cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternative Paths: Soviets and Americans, 1917-1920

Between 1917-1920 - from the Bolshevik Revolution to the definitive statement of American opposition to Bolshevik Russia - Soviets and Americans searched for ways to effect meaningful interaction between the nations in the absence of formal diplomatic relations. During these years wide-ranging discussions occurred on a variety of serious issues, from military collaboration and economic relations to the comprehensive settlement of political and military disputes. At the same time extensive debates took place in both countries about the nature of the relations between them. As McFadden shows in this pathbreaking book, based on research in Soviet archives, as well as previously unused private collections and government archives in the United States and Great Britain, a surprising number of concrete agreements were reached between the two countries, including continued operation of the American Red Cross in Russia, the transfer of war materials from the Russian army to the Americans, the sale of strategic supplies of platinum from the Bolsheviks to the United States, the exemption of a number of American corporations from Soviety nationalization, and the numerous trade contracts betwen the Soviet government and American firms. Numerous imkportant diplomats and politicians were involved in these negotiations. Most of the details, characters and nature of these discussions and their efforts have previously been overlooked or downplayed by historians. In the post-Cold War era, such a re-evaluation should have special relevance. re-evaluation of this critical period, McFadden shows how a surprising number of concrete agreements were reached between the two nations, and the relevance of this in light of current events such as glasnost.
Reevaluating the self-medication hypothesis among the dually diagnosed

The self-medication hypothesis (SMH) is an intuitively appealing explanation for substance use. Conceptually, however, it is not always clear what the hypothesis entails, particularly when applied to persons with mental and substance use disorders. This makes empirical support for SMH difficult to evaluate. By classifying the self-reported reasons for substance use from 33 participants in a NIMH-funded qualitative study of dual diagnosis and homelessness, this study aims to evaluate the applicability of SMH. How one conceptualizes SMH will determine whether SMH is empirically supported. When SMH refers to using substances strictly to cope with symptoms of mental disorders, only 11 out of 72 attributions support it. When SMH refers to using substances to cope with painful feelings in general, more than half of all attributions support SMH. The significance of accurately understanding the various reasons people give for why they use substances is discussed.
Worst case identification in discrete and continuous time systems

The problem of system identification is considered for single-input-single-output stable linear discrete- and continuous-time time-invariant systems. Worst-case asymptotic optimal or suboptimal identification methods are sought. The main objective of system identification is to reduce uncertainty of a system via input-output observations. One possibility of modeling uncertainty sets is to use in -nets. The concepts of in -nets and in -dimension are studied and their relationships to system identifiability are exploited. The problem of system identification for discrete-time systems is considered. It is shown that for the algebra of exponentially stable systems, truncation of system kernels leads naturally to a minimal in -net. It is demonstrated that finding an asymptotically optimal identification algorithm can be reduced to a minimax problem which can be solved using certain standard mathematical programming algorithms. Properties of the minimax problem are derived. The identification of continuous-time systems via sampling is considered. >
Green State Joining of SiC without Applied Pressure

External pressure (uniaxial or isostatic) is usually necessary to form a thin and defect-free joint in green state joining of SiC ceramics. A successful method of joining SiC in the green state using a liquid polymer precursor, allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS), without applied pressure, is described. The thermal decomposition behavior of the polymer was examined, and defect formation during joint evolution was investigated by interrupting the heat treatment at various stages. Cracks and pores were observed in the joints formed by pure AHPCS during the pyrolysis of the polymer precursor. Adding SiC powder to the joining paste eliminated defect formation. Optimum SiC loading in the paste was determined to be in the range of 25-35 vol%. Joints formed by AHPCS + (SiC + 5 wt% B) paste were essentially indistinguishable from the matrix and had an average strength of 323 MPa, comparable to that of the control sample.
Bolstering system-justifying beliefs in response to social exclusion:

Integrating research on social exclusion with the broader literature on system justification and flexible responses to threats, we propose a novel coping strategy that individuals may use in the fa...
The impact of firearms on Japanese warfare, 1543-98

The characteristic feature of Japanese warfare, prior to the introduction of firearms in 1543, was the use of swords and spears in hand-to-hand fighting. Armies were made up of small, independent bands of soldiers who fought more as individuals than as units of a tactical formation, and naval units consisted of fishing vessels that were commandeered for transporting armies within bow-range or sword-reach of the enemy. Thus, all battles, whether on land or at sea, were little more than “monster fencing matches.” But the introduction of the Portuguese arquebus and the subsequent widespread manufacture of firearms soon led to radical developments in military techniques.
Will Love Win Again: When Religious Organizations, Government Subsidies, Adoption and the Establishment Clause Collide?

