cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urban Nomads of Petra: An Alternative Interpretation of the Bedoul Bedouin’s Relationship with History and Space

Jordan‟s efforts to become a stronger state in the global community have frequently conflicted with the Bedouin population‟s desire to continue its seminomadic and pastoral tradition. The Bedoul, who claim ancestral heritage to the ancient city of Petra, face a complex conflict with the urbanizing state. This paper offers an alternative evaluation of the relationship between the state and seminomadic communities by reexamining historical trends and the Bedoul Bedouin condition through a multi-dimensional analytic, which is inspired by the concept of the global city as defined by Saskia Sassen. By referring to this analytical lens as the “global city aesthetic,” I intend to make use of the analytical method that allowed for the global city to be defined, to make room for the reality of contradictions, and finally, to be sensitive to the imagery and dynamics inspired by the concept of the global city. Furthermore, I hope to demonstrate the ability of this alternative approach to transcend the limitations of historiographical approaches that emphasize divergent over synthetic trends, and thereby to reevaluate conflicts to create space for reconciliation. This analytical method also transcends the temporal hierarchy that overvalues the present and devalues the past by considering historical realities in an assessment of contemporary conditions. Finally, an application to the issue of desertification illustrates the analytic‟s versatility and relevance to a variety of issues.
Reconstruindo a tecnoliteracia: uma abordagem de múltiplas literacias

Much has been written that describes the history of the concept of “technological literacy”. This paper begins with a brief examination of the meanings that “technology” and “literacy” have received towards achieving insight into what sort of knowledge and skills “technoliteracy” hails. Richard Kahn and Douglas Kellner then summarize the broad trajectories of development in hegemonic programs of contemporary technoliteracy from their arguable origins as “computer literacy”. In contradistinction, they reveal how this approach has been tacitly challenged at the global institutional level through the United Nations’ Project 2000+, and theorize how this might link up with a democratic project of re-visioning education though multiple literacies. Finally, in closing, Kahn and Kellner think about what it will mean to reconstruct “technoliteracy” broadly in the various areas of society.
A new direction for albuminuria: an enigmatic multibiomarker.

The past 2 decades have witnessed a rising interest in biomarkers, as reflected by close to 6,500 publications in the past decade alone [(1)][1]. Several definitions of biomarkers have been suggested; I prefer to use the following: “A characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an
Review: scheduling safe movement of air traffic in crowded air spaces

This paper considers the problem of generating conflict-free movement schedules for a set of vehicles that are operating simultaneously in a common airspace. In both civilian air traffic management and military air campaign planning contexts, it is crucial that the movements of different vehicles be coordinated so as to avoid collisions and near misses. Our approach starts from a view of airspace management as a 4D resource allocation problem, where the space in which vehicles must maneuver is itself managed as a capacitated resource. We introduce a linear octree representation of airspace capacity to index vector-based vehicle routes and efficiently detect regions of potential conflict. Generalizing the notion of contention-based search heuristics, we next define a scheduling algorithm that proceeds by first solving a relaxed version of the problem to construct a spatial capacity profile (represented as an octree), and then using spatio-temporal regions where demand exceeds capacity to make conflict-avoiding vehicle routing and scheduling decisions. We illustrate the utility of this basic representation and search algorithm in two ways. First, to demonstrate the overall viability of the approach, we present experimental results using data representing a realistically sized air campaign planning domain. Second, we define a more abstract notion of 'encounter set', which tolerates some amount of conflict on the assumption that on-board deconfliction processes can take appropriate avoidance maneuvers at execution time, and show that generation of this more abstract form of predictive guidance can be obtained without loss in computational efficiency.
The vegetation greenness trend in Canada and US Alaska from 1984–2012 Landsat data

To assess the North American high-latitude vegetation response to the rising temperature, we derived NDVI end for 91.2% of the non-water, non-snow land area of Canada and Alaska using the peak-summer Landsat surface reflectance data of 19842012. Our analysis indicated that 29.4% and 2.9 of the land area of Canada and Alaska showed statistically significant positive (greening) and negative (browning) trends respectively, at significance level p b 0.01, after burned forest areas were masked out. The area with greening trend dominated over that with browning trend for all land cover types. The greening occurred primarily in the tundra of western Alaska, along the north coast of Canada and in northeastern Canada; the most intensive and extensive greening occurred in Quebec and Labrador. The browning occurred mostly in the boreal forests of eastern Alaska. The Landsat-based greenness trend is broadly similar to the 8-km GIMMS AVHRR-based trend for all vegetation zones. However, for tundra, the Landsat data indicated much less extensive greening in Alaska North Slope and much more extensive greening in Quebec and Labrador, and substantially less extensive browning trend in the boreal forests that were free of fire disturbances. These differences call for further validation of the Landsat reflectance and the AVHRR NDVI datasets. Correlation study with local environmental factors, such as topography, glacial history and soil condition, will be needed to understand the heterogeneous greenness change at the Landsat scale.
Plasticity of Hippocampal Excitatory-Inhibitory Balance: Missing the Synaptic Control in the Epileptic Brain

