cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Within-mother analysis of seasonal patterns in health at birth

A large literature describes relationships between month of birth, birth weight, and gestation. These relationships are hypothesized to reflect the causal impact of seasonal environmental factors. However, recent work casts doubt on this interpretation by showing that mothers with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to give birth in months that are associated with poorer birth outcomes. Seasonality in the numbers of conceptions in different months can also induce a mechanical correlation between preterm birth and month of birth. This paper analyzes the seasonality of health at birth using a large sample of 647,050 groups of US siblings representing 1,435,213 children. By following the same mother over time, we eliminate differences in fixed maternal characteristics as an explanation for seasonal differences in health at birth. We find a sharp trough in gestation length among babies conceived in May, which corresponds to an increase in prematurity of more than 10%. Birth weight conditional on gestation length, however, is found to be strongly hump-shaped over the year, with 8–9 additional g for summer conceptions. We examine several potential mechanisms for explaining seasonality in birth outcomes that have generally been dismissed in the literature on seasonality in rich countries, notably disease prevalence and nutrition. The May trough in gestation length coincides with a higher influenza prevalence in January and February, when these babies are nearing full term, whereas the hump shape in birth weight is associated with a similar pattern in pregnancy weight gain.
Cold sheet rolling, the thermoviscoelastic problem, a numerical solution

The coupled system of equations governing the thermomechanical deformations of a viscoelastic sheet while it is being cold rolled is solved numerically. The pertinent energy equation is solved by the finite difference method and the mechanical problem is solved by the finite element method using uniform first order rectangular elements. The developed computer program enables one to compute the complete deformation and temperature fields in the sheet. Results presented graphically include the temperature distribution, the stress distribution at the middle surface, the contact pressure distribution and the asymmetric surface deformation of the sheet.
Delayed Behavioral Effects of Early Life Toxicant Exposures in Aquatic Biota

Behavioral development occurs together with the development of the nervous system. Studies on mammals indicate that exposures to some chemicals during embryonic development at concentrations that do not produce anatomical malformations may nevertheless produce behavioral deficits later in life, an example of delayed effects. There have been reports of delayed effects in aquatic organisms. Delayed behavioral effects of mercury, chlorinated and other pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and some synthetic hormones in the environment have been reported in fishes and invertebrates; in some cases behavioral effects are manifested years after the exposure. Another type of delayed behavioral effect results from exposure of mature females before fertilization (maternal exposure). Even when embryos and larvae are reared in clean water, offspring may manifest abnormal behaviors following maternal exposure. The reported behavioral changes are generally deleterious and compromise the fitness of the animal in its natural environment. Delayed effects and their impacts on fitness are not considered in standard short-term embryo bioassays, which will therefore underestimate neurotoxicity. The literature in the field is scattered and has not been reviewed. The objective of this paper is to review and synthesize what is known about delayed behavioral effects in aquatic biota.
Acute toxicity of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to the guadalupe bass, Micropterus treculi.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is presently developing techniques for the intensive culture of Guadalupe bass in order to be prepared to augment natural populations with hatchery fish, should it become necessary. As a part of this development project, this study was conducted to determine the acute toxicity of the common nitrogenous wastes found in aquatic environments (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) to the Guadalupe bass. This information will be used to (1) set hatchery water quality criteria for this species, and (2) help determine the suitability of potential stocking waters which may contain high levels of these metabolites.
Chlorophyll – Water Interactions in the Solid State

A MARKED, reversible effect of water on the absorption spectrum of crystalline chlorophyll a in ‘Nujol’ mull has recently been observed1. Thin films of such mulls, dried by prolonged evacuation or standing over phosphorus pentoxide, absorb at 672 nm, but this absorption shifts to about 743 nm when the film is exposed to water, or if the chlorophyll contains water of crystallization. The infrared spectra of the wet and dry films are correspondingly different1. The 743 form shows only a single carbonyl absorption at 1,647 cm−1, similar to the band assigned to an “associated” carbonyl at the C(9) position in dissolved chlorophyll2, while the 672 species exhibits an additional infra-red peak at 1,698 cm−1, which has been assigned to a “free” carbonyl. The intensity of this band is about two-thirds that of the 1,647 cm−1 peak. This suggests2 that the 672 form contains dimers or other stoichiometrically associated forms. The differences in spectrum (both red and Soret bands) between the 672 species and the chlorophyll a dimer definitely identified in solution3 may be attributable to effects of the medium or to exciton interactions in the solid phase. It is remarkable, however, that dimers in non-polar solvents are disaggregated by addition of small concentrations of Lewis bases (ethanol, pyridine, water)2,4, whereas in these chlorophyll crystal mulls, moisture increases the extent of dye interaction, as indicated by the bathochromic shift of the optical spectrum and, presumably, by the disappearance of the “free” carbonyl band. The water effect in solid chlorophyll has therefore been studied further, particularly to determine whether the 672–743 transition is sharp or whether intermediate forms can be obtained. Such intermediate forms are reported here.
Shear faults and dislocation core structures in B2 CoAl

