cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theory of exponential splines

Abstract Pruess [12, 14] has shown that exponential splines can produce co-convex and co-monotone interpolants. These results justify the further study of the mathematical properties of exponential splines as they pertain to their utility as numerical approximations. They also warrant the generalization of the exponential spline in fruitful directions. Herein, we present convergence rates and extremal properties for exponential spline approximation, cardinal spline and B-spline bases for the space of exponential splines, and generalizations to higher order tension splines and Hermite tension interpolants.
Aeroelastic Stability of Thermal Protection System for Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

A theoretical aeroelastic stability analysis has been performed on the flexible thermal protection system for an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator. Structural models consist of one or more truncated conical shells of the Donnell type, which may be elastically supported along the middle surface. The aerodynamic model is first-order piston theory. The Lagrangian of the system is formulated in terms of the generalized coordinates for all shell displacements, and the Rayleigh–Ritz method is used to derive the equations of motion. The aeroelastic stability boundaries and mode shapes are found by calculating the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a large coefficient matrix. When the thermal protection system is approximated as a single conical shell, circumferentially asymmetric coalescence flutter between the second and third axial modes is observed. When many circumferential elastic supports are included, the shell flutters symmetrically in zero circumferential waves, with the first, second, and third axial mod...
An incremental approach to efficient pseudo-relevance feedback

Pseudo-relevance feedback is an important strategy to improve search accuracy. It is often implemented as a two-round retrieval process: the first round is to retrieve an initial set of documents relevant to an original query, and the second round is to retrieve final retrieval results using the original query expanded with terms selected from the previously retrieved documents. This two-round retrieval process is clearly time consuming, which could arguably be one of main reasons that hinder the wide adaptation of the pseudo-relevance feedback methods in real-world IR systems. In this paper, we study how to improve the efficiency of pseudo-relevance feedback methods. The basic idea is to reduce the time needed for the second round of retrieval by leveraging the query processing results of the first round. Specifically, instead of processing the expand query as a newly submitted query, we propose an incremental approach, which resumes the query processing results (i.e. document accumulators) for the first round of retrieval and process the second round of retrieval mainly as a step of adjusting the scores in the accumulators. Experimental results on TREC Terabyte collections show that the proposed incremental approach can improve the efficiency of pseudo-relevance feedback methods by a factor of two without sacrificing their effectiveness.
Privatization strategies: Is Brazil moving in the wrong gear?

In the 1980s, marketization strategies gained momentum around the globe. Increasingly, the visible hand was being replaced by a revival of neoliberal growth strategies. Privatization was a response to state-owned enterprise, sluggish performance, and excessive intervention in sectors not requiring assistance. In many countries the state became the problem and not the solution for further gains in competitiveness and efficiency. Privatization strategies were implemented more aggressively in Latin America in the 1980s and early 1990s. In Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America, policymakers used erratic strategies from the early 1980s through the early 1990s. This article addresses the Brazilian privatization experience, paying heed to the dynamics of the different strategies pursued throughout the privatization programs and elaborating on the specific steps taken by the Brazilian policymakers. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Political Economy and the NCLB Regime: Accountability, Standards, and High-Stakes Testing

Abstract Focus and institutional policy under the No Child Left Behind Act [NCLB] (U.S. Department of Education 2001) has prioritized the individualistic, market-driven agenda. The NCLB regime has gained hegemony over the political space of public education, and the value and effectiveness of the educational process has become subject to the fetishism of standardized test scores. Utilizing the political economy of the sign described by Jean Baudrillard (1981), the political economy of the NCLB regime and the development of test score fetishism is presented.
Coverage or Costs: The Role of Health Insurance in Labor Market Reentry Among Early Retirees

Discussion. Results indicated that source of coverage may be more useful in explaining returns to part-time work than simply whether people have coverage at all. In other words, the mechanism underlying the positive relationship between insurance and returning to work appeared to be limited to those who return to work because of the cost of private nongroup insurance. Among these people, however, there was some evidence that they are able to secure new coverage once they return to work.
The effects of negative reflection for defensive pessimists: Dissipation or harnessing of threat?