Obergefell v. Hodges, plainly pronounces a clear and definitive ending to a legal battle over same-sex marriage. However, the court left many ongoing questions unanswered. One of those questions being, if marriage is a fundamental right, can religious adoption agencies receiving governmental funding discriminate against same sex couples in adoption decisions. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution forbids among other things the establishment of a state sponsored religion. The Supreme Court has however, consistently interpreted the Establishment Clause to mean more than that, the Establishment Clause prohibits any law respecting the establishment of religion. Lemon v. Kurtzman, is the Supreme Courts first attempt to lay out a concise test by which to analyze alleged Establishment Clause violations. However, the Lemon test has been far from consistent and has produced a series of other test. Yet, the court has been almost silent on how government subsidies to religious entities effect the application of the Lemon test. This comment argues that the Establishment clause is violated when an agency receives funding from the government and is further allowed to discriminate because of deeply held religious views. The court has been clear that religion cannot enjoy protections in the form of permissible accommodations that severely burden third parties. The court has also stated that laws that make minority religious practices feel that they are less than majority religions and religious practices cannot withstand the Establishment Clause. Therefore, this article makes the argument that religious adoption agencies receiving government subsidies should not be able to discriminate against same sex couples in adoption decisions because of deeply held religious beliefs because it burdens same sex couple looking to adopt.
Towards FaultAdaptive Control of Complex Dynamical Systems

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction FACT Architecture Modeling Hybrid Systems and Controllers The Hybrid Observer Approaches to Fault Detection and Isolation Controller Selection Conclusion and Future Work References ]]>
Population pressure and the medical profession.

Physicians have traditionally played an important role in reducing mortality rates and indeed will continue to do so. Yet they also must effectively increase their involvement in family planning so as to also reduce fertility rates to a level compatible with social and economic development. In the early development of the family planning movement physicians became actively involved in fertility control and spreading the results of family planning and contraceptive research. When governments entered the population field by formulating national population policies and establishing family planning services the physicians role was enhanced. They became managers of national family planning programs and in many cases especially in several Asian countries the programs have reached a high degree of complexity and operate at high levels of effectiveness. Moreover physicians take part in activities varying from population and development planning to information education and communication. Further the medical profession has become an important agent for social change and a fundamental actor in the process of development. In many developing countries physicians in the private sector supported and mobilized national population policies and programs. In many of these countries today however private sector organizations represent the only alternative for family planning information and services and are often at odds with official policies. In those countries where the government supports and offers family planning services as part of its official program the private sector often effectively complements government services and policies.
Late Effects of Low-Dose Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Colorectal Cancer

As part of a systematic program to evaluate the late effects of antineoplastic therapy in randomized clinical trials, patients enrolled in the low-dose thio-TEPA (TSPA) and 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) adjuvant colorectal cancer protocols of the Veterans Administration (VA) Surgical Oncology Group between 1958 and 1964 were studied. All patients received surgery with curative intent; 470 also received TSPA, 176 received FdUrd, and 867 received surgery only. The unique VA system permitted complete follow-up through 1977, with 10,902 person-years of observation accrued among 1,613 male patients (mean survival = 6.8 yr). Expected mortality and cancer incidence were computed by applying U.S. Mortality Statistics and Connecticut Tumor Registry age-, race-, sex-, and calendar time-specific rates to the person-years of observation. The mortality experience of the 3 groups was similar. Overall, there was a significant excess in total mortality (observed/expected = 1,359/553) attributable mainly to colorectal cancer (584/14), arteriosclerotic heart disease (258/215.9), pneumonia (41/17), gastric and duodenal ulcers (15/4), and cirrhosis (14/6). No excess mortality from noncolorectal cancers was apparent, nor were there significant differences by treatment: TSPA (22/22), FdUrd (9/12), and surgery only (50/42). Among 1,402 white patients, no significant excess of incident noncolorectal cancers were observed among patients treated with TSPA (30/31, FdUrd (14/15), or surgery only (63/58). Seven incident cases of leukemia developed (4.1 expected) among all patients of various groups: TSPA (3/1.3), FdUrd (1/0.6), and surgery only (3/2.2). No excess of new primary cancers was observed among 211 nonwhite patients. An inverse relationship between the occurrence of second primary cancer and age at diagnosis, irrespective of therapy, was suggested. The results demonstrated the feasibility of this approach for assessment of late complications of anticancer therapy and suggested no measurable carcinogenic effect following very low doses of TSPA and FdUrd in a population of this size.
Even with THAT Step Size

SummaryThe centered difference quotient is the simplest centered approximation for the derivative of a function at a point. In this paper, we explore and apply general centered approximation formulae for the derivative of a function at a point using any number of weighted evenly-spaced nodes. The resulting formulae have connections to both Vandermonde matrices and Lagrange polynomials and lead to interesting combinatorial identities.
Women's Preferences for Penile Circumcision in Sexual Partners