Interatomic potentials of the embedded atom and embedded defect type were derived for the Co–Al system by empirical fitting to the properties of the B2 CoAl phase. The embedded atom potentials reproduced most of the properties needed, except that, in using this method, the elastic constants cannot be fitted exactly because CoAl has a negative Cauchy pressure. In order to overcome this limitation and fit the elastic constants correctly, angular forces were added using the embedded defect technique. The effects of angular forces to the embedded atom potentials were seen in the elastic constants, particularly C44. Planar fault energies changed up to 30% in the {110} and {112} γ surfaces and the vacancy formation energies were also very sensitive to the non-central forces. Dislocation core structures and Peierls stress values were computed for the (100) and (111) dislocations without angular forces. As a general result, the dislocations with a planar core moved for critical stress values below 250 MPa in contrast with the nonplanar cores for which the critical stress values were above 1500 MPa. The easiest dislocations to move were the 1/2(111) edge superpartials, and the overall preferred slip plane was {110}. These results were compared with experimental observations in CoAl and previously simulated dislocations in NiAl.
Rheostats and toggle switches for modulating protein function.

The millions of protein sequences generated by genomics are expected to transform protein engineering and personalized medicine. To achieve these goals, tools for predicting outcomes of amino acid changes must be improved. Currently, advances are hampered by insufficient experimental data about nonconserved amino acid positions. Since the property “nonconserved” is identified using a sequence alignment, we designed experiments to recapitulate that context: Mutagenesis and functional characterization was carried out in 15 LacI/GalR homologs (rows) at 12 nonconserved positions (columns). Multiple substitutions were made at each position, to reveal how various amino acids of a nonconserved column were tolerated in each protein row. Results showed that amino acid preferences of nonconserved positions were highly context-dependent, had few correlations with physico-chemical similarities, and were not predictable from their occurrence in natural LacI/GalR sequences. Further, unlike the “toggle switch” behaviors of conserved positions, substitutions at nonconserved positions could be rank-ordered to show a “rheostatic”, progressive effect on function that spanned several orders of magnitude. Comparisons to various sequence analyses suggested that conserved and strongly co-evolving positions act as functional toggles, whereas other important, nonconserved positions serve as rheostats for modifying protein function. Both the presence of rheostat positions and the sequence analysis strategy appear to be generalizable to other protein families and should be considered when engineering protein modifications or predicting the impact of protein polymorphisms.
New Methodologies for Characterization of Low Dielectric Constant Thin Films

New methodologies are being developed in our laboratory that allow measurements of the Young’s modulus (E) and thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) for materials that cannot be prepared as free standing films. The first employs a bending beam measurement of stress versus temperature. We measure the thermal stress of a given film on two substrates, Si and GaAs. The use of two substrates allows the determination of both E and TEC. A TEOS film is used to demonstrate the technique. Another technique is a variation of the stress-strain measurement of E. The brittle material of interest is coated onto a polymer substrate, and the composite film is elongated to obtain the stress-strain curve of the composite film. Subtraction of the polymer substrate contribution to this curve yields the stress-strain behavior of the brittle film and allows calculation of E. The in-plane dielectric constants of potential interlayer dielectrics (ILD) are determined from the interline capacitance between metal lines passivated with the material. We have developed a finite difference simulation to account for the fringe capacitance, and it allows the extraction of the in-plane dielectric constant from the measured capacitance. The method was used to measure the anisotropies in two polymer ILDs. A flexible chain polymer showed the same anisotropy in both a blanket film and on patterned lines, but a rigid rod-like polymer was found to be much less anisotropic on the patterned lines relative to the blanket film. This result indicates that the molecular orientation of the film is different on the patterned lines.
Morphology-dependent resonances in radially inhomogeneous spheres

Resonant frequencies and quality-factor (Q’s) of the morphology-dependent resonances of radially inhomogeneous spherical particles are computed with a Runge–Kutta method. In one type of inhomogeneity the refractive index of the sphere decreases smoothly from a core value of 1.5 to a value of 1.0(0.1)1.4 at the surface. The fraction of the radius over which the refractive index rolls off varies from 0.01 to 0.25. As the refractive index near the surface is decreased, the resonant frequencies shift to higher values and the Q’s decrease. Numerical results for modes with Q’s in the range of 500–1016 show that, when the change in refractive index occurs in only the outer few percent of the droplet radius, the change in the Q is less than 20%. Calculated resonant frequencies and Q’s simulating a refractive index that increases near the surface are also shown.
The definite article, accessibility, and the construction of discourse referents