Previous research has demonstrated that defensive pessimists perform best when allowed to think about negative outcomes prior to performance. Two competing hypotheses could account for this phenomenon: negative states dissipate or are harnessed. Existing findings have not directly tested defensive pessimists’ experience during performance, which is critical for resolving the issue. To this end, cardiovascular markers of challenge/threat motivational states were assessed while defensive pessimists and controls completed a test. Before the test, participants were randomly assigned to one of three imagery conditions (positive, negative, or relaxation). Unlike control participants, defensive pessimists exhibited the greatest threat—a negative state—in the negative imagery condition and utilized a more conservative test-taking strategy, thus supporting the harnessing hypothesis. The implications for understanding the relationships between defensive pessimism, motivation, and performance are discussed.
Underutilization of Influenza Vaccine: A Test of the Health Belief Model

Yearly influenza vaccination continues to be underutilized by those who would most benefit from it. The Health Belief Model was used to explain differences in beliefs about influenza vaccination among at-risk individuals resistant to influenza vaccination. Survey data were collected from 74 members of at-risk groups who were not vaccinated for influenza during the previous flu season. Accepting individuals were more likely to perceive flu as a threat to health and perceive access barriers, and cues to action were the most important influence on whether they plan to get vaccinated. In comparison, resistant individuals did not feel threatened by the flu, access barriers were not a problem, and they did not respond favorably to cues to action. Perceived threat, perceived access barriers, and cues to action were significantly associated with plans to be vaccinated for influenza in the next flu season. Participants who saw influenza as a threat to their health had 5.4 times the odds of planning to be vaccinated than those who did not. Participants reporting barriers to accessing influenza vaccination had 7.5 times the odds of reporting plans to be vaccinated. Those responding positively to cues to action had 12.2 times the odds of planning to be vaccinated in the next flu season than those who did not. Accepting and resistant individuals have significant differences in their beliefs, which require different intervention strategies to increase vaccination rates. These findings provide important information to researchers and practitioners working to increase influenza vaccination rates.
Tanning Shade Gradations of Models in Mainstream Fitness and Muscle Enthusiast Magazines: Implications for Skin Cancer Prevention in Men.

Tanned skin has been associated with perceptions of fitness and social desirability. Portrayal of models in magazines may reflect and perpetuate these perceptions. Limited research has investigated...
Heat and humidity performance of injection molded PLA for durable applications

The durability of a commercially available injection molding grade polylactide (PLA) was assessed by exposure to conditions of elevated temperature and humidity over a period of several weeks. Moisture absorption, molecular weight, and mechanical performance were monitored over time and as a function of crystallinity level. At 50°C and 90% relative humidity, both amorphous and crystalline samples of PLA showed significant moisture absorption, allowing hydrolysis to occur. The study showed that while crystalline content had an effect on the initial moisture absorption behavior, the overall longer term effects on degradation were surprisingly minor. A cumulative damage model was used to relate the overall degradation due to moisture uptake and hydrolysis to long-term durability in environments typical of automotive interiors. The study showed that the injection molding grade PLA resins that are currently commercially available are not suitable for use in applications that require long-term durability in environments subject to elevated temperature and humidity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Functional pulmonary imaging an update.

This issue ofAcademic Radiology includes four excellent review articles from the 4th International Workshop for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, which was held in Boston in September 2009. The first workshop was held in 2002 in Philadelphia, followed by Awaji Island, Japan, in 2004 and Heidelberg, Germany, in 2006. In fact, I am writing this editorial in Awaji Island in Japan while attending the 5th International Workshop for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, which attracted more than 250 participants from around the world with expertise in pulmonary medicine, thoracic surgery, radiology, nuclear medicine, physiology, engineering, computer science, and public health—a multidisciplinary group of researchers, physicians, and students. Drs. Tustison and Gee from the University of Pennsylvania put together an excellent review article on the emerging field of ‘‘Pulmonary kinematics’’ (1). Drs. Schroeder, Vidal Melo, andVenegas from theMassachusettsGeneralHospital reviewed the F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography evaluation of inflammatory lung disease (2), which is one of the hottest topics in pulmonary medicine. Dr. Nishino from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute summarized the current topic of imaging of lung cancer in the era of molecular medicine (3). Molecular medicine is revolutionizing the treatment of lung cancer by introduction of targeted therapy.Dr.Okajima from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reviewed the computed
Codon usage in regulatory genes in Escherichia coli does not reflect selection for ‘rare’ codons

It has often been suggested that differential usage of codons recognized by rare tRNA species, i.e. "rare codons", represents an evolutionary strategy to modulate gene expression. In particular, regulatory genes are reported to have an extraordinarily high frequency of rare codons. From E. coli we have compiled codon usage data for highly expressed genes, moderately/lowly expressed genes, and regulatory genes. We have identified a clear and general trend in codon usage bias, from the very high bias seen in very highly expressed genes and attributed to selection, to a rather low bias in other genes which seems to be more influenced by mutation than by selection. There is no clear tendency for an increased frequency of rare codons in the regulatory genes, compared to a large group of other moderately/lowly expressed genes with low codon bias. From this, as well as a consideration of evolutionary rates of regulatory genes, and of experimental data on translation rates, we conclude that the pattern of synonymous codon usage in regulatory genes reflects primarily the relaxation of natural selection.
Prediction of Material Properties of Single Walled Carbon Nanotube using MD Simulations