AbstractRegardless of pediatricians' attempts to negate routine newborn circumcision, U.S. circumcision rates remain constant. This study hypothesized that, because circumcision is usually a maternal choice and circumcised penises are perceived by young women as more attractive, most American women prefer circumcision for sexual reasons. Of 145 new mothers of sons responding to this survey, 71–83 % preferred circumcised penises for each sexual activity listed. Visual appeal and sexual hygiene were predominate reasons for favoring circumcised sexual partners. Even among women having sexual experience only with uncircumcised partners, only half preferred uncircumcised penises for sexual partners. Eighty-nine percent of the sample had had their sons circumcised. This study furthers debate over whether circumcision decisions should be based solely on medical considerations limited to the newborn period.
Counselling psychology in the United States

Counseling psychology (CP) emerged in the US as the result of the convergence of a number of trends in early applied psychology, a number of social factors, as well as changes in the organizational structure of the American Psychological Association. We offer an overview of the history of counseling psychology in the US, focusing on key events that have helped establish and shape the profession. Struggles over the definition of CP as a specialty and its relations with clinical psychology and professional counseling are discussed, as are matters related to the licensing of CP practitioners, and the profession’s relationships with counseling-related professional organizations. The educational and professional preparation of CPs, the profession’s core values that affect both training in and the practice of counseling psychology, and the settings in which CPs work are briefly described. We close with a discussion of several of the challenges facing CP as it is organized and institutionalized in the US.
The Cameras Installation of Substation Intelligent Stationing System

Cameras are the front-end equipments of the video surveillance system in substation,Their reasonable stationing is important for not only remote surveillance but also safety and reliable operation of the substation.Stationing rule base is based on substation 3Dvisual scene.Under the base,we can calculate and display the surveillance range of the camera in 3Dscene as well as give the numbers and the positions of cameras installed in substation.Thus,cameras installation of the whole substation is automatically built.A intelligent cameras stationing is realized.The test results show that the system has a high application value in eliminating the surveillance hidden danger effectively,improving the remote surveillance system and maintenance technology of substation and raising the efficiency of remote inspection and intelligent linkage.
The next generation of therapeutics for chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a leading cause of death in the United States. There is no cure for this disease, with current treatment strategies relying on blood pressure control through blockade of the renin-angiotensin system. Such approaches only delay the development of end-stage kidney disease and can be associated with serious side effects. Recent identification of several novel mechanisms contributing to CKD development - including vascular changes, loss of podocytes and renal epithelial cells, matrix deposition, inflammation and metabolic dysregulation - has revealed new potential therapeutic approaches for CKD. This Review assesses emerging strategies and agents for CKD treatment, highlighting the associated challenges in their clinical development.
Inhibition of oxidative modification of proteins by RU486

Objectives To elucidate further the antioxidant properties of RU486. We determined whether it can protect biologic molecules such as proteins (albumin, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] and oxidized LDL) from damage by pre-existing lipid peroxides. Design In vitro study. Interventions We tested the effects of RU486 on the formation of fluorescent oxidatively modified proteins by pre-existing lipid peroxides. We used two model systems, the incubation of oxidized linoleic acid with serum albumin and the incubation of human LDL with copper. Main Outcome Measures The formation of modified protein was established by determining fluorescence at excitation wavelength of 330 nm and emission wavelength between 390 and 500 nm. Modified protein has a characteristic emission between 425 and 430 nm. Results The addition of increasing amounts of RU486 inhibited the formation of fluorescent oxidatively modified protein products in both model systems. Conclusion These results provide evidence that RU486 not only can prevent the formation of lipid peroxide, but also can block the formation of fluorescent protein adducts in the presence of pre-existing lipid peroxides.
Calf and Pea Histone IV I. AMINO ACID COMPOSITIONS AND THE IDENTICAL COOH-TERMINAL 19-RESIDUE SEQUENCE

Abstract The amino acid analysis of pea embryo histone IV showed the presence of 102 residues distributed as follows: Lys10, His2, Arg15, Asp5, Thr7, Ser2, Glu6, Pro1, Gly17, Ala7, Val8, Met1, Ile7, Leu8, Tyr4, and Phe2. The composition of calf thymus histone IV was identical except for the presence of 1 residue of e-N-methyllysine, an additional residue of valine, 1 residue less of arginine and isoleucine, and possibly 1 less residue of glycine. Sequence studies on an 18-residue cyanogen bromide peptide from both histones established the identical COOH-terminal sequence -Met-Asp-Val-Val-Tyr-Ala-Leu-Lys-Arg-Gln-Gly-Arg-Thr-Leu-Tyr-Gly-Phe-Gly-Gly-COOH for both proteins. The identity of this region and the similar amino acid compositions suggest that the remainder of the sequence of this histone from both the animal and the plant must be closely related. The evolutionary and functional implications of this remarkable similarity are discussed.
Legionella pneumophila Type IV Effectors YlfA and YlfB Are SNARE-Like Proteins that Form Homo- and Heteromeric Complexes and Enhance the Efficiency of Vacuole Remodeling.

Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative bacterium that can colonize both freshwater protozoa and human alveolar macrophages, the latter infection resulting in Legionnaires’ disease. The intracellular lifecycle of L. pneumophila requires extensive manipulation of its host cell, which is carried out by effector proteins that are translocated into the host cell through the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system. This study focuses on a pair of highly similar type IV substrates called YlfA/LegC7 and YlfB/LegC2 that were initially identified in a screen for proteins that cause growth inhibition in yeast. Analysis of truncation mutants revealed that the hydrophobic residues in the Ylf amino termini were required for localization of each protein to the membranes of host cells. Central and carboxy terminal coiled coil domains were found to mediate binding of YlfA and YlfB to themselves and to each other. In vivo, a ΔylfA ΔylfB double mutant strain of L. pneumophila was shown to be defective in establishing a vacuole that supports bacterial replication. This phenotype was subsequently correlated with a decrease in the association of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived vesicles with vacuoles containing ΔylfA ΔylfB mutant bacteria. These data suggest that the Ylf proteins are membrane-associated effectors that enhance remodeling of the L. pneumophila -containing vacuole by promoting association and possibly fusion of ER-derived membrane vesicles with the bacterial compartment.
Mycorrhizal Stimulation of Leaf Gas Exchange in Relation to Root Colonization, Shoot Size, Leaf Phosphorus and Nitrogen: A Quantitative Analysis of the Literature Using Meta-Regression.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis often stimulates gas exchange rates of the host plant. This may relate to mycorrhizal effects on host nutrition and growth rate, or the influence may occur independently of these. Using meta-regression, we tested the strength of the relationship between AM-induced increases in gas exchange, and AM size and leaf mineral effects across the literature. With only a few exceptions, AM stimulation of carbon exchange rate (CER), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rate (E) has been significantly associated with mycorrhizal stimulation of shoot dry weight, leaf phosphorus, leaf nitrogen: phosphorus ratio and percent root colonization. The sizeable mycorrhizal stimulation of CER, by 49% over all studies, has been about twice as large as the mycorrhizal stimulation of gs and E (28% and 26%, respectively). Carbon exchange rate has been over twice as sensitive as gs and four times as sensitive as E to mycorrhizal colonization rates. The AM-induced stimulation of CER increased by 19% with each AM-induced doubling of shoot size; the AM effect was about half as large for gs and E. The ratio of leaf N to leaf P has been more closely associated with mycorrhizal influence on leaf gas exchange than leaf P alone. The mycorrhizal influence on CER has declined markedly over the 35 years of published investigations.
Democracy in Action: The Contribution of the DebateWatch Project to Civic Participation

Abstract Every four years, Americans participate in political talk about the presidential campaigns with co-workers, family and friends.This communication impacts attitudes toward civic engagement.Using the 2008 presidential election as a focal point, this study seeks to understand the impact of communication among citizens who engaged in political discussions at DebateWatch events.We examine the effect of debate viewing and post-debate discussions on perceptions of political information gained and increased interest in a presidential campaign.
Evaluation of Pharmacist Impact on Culture Review Process for Patients Discharged From the Emergency Department

Background: Accurate and timely review of microbiological test results is a core component of antimicrobial stewardship. There is documented success of these programs in the inpatient setting; however, emergency department (ED) patients are typically not included in these initiatives. Objectives: To assess the impact of an emergency medicine pharmacist (EMP)-facilitated review process of positive microbiological test results from patients discharged from the ED as measured by time to positive result review and number of indicated interventions completed. Methods: This was a retrospective study that compared EMP-facilitated to ED charge nurse (CN)-facilitated physician review of randomly selected positive microbiological test results. Groups were compared concurrently within the time frame of July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. Results: One hundred seventy-eight positive microbiological test results were included (EMP, n = 91; CN, n = 87). The median (IQR) time to initial review was 3 (1.0-6.3) hours for the EMP and 2 (0.3-5.5) hours for the CN group (p = .35). Four percent (1/25) of indicated interventions were not completed in the EMP group versus 47% (14/30) in the CN group (p = .0004). Conclusion: An EMP was significantly less likely to miss an intervention when indicated with no difference in time to review of positive microbiological results. These findings support the role of the EMP in antimicrobial stewardship in the ED.
Electronic post-compensation of fiber nonlinearity for 40 Gb/s RZ-DPSK WDM transmission systems

We have proposed and analyzed an electronic nonlinearity compensation scheme for a 40Gb/s RZ-DPSK modulated long-haul WDM transmission system. Our analysis shows that this technique can increase the overall system margin by 1.0 dB.
Pleckstrin Homology (PH) Domain Leucine-rich Repeat Protein Phosphatase Controls Cell Polarity by Negatively Regulating the Activity of Atypical Protein Kinase C