In this article, I argue that neither of the two main approaches to definiteness, familiarity or unique identifiability, provide necessary or sufficient conditions for the use of the definite article in English. I propose instead that the basic meaning of the article is to signal the accessibility of a discourse referent, more specifically, the availability of an access path through a configuration of mental spaces, or cognitive domains. Speakers employ the article to construct discourse referents under various conceptual guises, as well as to guide addressees in establishing mental spaces and appropriate connections between the elements in those spaces. The access paths are underspecified by the grammar, so the article is compatible with a range of functions in addition to unique identifiability (familiarity): discourse prominence, role/value status, and point-of-view shifts. The analysis is supported by a range of new types of empirical evidence gleaned from an examination of naturally occurring discourse.
Power/knowledge and liberation: Foucault as a parabolic thinker

Comparaison entre la theologie de la liberation et la pensee de Foucault, qui prend sous cette forme l'aspect d'une parabole
Intrinsic labeling of confinement-reared goslings with 65Cu for use in human absorption studies

Abstract A flock of ten Embden goslings was reared indoors in confinement for 16 weeks. Birds consumed a purified diet containing nutritionally adequate levels of the nutrients essential for poultry. Eighty percent of the dietary copper originated from added 65 CuCl 2 ·2H 2 O. At the time of slaughter the flock average weight was 4.9 kg. Tissue copper concentration (μg/g) was 2.63 for raw breast meat, 1.13 for other raw muscle meats and 109 for cooked liver. Muscle copper values for the confined geese were lower than those for commercially-reared geese (breast, 3.21 and other muscle meats, 1.29 μg Cu/g). Tissues were enriched sufficiently with stable copper (75 atom % 65 Cu label) to be used for human absorption studies.
31P nuclear magnetic resonance study of acute renal dysfunction in rat kidney transplants.

31NMR spectroscopy was used to study renal allografts in rats subjected to allograft rejection, cyclosporine toxicity, ischemia, and ureteral obstruction. Parameters of relative peak areas and intracellular pH were accurately distinguished among the different causes of graft dysfunction. Ureteral obstruction was clearly identified by elevations in the phosphodiester/urine phosphate peak. Ischemia and rejection were. both associated with increases in inorganic phosphates and phosphomonesters and decreases in the β-phosphate peak of adenosine triphosphate but were distinguishable from each other by differences in intracellular pH which was normal in rejected allografts (7.33 ± 0.07, n = 3) but low in ischemic allografts (7.00 ± 0.05, n = 3, P < 0.05). Grafts insulted with cyclosporine toxicity were not distinguishable from normal allografts by any of the parameters studied. These data suggest that 31P NMR spectroscopy may have potential clinical application in differentiating among the causes of graft failure of human rend allografts. © 1987 Academic Press, Inc.
Genetic Heterogeneity of Familial Atrial Myxoma Syndromes (Carney Complex)

Familial atrial myxomas may present as a component of the Carney complex, an autosomal dominant multiple neoplasia and lentiginosis syndrome. Although a gene defect for the Carney complex in some families maps to chromosome 2p, this syndrome is genetically heterogeneous, and other genetic loci also produce familial atrial myxomas.
Tree-augmented Cox proportional hazards models

Summary. We study a hybrid model that combines Cox proportional hazards regression with tree-structured modeling. The main idea is to use step functions, provided by a tree structure, to ‘augment’ Cox (1972) proportional hazards models. The proposed model not only provides a natural assessment of the adequacy of the Cox proportional hazards model but also improves its model fitting without loss of interpretability. Both simulations and an empirical example are provided to illustrate the use of the proposed method.
Equivalent circuit models in semiconductor transport for thermal, optical, auger‐impact, and tunnelling recombination–generation–trapping processes

The circuit models for analysing electrical transport phenomena in solids are developed for nine inelastic nontunnelling and twelve elastic and inelastic tunnelling recombination–generation–trapping processes in terms of the conventional circuit parameters. These include the three inelastic nontunnelling energy conservation mechanisms: thermal, optical, and Augerimpact, and the tunnelling mechanisms which may be elastic or inelastic. These are grouped into three possible combinations of initial and final states of electrons and holes, giving the band–band, band–bound, and bound–bound transitions. Both the large-signal, the dc steady-state, and the small-signal models are obtained. Hot carrier effects are included which give rise to additional dependent current sources in both the conduction and recombination–generation current branches in the small-signal models. Noise sources are also included in the small-signal model. The circuit model synthesis procedure for complex recombination–generation–trapping processes under arbitrary steady-state conditions is simplified by grouping the electron capture and emission terms and by grouping those of holes. Es werden Ersatzschaltbilder fur die Berechnungelektrischer Transportphanomene in Festkorpern fur neun inelastische (kein Tunneln) und zwolf elastische und inelastishe (Tunneln) Generations–Rekombinations-Trapping-Prozesse als Funktion der herkommlichen elektrischen Parameter abgeleitet. Sie umfassen die drei inelastischen (kein Tunneln) Energie erhaltenden Mechanismen: thermische, optische und Auger-Prozesse, und die Tunnelprozesse, die elastisch und inelastisch sein konnen. Sie werden in drei mogliche Kombinationen der Anfangs- und Endniveaus der Elektronen und Locher eingeteilt, was Band–Band-, Band–verbotenes Band-, verbotenes Band–verbotenes Band-Ubergange ergibt. Die Ersatzschaltbilder fur das Grossignalverhalten, fur Gleichstrom und fur kleine Signale werden abgeleitet. Die Einflusse von heisen Ladungstragern werden berucksichtigt, sie sind fur zusatzliche abhangige Stromquellen im Leitungsstromzweig und im Rekombinations–Generations-Stromzweig des Kleinsignal-Ersatzschaltbildes verantwortlich. Das Klein-signal-Ersatzschaltbild umfast auch Rauschgeneratoren. Die Synthese des Ersatzschaltbildes fur komplizierte Rekombinations–Generations–Trapping-Prozesse unter willkurlichen Gleichgewichtsbedingungen wird vereinfacht, indem die Ausdrucke fur das Einfangen und die Emission von Elektronen und Lochern getrennt werden.
A fully digital-compatible BIST strategy for ADC linearity testing