Synaptic plasticity is the capacity generated by experience to modify the neural function and, thereby, adapt our behaviour. Long-term plasticity of glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission occurs in a concerted manner, finely adjusting the excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) balance. Imbalances of E/I function are related to several neurological diseases including epilepsy. Several evidences have demonstrated that astrocytes are able to control the synaptic plasticity, with astrocytes being active partners in synaptic physiology and E/I balance. Here, we revise molecular evidences showing the epileptic stage as an abnormal form of long-term brain plasticity and propose the possible participation of astrocytes to the abnormal increase of glutamatergic and decrease of GABAergic neurotransmission in epileptic networks.
Numerical Methods for Non-Zero-Sum Stochastic Differential Games: Convergence of the Markov Chain Approximation Method

The Markov chain approximation method is an efficient and popular collection of methods for the numerical solution of stochastic control problems in continuous time, for reflected-jump-diffusion-type models and the convergence proofs have been extended to zero-sum stochastic differential games. We apply it to a class of non-zero-sum stochastic differential games with a diffusion system model where the controls for the two players are separated, It is shown that equilibrium values for the approximating chain converge to equilibrium values for the original process and that any equilibrium value for the original process can be approximated by an e-equilibrium for the chain for arbitrarily small e > 0. The actual numerical algorithm is that for a stochastic game for a finite-state Markov chain.
The role of non-financial measures in controlling myopic activities: the case of hard selling

Using a principal-agent framework, many analytical studies have examined the role of non-financial or additional performance measures in enhancing long-run efforts such as customer service. However, myopic activities that enhance short-term firm performance at the expense of long-term profitability are prevalent across industries (and perhaps nations). Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate when and how non-financial measures may be used to control such myopic activities. Specifically, we investigate the interaction between a myopic behaviour known as hard selling and a specific non-financial measure (customer satisfaction), often used to measure the customer irritation that results from hard selling. Prior studies suggest that non-financial measures are always a valuable addition because they increase the level of long-run efforts and decrease the (over) reliance on financial incentives. In contrast, we find that non-financial measures may not always be valuable in controlling myopic activities, and when valuable, they may either increase or decrease the reliance on a financial measure such as accounting earnings. In addition, the impact of non-financial measures on myopic activities varies widely, ranging from no impact at all to complete elimination. Overall, these insights enhance our understanding of the role of non-financial measures in controlling myopic activities, in contrast to enhancing long-run efforts.
Discordant hepatic expression of the cell division control enzyme p34cdc2 kinase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, p53 tumor suppressor protein, and p21Waf1 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory protein after WY14,643 ([4-chloro-6-(2,3-xylidino)-2-pyrimidinylthio]acetic acid) dosing to rats.

The hepatocarcinogen and peroxisome proliferator WY14,643 {[4-chloro-6-(2,3-xylidino)-2-pyrimidinylthio]acetic acid} was examined for its ability to induce changes in the intracellular protein expression of hepatic p34cdc2 kinase (CDK1), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p53 tumor suppressor protein, and p21Waf1 CDK inhibiting protein. Young, adult male rats were administered 45 mg-kg/day WY14,643 intraperitoneally for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days or fed diets containing 0% or 0.08% WY14,643 for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks. WY14,643 dosing increased concentrations of hepatic proteins of 34- and 37-kDa molecular mass, which were identified through immunoprecipitation as CDK1 and PCNA, respectively. Gel filtration of the hepatic S9 fractions determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the increased expression of CDK1 and PCNA immunoreactivity in livers from WY14,643-treated rats. Also, gel filtration revealed that the native CDK1 and PCNA in hepatic S9 from WY14,643-treated rats chromatographed as a major peak with an apparent molecular mass of 70 and 76 kDa, respectively. Immunoblotting of the 70-kDa fraction with anti-CDK1 revealed a single band of molecular mass of 34 kDa. Thus, the CDK1 in the major immunoreactive peak of WY14,643-treated rat liver S9 seems to exist as a heterodimer or homodimer. Immunohistochemistry of formalin-fixed liver demonstrated a cytosolic localization of immunoreactive CDK1 and nuclear localization of immunoreactive PCNA in proliferating cells of WY14,643-treated rat livers. WY14,643 increased hepatic CDK1 content by 1.9–6.3-fold through postdosing days 1–5. Hepatic PCNA content was increased 1.9–5-fold over the same period. In the 4-week feeding study, CDK1 and PCNA expression were increased at all weekly time points by an average of 15–50-fold, respectively. Furthermore, the dietary administration of 0.08% WY14,643 resulted in sustained, overexpression of hepatic p53 tumor suppressor protein from week 1 through week 4 and of p21Waf1 CDK inhibitory protein from week 3 to week 4.
The analysis about QTL location of rape flowering trait