The proper establishment of epithelial polarity allows cells to sense and respond to signals that arise from the microenvironment in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. Atypical PKCs (aPKCs) are implicated as key regulators of epithelial polarity. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the negative regulation of aPKCs remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that PH domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase (PHLPP), a novel family of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases, plays an important role in regulating epithelial polarity by controlling the phosphorylation of both aPKC isoforms. Altered expression of PHLPP1 or PHLPP2 disrupted polarization of Caco2 cells grown in 3D cell cultures as indicated by the formation of aberrant multi-lumen structures. Overexpression of PHLPP resulted in a decrease in aPKC phosphorylation at both the activation loop and the turn motif sites; conversely, knockdown of PHLPP increased aPKC phosphorylation. Moreover, in vitro dephosphorylation experiments revealed that both aPKC isoforms were substrates of PHLPP. Interestingly, knockdown of PKCζ, but not PKCι, led to similar disruption of the polarized lumen structure, suggesting that PKCζ likely controls the polarization process of Caco2 cells. Furthermore, knockdown of PHLPP altered the apical membrane localization of aPKCs and reduced the formation of aPKC-Par3 complex. Taken together, our results identify a novel role of PHLPP in regulating aPKC and cell polarity.
Noninvasive Measurement of mTORC1 Signaling with 89 Zr-Transferrin

Purpose: mTOR regulates many normal physiological processes and when hyperactive can drive numerous cancers and human diseases. However, it is very challenging to detect and quantify mTOR signaling noninvasively in clinically relevant animal models of disease or man. We hypothesized that a nuclear imaging tool measuring intracellular mTOR activity could address this unmet need.Experimental Design: Although the biochemical activity of mTOR is not directly amenable to nuclear imaging probe development, we show that the transferrin receptor can be used to indirectly measure intracellular changes in mTOR activity.Results: After verifying that the uptake of radiolabeled transferrin (the soluble ligand of the transferrin receptor) is stimulated by active mTORC1 in vitro, we showed that 89Zr-labeled transferrin (Tf) can measure mTORC1 signaling dynamics in normal and cancerous mouse tissues with PET. Finally, we show that 89Zr-Tf can detect the upregulation of mTORC1 by tumor cells to escape the antitumor effects of a standard-of-care antiandrogen, which is to our knowledge the first example of applying PET to interrogate the biology of treatment resistant cancer.Conclusions: In summary, we have developed the first quantitative assay to provide a comprehensive measurement of mTOR signaling dynamics in vivo, in specific normal tissues, and during tumor development in genetically engineered animal models using a nuclear imaging tool that is readily translatable to man. Clin Cancer Res; 23(12); 3045-52. ©2016 AACR.
Tumors of the Epiphyses

Giant cell tumors are the most common tumors found in the epiphyses of the long bones.Chondroblastomas classically present in the epiphyses of the long bones abutting the physis as a lytic-appearing lesion.Clear cell chondrosarcomas are tumors that classically present in the epiphysis in patients wh
Picornaviruses: Molecular Biology

Members of the virus family Picornaviridae are small, positive-stranded RNA viruses replicating in the cytoplasm of infected host cells. The most extensively studied virus members of this family are those capable of infecting humans and other mammals, causing a variety of diseases including myocarditis (coxsackievirus), encephalomyocarditis (cardiovirus), hepatitis (hepatovirus), the common cold (human rhinovirus), and paralytic poliomyelitis (poliovirus). While the pathology of disease associated with picornavirus infection varies among the virus family members, the genome organization and molecular mechanisms underlying the processes involved in Picornaviridae reproduction are highly conserved. This article discusses virion structure, cap-independent translation of the RNA genome, maturation of viral proteins resulting from processing of a single translated polyprotein, and RNA replication, and highlights the similarities (and differences) among virus family members of Picornaviridae.
Chip-scale gas chromatography: From injection through detection