Carbon nanotubes have various unique properties beneficial for use in various electronic devices such as quantum wires, optical switchers, nano-transistors etc. Theoretical and experimental attempts were made in past decade to predict material properties of CNTs. In the present work, calculations of fundamental mechanical material properties of a single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) were performed using molecular dynamics simulations via material studio by Accelrys Inc. As the lattice size is decreased to achieve the actual known density of SWCNT to be 2.4 gm/cm3, the shape of SWCNT get distorted after energy minimization. A simple but effective technique of extrapolation was adapted to overcome this problem of SWCNT distortion. The lattice size was increased (and hence the density was decreased) in the increments of 20% by volume starting with the minimum size of lattice where the shape of SWCNT remains unchanged after energy minimization. Property calculations were performed at each increment and plotted against the density. Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio was calculated by extrapolating the density to the actual value of 2.4 gm/cm3, and was found to match well with the available experimental data.
FREE SUPERFIELD REALIZATION OF N=2 QUANTUM SUPER-W3 ALGEBRA

We rewrite N=2 quantum super-W3 algebra, a nonlinear extended N=2 super Virasoro algebra, containing one additional primary superfield of dimension two which has no U(1) charge, besides the super stress energy tensor of dimension one in N=2 superspace. The free superfield realization of this algebra is obtained by two N=2 chiral fermionic superfields of dimension 1/2 satisfying N=2 complex U(1) Kac-Moody algebras.
Design of cooperating spherical RPR robots

This paper uses the kinematic mapping into the image space of spherical displacements to design a cooperating spherical robot system for workpiece orientating. The kinematic chain formed by the cooperating robots grasping the workpiece forms a multi degree of freedom closed chain which is also known as a robotic mechanism. The spherical robots considered are spherical RPR open chains and they rigidly grasp the workpiece to form a 9 degree of freedom closed chain. The design problem considered is to determine the base locations and grasp points that enable the cooperating robots to guide a workpiece, through an arbitrary number of desired orientations. An example of the design of a cooperating spherical RPR robot system for six (6) desired orientations is presented.
Is There a Psychiatrist in the House? Integrating Child Psychiatry Into the Pediatric Medical Home

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a model of primary care practice incorporating core principles of accessibility, coordination, comprehensiveness, continuity, cultural competence, and respecting and valuing the preferences of families. As our nation struggles to reformourhealthcaresystem,thePCMHmodelis widely acknowledged to be the foundation of a high-value, effective system of care that better meets the needs of patients and produces better health outcomes. Although most PCMH initiatives currently underway around the country focus on the management of chronic diseases of adults, the model has its roots in pediatric practice and the care of children with special health care needs. These features were codified in the Joint Statement on the Principles of the Medical Home, 1
Our 'Patchwork' Health Care System: Melodic Variations, Counterpoint, and the Future Role of Physicians

This Foreword to a forthcoming symposium on the "patchwork" health care system to be published in the Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy considers whether current reactions to fragmentation in health care represent minor variations on a longstanding theme in US health policy or offer a more substantial counterpoint to that theme. The theme is this: that perfect physicians should be allowed to control health care even if safeguards are needed in practice because real physicians are not perfect. The Foreword previews four scholarly articles featured in the published symposium. It concludes that, while all the articles present original and valuable insights, the future health care system they describe is more variation than counterpoint on the theme of physician control.
Approach to Arteriovenous Access

A reliable vascular access is crucial in providing life-sustaining dialysis therapies in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). An access that is easy to create, readily available for usage, and relatively maintenance-free with a low infection risk is considered an “ideal” vascular access. Although none of the currently available vascular accesses possess all the characteristics, arteriovenous fistula (AVF) comes the closest and is often referred to as “lifeline” for dialysis patients. This chapter will focus on a brief discussion of the types of available vascular accesses for dialysis, pre-dialysis access evaluation, physical examination of arteriovenous access (both arteriovenous fistulae, AVF, and arteriovenous grafts, AVG), detection of recirculation and stenosis, and strategies to achieve appropriate AV access including secondary AVF (SAVF) placement.
Σ(1385) Resonance Studies with Star at \(\sqrt {{S_{NN}}} = 200\;GeV\)

In p+p, d+Au, and Au+Au collisions at \(\sqrt {{S_{NN}}} = 200\;GeV\) with the STAR detector at RHIC, Σ (1385) → Λ + π were measured using two techniques; three-particle mixing and a hybrid mixing technique. We present results from both of these methods and compare the invariant mass spectra and the backgrounds.
Electrophysiological effects of cholinergic agonists in surface epithelium of Necturus gastric antrum