In the case of QTL of flowering rape,using the single-marker analysis,interval mapping,composite interval mapping and Bayesian methods for QTL mapping,it comes out a preliminary estimate of QTL location of rape flowering trait,then the author analyses and compares the results of various methods.
Intermittent hypoxia initiated plasticity in humans: A multipronged therapeutic approach to treat sleep apnea and overlapping co-morbidities

Over the past three decades exposure to intermittent hypoxia (IH) has generally been considered a stimulus associated with a number of detrimental outcomes. However, there is sufficient evidence to link IH to many beneficial outcomes but they have largely been ignored, particularly in the field of sleep medicine in the United States. Recent reviews have postulated that this apparent contradiction is related to the severity and duration of exposure to IH; mild forms of IH initiate beneficial outcomes while severe forms of IH are coupled to detrimental consequences. In the present review we explore the role that IH has in initiating respiratory plasticity and the potential this form of plasticity has to mitigate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in humans. In taking this approach, we address the possibility that IH could serve as an adjunct therapy coupled with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to treat OSA. Our working hypothesis is that exposure to mild IH leads to respiratory plasticity that manifests in increased stability of the upper airway, which could ultimately reduce the CPAP required to treat OSA. In turn, this reduction could increase CPAP compliance and extend the length of treatment each night, which might improve the magnitude of outcome measures. Improved treatment compliance coupled with the direct effect that IH has on numerous overlapping conditions (i.e. asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, spinal cord injury) may well lead to substantial improvements that exceed outcomes following treatment with CPAP alone. Overall, this review will consider evidence from the published literature which suggests that IH could serve as an effective multipronged therapeutic approach to treat sleep apnea and its overlapping co-morbidities.
Construction of recombinant adenoviruses expressing the helicobacter pylori CagA antigen

AIM: To construct a replication - defective reeombinant adenovirus, which expresses the CagA gene. METHODS AND RESULTS: The CagA gene was amplified by PCR. This heterogeneous gene was cloned into shuttle vector pAd-Track - CMV. The reeombinant adenovirus DNA was obtained by the homologous recombination between the shuttle vector and adenovirus DNA in E. coli 5183. After linearization, the reeombinant adenovirus DNA was transfected into 293 cells and the reeombinant adenovirus was obtained. Through this technique, the replication - defective reeombinant adenovirus AdEasyCagA was constructed. CONCLUSIONS: The replication- defective reeombinant adenoviruses AdEasyCagA was constructed successfully. The work will make a good foundation for studying the effects of the replication - defective reeombinant adenovirus on Th1/Th2 balance in asthma and be useful for finding a new pathway to prevent and cure asthma.
Complex Adaptive Schools: Educational Leadership and School Change

This paper utilizes the theoretical framework of complexity theory to compare and contrast leadership and educational change in two urban schools. Drawing on the notion of a complex adaptive system—an interdependent network of interacting elements that learns and evolves in adapting to an ever-shifting context—our case studies seek to reveal the complexities, tensions, characteristics, and related implications for school leadership derived from using this heuristic to understand adaptive change. In particular, we highlight the need to disrupt the status quo as a precursor to adaptive change, the power generated by distributing authority through decentralized networks, the importance of relational trust, and the impact of school culture.
Sexuality, Disability and Women’s Lived Experience