Miniaturized gas chromatography (µGC) systems hold potential for the rapid analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in an extremely compact and low-power enabled platform. Here, we utilize microfabrication technology to demonstrate the single chip integration of the key components of a µGC system in a two-step planar fabrication process. The 1.5 × 3 cm microfluidic platform includes a sample injection unit, a micromachined semi-packed separation column (µSC) and a micro-helium discharge photoionization detector (µDPID). The sample injection unit consists of a T-shaped channel operated with an equally simple setup involving a single three-way fluidic valve, a micropump for sample loading and a carrier gas supply for subsequent analysis of the VOCs. The innovative sample injection technique described herein requires a loading time of only a few seconds and produces sharp and repeatable sample pulses (full width at half maximum of approximately 200 ms) at a carrier gas flow rate that is compatible with efficient chromatographic separation. Furthermore, our comprehensive characterization of the chip reveals that a wide variety of VOCs with boiling points in the range of 110–216 °C can be analyzed in less than 1 min by optimizing the flow and temperature programming conditions. Moreover, the analysis of four VOCs at the concentration level of one part per million in an aqueous sample (which corresponds to a headspace concentration in the lower parts-per-billion regime) was performed with a sampling time of only 6 s. The µDPID has demonstrated a linear dynamic range over three orders of magnitude. The system presented here could potentially be used to monitor hazardous VOCs in real time in industrial workplaces and residential settings. A chip-sized gas chromatograph can detect hazardous volatile organic compounds in seconds. To avoid thermal crosstalk, the three main components of a microscale gas chromatograph—injector, separation column and mass detector—are normally placed on separate chips. Dr. Masoud Agah and co-workers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States, have combined these components onto a single chip using an innovative setup. The team fabricated a microfluidic injector and alumina-based column in close proximity to reduce analysis time. As samples elute from the column, they are photoionized by a helium-based detector that spots picograms of organic molecules without relying on thermal pre-concentration. The integrated device detects contaminants such as chlorobenzene and xylene with an extremely sharp chromatographic peak—indicating that thermal effects are minimized—and at speeds that allow real-time monitoring of liquids and air.
Principles before Profits: An Interview with S. Truett Cathy

Recent attention has been given to organizations that claim to run on faith-based principles. Activities such as at work bible study groups, charitable giving, and the individual practices of the owners are often the focus of such discussions. In such discussions little attention has been paid to those who not only hold strong religious views, but have chosen to put those views into practice‐even when it may not appear to make good business sense. Since 1946, S. Truett Cathy, founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A Inc., has run his enterprises based on his understanding of Christian principles. Starting with his first restaurant, the “Dwarf Grill,” which he opened with his brother Ben in 1946, continuing when he opened the first “Chick-fil-A” in 1967, and even as he finished the remodeling of the companies headquarters in 1997, S. Truett says he tries “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on other people. . . .” In fact, this purpose is engraved in a bronze plaque that rests at the entrance to Chick-fil-A’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. In practice, this purpose has lead S.Truett to never have his businesses open on Sunday, a time in the quick service industry that normally generates 20 percent of revenue. It has caused him to shut down another restaurant venture, Markos in Florida, rather than serve alcohol, which most patrons wanted. Despite his staunch adherent to principles that seem to run counter to “good business sense,” S.Truett Cathy has built a successful, privately held organization that operates in 38 states, has more than 1,300 franchisees, and generates over $2 billion a year in revenue. In the following interview, S.Truett offers his perspective on why focusing on principles is more important than focusing on profits and what he thinks it takes to succeed in business and in life.
The diffusion of misinformation on social media

This study examines dynamic communication processes of political misinformation on social media focusing on three components: the temporal pattern, content mutation, and sources of misinformation. We traced the lifecycle of 17 popular political rumors that circulated on Twitter over 13 months during the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Using text analysis based on time series, we found that while false rumors (misinformation) tend to come back multiple times after the initial publication, true rumors (facts) do not. Rumor resurgence continues, often accompanying textual changes, until the tension around the target dissolves. We observed that rumors resurface by partisan news websites that repackage the old rumor into news and, gain visibility by influential Twitter users who introduce such rumor into the Twittersphere. In this paper, we argue that media scholars should consider the mutability of diffusing information, temporal recurrence of such messages, and the mechanism by which these messages evolve over time. False political rumors tend to resurface multiple times after the initial publication.False political rumors often turn into a more intense and extreme version over time.Resurged old political rumors tend to be presented as news.None-traditional partisan media are often behind the constant generation of false news.
The ENOX Protein Family

ECTO-NOX or ENOX (because of their cell surface location) proteins comprise a family of dicopper NAD(P)H oxidases of plants and animals that exhibit both oxidative and protein disulfide isomerase-like activities. The two biochemical activities, hydroquinone [NAD(P)H] oxidation and protein disulfide interchange, alternate to impart a time-keeping capability. Constitutive ENOX (CNOX or ENOX1) is ubiquitous and refractory to most drugs. A tumor-associated ENOX (tNOX or ENOX2) is cancer-specific and drug-inhibited. The physiological substrate for the oxidative activity appears to be hydroquinones of the plasma membrane such as reduced coenzyme Q10. ENOX1 and ENOX2 proteins are growth-related and drive cell enlargement. Also indicated are roles in aging of arNOX proteins potentially important, as well, to neurodegenerative diseases.
Cardiovascular Radiology: Overview

The impact of modern development in imaging technology and computer sciences on the practice of clinical medicine has been profound. Undoubtedly, this development has increased our medical diagnostic and therapeutic potentials. However, it also caused a spiraling increase of costs because of advanced complexity of the procedures as well as greater demand for their use. Experts in health care planning, whose primary goal at present is cost containment, begin to speak of the so-called technology crisis in medicine. Recent developments in the field of cardiac imaging, the topic of this presentation, have not been free from these troubles, and it will be in order for me to include appropriate comments on the subject in this overview.
Terminal or mural tracheostomy in the anterior mediastinum.