Intracellular microelectrode techniques were used to characterize voltage and conductance properties of the basolateral membrane of surface epithelial cells in in vitro Necturus antral mucosa. Flux studies confirmed that this tissue secretes HCO3- under resting conditions and during response to cholinergic stimulation. In studies using intracellular microelectrodes, exposure to cholinergic agonists such as acetylcholine, bethanechol, or carbachol elicited an initial hyperpolarization followed by depolarization of the basolateral cell membranes associated with up to fourfold increases in basolateral membrane conductance. Effects of acetylcholine were dose dependent (10(-6) - 10(-4) M) and prevented by pretreatment of tissues with the nonselective muscarinic receptor blocker atropine. Some variation in this response to cholinergic stimulation was observed and appeared to be related to the season (fall/winter/early spring vs. late spring/summer). Despite such variability, circuit analysis and ion substitution studies indicated that the carbachol-induced increases in basolateral conductance were due to increases in conductance to K+ and Cl- . These increases in basolateral transport processes may serve to stabilize cell ion composition and membrane electrical properties during cholinergic stimulation of mucus and HCO3- secretions.
Erythrocytosis and Normal Erythropoietin Levels In a 3 Year Old Female With High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Introduction Erythrocytosis has been reported in a number of cancers as a result of tumor production of Erythropoietin (EPO). There has been one reported case that we are aware of in a pediatric patient with neuroblastoma (Wang LY, et al. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2003 Aug;25(8):649-50). Erythrocytosis in a pediatric neuroblasotoma patient with normal EPO levels, which is the subject of this case report, has not been reported previously. Case A three year-old female presented with a right sided abdominal pain of one week duration as well as constipation and decreased appetite of one month duration. Radiology studies showed a large abdominal mass, which turned out to be a poorly differentiated high-risk neuroblastoma on an incisional biopsy. For the first three months of this patient’s therapy and despite intense chemotherapy she was noted to have abnormally high hemoglobin levels. The peak hemoglobin level was 18 g/dL but she maintained hemoglobin levels greater than 14g/dL, which was greater than the 97th percentile for her age group (Dallman PR, et al. J Pediatr. 1979 Jan;94(1):26-31). Testing for EPO when the hemoglobin level was elevated showed a level of 8.1 mIU/ml, which was within the normal range for the patient’s age group (Krafte-Jacobs B, et al. J Pediatr. 1995 Apr;126(4):601-3). After tumor resection but before the conclusion of the myleosuppressive chemotherapy, hemoglobin levels fell below 10 for the majority of time. Discussion Although there has been a case reported of a pediatric patient with neuroblastoma having erythrocytosis, this is the first case where the patient was actually found to have normal EPO levels. Case reports looking at EPO and erythrocytosis in children with Wilms tumors have reported a couple cases of children who had normal EPO levels (Lal A, et al. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 1997 May-Jun;19(3):263-5). This report showed no recurrence of polycythemia when the tumors were removed in these patients. The authors concluded that tumor or surrounding renal tissue was at some point producing EPO despite their inability to detect it. Conclusion We speculate that neuroblastoma tumors and possibly other pediatric tumors may be releasing a novel erythropoietic cytokine. Hormone-like cytokines have been reported with other cancers, such as hypercalcemia produced by PTH related peptide in breast and lung cancers. More research is needed to determine what, if any, novel EPO-like hormones are being released by neuroblastoma cells resulting in erythrocytosis despite normal EPO levels. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
30: Repair of Traumatic Eariobe Clefts: A Simplified Modification

Traumatic earlobe cleft refers to a split or torn earlobe. 1.2 It is the most common acquired earlobe deformity. 3,4 Traumatic earlobe clefts result from wearing heavy earrings. 5,6 The problem may be a complication of torn-out earrings or a result of an earlobe being pierced too low for an earring. 4 Multiple techniques have been described for repairing this deformity. 1-6 The objectives are to repair the split earlobe, to avoid notching of the rim, and to preserve or recreate the earlobe perforation. We describe a simple technique that accomplishes the first two objectives.
The Status of Sociology in Independent India

W HEN Barnes and Becker prepared the second volume of their useful work Social Thought from Lore to Science in 1938, two Indian sociologists, Radha Kamal Mukerjee and Haridas T. Mazumdar, prepared papers on "Sociology in India" for the chapter dealing with that country.' Mukerjee wrote, "As the newest among the subjects which have been introduced into an Indian University, it [sociology] is taught systematically only in the universities of Calcutta, Lucknow and Mysore." Mazumdar, writing in the same vein, stated,
Rôle of Capsule in Suprarenal Regeneration Studied With Aid of Colchicine

SummaryCortical cells and their supporting tissues regenerate from the capsule of the enucleated suprarenal gland. Mitotic cells are more frequently seen in the inner half of the capsule. These new cells become oval and migrate toward the center of the regenerating gland, some to form cortical cells and others to form supportive tissue for the suprarenal cords. The cytoplasm of the new cortical cells very early contains lipoid, but that of the supportive cells contains no fatty substances. The central blood clot becomes organized and canalized.In 4 glands nerves could be traced through the capsule to groups of medullary cells. The ratio of mitotic cells before and after the administration of colchicine was 1 :4.6.
Editorial: Climate Science: An Invitation for Physicists.