The disability rights movement has been highly instrumental in promulgating a socio-political understanding of disability and highlighting barriers to social and economic participation by affected individuals. Its commitment to the elucidation and eradication of barriers to education, employment and civic participation has contributed immeasurably to the well being of women and men with disabilities.
A Comparison of Prognostic Ability of Staging Systems for Human Papillomavirus-Related Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Importance The current American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) staging system, developed for human papillomavirus (HPV)-unrelated disease, discriminates poorly when applied to HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC), leading to calls for a new staging system. Objective To compare the prognostic ability of the AJCC/UICC seventh edition staging system; a recently proposed system, the International Collaboration on Oropharyngeal Cancer Network for Staging (ICON-S); and a novel objectively derived system for HPV-related OPSCC using a national database of patients primarily treated with either radiation or surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants In this observational study, patients with HPV-related nonmetastatic OPSCC were identified in the National Cancer Database between 2010 and 2012. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was used to derive the proposed-RPA staging system. The data were analyzed from March to May 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Overall survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The performance of the 3 systems was compared using published criteria, and internal validation using bootstrap methods was performed. Survival differences between stage groups were evaluated using the log-rank test. Results A total of 5626 patients (86.0% male; median [range] age, 58 [21-90] years) were identified. The median (range) follow-up was 28.5 (0.1-58.8) months. A novel staging system (proposed-RPA) consisting of stage IA, T1-2N0-2a; stage IB, T1-2N2b-3; stage II, T3N0-3; stage III, T4a-bN0-3 resulted in 3-year overall survival rates of 91%, 87%, 81%, and 70%, respectively. This system, as well as the ICON-S, significantly prognosticated for survival when either primary surgery or primary radiation subgroups were examined (log-rank P P P = .17). On comparative performance evaluation for survival prediction, the proposed-RPA provided superior prognostication compared with the other systems. Conclusions and Relevance We validated the ICON-S staging as prognostic, overall, and in primary radiation therapy and surgery subgroups, but ultimately found that a staging system consisting of stage IA, T1-2N0-2a; stage IB, T1-2N2b-3; stage II, T3N0-3; and stage III, T4a-bN0-3 (with stage IV representing M1 disease) outperformed the others. The proposed-RPA is an alternative staging system that should be evaluated for potential adoption as part of the next AJCC/UICC staging system.
Mutations in the mutY gene of Escherichia coli enhance the frequency of targeted G:C → T:A transversions induced by a single 8-oxoguanine residue in single-stranded DNA

Oxidative damage to guanine in DNA results in the formation of 8-oxoguanine, which has been shown to induce G → T transversions targeted to this site. The mutagenicity of this lesion was studied in several mutator strains of Escherichia coli, using single-stranded DNA containing a single 8-oxoguanine residue. The frequencies of targeted G → T transversions increased markedly in mutY strains, while this mutagenic event was not affected in mutM or mutS strains. Introdution of a mutM mutation into a mutY strain caused a somewhat higher frequency of G → T transversions than that in the mutY strain and the effect of a mutS mutation was marginal. We conclude that the mutY gene plays a crucial role in preventing targeted G → T mutations derived from misreplication of the 8-oxoguanine-containing template DNA.
Poland’s Syndrome

Poland’s Syndrome, in the classic sense, is the unilateral absence of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle, ipsilateral breast hypoplasia, and a concomitant, ipsilateral hand deformity. The syndrome has since evolved to encompass a myriad of anomalies, which rarely present collectively in the same individual. What is consistent in all cases is the congenital absence of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle, which has become pathognomonic for the disease.
Ileocecal valve lipoma with refractory hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND Lipomas are the most common benign mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, with the colon being the most prevalent site. Intestinal lipomas are usually asymptomatic. Tumors >2 cm in diameter may occasionally cause nonspecific symptoms, including change in bowel habits, abdominal pain, or rectal bleeding, but with resection the prognosis is excellent. Herein, we describe the case of an elderly male who presented with painless hematochezia. METHODS Both colonoscopy and computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis confirmed the presence of a mass near the ileocecal valve. Because of continuing bleeding, the patient required laparoscopic-assisted right hemicolectomy to resect the mass. RESULTS Both gross and microscopic pathology were consistent with lipoma at the ileocecal valve. CONCLUSION Previous cases of ileocecal valve lipomas have been reported in the English literature, with the majority presenting as intussusception or volvulus. We present a rare case of an ulcerated ileocecal valve lipoma presenting as lower gastrointestinal bleeding that was treated successfully with laparoscopic resection.
Implementing Quality Control of High-Frequency Radar Estimates and Application to Gulf Stream Surface Currents

AbstractQuality control procedures based on nonvelocity parameters for use with a short-range radar system are applied with slight modification to long-range radar data collected offshore of North Carolina. The radar footprint covers shelf and slope environments and includes a segment of the Gulf Stream (GS). Standard processed and quality controlled (QCD) radar data are compared with 4 months of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) time series collected at three different sites within the radar footprint. Two of the ADCP records are from the shelf and the third is on the upper slope and is frequently within the GS. Linear regression and Bland–Altman diagrams are used to quantify the comparison. QCD data at all sites have reduced scatter and improved correlation with ADCP observations relative to standard processed data. Uncertainty is reduced by approximately 20%, and linear regression slopes and correlation coefficients increase by about 0.1. At the upper slope site, the QCD data also produced a sig...
Bounded inhomogeneous wave profiles for increased surface wave excitation efficiency at fluid-solid interfaces.