Summation A new method is described for establishing a permanent terminal or mural tracheostomy in the anterior mediastinum at any point. A laterally bipedicled flap of skin is dropped into a mediastinal valley created by removal of the sternum, the clavicular heads, and the first and second costal cartilages. The tracheostomy is established by accurate approximation of tracheal mucosa to the cutaneous margins of a circular hole in the center of the flap. The fairly extensive surgery which is necessary is justified by the following advantages: prompt, dependable healing with primary epithelization may be obtained; tension is minimized; complex suture lines subject to poor healing are avoided, as are long, open skin tubes which may cause crusting. The final result is the simplest possible anatomic arrangement. Low anterior mediastinal tracheostomy should be made only where primary reconstruction of the trachea may not or should not be accomplished. Techniques of wide resection and tracheal reconstruction have been extended sufficiently recently2-5 so that the indication for anterior mediastinal tracheostomy is largely narrowed to situations in which the larynx has already been sacrificed or must be sacrificed and to situations in which local or distant pathology prohibits tracheal resection. Case 2 was operated upon with the assistance of Dr. Robert H. Lofgren and Dr. Robert E. Klotz and Case 3 with that of Dr. M. Judah Folkman.
Finite-Dimensional Hamiltonian Systems

The guiding concept of a Hamiltonian system of differential equations forms the basis of much of the more advanced work in classical mechanics, including motion of rigid bodies, celestial mechanics, quantization theory and so on. More recently, Hamiltonian methods have become increasingly important in the study of the equations of continuum mechanics, including fluids, plasmas and elastic media. In this book, we are concerned with just one aspect of this vast subject, namely the interplay between symmetry groups, conservation laws and reduction in order for systems in Hamiltonian form. The Hamiltonian version of Noether’s theorem has a particularly attractive geometrical flavour, which remains somewhat masked in our previous Lagrangian framework.
The concentration-response between long-term PM2.5 exposure and mortality; A meta-regression approach.

Abstract Background Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (≤ 2.5 μg/m3 in aerodynamic diameter; PM2.5) is significantly associated with increased risk of premature mortality. Our goal was to provide an updated meta-analysis of all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with exposure to PM2.5 and to better estimate the risk of death as a function of air pollution levels. Methods We systematically searched all published cohort studies examining the association between long term exposure to PM2.5 and mortality. We applied multivariate linear random effects meta-analysis with random effects for cohort, and study within cohort. Meta-regression techniques were used to test whether study population or analytic characteristics modify the PM2.5 -mortality association and to estimate the shape of the concentration-response curve. Results A total of 53 studies that provided 135 estimates of the quantitative association between the risk of mortality and exposure to PM2.5 were included in the meta-analysis. There were 39 studies from North America, 8 from Europe, and 6 from Asia. Since 2015, 17 studies of long-term air pollution exposure have been published, covering, wider geographic areas with a wider range of mean exposures (e.g. 20 μg/m3). A penalized spline showed the slope decreased at higher concentrations but appeared to level off. We found that the inverse transform of average PM2.5 well approximated that spline and provided a parametric estimate that fit better than a linear or logarithmic term for average PM2.5. In addition, we found that studies using space time exposure models or fixed monitors at Zip-code scale (as compared to land use regression method), or additionally controlling for area level socio-economic status, or with mean exposure less than 10 μg/m3 were associated with higher mortality effect estimates. Conclusions This meta-analysis provides strong evidence for the adverse effect of PM2.5 on mortality, that studies with poorer exposure have lower effect size estimates, that more control for SES increases effect size estimates, and that significant effects are seen below 10 µg/m3. The concentration -response function produced here can be further applied in the global health risk assessment of air particulate matter.
Container-based architecture to optimize the integration of microservices into cloud-based data-intensive application scenarios

Earth Observation data archives are currently growing at unprecedented speeds. New satellites add petabytes of data every year. At the same time, the amount of data provided by Earth-based in-situ networks is growing at enormous rates. These developments have led to a change in data processing paradigms. Data is not down-loaded and processed locally anymore, but applications are sent to the data. This paper demonstrates an Big Data architecture that allows for interoperable solutions across data providers, integrators, and users. The availability of a mature domain architecture as provided by the Open Geospatial Consortium provides a solid base and allows for uniform microservice handling. The makro-and microarchitecture described herein uses self-contained Docker-images to allow for transparent microservices, horizontal scale-out, and high reliability and maintainability thanks to decoupled and self-sustained execution elements.
Factors influencing knowledge of HIV/AIDS in Nepal: role of socioeconomic interactions