John Wettlaufer discusses the opportunities open to physicists in climate science research.
Research on the Construction and Function of Grounding Grid Fault Diagnosis Platform

To solve some practical problems existing in fault diagnosis of substation grounding grid,such as time-consuming modeling,heavy workload in field test,etc,basing on Tellegen theorem and least square method,a visual fault diagnosis of grounding grid platform is developed.The automatic generation of grounding grid network topology is realized,the measured port resistance between two grounding down lines is transfered automatically to diagnosis software by RS-232 serial communication interface,and the condition of grounding grid is determined by the incremental resistance of each branch conductor in output interface.The diagnosis platform greatly improve the efficiency of the grounding grid fault diagnosis,and has good engineering practicability.
Empirical study on measurement of informatization and effect on economy in county area

This paper took ten suburban districts of Beijing for research,establishing information-based evaluation index system of county to calculate the informatization lever,built a production function model to make quantitative analysis of the information on the county's economy.On this basis,this paper put forward several suggestions on speeding up informatization construction in suburban districts of Beijing.
The Road from China to Iran: A Jade Candlestick in the Art Institute of Chicago

This study deals with the stylistic evolution of Iranian candlesticks through the prism of a unique jade object now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. By comparing the Chicago jade candlestick with a variety of examples in different media, regions and periods, the study sheds further light on the artistic communication between the Iranian world and China during the Timurid period.
The surgical approach to sports hernia

Groin injuries are common in sports, and the condition known as a “sports hernia” is being increasingly recognized as a cause of chronic exertional groin pain. Surgery is indicated for athletes who have the appropriate exam and imaging findings and who have failed a period of conservative management. A variety of surgical approaches to this problem have been utilized successfully that include open primary sutured repairs, tension-free mesh repairs, and laparoscopic mesh repair. In this chapter, the clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and surgical treatment options for sports hernia are presented.
Asynchronous Computability Theorems for t-Resilient Systems

A task is a distributed coordination problem where processes start with private inputs, communicate with one another, and then halt with private outputs. A protocol that solves a task is t-resilient if it tolerates halting failures by t or fewer processes. The t-resilient asynchronous computability theorem stated here characterizes the tasks that have t-resilient protocols in a shared-memory model. This result generalizes the prior (wait-free) asynchronous computability theorem of Herlihy and Shavit to a broader class of failure models, and requires introducing several novel concepts.
Interactive adaptive particle swarm optimisation for optimal global supply chain design

This paper integrates all concerned levels of supply chain with their conflicting objectives and identifies the best solution for its design. More precisely two objectives viz. maximisation of overall quality and overall cost have been targeted. Considering both objectives, a multi-objective model has been formulated to integrate both tangible and intangible factors in the resource assignment problem of a product driven supply chain. Quality corresponding to each entity has been determined by applying a fuzzy-analytical hierarchical process approach. Minimisation of cost has been mathematically formulated with due consideration of various cost types. Proposed interactive adaptive multi-objective algorithm incorporates the decision maker's preference model to improve the accuracy of PSO in deciding the weight corresponding to each objective considered. Extensive experiments are performed on the underlying example, and computational results are reported and compared with the traditional particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm and genetic algorithm to support the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Non-equilibrium ultrashort pulse generation strategies in VECSELs

Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers are ideal testbeds for studying nonlinear many-body systems driven far from equilibrium. The classical laser gain picture fails, however, when a high peak intensity optical pulse of duration shorter than the intrinsic carrier scattering time interacts with electrons in the conduction and holes in the valence band, and the non-equilibrium carrier distributions cannot recover during the presence of the exciting pulse. We present the optimization of ultrashort mode-locked pulses in a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser cavity with a saturable absorber mirror by modelling non-equilibrium quantum dynamics of the electron-hole excitations in the semiconductor quantum-well gain and absorber medium via the semiconductor Bloch equations and treating the field propagation at the level of Maxwell’s wave equation. We introduce a systematic design that predicts the generation of stable mode-locked pulses of duration less than twenty femtoseconds. This factor of five improvement is of interest for mode-locking and ultrafast semiconductor dynamics applications.
The effect of vitamin D supplementation on glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies

Aims We aimed to assess whether vitamin D supplementation improves glucose metabolism in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Public Records Denials

