cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Guide to Bioethics

Solving intractable biotechnological questions of evolution, medicine, and genetics is now easier due to methods permitting the rapid analysis of molecular sequence data. These advances have exposed ethical and policy concerns. How would genomic information be used and by whom? Should individuals be able to make decisions regarding their own genomic data? How accurate are these genetic tests and how should they be regulated? These and other ethical conundrums are the subject of this book. Bioethicists, biomedical policy experts and lawyers, physicians, nursing and allied health students as well as science educators will find this book helpful and engaging in exploring the complexities of modern evolutionary, genetic and biomedical data.
Washing of hydrophobic organic from contaminated sand with a surfactant

The use of surfactants shows great potential for the removal of hydrophobic organics from soils by in-situ washing techniques. Lab-scale soil washing experiments were performed using sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), an anionic surfactant, and anthracene, a highly hydrophobic compound. The results of this research show that the solubility of anthracene increases linearly with an increase in SDS concentration above the critical micellar concentration. Furthermore, SDS can be effective in removing anthracene from contaminated sand.
Adolescents have unfavorable opinions of adolescents who use e-cigarettes.

Introduction While evidence suggests positive opinions of smokers are associated with tobacco use, research exploring adolescents’ opinions of e-cigarette users is nascent. We hypothesized that adolescents harbor positive opinions of e-cigarette users, and that these opinions will be more positive among adolescents willing to try or who have used e-cigarettes. Methods Participants were 578 U.S. adolescents (ages 14 to 20) recruited from ten California schools. An online survey assessed their attitudes toward and opinions of adolescents who use e-cigarettes in 2015–2016. Analyses examined whether these variables were associated with willingness to try and use (ever vs. never) of e-cigarettes. Results The majority (61%) of participants had negative overall opinions toward adolescent e-cigarette users. Few participants ascribed positive traits (i.e., sexy, cool, clean, smart, and healthy) to e-cigarette users. Participants who were willing to try or had used e-cigarettes endorsed positive traits more than those unwilling to try and never-users (all p < .01). Participants sometimes endorsed negative traits (i.e., unattractive, trashy, immature, disgusting, and inconsiderate) to describe e-cigarette users. Unwilling and never-users viewed negative traits as more descriptive of e-cigarette users than willing or ever-users (all p < .01). Conclusions Adolescents generally had somewhat negative opinions of other adolescents who use e-cigarettes. Building on adolescents’ negativity toward adolescent e-cigarette users may be a productive direction for prevention efforts, and clinicians can play an important role by keeping apprised of the products their adolescent patients are using and providing information on health effects to support negative opinions or dissuade formation of more positive ones.
Increased language co-activation leads to enhanced cross-linguistic phonetic convergence

Purpose:This study investigates the effects of bilingual language modes (or settings) on the speech production patterns of a group of early Catalan/Spanish bilinguals from Majorca, Spain. Our main ...
Low ICU burnout in a safety net hospital.

Objective Burnout tends to be high in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) settings. Stressors include serious patient illness, round-the-clock acute events, and end of life (non-beneficial) care. We report on an ICU with very low burnout scores. We sought to understand factors that might be responsible for these favorable outcomes. Design We compared ICU scores on burnout and its predictors with scores in non ICU providers, merging scores in four ICUs (burn, medical, surgical and pediatrics). Analyses included descriptive statistics, as well as general estimating equations to assess odds of burnout in ICU vs non ICU clinicians. Setting Annual wellness survey performed in October 2017 at Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), an integrated system of care that includes an urban safety net hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Participants Six hundred seventy-nine providers (physicians and advanced practice providers). Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Annual surveys are performed using the validated Mini-Z 10 item wellness instrument. The Mini-Z assesses stress, satisfaction, and burnout, as well as known predictors including work control, chaos, teamwork, values alignment, and electronic medical record-related stress. Response rate in ICUs was 70% (64% elsewhere). Ten percent of ICU clinicians reported burnout, vs 37% of other providers (p = 0.015). ICUs were characterized as having lower chaos, less stress, and very high teamwork and values alignment between clinicians and leaders. Odds of burnout were four times lower in ICU clinicians (Odds Ratio 0.24, 95% CI 0.06, 0.96, p = 0.043). Of all HHS providers, those with values not aligned with leaders had 3.28 times the odds of burnout (CIs 1.92, 5.59, p < 0.001). Conclusions Low burnout can be present in a busy, safety net ICU. Explicitly aligning values between clinicians and leaders may hold promise as a remediable worklife factor for producing these favorable results.
Modeling Niche Construction in Neolithic Europe