Digital testing is much easier and cheaper than analog and mixed-signal testing because of the straightforward connections and the low-cost testers. This paper presents a fully digital-compatible built-in self-test strategy for ADC linearity testing using all digital testing environments. On-chip, low-accuracy DACs, which are area efficient and simple to design, are implemented as the stimulus generator. ADCs' nonlinearities are tested using a histogram-based method under the control of a logic block. The described strategy is capable of characterizing ADC transition levels one by one with small hardware overhead. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed circuitry and BIST strategy can test the INLk error of 12-bit ADCs to plusmn0.2 LSB accuracy level using only 7-bit linear DACs.
UWB microwave imaging for breast cancer detection: an algorithm for estimating the breast surface

This paper presents a patient-specific algorithm for estimating the complete 3-D surface of the breast using recorded backscatter signals. The approach combines a procedure for estimating a finite set of points on the surface of the breast with a surface-fitting procedure tailored for this breast imaging application. The accuracy of this approach using backscatter signals computed from an anatomically realistic numerical breast phantom is demonstrated. Comparisons between the estimated surface and the actual surface of the phantom show excellent agreement.
Complexity and bidder behavior in iterative auctions

We extend the finite automata approach to evaluate complexity of strategies in iterative adjustment processes such as auctions. Intuitively, a strategy's complexity is equal to the number of different contingencies in which qualitatively different behaviors are prescribed. Complexity may explain bidder choice of strategies in multi-unit iterative auctions.
White matter changes, creatinine, age, and ankle-arm index predicted incident MRI-defined infarctions in older adults.

Source Citation Longstreth WT Jr, Dulberg C, Manolio TA, et al. Incidence, manifestations, and predictors of brain infarcts defined by serial cranial magnetic resonance imaging in the elderly: the ...
The Determinants of the Decision To Use Financial Derivatives in the Lodging Industry

This study investigates the determinants of the decision to hedge in a sample of lodging firms over a 5-year period from 2000 to 2004. Using a probit model, the results show that underinvestment costs, financial distress costs, managerial risk aversion, information asymmetry, cash-flow volatility, proportion of floating-rate debt, foreign sales ratio, and firm size are significant determinants of the decision to hedge. The findings also document that lodging firms predominantly use interest rate swaps and options to manage interest rate risk. These findings are generally consistent with the theory of hedging as well as with prior research findings on the decision to hedge.
Technological Change in the U.S. Agriculture: The Role of Public and Private R&D

An endogenous growth model, in which technical change is attained through public and private R&D activities, is utilized to explore the role of technical change in TFP growth, to determine the impact of public and private agricultural R&D investments on the flow of agricultural patents, and to analyze the determinants of private agricultural R&D spending. The implications of the theoretical model are tested empirically for the U.S. agricultural sector. The empirical results are consistent with the theory. The main finding is that there is a positive relationship between TFP growth in the agricultural sector and agricultural patents. Current and past public and private R&D investments in agricultural sector have a significant and positive effect on agricultural patents. It is found that public R&D investment does not crowd out private R&D investment.
Occupation Time Problems in the Theory of Queues

The author considers a single-server queue and deals with the problem of finding the distribution of the total occupation time of the server in the time interval 0, t and the distribution of the number of services among the first n services that are not preceded by an idle period. The author also points out the use of the results in the theory of dams.
Mammalian stanniocalcin-1 activates mitochondrial antioxidant pathways: new paradigms for regulation of macrophages and endothelium

The mammalian homolog of the fish calcium regulatory hormone stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) is ubiquitously expressed and likely functions in an autocrine/paracrine fashion. Mammalian STC1 does not appear ...
Use of surrogate information time for monitoring the effect of treatment on the change in a response variable in clinical trials