Transparency and openness in our national, state and local governments is a cardinal principle in our democratic system. Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act has been the primary applicable law which enables citizens to obtain public information from executive branch agencies of the federal government. Essentially every state also has a freedom of information act, public records law, or similar law which allows citizen access to public documents and records. A largely unexplored area of the academic literature involving freedom of information laws relates to the sanctions or penalties which may exist for noncompliance. This Article advocates for changes and revisions to existing state laws to provide for more stringent penalties in the event a public records request is knowingly denied. Enhanced penalties and legal consequences for improper public records request denials are critical to ensure open and transparent access to public information.
Proximity-Based Comparative Study

Table 13.1 lists the proximity-based compatibility measures examined in this study. For each subclass, at least two compatibility measures with different normalization functions are considered. As before, the Description column provides a common name for the compatibility measure or a reference to an application in which it has been used. Several of the proximity-based compatibility measures are equivalent to set-theoretic measures already tested and they are included for completeness. In the tables showing performance results, the G D measures have an added parameter to the subscript, either univ or supp, that indicates the size of the normalizing distance β used in the dissemblance index. The subscript supp indicates that the smallest interval surrounding the support of both fuzzy sets is used for β. For univ, the cardinality of the universe of the fuzzy sets is used. The distinction between univ and supp was described in Section 8.4. We examine the performance of the proximity-based compatibility measures with T 3 and G 1,m aggregation. For each subclass, several of the better performing measures are tested with T 2 as the aggregator.
Assessing aquifer vulnerability from lumped parameter modeling of modern water proportions in groundwater mixtures: Application to California's South Coast Range

Abstract Groundwater in agriculture-dominated regions of California has historically experienced nitrate pollution due to the application of excess nitrogen fertilizers. This study examines the nitrate pollution vulnerability of groundwater in sedimentary aquifers of California's South Coast Range using stepwise logistic regression (LR) modeling. Our results indicate an overall excellent model fit, but an acceptable statistical significance, according to a Wald statistic (p-Wald) cutoff of 0.1, for only two explanatory variables: (1) the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, and (2) the modern (i.e., less than ~ 60 year old) water proportion (MWP) in the groundwater mixture. The latter parameter was estimated via Lumped Parameter Modeling (LPM) of groundwater tritium, helium and radiocarbon data that have been corrected for isotopic dilution and exchange using a modified Fontes and Garnier (F&G) approach. The observation that other explanatory variables on land cover (i.e., percentage of agricultural land use, abundance of septic tanks and leaking underground fuel tanks, etc.) were statistically insignificant points out the limitations of low-resolution land cover data in groundwater vulnerability assessments. Our results highlight the utility of quantitative groundwater age and mixing data to evaluate pollution probability in the saturated zone. The herein presented approach can thus provide valuable results in comparable settings where the availability of fertilizer application, crop nitrogen uptake, and soil texture data is limited.
Comment on David E. Morrison’s Paper on Philanthropic Foundations and the Production of Knowledge — A Case Study

Agreeing, as I do, with the major thrust of this paper, I shall limit myself to a few remarks that are meant to supplement rather than to controvert David E. Morrison’s analysis.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Maintenance of Adult Bone Health

For patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), the focus of medical and surgical care has traditionally been on children with this disorder. This is driven in part by parental involvement and in part by the fact that fractures are more frequent in children until they pass puberty. Although fractures may be less of an acute problem, the adult with OI may face problems which are directly related to OI, such as loss of hearing, dental concerns, scoliosis, respiratory insufficiency, bowel dysfunction with chronic constipation and kidney stones. Musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint. Added to these are the commonplace medical issues related to aging: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, osteoarthritis, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus. Paramount is concern for maintaining bone mass as the individual ages.
Widening diet breadth, declining foraging efficiency, and prehistoric harvest pressure: ichthyofaunal evidence from the Emeryville Shellmound, California

The Emeryville Shellmound is a famous but now destroyed midden once located on the east shore of San Francisco Bay. Analyses of the fish remains from the stratified late Holocene deposits indicate that prehistoric peoples had substantial impacts on the sturgeon populations of the Bay. This calls into question the commonly held belief that native peoples lived in harmony with nature and has important implications for the management of modern vertebrate populations.
Modern Concepts of Regulation of Intestinal Nutrient Transport

Humans, like other animals, insult their intestines with wildly varying food inputs. We start out life as 7-lb babies, consuming small amounts of food, all of it in the form of milk, yet we end up as adults weighing between 40 and 140 kg, consuming quantities of food one or two orders of magnitude greater than the intake of babies, mostly in the form of solids. If we’re lucky, we can eat whatever we want in whatever amounts we want: one day, a high-carbohydrate diet of elegant pastries; the next day, a no-carbohydrate, high-protein diet of filet mignon; the following day, neither pastry nor filet mignon, but a high-fat diet of rich cheese. If unlucky and poor, we may starve or occasionally get something to eat, but frequently suffer from deficiencies of vitamins, essential amino acids, or nitrogen. Even if living in affluence, we may be unlucky in other ways: we may develop diabetes or may require surgical resection of the intestine or else total parenteral nutrition. If working vigorously as lumberjacks, we may consume 7000 calories per day. Conversely, lying in bed all day requires only 800 calories. Half of us occasionally become pregnant, nurse one or more infants, and must increase our calorie intake correspondingly (up to several-fold in some nursing mammals).
Sprachunabhängige Aspekte der Programmierung