In modeling ancient Neolithic societies over many generations, it is essential to consider how cultural knowledge is inherited, including specific transmission pathways, often directed by kinship systems, and their feedback. The transmission of cultural knowledge, by effecting behavior, subsequently feeds back into itself in subsequent generations. This is niche construction—a process by which humans and domesticated plants and animals, through their metabolism, activities, and choices, modify natural selection, which can have significant evolutionary repercussions for subsequent generations. Here we discuss the evolution of dairying by Neolithic groups in Europe, with emphasis on specific intergenerational cultural-transmission pathways and how Granger causality and pathway analysis might be applied to modeling the Neolithic transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture.
The impact of prolonged exposure therapy on social support and PTSD symptoms

Abstract Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results in high costs to society, particularly among military personnel. Much is known about PTSD treatments—such as exposure therapies—and their outcomes, but less is known about how treatment might impact social support and PTSD symptoms over the course of treatment. Methods: In the current study, soldiers with PTSD (N = 162) were randomized to complete prolonged exposure therapy (either with or without virtual reality) or a waitlist control condition. We examined the impact of treatment on perceived social support as a secondary treatment outcome, as well as the associations between social support and PTSD symptoms over time. Results: Exposure therapy increased perceived social support at the end of treatment compared to waitlist control, β = 0.43, 95% CI [0.13, 0.73]. Multigroup structural equation modeling using a cross-lagged panel design provided evidence that perceived social support was an antecedent of PTSD symptom improvement for participants engaging in treatment, but not for participants in the waitlist control. Treatment effects on change in PTSD symptoms was mediated by change in perceived social support (B = 1.10, 95% CI [0.20, 3.05]). Limitations: The results should be considered in light of limitations, including the characteristics of the sample of active duty soldiers, the measurement of social support, and missingess over the course of the study. Conclusions: These results suggest that increased perceived social support is a secondary outcome of exposure therapy and may be one pathway through which treatment reduces PTSD symptoms.
The gang paradox: inequalities and miracles on the U.S.-Mexico border

On 3 August 2019, a mass shooting targeting Latinxs occurred at an El Paso Walmart. The shooting highlighted existing xenophobic and white supremacist anti-Latinx beliefs in the US That it was plan...
Probing Molecular Nanostructures of Aromatic Terephthalic Acids Triggered by Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonds and Electrochemical Potential.

Self-assembly provides unique routes to create supramolecular nanostructures at well-defined surfaces. In the present work, we employed scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in combination with elect...
Biomarker-specific differences between transpulmonary and peripheral arterial–venous blood sampling in patients with pulmonary hypertension

Purpose: Transpulmonary biomarkers may provide insight into pulmonary hypertension (PH) pathophysiology, but require cardiac catheterization. We investigated whether the peripheral arterial–venous ...
Análisis a los procesos estratégicos en relación al marco regulatorio de gobierno corporativo

This investigation analyzes the existing theory related to rules that refer to corporate governance based on the principles of the OECD (organization for economic co-operation and development) and relating them with the strategic procedures in the moment of making an organization, its respective implementation and final evaluation. This was realized by interviewing people who work in a company which has corporate governance, the results of the interviews were then analyzed and compared with the theory that supports the problem of this investigation, the strategic procedures were verified in order to identify good practices of corporate governance and strength for the company, and the achievement of the business objectives.
Structural insulated panels for housing: failure modes upon accelerated aging