This paper focuses on analyzing those factors which influence the extent of knowledge about HIV/AIDS in Nepal. The main hypothesis is that the social network that is the foundation for market exchange can also serve as a mechanism for diffusing knowledge concerning this disease. Thus, there is a social spillover effect from market activity. Data drawn from a broad sample of Nepalese households are used to test this proposition, and the results support the hypothesis.
Can Intersectionality Help Lead to More Accurate Diagnosis

With their intersectional conceptual framework, Wilson and colleagues create a constructive platform through which physicians and other health care providers can discuss the multidisciplinary natur...
First examples of fluorinated and chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) dications from benzo[a]pyrene, pyrene and their alkyl-substituted derivatives

Two-electron oxidations (SbF5/SO2ClF) of 6-fluoro-benzo[a]pyrene, 3, 6-chloro-benzo[a]pyrene 4, and their corresponding 7-methyl derivatives 5 and 6 as well as 1-fluoropyrene, 7, 1-chloropyrene, 8,...
Fomepizole as an Adjunctive Treatment in Severe Acetaminophen Toxicity.

Abstract A 33-year-old male presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of abdominal pain after taking #50 500 mg acetaminophen tablets over the preceding two days. He was tachycardic and tachypneic, and the initial labs were notable for acetaminophen level, 337 mg/L; AST, 137 IU/L; ALT, 194 IU/L; ABG pH, 7.24; and lactate, 4.1 mmol/L. The patient was started on IV N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) as well as given a single dose of 15 mg/kg fomepizole. The patient did remarkably well, with a peak AST of 198 IU/L, peak ALT of 301 IU/L, and peak INR of 3.1. Biochemical and animal data support fomepizole having hepatoprotective effects in acetaminophen poisoning. To our knowledge, this is the first human case of an intentional dual NAC/fomepizole regimen for severe acetaminophen toxicity.
A Systematic Review of Factors Related to Employment Outcomes for Adults with Visual Impairments

Introduction:The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of survey-based research on predictors or correlates of employment outcomes for individuals with visual impairments (i.e., ...
Non-deterministic Calibration of Crystal Plasticity Model Parameters

Crystal plasticity constitutive models are frequently used with finite elements for modeling metallic grain-scale phenomena. The accuracy of these models is directly a function of the calibrated parameters, which fully define a crystal plasticity model. A number of techniques exist for the calibration of these parameters. In the current study, a comparison of results using deterministic and non-deterministic calibration methods is made. Additionally, the effect of the type of measured data on calibrated material parameters, global (homogenized) or local, is also presented. Included in the study is a new approach to parameter calibration based on combined digital image correlation and high angular resolution electron backscatter diffraction. Utilizing data from these experimental techniques allows for local evaluation of both strain and relative stress: essentially giving stress-strain curves from numerous point locations in a single coupon. The overall result is that calibration based on sub-grain-scale measurements is preferable when sub-grain-scale phenomena are of primary interest.
Alarming levels of stigma toward generalized dystonia: A cross-cultural comparison

Abstract Introduction Although stigma has been linked to poor quality of life, studies examining its prevalence in dystonia are lacking. Our objective was to determine prevalence and predictors of stigma against generalized dystonia in diverse cultural settings. Method Participants were 273 (65.9% female) patients and visitors approached at primary care clinics from three populations: Leon, Nicaragua (92 participants); a mostly-Hispanic Clinic in Omaha, NE USA (85 participants); and a mostly-non-Hispanic population in Omaha, Nebraska (96 participants). Participants learned about generalized dystonia, epilepsy and schizophrenia through reading a small vignette and viewing videos, followed by a questionnaire designed to identify stigma. We compared levels of stigma between dystonia and other conditions at different sites and measured variables that could affect them. Results Prevalence of stigma was high toward dystonia (33.00%), similar to epilepsy and lower than schizophrenia. The results showed a complex relationship between the studied variables and level of stigma, especially with age. Female gender predicted more stigmatizing answers. Country of origin, level of education and self-identification of Hispanic ethnicity did not affect stigma. Learning more personal information about the dystonia patient decreased dystonia, a proof that unjustified preliminary negative judgment was present. Conclusions Stigma against generalized dystonia was very prevalent across all the communities studied. Demographic and socio-cultural variables had different correlations to level of stigma, underlying the complexity of this problem. The alarming levels of stigma against dystonia justify further studies on how to minimize its impact on our patients.
Über den Wertkettenansatz zur Customer Centricity

Kurzfassung Sich wandelnde Rahmenbedingungen verandern die strategische Sicht auf Produktion und Supply Chain zwangslaufig. Angesichts der Forderung zum Beispiel nach reduzierten Lieferzeiten, Schw...