„Programmieren“ umfasst (mindestens) die folgenden Tatigkeiten: Analyse einer Aufgabenstellung; Entwurf einer Losung; Analyse dieser Losung; Formulieren dieser Losung ale Programm in einer vorgegebenen Programmiersprache; Ausfuhren and Tester des Programms; Beobachten der Programmablaufe and Analyse der Ergebnisse.
Raman and Infrared Studies of Platinum-Based Drugs: Cisplatin, Carboplatin, Oxaliplatin, Nedaplatin, and Heptaplatin.

This study reports the optimized structures and lowest-energy conformations/stereochemistry of five currently used platinum-based drugs: cisplatin, carboplatin, nedaplatin, oxaliplatin, and heptapl...
The Impact of Socioemotional Wealth on Decline-Stemming Strategies of Family Firms:

Calling upon stakeholder theory and the socioemotional wealth (SEW) literature, we investigate how SEW impacts the decline-stemming strategies of family firms. Drawing on a recent conceptualization...
Accelerated Discharge following Total Knee Arthroplasty May Be Safe in a Teaching Institution

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most commonly performed yet costly surgical procedures in orthopaedics. With national trends and reimbursements moving in favor of shorter hospital length-of-stay (LOS), it is important to understand the complications associated with discharging patients earlier. This is particularly more challenging in a teaching institution due to complexity and variety of layers of care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the 90-day postoperative outcomes among those who were discharged on postoperative day 2 (POD-2) and compare them to a cohort whom had a LOS ≥ 3 days. A retrospective review of all patients who underwent a primary TKA from at a single-teaching institution from 2015 to 2017 was performed. During this time, an accelerated discharge protocol was designed and implanted in our institution. We identified 485 patients who were then substratified into two groups: patients who were discharged on POD-2 (n = 91) with the accelerated protocol and those who were discharged ≥ 3 days (n = 394). Outcomes evaluated included (1) demographics, (2) readmission rates, (3) emergency room (ER) visits, and (4) complication rates within 90 days of TKA. The POD-2 cohort was significantly younger than patients with ≥ 3-day LOS (64 vs. 69 years; p = 0.0001). There were no differences in gender ratios between the 2-day and 3-day cohorts (women, 67 vs. 72%; p = 0.34). Readmission rates (2 vs. 5%; p = 0.31) and ER visits were similar between cohorts (9 vs. 6%; p = 0.4). Medical and surgical complication rates did not differ between the two cohorts, with an overall complication rate of 5.5% in POD-2 versus 5.6% in >3 days LOS (p = 0.97). Patients discharged on POD-2 from TKA did not demonstrate an increased risk of complications, ER visits, or readmissions within 90 days in a teaching institution. However, older patients tended to have a longer LOS.
Abatacept as rescue immunosuppression after calcineurin inhibitor treatment failure in renal transplantation.

A majority of kidney transplant recipients receive calcineurin inhibitor-based immunosuppression. However, some do not tolerate calcineurin inhibitors and require other immunosuppressive strategies. Until recently, alternative approaches have been associated with inferior outcomes, but recent methods have effectively utilized belatacept in calcineurin inhibitor-intolerant patients. Though promising, belatacept uptake has been limited by higher acute rejection rates, unavailability due to production shortages, and logistical challenges as a result of intravenous infusion requirements. Interestingly, its predecessor abatacept is clinically available in subcutaneous formulation to treat autoimmune disorders but has not been used in clinical transplantation. Here we report on a series of 9 calcineurin inhibitor-intolerant transplant recipients converted to abatacept early after transplant as rescue immunosuppression during periods of belatacept unavailability. Retrospective review revealed successful allograft salvage and 100% patient and graft survival (median 115 months) after conversion to abatacept. Patients received abatacept for a median duration of 82 months with stable, long-term renal allograft function, a single cellular rejection episode, and no clinically apparent protective immunity concerns. Hence our findings suggest that future clinical studies utilizing abatacept either de novo or as conversion therapy in transplant recipients should be considered.
Epidemiology, Evaluation, and Classification of Achalasia and Other Esophageal Motility Disorders