Though the ultrasonic excitation of surface waves in solids is generally realized through the use of a contact transducer, remote excitation would enable standoff testing in applications such as the nondestructive evaluation of structures. With respect to the optimal incident wave profile, bounded inhomogeneous waves, which include an exponentially decaying term, have been shown to improve the surface wave excitation efficiency as compared to Gaussian and square waves. The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of varying the incident wave spatial decay rate, as applied to both lossless fluid–solid interfaces and to solids with viscoelastic losses included. The Fourier method is used to decompose the incident profile and subsequently compute the reflected wave profile. It is shown that inhomogeneous plane wave theory predicts, to a close approximation, the location of the minimum in the local reflection coefficient with respect to the decay rate for bounded incident waves. Moreover, plane wave ...
Thalamocortical transmission of visual information in awake mice involves phase synchronization and spike synchrony at high gamma frequencies

Synchronization of neuronal spike activity is thought to play a key role in the transmission of information for sensory processing in the brain, and this synchronization is influenced by oscillatory population activity occurring in multiple frequency ranges at multiple stages of sensory pathways. In the neocortex, gamma frequency oscillations appear to play an important role in synchronizing neuronal ensembles and allowing for selective communication between regions, yet relatively little is known about whether gamma oscillations facilitate transmission of sensory information from thalamus to cortex. Here, we investigate the role of gamma oscillations in promoting synchronous spike activity between the visual thalamus (dLGN) and primary visual cortex (V1) in awake mice, a model sensory system with prominent gamma oscillations that are modulated by visual input. We demonstrate that transmission of visual information to cortex involves phase-synchronized oscillations in the high gamma range (50-90Hz), with concomitant millisecond-scale synchronization of thalamic and cortical spike activity. Transition from a full-field gray image to a high-contrast checkerboard image caused gamma activity to rapidly increase in amplitude, frequency, and bandwidth, yet the gamma oscillations in dLGN and V1 maintained a consistent phase relationship. High contrast stimulation also caused an increase in amplitude of oscillations in the beta and low gamma range, but those were not associated with synchronous thalamic activity. These results indicate a role for high gamma oscillations in mediating the functional connectivity between thalamic and cortical neurons in the visual pathway, a similar role to beta oscillations in primates.
Improving transitions of care: a resident-driven approach to address delays in patient care during the direct admission process.

Background The direct admission process is a complex system that can be aggravated by inherent gaps in communication leading to inefficient continuity of care and patient safety issues. Bypassing the emergency room, triage is often associated with long periods of unmonitored observation and significant delays in patient assessment. We identified significant communication gaps, delays in placement of admission orders and patient assessment during the direct admission process at our institution. To address this issue, we created and implemented a standardised direct admission flow diagram that consists of a step-by- step direct admission process, which includes a communication device and a triage power plan in the Electronic Medical Record. Methods We used the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model for Quality improvement to address communication gaps in the direct admission process Baseline measurement confirmed two critical gaps in communication: 1) communication to the Medical Admitting Resident (MAR), the central source of communication of all medicine admissions, and 2) delays in placement of orders and assessment of the patient. Results Two months after implementation of a standardised process that addressed the two major gaps in communication, we found that communication to the MAR increased from 16% (7/42) to 100% (15/15). Additionally, the average time for order placement and assessment of patient decreased from 153 minutes to 53 minutes (n=15). Conclusion In order to improve the safety of direct admissions, the entire process must be carefully analysed and potential delays in patient assessment should be minimised. A standardised flow diagram that identified and targeted specific communication gaps can minimise delays in patient care.
The long tail of a demon drug: The 'bath salts' risk environment.

Abstract Using the case of synthetic cathinones (commonly referred to as ‘bath salts' in the US context), this paper analyses structural factors surrounding novel psychoactive substances (NPS) as contributing to the unique risk environment surrounding their use. Drawing on interviews with 39 people who use bath salts from four U.S. cities and analysis of the infrastructural, social, economic, and policy contexts, we document the unique harms related to changing contexts for illicit drug regulation, manufacture, and consumption. Findings suggest that NPS and designer drug markets, which are highly reliant upon the internet, share characteristics of the entertainment industry which has come to rely more heavily upon profits derived from the ‘long tail' of myriad lesser-known products and the diminished centrality of ‘superstars' and ‘hits'. Findings point toward increased theoretical and policy attention to changing drug market structures, more rigorous evaluations of drug ‘analogues' legislation and greater involvement with NPS education and testing by harm reduction agencies.
Power efficient synchronous counter design