We discuss the monitoring of clinical trials data and propose two surrogates for total information for use with the spending function approach where there are repeated measurements and we wish to compare the rates of change in a response variable under different treatments. These surrogates are applied to a setting similar to the Lung Health Study. Although the surrogates do not require estimation of the variance parameters, they do require some knowledge of the ratio R of the within- to the between-individual variances. The effects of overestimating and underestimating R are illustrated. In situations of uncertainty we recommend overestimating R, to provide a conservative estimate of information time at each interim analysis.
Stochastic conjugate gradient method for least-square seismic inversion problems

Summary With the development of computational power, there has been an increased focus on data-fitting related seismic inversion techniques for high fidelity seismic velocity model and image, such as full-waveform inversion and least square migration. However, though more advanced than conventional methods, these data fitting methods can be very expensive in terms of computational cost. Recently, various techniques to optimize these data-fitting seismic inversion problems have been implemented to cater for the industrial need for much improved efficiency. In this study, we propose a general stochastic conjugate method for these data-fitting related inverse problems. We first prescribe the basic theory of our method and then give synthetic examples. Our numerical experiments illustrate the potential of this method for large-size seismic inversion applications.
Preschoolers' Magnitude Comparisons are Mediated by a Preverbal Analog Mechanism

We report a study of 3- to 5-year-olds who performed a magnitude-comparison task. Stimuli were a series of pairs of arrays that sometimes differed in numerosity, and the children were asked to point to the more numerous array in each pair. The proportion of accurate responses was above chance for all age groups. However, error patterns were consistent with analog models of magnitude representation. Errors varied systematically with the ratio of stimulus pairs. Items with a 2:3 ratio were harder than items with a 1:2 ratio. Performance on posttests of verbal counting ability was variable, but did not predict performance on the numerical discrimination task. We argue that neither verbal counting nor nonnumerical perceptual strategies can explain these results. This study supports the hypothesis that adults and children share preverbal, analog representations of magnitude.
Effect of Impurities on the High‐Temperature Creep of LiF

Creep of undoped and Mg-doped single-crystal LiF was investigated in the range 650 to 750/sup 0/C. The behavior observed is similar to that of pure metals. The strain rate was proportional to (stress)/sup n/, with n = 5.0 +- 0.4 at T = 650 and 700/sup 0/C and n = 3.60 +- 0.2 at T = 750/sup 0/C; n was independent of dopant level. The activation energies for creep were 2.09 +- 0.08 eV for undoped specimens in the intrinsic range and 2.60 +- 0.08 eV for doped specimens in the extrinsic range. A lower creep rate was found in doped samples than in undoped samples. However, the creep strain rates observed in heavily doped samples were not inversely proportional to the dopant level. The observations for pure LiF are explained on the basis of vacancy diffusion through the lattice. A model based on dopant cation vacancy complexes and binding of dopant to charged dislocations is presented to explain the behavior of the doped specimens. (auth)
Effect of endometrioma cyst fluid exposure on peritoneal adhesion formation in a rabbit model.

Objective To determine whether copious lavage and suction of human endometrioma fluid placed in the peritoneal cavity of rabbits reduces adhesion formation compared to no lavage. Design Prospective, randomized, blinded study. Setting Academic research environment. Animal(s) Twenty-four female New Zealand white rabbits. Intervention(s) Rabbits randomized into three groups: [1] laparoscopy with instillation of human endometrioma material, no lavage; [2] laparoscopy with instillation of human endometrioma material, followed by clearance of all visible endometrioma fluid by saline lavage and suction; [3] laparoscopy alone. Main Outcome Measure(s) Six weeks after laparoscopy, adhesions scored by laparotomy using standard visual assessment scoring system and histologic microscopic evaluation. Data evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis and median nonparametric tests. Result(s) For groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, mean total clinical adhesion scores were 0.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] −0.87, 2.2), 3.67 (95% CI 1.27, 6.07), and 0 (95% CI 0, 0). Group 2 had statistically significantly higher mean adhesion scores compared to group 1. Histologic adhesion scores followed the trend of clinical adhesion scores. Conclusion(s) In this rabbit model, human endometrioma fluid exposure in the peritoneal cavity is not associated with adhesion formation. Instillation of endometrioma fluid followed by copious saline lavage is strongly associated with adhesion formation.
High-recovery electrodialysis reversal for the desalination of inland brackish waters

AbstractSince the inland disposal of large volumes of desalination concentrate is environmentally and financially impractical, a high-recovery desalination design is required to reduce concentrate volume. In practical applications, recovery is limited by scale formation from minimally soluble salts, which acids and antiscalant compounds can inhibit only temporarily. Therefore, the risk of scale formation, which is governed by the system’s electrochemical behavior, determines the high-recovery potential of desalination technologies. In this research, high recovery was investigated using a pilot-scale electrodialysis reversal (EDR) system and natural feedwaters from a deep aquifer at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, NM. Experiments were performed to identify the maximum permissible CaSO4 saturation levels during long-term, continuous operation with antiscalant dosing. The results indicated that EDR has enormous potential for treating CaSO4-rich inland brackish ...
New Mechanisms for Punishing Atrocities Committed in Non-international Armed Conflicts