Abstract Structural insulated panels (SIPs) with skins of oriented strand boards (OSB) are increasingly used to build energy efficient dwellings. SIPs are sandwich-like construction products where stress-bearing facer panels are located on both sides of a core of rigid insulation. The lack of knowledge of SIPs amongst home builders and the lack of public data on engineering properties and durability of OSB-SIPs currently limit their use. This is particularly the case in Canada, where the National Building Code of Canada requires that new construction products demonstrate similar service lives to traditional materials. The National Research Council of Canada, in collaboration with suppliers of SIPs and SIP components and Alberta Innovates, have recently addressed issues related to the performance and durability of SIPs for the Canadian construction market. The goal of the work was to develop a basic laboratory programme for the accelerated aging of SIP and help to establish a test protocol to evaluate SIPs for durability. In this chapter, details are provided on elements to assess SIP durability when subjected to conditions that simulate key parameters of the Canadian climate as may occur in-service over their expected life. In service, SIPs are exposed to physical and chemical aging. The physical processes include cyclic weathering conditions, whereas the chemical processes include oxidation and hydrolysis. The results of testing indicate that all SIP components are subject to aging deterioration under a simulated 20–50-year service life, and that aging deterioration can begin relatively early during service. Six failure modes were obtained from the tensile testing of aged SIP coupons, and these modes serve to diagnose the durability of individual SIP components. The results from this test program were used to develop guidelines to assess SIP durability.
Comparative study of α-helical and β-sheet self-assembled peptide nanofiber vaccine platforms: influence of integrated T-cell epitopes.

Several different self-assembling peptide systems that form nanofibers have been investigated as vaccine platforms, but design principles for adjusting the character of the immune responses they raise have yet to be well articulated. Here we compared the immune responses raised by two structurally dissimilar peptide nanofibers, one a β-sheet fibrillar system (Q11), and one an α-helical nanofiber system (Coil29), hypothesizing that integrated T-cell epitopes within the latter would promote T follicular helper (Tfh) cell engagement and lead to improved antibody titers and quality. Despite significantly different internal structures, nanofibers of the two peptides exhibited surprisingly similar nanoscale morphologies, and both were capable of raising strong antibody responses to conjugated peptide epitopes in mice without adjuvant. Both were minimally inflammatory, but as hypothesized Coil29 nanofibers elicited antibody responses with higher titers and avidities against a conjugated model epitope (OVA323–339) and a candidate peptide epitope for vaccination against S. aureus. Subsequent investigation indicated that Coil29 nanofibers possessed internal CD4+ T cell epitopes: whereas Q11 nanofibers required co-assembly of additional CD4+ T cell epitopes to be immunogenic, Coil29 nanofibers did not. Coil29 nanofibers also raised stronger germinal center B cell responses and follicular helper T cell (Tfh) responses relative to Q11 nanofibers, likely facilitating the improvement of the antibody response. These findings illustrate design strategies for improving humoral responses raised by self-assembled peptide nanofibers.
Expression and significance of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and α-smooth-muscle actin in cervical cancer

Objective To examine the expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α and α-smooth-muscle actin (SMA) in both cervical cancer tissues with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and non-cervical cancer tissues, and assess the clinical significance in cervical cancer. Methods The immune-histochemistry was used to detect HIF-1α and α-SMA in 68 cases of cervical cancer tissues and 56 cases of non-cervical cancer tissues (including normal cervical tissues, hysteromyoma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasias) from January 2013 to January 2014 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Northern University. Results The positive expression rates of HIF-1α and α-SMA in cervical cancer tissues and non-cervical cancer tissues were 58.8% (40/68), 39.3% (22/56) and 54.4% (37/68), 35.7% (20/56) respectively; the differences were significant statistically (P 0.05). The positive expression of α-SMA was associated with lymph node metastasis (r = 0.363, P = 0.001), abdominal aortic parathyroid lymph node metastasis (r = 0.271, P = 0.020) and SCC-Ag (r = 0.272, P = 0.020), but it was not correlated with age, FIGO stage and tumor size (P>0.05) . The short-term effect rates of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer tissues with positive and negative expression of HIF-1α and α-SMA were 27.5% (11/40), 21.6% (8/37), and 64.3% (18/28) and 48.4% (15/31), and there were statistical differences (P<0.05). The medial follow-up time of 68 cases was 60 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 52.9% (36/68). The 5-year survival rates of the patients with positive expression of HIF-1α and α-SMA were 42.5% (17/40) and 40.5% (15/31), the 5-year survival rates of the patients with negative expression of HIF-1α and α-SMA were 67.9% (19/28) and 67.7% (21/31), and the differences were statistically significant separately (χ2 = 4.091 and 4.573, P = 0.043 and 0.032). Conclusions The elevation of HIF-1α and α-SMA may be used to predict the development and prognosis of cervical cancer with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Key words: Uterine cervical neoplasms; Concurrent chemoradiotherapy; Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha; Alpha-smooth-muscle actin
“It’s Just Constantly Having to Make a Ton of Decisions That Other People Take for Granted”: Pregnancy and Parenting Desires for Queer Cisgender Women and Non-binary Individuals Assigned Female at Birth

