities in the Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure Rat Model

Preeclampsia (PE) is a disorder prevalent in 5-7% of pregnancies. It is characterized by maternal hypertension and endothelial dysfunction. While it has been shown that systolic and diastolic function is impaired in women with PE, the exact mechanisms responsible for the cardiac dysfunction in PE have yet to be fully elucidated. PE is thought to develop in response to placental ischemia and ultimately the release of anti-angiogenic and pro-inflammatory factors into the maternal circulation. However, the impact of placental ischemia on cardiac function is unclear. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess cardiac structure and function in response to placental ischemia utilizing the Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure (RUPP) rat model. Briefly in this model, silver clips are placed on the abdominal aorta and branches of the ovarian arteries on gestational day (GD) 14 to induce placental ischemia. For this study, the RUPP ( n =8) group underwent surgery on GD 14, and both normal pregnant (NP, n =8) and RUPP rats had carotid catheters placed on GD 18. Blood pressure and echocardiography measurements, and tissue harvest were performed on GD 19. The RUPP group had significantly increased mean arterial pressure compared to the NP group on GD 19 (123±3 vs. 97±2 mmHg, P 2 , P=0.03). In conclusion, this study shows that the RUPP rat develops cardiac structural and functional abnormalities after only five days of placental ischemia. Furthermore, these data suggest that the RUPP model could be useful in investigating and understanding the mechanisms which underpin these cardiac changes in PE patients.
Point- and Line-Based Parameterized Image Varieties for Image-Based Rendering

This paper generalizes the parameterized image variety approach to image-based rendering proposed in so it can handle both points and lines in a unified setting. We show that the set of all images of a rigid set of m points and n lines observed by a weak perspective camera forms a six-dimensional variety embedded in R2(m+n). A parameterization of this variety by the image positions of three reference points is constructed via least squares techniques from point and line correspondences established across a sequence of images. It is used to synthesize new pictures without any explicit 3D model. Experiments with real image sequences are presented.
Content validation of advanced illness criteria of a palliative care screening tool

Abstract Background: Early identification of patients appropriate for palliative care continues to be a challenge for healthcare systems. Danbury Hospital embedded a palliative care screening tool ...
Review of scribal education in ancient Israel: The Old Hebrew epigraphic evidence by Christopher Rollston

In this illustrative and thorough article, Christopher Rollston argues for the existence of, in R’s words, “a formal, standardized scribal education” in Ancient Israel (47). R bases his argument on a systematic analysis of the epigraphic evidence of Old Hebrew ( i.e. Iron Age II Hebrew, ca. 1000-550 ce) and offers the following as his supporting arguments: (i) In terms of the ductus, the stance, and the relative spatial relationship of graphs, the Old Hebrew (OH) script: (a) displays synchronic consistency, (b) demonstrates discernable, diachronic development, and (c) differs markedly from those of nearby polities (Phoenicia, Arameans); (ii) In terms of orthography, the OH script exhibits synchronic (and arguably regional) consistency with distinctive features that were in opposition with the features of the Phoenician and Aramaic national scripts; and (iii) In terms of content, hieratic numerals (which derive from a complex number system originally borrowed from Egypt) were inscribed on many OH documents, suggesting that an administrative or governing body routinized their usage (and practical dissemination) throughout Iron Age Israel
Microbial electrochemical treatment of biorefinery black liquor and resource recovery

Biorefineries valorize waste biomass to biofuels and bioproducts, but the associated wastewater treatment is costly and energy-intensive. This study demonstrates that not only the recalcitrant black liquor generated from biorefineries can be treated using a microbial electrochemical process, but also value-added materials including lignin, chemicals, and H2 can be separated to enable resource recovery. A lab scale microbial biomass recovery cell (MBRC) was developed to treat the actual black liquor from the deacetylation and mechanical refining (DMR) process, and the results show that 60.1–73.8% of organics, 52.0–54.6% of salts, and 30.8–49.5% of lignin were removed using different operational modes. Moreover, by utilizing the unique pH gradient generated between the different reactor chambers, tailored recoveries of lignin, chemicals, and H2 were realized for the first time. The recoveries of lignin and salts were up to 61.2 ± 2.7% and 92.2 ± 1.6%, respectively. Ion transfer and organic transformation were further analyzed to understand the reaction mechanisms and improve the system performance.
Sensitivity Functions Generation