Three core crimes have emerged as a part of the jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals: war crimes; genocide; and crimes against humanity. Only two of these crimes (war crimes and genocide) have been addressed through a global treaty that requires States to prevent and punish such conduct and to cooperate among themselves toward those ends. Yet crimes against humanity may be more prevalent than either genocide or war crimes, and are a recurrent feature in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs).As such, a global convention on prevention, punishment, and inter-State cooperation with respect to crimes against humanity appears to be a key missing piece in the current framework of international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and international human rights law. Such a convention could help to stigmatize such egregious conduct, could draw further attention to the need for its prevention and punishment, and could help to harmonize national laws relating to such conduct, thereby opening the door to more meaningful inter-State cooperation on the investigation, prosecution, and extradition for such crimes. In July 2014, the International Law Commission embarked on the drafting of such a convention, in the hope of presentation to the U.N. General Assembly within the next five years. These remarks were the opening address at a conference on ‘Non-International Armed Conflicts (NIAC): Developments and Challenges’ held at Melbourne Law School, Australia, on 17 March 2015.
Professional and geographical network effects on healthcare information exchange growth: does proximity really matter?

Background and objective We postulate that professional proximity due to common patients and geographical proximity among practice locations are significant factors influencing the adoption of health information exchange (HIE) services by healthcare providers. The objective of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect network effects of these drivers on HIE diffusion. Design Multi-dimensional scaling and clustering are first used to create different clusters of physicians based on their professional and geographical proximities. Extending the Bass diffusion model to capture direct and indirect network effects among groups, the growth of HIE among these clusters is modeled and studied. The network effects among the clusters are investigated using adoption data over a 3-year period for an HIE based in Western New York. Measurement HIE adoption parameters—external sources of influence as well as direct and indirect network coefficients—are estimated by the extended version of the Bass diffusion model. Results Direct network effects caused by common patients among physicians are much more influential on HIE adoption as compared with previously investigated social contagion and external factors. Professional proximity due to common patients does influence adoption decisions; geographical proximity is also influential, but its effect is more on rural than urban physicians. Conclusions Flow of patients among different groups of physicians is a powerful factor in HIE adoption. Rather than merely following the market trend, physicians appear to be influenced by other physicians with whom they interact with and have common patients.
Tuning in to High-Fidelity Interventions: A Conversation With George Sugai

George Sugai is the Carole J. Neag Endowed Chair in Behavior Disorders in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. He previously served on the faculty at the University of Oregon and the University of Kentucky. At Connecticut, Dr. Sugai and colleagues established the Center for Behavioral Educational and Research (www.cber.org) to improve students’ academic and social behavior outcomes by studying and disseminating effective educational interventions.
Tuning of generation participation depending upon load demand

Through LFC tie-line interchange power of the area within prescribed limit and scheduled frequency of the system can maintain constant. Generally, Integral (conventional) Controllers are used in Load Frequency Controllers but they are quite slow. In this paper, we have used the PID controller for two-area power system in place of conventional controller and by using various adaption techniques we are tuning controllers. In order to verify the performance of PID and conventional controller, comparative results of both controllers are also presented. Overshoot and settling time are better with PID controller. The result demonstrates the effectiveness of PID controller over conventional controller. Different techniques like Ziegler Nichols and Nonlinear Control Design technique are used for comparing the responses of conventional controllers with PID controllers.
Binding between DNA and carbon nanotubes strongly depends upon sequence and chirality.

Certain single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) sequences are known to recognize their partner single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT). Here, we report on activation energies for the removal of several ssDNA sequences from a few CNT species by a surfactant molecule. We find that DNA sequences systematically have higher activation energy on their CNT recognition partner than on non-partner species. For example, the DNA sequence (TAT)4 has much lower activation energy on the (9,1) CNT than on its partner (6,5) CNT, whereas the DNA sequence (CCA)10 binds strongly to its partner (9,1) CNT compared to (6,5) CNT. The (6,5) and (9,1) CNTs have the same diameter but different electronic properties, suggesting that the activation energy difference is related to electronic properties. The activation energies of increasing lengths of closely related sequences from the 11-mer (TAT)3TA to the 21-mer (TAT)7 on three different CNT species (9,1), (6,5), and (8,3) were measured. For the shorter sequences, the activation energy on the CNT...
Applying Humanistic Psychology to Politics: The Case for Criminal Restitution

The field of humanistic political psychology should not only show how social problems result from psychological processes but also show which political practices best promote human growth. Three general principles guide the search for more humanistic political institutions. Better policies (1) result from a reconceptualization of underlying assumptions, (2) transcend political polarities by synthesizing conflicting positions, and (3) promote higher levels of psychological health. Criminal restitution exemplifies such a policy. The impending crisis in criminal punishment is described. Restitution is evaluated as an emerging alternative to conventional punishments. Measured against the three above criteria, restitution appears to be a practical policy that can contribute to a healthier society.
Simultaneous determination of acetone,ethyl acetate,benzene,toluene,and xylene in air of workplace by gas chromatography with dissolvent desorption