As more queer cisgender women and gender-expansive individuals become parents, research must consider current barriers to family formation. This study used a modified grounded theory approach to co...
Le Pays des autres. Première partie: La guerre, la guerre, la guerre: by Leïla Slimani, Paris, Gallimard, 2020, 368 pp., €20 (softcover), ISBN 978-2-07-288799-4

Le pays des autres is the first volume of Leila Slimani’s proposed fictional trilogy on Moroccan national history. Spanning nearly a decade and two continents, the novel follows Mathilde (French) a...
Nociceptin is present in synovial fluid of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Osteoarthritis is a mechanical abnormality characterized by chronic joint pain associated with degeneration of the articular cartilage, synovitis, and local inflammation, leading to loss of function and pain. A connection exists between the peripheral nervous system and inflammatory joint degeneration. The process by which inflammation is influenced by the nervous system is known as neuroinflammation. One of the neuropeptides involved in peripheral neuroinflammation is nociceptin, a peptide related to the opioid class of substances. Nociceptin has both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects. Some studies show that nociceptin can be measured in synovial fluid, while other studies have not been able to detect it. The presence of nociceptin in synovial fluid could imply a molecular role for the neuropeptide in the joint, both physiologically as well as pathophysiologically. The goal of this pilot study was to determine whether nociceptin was present in the synovial fluid of osteoarthritic knees. Patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty were enrolled after Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Synovial fluid was aspirated from patients’ operative knee joints and blood samples were obtained. A commercially available enzyme Immunoassay kit was used to test for nociceptin. A linear mixed-effects model was developed to account for the repeated measurements and baseline covariates. Least squares (adjusted) means were derived from the model to compare the sample types and to compare subgroups. Twenty patients were included in this study. Nociceptin was detected in the synovial fluid and plasma of all patients. The mean concentration (± standard deviation) of nociceptin in synovial fluid was 28.7 ± 18.2 pg/ml. The mean concentration of nociceptin in plasma was 45.2 ± 24.3 pg/ml pre-procedure, and 40.1 ± 20.6 pg/ml post-tourniquet deflation. The nociceptin concentration in synovial fluid was significantly lower than the nociceptin concentration in plasma, both pre-procedure and post-tourniquet deflation (p = 0.002 and p = 0.016 respectively). The nociceptin concentration in both plasma and synovial fluid was significantly lower in females versus males (p = 0.012). We demonstrated that nociceptin is present in synovial fluid and plasma of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. This implies a potential role for nociceptin in modulating inflammation in osteoarthritis. ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02528916 . Retrospectively registered on August 19, 2015,
Blended Lifecycle Integrated Social System Method

Lack of a reliable database and methodology for system development and evaluation with special consideration of social impacts has led to several challenges for lifecycle assessment for any project. Implementation of social science into projects, integrating social sustainability concerns into measures of human development, and investigating the impacts of the production process and the product chain on stakeholders are complex. This study develops a robust framework for social life cycle assessment, entitled the “Blended Lifecycle Integrated Social System” framework (BLISS). The BLISS method aims to develop an overarching framework that blends in the social aspect of the decision-making process and supports businesses in minimizing the harmful impacts of social objections on the industry and people’s lives. The new method is demonstrated here on algal biofuel production, with the integration of the weight of each production stage in the final product, studying a wide variety of stakeholders involved in the life cycle, including any relevant social criteria and understanding their connection with the production line and the stakeholders in a multi-criteria analysis framework. However, by combining product systems, indicators, and stakeholders, the new method results in a more robust solution by including social sustainability hotspots, development opportunities, and minimization of social objection on various types of projects.
Community pharmacy-based injectable naltrexone service delivery models and best practices.