Dysphagia is an increasingly encountered symptom in an enlarging elderly segment of the population. Achalasia is an incurable disorder characterized by lack of deglutitive relaxation of the esophagogastric junction and esophageal aperistalsis. The pathophysiology is likely multifactorial, with the end result of inhibitory neural degeneration in Auerbach’s plexus, collagen deposition, and muscular hypertrophy. Evaluation for esophageal dysmotility includes meticulous focused history. Clinical symptoms for achalasia may be quantified with the Eckardt scoring system. Diagnostic studies include barium swallow, upper endoscopy, pH study, computed tomography, and esophageal manometry. The Chicago classification should be used to sequentially stratify patients with esophageal dysmotility based on manometric findings.
Comparing Methods of Ploidy Estimation in Potato (Solanum) Species

Ploidy manipulation and the resulting need for rapid ploidy screening can be important in potato research and breeding programs. We tested three predictors of ploidy, particularly seeking the quickest, simplest, and most reliable: Chloroplast number per guard cell (C#), guard cell length (GC), and pollen diameter (P), with a total of seven variations in methods of preparation. Time required for each preparation was assessed, and a panel of inexperienced volunteers compared these methods for accuracy using a standard set of coded samples of known ploidy. The common method of counting C# with iodine stain took longer and was no more accurate than observing C# or GC in tap water. GC from tape impressions of the underside of leaves was reliable and has the advantage of permanent slides for later reference. We recommend GC, whether in water, stained, or as tape impressions. GC is significantly different in diploids and tetraploids, but the distributions do overlap, so experience and care in selecting a representative sample of cells contributes to accuracy. The standard measurement of P after staining with aceto-carmine was faster to prep and just as reliable as epidermal methods for some technicians, even with no previous experience. Pursuit of ultra-simplified methods led us to measure P in tap water. Diameters of pollen in plain water are significantly larger, but only for living pollen, suggesting this method might also be developed into a rapid and reliable way to estimate pollen viability.
Education for Sustainability in the Parks: A Project Inspired by Chet Bowers.

Since its inception, the education for sustainable development (ESD) movement in higher education has been doomed. Its standards of sustainability, bound to measures of development which suggest hu...
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? THE POTENTIAL OF MHEALTH TO GIVE CAREGIVERS A V-O-I-C-E ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR PATIENT CARE TEAM

Caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) play a vital role in patient care and are themselves at risk for increased stress and poor health outcomes. With the widespread use of mobile devices, mobile health (mHealth) has great potential to support caregiver. To date there is a lack of
Can cyanotoxins penetrate human skin during water recreation to cause negative health effects

Cyanobacteria blooms and associated cyanotoxins pose significant public health risks during water recreation. Oral ingestion is the only recognized route of toxin exposure in water recreation guidelines. This review examines human skin as a barrier for the prevention of cyanotoxin absorption and investigates the likelihood of negative health effects through dermal exposure. Epidemiological studies of health effects from recreational exposure to algal blooms and toxins are summarized to highlight the importance of better understanding the toxicological effect of dermal exposure. The ability of a specific cyanotoxin to penetrate human skin is inferred by its physiochemical properties according to transdermal drug studies. The review identifies a disparity between the human health effects described in algal bloom exposure case studies and the toxicological skin exposure data. Skin penetration by algal toxins is likely and deserves further investigation.
Differential regulation of a placental SAM68 and sFLT1 gene pathway and the relevance to maternal vitamin D sufficiency.

Abstract Objective The goal of this study was to determine if an axis of placental gene expression associated with early onset and severe preeclampsia (EOSPE) was operative in term pregnancy and correlated with vitamin D sufficiency. Methods qPCR analysis of NKX2-5, SAM68, sFLT1 and membrane bound VEGFR1/FLT1 mRNA expression was conducted in placentas from 43 subjects enrolled in a vitamin D3 pregnancy supplementation trial. Pair-wise rank order correlations between patient-specific gene expression levels were calculated, and their relationship to maternal 25(OH)D status was assessed by a two-sample Wilcoxon test. Additionally, we probed the mechanistic link between SAM68 and sFLT1 using siRNA depletion in a human trophoblast cell line model. Results Positive and highly significant correlations were found between SAM68 vs. sFLT1 and SAM68 vs. FLT1 expression levels, as were significant and differential correlations between the expression of these genes and perinatal 25(OH)D status. The variability when stratified by race/ethnicity was qualitatively distinct from those previously observed in EOSPE. Mechanistic studies confirmed a functional role for SAM68 protein in the regulation of sFLT1 expression. NKX2-5 expression was not significantly correlated with sFLT1 or SAM68 expression in these samples, suggesting that its expression may be significant at earlier stages of pregnancy or be restricted to pathological settings. Conclusions These data further support our overarching hypothesis that SAM68 expression is a key determinant of VEGFR1 isoform expression in the placenta, and provide additional insights into how this gene pathway may be differentially deployed or modified in normal and pathological pregnancies.