This chapter treating a deterministic, continuous, linear, time-invariant system (DCLTIS), advances analytical expressions for sensitivity functions with distinctions between analysis for system-structural parameters (Definition 2.2-10) and that of system-physical parameters (Definition 2.2-11), followed by sensitivity functions generation in the frequency domain Special distinction between sensitivity functions of open-loop and closed-loop systems, as well as reconstructible and unreconstructible systems should be cited. The concept of low-order sensitivity functions and that of complete simultaneity properties (for higher-order sensitivity functions) are discussed. Additionally, the concept of total-sensitivity functions (TSF) is introduced. The details of a system model are also included, and in the last part of this chapter sensitivity invariance is presented.
Multimodality Imaging of Dementia: Clinical Importance and Role of Integrated Anatomic and Molecular Imaging

Neurodegenerative diseases are a devastating group of disorders that can be difficult to accurately diagnose. Although these disorders are difficult to manage owing to relatively limited treatment options, an early and correct diagnosis can help with managing symptoms and coping with the later stages of these disease processes. Both anatomic structural imaging and physiologic molecular imaging have evolved to a state in which these neurodegenerative processes can be identified relatively early with high accuracy. To determine the underlying disease, the radiologist should understand the different distributions and pathophysiologic processes involved. High-spatial-resolution MRI allows detection of subtle morphologic changes, as well as potential complications and alternate diagnoses, while molecular imaging allows visualization of altered function or abnormal increased or decreased concentration of disease-specific markers. These methodologies are complementary. Appropriate workup and interpretation of diagnostic studies require an integrated, multimodality, multidisciplinary approach. This article reviews the protocols and findings at MRI and nuclear medicine imaging, including with the use of flurodeoxyglucose, amyloid tracers, and dopaminergic transporter imaging (ioflupane). The pathophysiology of some of the major neurodegenerative processes and their clinical presentations are also reviewed; this information is critical to understand how these imaging modalities work, and it aids in the integration of clinical data to help synthesize a final diagnosis. Radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians aiming to include the evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases in their practice should be aware of and familiar with the multiple imaging modalities available and how using these modalities is essential in the multidisciplinary management of patients with neurodegenerative diseases.©RSNA, 2020.
PhiChem: An Entrepreneurship Case Study of a Hidden Champion in China

The case study of Shanghai PhiChem examines a returnee entrepreneur from the United States to China who started a high-technology chemical material firm. It shows how the entrepreneur started the business with limited resources but later successfully grew the business to an initial public offering. Its success factors and innovative strategies have been identified and analyzed in detail. Specifically, Shanghai PhiChem has focused more on the high value-added components of the smiling curve and has excelled as a hidden champion in China. Implications are given to entrepreneurs and managers in the emerging market from the perspectives of market entry, operations, and customer management.
Translation of National Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines into Statewide Standards and Practices: a Case Study

Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts (JDTCs) are designed to reduce offending and substance use among youth populations. This case study represents Louisiana’s translation of federal guidelines into best practices to address substance abuse and delinquency among youth served by the state’s JDTCs. Preliminary results from this implementation indicate positive outcomes for juvenile populations in JDTCs, including improvement in the rate of incentives to sanctions, increase in community service as a sanction, decrease in juvenile detention, and decreased length of time from start to successful program completion. As one of the first states to generate statewide standards from national guidelines, this model offers a framework for replication.
Searching for recombinant donors in a phylogenetic network of serial samples

Determining the evolutionary history of a sampled sequence can become quite complex when multiple recombination events are part of its past. With at least five new recombination detection methods published in the last year, the growing list of over 40 methods suggests that this field is generating a lot of interest. In previous studies comparing recombination detection methods, the evaluation procedures did not measure how many recombinant sequences, breakpoints and donors were correctly identified. In this paper we will present the algorithm RecIdentify that scans a phylogenetic network and uses its edge lengths and topology to identify the parental/donor sequences and breakpoint positions for each query sequence. RecIdentify findings can be used to evaluate the output of recombination detection programs. RecIdentify may also assist in understanding how network size and complexity may shape recombination signals in a set of DNA sequences. The results may prove useful in the phylogenetic study of serially-sampled viral data with recombination events.
A Terminal Data Isolation Method Oriented to “One end multi network” Environment

As the current network environment becomes more and more complicated, various industries not only implement isolation between different networks to prevent the spread of risks and data leakage and other security precautions, but also put forward higher requirements for hardware consumption and ease of use. Requirements, especially in areas that require high network management. This paper focuses on the security and practicality of “multiple networks at one end”, first analyzes the problems faced by data isolation in data centers in various industries, then analyzes the deficiencies of traditional methods, and finally proposes a method that uses lightweight virtualization technology in One terminal system can access multiple networks and can isolate the application data of the corresponding network from each other. By comparing with the traditional method, it further proves the rationality of the method designed in this paper, which not only improves the user’s convenience, but also avoids the emergence of data security problems.