Abstract Background Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major public health issue in the United States. Medications for OUD (MOUD), which combines the use of approved medications with counseling and behavioral therapies, represents an evidence-based approach to treat individuals living with an OUD. However, MOUD has not kept up with increased demand and new treatment approaches are needed. One approach is injectable naltrexone, an approved and effective MOUD treatment, provided by pharmacists, who are more geographically accessible and have legal authority to administer it in some states. Objectives To explore how different community pharmacists provide injectable naltrexone treatment and identify best practices. Methods An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used to investigate pharmacy-based naltrexone injection practices, involving a pharmacist questionnaire and interviews with pharmacists, prescribers, and community stakeholders. An inductive/iterative content analysis approach, guided by an initial straw model, was used to identify and explore conceptual categories for the interviews. Results The final sample included 68 pharmacy surveys and 14 total interviews with pharmacists (n = 9), prescribers (n = 3), and community stakeholders (n = 2). Pharmacies providing naltrexone injections reported administering over 700 injections in the past year. Interviews revealed benefits and barriers to pharmacist-provided injections and the importance of the prescriber-pharmacist relationship in OUD treatment. Three pharmacy treatment delivery models were identified, compared to the initial straw model, and informed development of a best practices checklist for community pharmacies interested in establishing or expanding a naltrexone injection service. Conclusions The study demonstrates how community pharmacies developed and implemented a naltrexone injection service. Pharmacists' and prescribers' feedback clearly suggests an untapped interest, as well as resources, in realizing pharmacists’ roles as providers of injectable naltrexone treatment. Implementation research could inform the development and evaluation of an intervention based on these best practices to further explore the utility of community pharmacy-based naltrexone injection services.
What the dingo says about dog domestication

Worldwide, dogs (Canis familiaris) are certainly the most common domesticate (900 million according to the World Atlas) and are sometimes used as a proxy for human presence. Dogs were the first and therefore arguably most important species ever to be domesticated. It is widely accepted that the domestic dog is a descendent of Pleistocene gray wolves (Canis lupus), possibly of a population now extinct. How can an extant canid, the dingo (Canis dingo or Canis familiaris), whose status as a species and as a domesticate is controversial, improve our understanding of the ancient process of domesticating the dog? Here I review anatomical, behavioral, biogeographic, and molecular evidence on the appropriate status of dingoes in a historical context. Dingoes are now the major apex predator in Australia aside from humans. Different sources of evidence have suggested different times of arrival in Greater Australia for humans and canids and different degrees of intimacy or domestication between humans and canids. Just as domestic dogs are often accorded near-human status, dingoes have special relationships with human families, but reproductively and behaviorally they remain independent. In sum, traits of the dingo reflect its lupine ancestry, a certain degree of accommodation to human company, and unique adaptations to the demands of its habitat. Emphasizing that domestication is a long-term process, not an event, helps clarify the ambiguous status of dingoes.
Co-Optimization of Boost Converter Reliability and Volumetric Power Density Using Genetic Algorithm

In power electronic applications, reliability and power density are a few of the many important performance metrics that require continual improvement in order to meet the demand of today’s complex electrical systems. However, due to the complexity of the synergy between various components, it is challenging to visualize and evaluate the effects of choosing one component over another and what certain design parameters impose on the overall reliability and lifetime of the system. Furthermore, many areas of electronics have realized remarkable innovation in the integration of new materials of passive and active components; wide-bandgap semiconductor devices and new magnetic materials allow higher operating temperature, blocking voltage, and switching frequency; all of which enable much more compact power converter designs. However, uncertainty remains in the overall electronics reliability in different design variations. Hence, in order to better understand the relationship between reliability and power density in a power electronic system, this paper utilizes a genetic algorithm (GA) to provide pareto optimal solution sets in a multi-variate trade space that relates the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and volumetric power density for the design of a 5 kW synchronous boost converter. Different designs of the synchronous boost converter based on the variation of the electrical parameters and material types for the passive (input and output capacitors, the boost inductor, and the heatsink) and active components (switches) have been studied. A few candidate designs have been evaluated and verified through hardware experiments.
Assessing Persistence of Entrapped Gas for Induced Partial Saturation

AbstractInduced partial saturation (IPS) is a novel method to suppress the generation of excess pore-water pressure and increase the liquefaction resistance of loose granular soils. Mechanical bene...
Hyperhemolysis Syndrome in a Patient With Sickle Cell Disease and Acute Chest Syndrome.