Objective:To establish a method for the simultaneous determination of acetone,ethyl acetate,benzene,toluene and xylene in the air of vehicle painting workplace by gas chromatography.Methods:Acetone,ethyl acetate,benzene,toluene and xylene in the air of workplace were collected with charcoal tube,then were injected after were desorbed with carbon disulfide,through 10% FFAP glass column(2 m×4 mm),primary temperature was 55℃ remain 2.5 minutes,elevate temperature to 100℃ at 40℃ per minute,remain 6 minutes.Results:Retention time of acetone,ethyl acetate,benzene,toluene,p,inter-Xylene and o-Xylene were 3.21,3.93,4.65,6.39,8.59 and 9.92 min.The linearity ranges were 10～1264 μg/ml,0.4～2519 μg/ml,0.9～35.1 μg/ml,1.8～104 μg/ml and 4.9～521 μg/ml(Xylene).The limits of detection were 10,1.8,0.9,1.8 and 4.9 μg/ml(Xylene).The coefficient of correlation were 0.9992,0.9993,0.9992,0.9994,0.9995 and 0.9993.Conclusion:The method is suitable to determine acetone,ethyl acetate,benzene,toluene and xylene in the air of vehicle painting workplace simultaneously.
The impact of transesophageal echocardiography on anesthesia management and surgery for left ventricular outflow tract obstruction patients

Objective:This study was designed to delineate the utility and results of intraoperative transesophageal echoeardiography(TEE)in the evaluation of patients undergoing left ventricular outflow tract(LVOT)obstruction surgery.Method:31 cases of LVOT obstruction surgery were studied retrospectively.Patients were divided into TEE group(G TEE)and group without using TEE(Gn).Postoperative left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradient,complications and outcome parameters were investigated and compared between two groups.Result:There were no differences between groups in cardiopulmonary bypass times and aorta occlusion times.LVOT pressure gradient of G TEE[(26±10)mmHg] was significantly lower than that of Gn group[(59±28)mmHg,P0.01].Complication and outcome parameters in G TEE were showed better than that in Gn group as well.Conclusion:Intraoperative TEE has positive impact on the management of anesthesia and surgery for LVOT obstruction patients.
The dynamics of electrical breakdown in liquid hydrocarbons. II

The development of an electrical spark in purified hydrocarbons has been studied using a pulsed laser schlieren technique. A 15 ns laser pulse, coming from a Q switched ruby laser was split into two or three beams. Two of the beams are sent through the test cell in the same direction with one delayed by 60 ns with respect to the other. They are projected onto two different cameras. With the help of the schlieren optics the movement of the charge carriers is indicated in terms of density gradients. The pictures so obtained suggest that the electrical breakdown column moves between the parallel surfaces somewhat similar to a tornado. The significance of these findings is discussed in the light of earlier results and a qualitative mechanism for electrical breakdown is proposed.
Adult Male Density Influences Juvenile Microhabitat Use in a Territorial Lizard

Habitat choice often has strong effects on performance and fitness. For many animals, optimal habitats differ across age or size classes, and individuals shift habitat use through ontogeny. Although many studies document ontogenetic habitat shifts for various taxa, most are observational and do not identify the causal factor of size-specific habitat variation. Field observations of the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei) show that juveniles perch on shorter and thinner vegetation than adults. We hypothesized that this variation is due to adult males forcing smaller juveniles to less preferred habitat. To test this assertion, we manipulated adult male densities in mesh enclosures with artificial trees to examine the response of juvenile microhabitat choice. We found that adult male density had strong effects on juvenile perch height, perch width, and substrate use, suggesting that age-class competition contributes to the observed ontogenetic differences in habitat choice. We also found that time of day significantly affected juvenile perch height and substrate use. In many cases, our results suggest that juveniles distance themselves from adults using different microhabitats from those used in our control ‘no-adult’ treatment. However, these findings were often body size dependent and varied depending upon time of day. This study highlights the complexity of juvenile perching behavior and demonstrates the role of intraspecific interactions in shaping habitat use by juvenile animals.
Implicitly Assisting Humans to Choose Good Grasps in Robot to Human Handovers

We focus on selecting handover configurations that result in low human ergonomic cost not only at the time of handover, but also when the human is achieving a goal with the object after that handover. People take objects using whatever grasping configuration is most comfortable to them. When the human has a goal pose they’d like to place the object at, however, the most comfortable grasping configuration at the handover might be cumbersome overall, requiring regrasping or the use of an uncomfortable configuration to reach the goal. We enable robots to purposefully influence the choices available to the person when taking the object, implicitly helping the person avoid suboptimal solutions and account for the goal. We introduce a probabilistic model of how humans select grasping configurations, and use this model to optimize expected cost. We present results in simulation, as well as from a user study, showing that the robot successfully influences people’s grasping configurations for the better.
Annual growth zones in stems of Hypericum irazuense (Guttiferae) in the Costa Rican páramos