Abstract The Performance of any VLSI circuit depends on its design architecture, which optimizes power and provides high reliability. To design any circuit with low power, power optimization of circuit at different levels is needed. Most of the system level architectures consists of sequential circuits, design of these circuits plays an pivotal role in reducing overall power of the system. Counters are basic building blocks in many VLSI applications such as timers, memories, ADCs/DACs, frequency dividers etc. It is observed that design of counters has power overhead because of requirement of high power consumption for the clock signal distribution and undesired activity of flip-flops due to presence of clocks. In this brief, we propose a power efficient design of synchronous counters that reduces the power consumption due to clock distribution for different flip-flops and offers high reliability. The proposed counter design is evaluated and analyzed in terms of power in a standard 45 nm CMOS technology in CADENCE and also evaluated in Synopsys Design Compiler and IC Compiler for ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) synthesis results. The proposed counter design has lower power requirement and power-area product than existing counter architectures and the power reduction is more significant for wide-bit counters.
Roles of Guilt Cognitions in Trauma-Related Sleep Disturbance in Military Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

ABSTRACTObjective/Background: Despite a well-established role of guilt cognitions in the maintenance and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), relationships of guilt cognitions to nightmares are not well understood. This study investigated the ways in which guilt cognitions, related to traumatic events, influenced the relationship between combat exposure and trauma-related sleep disturbance in military Veterans with PTSD. Participants: We recruited a sample of 50 Veterans with PTSD who completed study measures at a screening session. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures of exposure to potentially traumatic events, trauma-related guilt (hindsight bias, wrongdoing, and lack of justification) and trauma-related sleep disturbance as measured by a self-report scale and clinician ratings of nightmare severity. Results: Bivariate regression analyses established a relationship of combat exposure to wrongdoing (β = .31, p = .031), and a relationship of wrongdoing with self-reported tra...
Case 3: Two-Day-Old Infant with Purulent Eye Discharge

A term male infant born via spontaneous vaginal delivery has Apgar scores of 9 and 9. Two days after birth, he is noted to have copious purulent discharge with mild conjunctival edema of the left eye and mild discharge from the right eye. Erythromycin eye ointment is administered to the neonate shortly after birth per routine protocol. Maternal medical history is noncontributory, with her obstetric record showing no history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Warm compresses and tear duct massage are ordered based on a suspicion of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Overnight the infant develops increased eye drainage. On physical examination, the upper eyelids appear edematous and erythematous (left greater than right) with purulent discharge bilaterally, similar to the infant in the Fig. The conjunctivae are noted to be beefy red. Eye cultures are performed and gentamicin ointment administered. Figure. Newborn with gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum caused by a maternally transmitted gonococcal infection. (Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Image Library (PHIL), identification number #3766. CDC/ J. Pledger.) Three days after birth, in the setting of worsening bilateral edema and copious drainage, the parents are questioned in greater detail regarding their STI history. At this time, the mother discloses that 3 days before delivery she had undergone STI testing because the infant’s father had been recently treated empirically for an STI. The mother is currently unaware of her test …
On the nature of β-galactosidase synthesized by the DNA-directed cell-free system

The β-galactosidase product of the DNA-directed cell-free system for the synthesis of protein of the lac operon, developed by Zubay and his colleagues, has been purified to radioactive homogeneity and compared to wild-type β-galactosidase. When analyzed by sucrose gradient centrifugation, SDS-gel electrophoresis, and kinetic analysis, the purified cell-free enzyme behaves identically to the purified wild-type β-galactosidase.
Microbicidal activity of tripotassium phosphate and fatty acids toward spoilage and pathogenic bacteria associated with poultry

The ability of solutions of tripotassium phosphate (TPP) and fatty acids (lauric and myristic acids) to reduce populations of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms associated with processed poultry was examined. In vitro studies were conducted with cultures of bacteria (Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus) and yeasts (Candida ernobii and Yarrowia lipolytica). Cultures of the bacteria and yeasts were suspended in solutions of TPP or mixtures of TPP with lauric or myristic acid and mixed for 5 min. Viable numbers (log CFU per milliliter) in the suspensions were enumerated on microbiological agar. Results indicated that TPP solutions are highly bactericidal toward gram-negative bacteria and that mixtures of TPP and fatty acids are highly microbicidal toward gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and yeasts. The microbicidal activity of mixtures of TPP and fatty acids toward the native bacterial flora of skin of processed broiler carcasses was also examined. Skin samples were washed in mixtures of TPP and fatty acid, and the populations of total aerobic bacteria, campylobacters, enterococci, E. coli, lactic acid bacteria, pseudomonads, staphylococci, and yeasts in the skin rinsates were enumerated on the appropriate microbiological media. Results indicated that washing the skin in mixtures of TPP and fatty acids produced significant reductions in the number of aerobic bacteria, campylobacters, E. coli, pseudomonads, and yeasts recovered from skin rinsates, but there was no significant reduction in the populations of enterococci, lactic acid bacteria, or staphylococci. These findings indicate that mixtures of TPP and fatty acids possess microbicidal activity against several microorganisms associated with processed poultry and that these solutions could be useful as microbicides to reduce the populations of some bacteria and yeasts associated with some poultry processing operations.
Gray literature in systematic reviews on population health in the Middle East and North Africa: protocol of an overview of systematic reviews and evidence mapping

Systematic review (SR) guidelines recommend extending literature search to gray literature in order to identify all available data related to the review topic. We aim to conduct an overview of SRs on population health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), to assess the methodology of these SRs, to produce an evidence map highlighting methodological gaps in SRs regarding gray literature searching, and to aid in developing future SRs by listing gray literature sources related to population health in MENA. We will conduct an overview of SRs based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. This overview will be reported following PRISMA 2009 guidelines. Using comprehensive search criteria, we will search the PubMed database to identify relevant SRs published since 2008. Our primary outcomes are gray literature sources and study-level quality in the gray literature. We will include MENA countries with Arabic, English, French, and/or Urdu as primary official languages and/or media of instruction in universities. Two reviewers will independently conduct a multilevel screening on Rayyan software. Extraction of relevant data will be done on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The methodological quality of included SRs will be assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool. Any disagreements will be resolved by discussion and consensus. We will estimate the overall proportion of SRs that used gray literature as one of their data sources. Subgroup analyses will be conducted to identify characteristics of these gray literature sources. Chi-squared and t tests will be used to determine whether the differences between subgroups are statistically significant. Additionally, an evidence gap map will be constructed to highlight characteristics and quality of the gray literature used in SRs on population health in MENA and emphasize existing gaps in gray literature searching. We will also list gray literature sources identified in the included SRs stratified by country and research topic. This overview will comprehensively assess the overall quality of the SRs on population health issues in MENA. Our findings will contribute to the improvement of population health research practices in MENA. The systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 26 October 2018 (registration number CRD42017076736 (Syst Rev 2:4, 2013).
Teaching to teach systems and networks: preparing to teach for water resilience in the K-12 classroom

In K-12 education in the USA, teachers are typically trained to work in content area silos. This structure shapes how teacher certification is organized as well. Biology, chemistry, economics, and urban planning are each considered distinct disciplines. Although there are some benefits to this approach in terms of focus and scope, there are also limits. Deeply integrated topics such as water resilience require a more unified and interdisciplinary pedagogical approach. This paper describes work done to train new science teachers to utilize systems and network models through the use of concept mapping to reconstruct their thinking and understanding of such topics. These teachers were then asked to create appropriate unit and lesson plans that reflected these system and network models. Preliminary findings suggest that educators who participated in this training were better able to teach deeply integrated topics to their K-12 students in more meaningful and productive ways.
Eighteen years of clinical experience with a modification of the Bentall button technique for total root replacement.

Background: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with the modified Bentall procedure and evaluated the short- and long-term results over a period of 18 years. Methods: Between 1999 and 2017, 89 patients with a mean age of 57.3±13.9 years underwent the modified Bentall operation with a slight modification for the correction of aortic root disease. Results: The operative mortality was 1.1% while the overall early mortality rate, defined as death within 30 days of initial hospitalization, was 2.2% (2/89). Logistic regression analysis revealed that increased Euroscore and aortic cross-clamp times were associated with greater likelihood for complications. The overall survival rates for the 89 patients (including deaths occurred at the initial hospitalization) were 93.0% (SE =3.0%) at 6 months, 93.0% (SE =3.0%) at 1 year, 89% (SE =5.0%) at 5 years and 73.0% (SE =5.0%) at 10, 15 and 18 years. Multiple Cox regression analysis for survival identified that increased aortic cross-clamp time, increased age, having a concomitant cardiac procedure and increased NYHA Class were associated with greater hazard. Left ventricular remodeling was assessed by means of echocardiography preoperatively and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Conclusions: According to our experience, the Bentall procedure is a safe procedure, provides optimal long-term survival and can still be regarded as the gold standard procedure for aortic root replacement.
TLM measurements varying the intrinsic a-Si:H layer thickness in silicon heterojunction solar cells

Silicon heterojunction solar cells are a promising device architecture due to their high efficiencies, yet these cells tend to suffer from high series resistances. Until recently, little has been done to understand the main factors contributing to the high resistance. Here we begin a systematic analysis to determine the important interactions between the different layers in the hole-collecting contact consisting of a stack of a-Si:H(i)/aSi:H(p)/ITO/Ag. We attempt to address how the stack performs when the intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si:H(i)) layer thickness is varied. Specifically, we determine how the thickness affects the fill factor of the cell and assess how much of the detriment is due to the contact resistivity. For increasing a-Si:H(i) thicknesses between 4 and 16 nm, we find contact resistivities increasing from 0.48 to 1.9 Ωcm2 and fill factors decreasing from 76.9% to 71.1%. Additionally, to understand the physics behind these effects, we simulate the contact resistivity variation by modeling the ITO as a Schottky contact and a semiconductor.
Associations between screen time and sleep duration are primarily driven by portable electronic devices: evidence from a population-based study of U.S. children ages 0-17.