AbstractThe high peaks of the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica support shrub- and grass-dominated paramo ecosystems that experience stand-replacing wildfires. The dry season that facilitates these fires results in dormancy in plant growth and provides an opportunity to use dendrochronological analyses to determine ages of plants in burn sites to support studies of fire history and postfire vegetation recovery. This study investigates the formation of annual growth zones in stems of the common shrub Hypericum irazuense. Unlike other paramo shrubs, H. irazuense rarely resprouts following fire, instead recovering through seedling recruitment following seed dispersal from the unburned periphery. Laboratory analysis of 19 prepared cross sections from 15 stems shows that samples of H. irazuense from burned areas can provide an estimate of the minimum number of years since the previous fire, supporting earlier work based on field examination of stems. Including a time lag for seedling recruitment or resprou...
Amino Acid Hydration Decreases Radiation-Induced Nausea in Mice: A Pica Model

Nausea and diarrhea are common yet inconsistent side effects of abdominal and pelvic irradiation. Their frequency, chronicity, and severity vary greatly, and the reasons for inter-subject variability are unknown. We studied the potential for radiation-induced changes in amino acid absorption and mucosal barrier function to lead to gastrointestinal toxicity. We found profound and prolonged changes in the absorption and secretion of several electrolytes and nutrients, caused by changes in transporter function, after radiation doses as low as 1 to 3 Gy. After identifying absorbed and non-absorbed amino acids, we demonstrated the role of a beneficial amino acid drink to alleviate radiation-related gastrointestinal symptoms in a mouse model.
Computational Challenges in Constructing the Tree of Life

Estimating the Tree of Life is one of the grand computational challenges in Science, and has applications to many areas of science and biomedical research. Despite intensive research over the last several decades, many problems remain inadequately solved. Relatively small datasets can take hundreds of CPU years (e.g., the Avian Phylogenomics Project analysis of just 48 bird genomes used more than 200 CPU years to construct its tree), and larger datasets will require much more time. Thus, the estimation of the Tree of Life, which contains millions of species each with a genome containing millions of nucleotides, will depend on both novel algorithmic designs and effective use of high performance and distributed computing platforms.
Patient priorities and the doorknob phenomenon in primary care: Can technology improve disclosure of patient stressors?

Abstract Objective Patients with multiple chronic conditions face many stressors (e.g. financial, safety, transportation stressors) that are rarely prioritized for discussion with the primary care provider (PCP). In this pilot randomized controlled trial we examined the effects of a novel technology-based intervention called Customized Care on stressor disclosure. Methods The main outcomes were stressor disclosure, patient confidence and activation, as assessed by self-report and observational methods (transcribed and coded audio-recordings of the office visit). Results Sixty patients were enrolled. Compared with care as usual, intervention patients were 6 times more likely to disclose stressors to the PCP (OR = 6.16, 95% CI [1.53, 24.81], p = 0.011) and reported greater stressor disclosure confidence (exp[B] = 1.06, 95% CI [1.01, 1.12], p = 0.028). No differences were found in patient activation or the length of the office visit. Conclusion Customized Care improved the likelihood of stressor disclosure without affecting the length of the PCP visit. Practice implications Brief technology-based interventions, like Customized Care could be made available through patient portals, or on smart phones, to prime patient-PCP discussion about difficult subjects, thereby improving the patient experience and efficiency of the visit.
Dependency of TLR4 signaling for the anti-inflammatory effect of exopolysaccharide (EPS) of Bacillus subtilis (MPF4P.731)

Although probiotics offer a promising source of therapeutic compounds, few studies have identified the bacterial molecules or host signaling pathways required for the immunomodulatory effects. We previously demonstrated that exopolysaccharide (EPS) from probiotic Bacillus subtilis is the bacterial molecule that prevents disease induced by the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium , a pathogen that shares many similarities to the human pathogen enteropathogenic E. coli . To begin to elucidate how EPS functions, we determined which cells are required for protection and found that mice depleted of macrophages using clodronate loaded liposomes are not protected from the pathogen. Further, transfer of macrophage-rich peritoneal cells from wt, but not TLR4 KO, EPS-treated mice conferred protection from pathogen-induced colitis; these data suggest a role for TLR4 and macrophages. Using flow cytometry and microscopy, we find that EPS binds F4/80 + CD11b + macrophages and co-localizes with TLR4. We also find that EPS binds both wt and TLR4 KO macrophages, suggesting that EPS binds to a component of the TLR4 signaling complex instead of TLR4 directly. We are immunoprecipitating the EPS receptor, predicted to be a co-receptor of the TLR4 signaling complex, and determining if EPS is an agonist or antagonist of TLR4 signaling. Our studies should lead to a new class of bacteria-derived immunomodulatory molecules.