Abstract Study objectives Excessive screen time in child and adolescent populations is associated with short sleep duration, but the unique effects of portable vs. non-portable electronic devices has received little attention. Moreover, it is unknown whether the effects of these devices change across childhood. To address these gaps, the current study compared the association of portable vs. non-portable electronic devices with sleep duration throughout childhood. Methods Data were from a 2016 national survey of the caregivers of 43,755 children and adolescents ages 0–17 administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Results Children and adolescents who spent more time on screens slept fewer hours and were more likely to get insufficient sleep. In multivariate regressions including time spent on TV and video game consoles and portable electronic devices, associations with sleep duration were primarily due to portable electronic devices. These results remained when demographic variables, diagnoses of anxiety or depression, physical activity, and BMI were included in the model. Moreover, time spent using both portable and non-portable devices was important for sleep duration in children under age 10, but the importance of non-portable devices diminished in children over 10. Conclusions Spending multiple hours a day on electronic devices is associated with shorter sleep duration across all ages. However, portable electronic devices have a stronger association with sleep duration than non-portable electronic screens, with non-portable devices less relevant for sleep duration in children over age 10. The findings suggest that future interventions should uniquely target portable electronic devices while also accounting for the age group of children targeted.
A surrogate model based on sparse grid interpolation for boiling water reactor subchannel void distribution

Abstract Boiling water reactors are simulated using nodal diffusion core simulators which rely upon homogenized and condensed cross sections from a lattice physics code. In the lattice calculation, the void distribution is typically assumed to be uniform in the radial direction. To remove this assumption, a thermal hydraulic code can be coupled with a lattice physics code to include a radial void distribution in the cross sections. To minimize the additional computational costs, a surrogate model can be generated for the thermal hydraulic code. In this research, a surrogate model is generated for the thermal hydraulic code F-COBRA-TF using sparse grid interpolation. The surrogate model is tested on how well it can reproduce the F-COBRA-TF void distribution for various conditions on the ATRIUM 10 assembly. The surrogate model is found to be effective at reproducing the F-COBRA-TF void distribution and reducing the computational costs from the order of minutes to about a second. A coupling is created between the surrogate model and the lattice physics code APOLLO2-A. Including the void distribution in the lattice physics calculation is found to have a large effect on the gadolinium worth.
Outcomes of DCD kidneys recovered for transplantation with versus without pre-mortem heparin administration

Background Pre-mortem heparin administration during donation after circulatory death (DCD) organ recovery may be particularly important to improve perfusion and prevent graft thrombosis. However, pre-mortem heparin administration is not universally practiced in the US and scarce data exist regarding its efficacy. Methods Using a national transplant registry data, we identified DCD kidneys recovered for transplantation from January 1, 2003, to March 10, 2017, and examined discard and outcomes after transplantation using bivariate and multivariable analyses. Organs with unknown or missing donor heparin status (n = 193), seropositive HIV (n = 10), HTLV (n = 33), hepatitis B (n = 26), or hepatitis C (n = 648) were excluded. Results Of 24 861 DCD kidneys recovered with (n = 22 557) or without pre-mortem heparin administration (n = 2304), discard occurred in 19.1% and 20.8%, respectively (P = 0.05). On multivariate analysis, heparin use was not associated with discard (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.89-1.17, P = 0.820). Overall graft survival of no-heparin (n = 1791) vs heparin groups (n = 17 968) was similar on univariate and multivariate analysis (aHR 0.98, 95% CI 0.87-1.09, P = 0.640). Conclusion DCD kidneys from donors that have not received pre-mortem heparin administration have acceptable transplant outcomes and are not associated with discard.
Slavery and Construction at the Royal Palace of Caserta

In documenting architecture9s history, scholars have frequently overlooked the use of slave labor. In Slavery and Construction at the Royal Palace of Caserta, Robin L. Thomas examines the lives of the slaves who built the palace, begun in 1752 near Naples. Most of the slaves employed there were Muslim corsairs who had been captured at sea, and they were caught up in long-standing political and religious conflicts between the Two Sicilies and the Maghreb states. Converting these Muslim captives to Christianity became a key part of the Neapolitan court9s efforts to battle the corsair threat, and Caserta was one of the places where conversion efforts were most successful. The costs and risks associated with slave labor were often high, making the use of slaves in some ways impractical and inefficient in an area with ample nonslave laborers available. Yet in building the royal palace these converted slaves played a role that served more than practical purposes. Their presence became a symbol of the monarchy9s military and religious triumphs.