Sickle cell anemia patients often present to the hospital with acute vaso-occlusive pain crisis. Symptoms can include, but are not limited to, chest pain, abdominal pain, and musculoskeletal pain. These symptoms are brought about due to the pathology of the disease. Abnormal hemoglobin S causes red blood cells to band together, otherwise known as "sickling." These patients also often present with very low hemoglobin levels on initial evaluation. In most cases, packed red blood cell transfusions are needed in order to replenish these patient's functional hemoglobin supply. Unfortunately, transfusing sickle cell patients can lead to an unwanted consequence, that of hyperhemolysis syndrome, in which blood transfusions prompt further hemolysis of the already sickled red blood cells. When this complication arises, caution must be exercised in deciding the next steps of treatment.
Immunopathology and Immunotherapy of Central Nervous System Cancer

Cancers of the central nervous system (CNS) are unique both in the immunopathology underlying their development and in the challenges they present to designing effective immune-based therapeutic strategies. The immune response in the CNS has fundamental differences from that seen elsewhere in the organism. Moreover, a series of evasion mechanisms have been described for CNS tumors, which limit effective recognition and effective antitumoral cytotoxic responses by the immune system. A series of therapeutic approaches are currently being developed for enhancing and focusing the immune system to elicit and enhance a therapeutic antitumoral response. In this chapter, an overview of the intricacies of the immune system in the CNS within the context of tumor immunology is presented. In addition, some of the most salient immunotherapeutic advances for treatment of CNS tumors are explored.
Seizures in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Seizures are not infrequent among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Acutely, seizures in ICH are thought to be due to structural and biochemical disruption, whereas late seizures and epilepsy are likely related to inflammation and gliosis. Early seizures may occur in 3.4–41 % of patients and the risk of epilepsy is 2.3–31 % depending on the definitions used and time of follow-up. The frequency of seizures in ICH may be underestimated as a significant number of patients may have electrographic nonconvulsive seizures. While status epilepticus is generally uncommon in patients with ICH, it may represent 20 % among patients with ICH and seizures. Partial seizures or partial seizures with secondary generalization are the most common type. There are factors that increase the risk of seizures. There is conflicting evidence with regard to the impact of seizures on the outcome of ICH although it is clear that status epilepticus increases mortality rate. Evidence supporting the use of antiepileptic drugs in patients with ICH is scarce. There is general agreement that clinical and electrographic seizures should be treated and prophylactic therapy avoided; though, there is uncertainty with regard to the duration of therapy and its role in epilepsy prevention.
Topical intranasal corticosteroids and growth velocity in children: a meta‐analysis

Background There is no consensus regarding the effects on growth velocity of intranasal topical corticosteroid (ITC) use in children. The objective of this study was to determine whether ITC use reduces growth velocity in children with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods A literature search of the National Center for Biotechnology Information PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane databases from January 1, 1988 to October 7, 2013. The study selection was composed of randomized clinical trials investigating ITC for treatment of AR in children (age <18 years of age) with appropriate controls. Studies must have included interval change in growth as an outcome. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed study quality. Eligible studies were pooled using a random-effects approach. Results Eight studies with 755 participants from 3 countries provided data for the meta-analysis (knemometry, n =342 participants; stadiometry, n =413 participants). Study duration ranged from 2 to 4 weeks for trials evaluating knemometry outcomes, and 12 months for trials evaluating stadiometry outcomes. Age of participants ranged from 3 to 12 years. The pooled standardized mean difference showed that among studies using knemometry, mean growth was statistically significantly lower among children using ITC vs placebo (−.223 mm/week; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.429 to −0.017; p < 0.034).The pooled standardized mean difference showed that among studies using stadiometry, there was no significant growth difference among children using ITC vs placebo (−0.053 cm/year; 95% CI, −0.491 to 0.385; p = 0.813). The limitations of this study were the difficulty in predicting longer-term or catch-up growth in children. Conclusion Meta-analytic pooling of trials suggest that short-term ITC for the treatment of AR in children may decrease short-term growth velocity using knemometry; however, the effect on longer-term growth velocity as measured by stadiometry is unclear.
Hybrid compressive sampling via a new total variation TVL1

Compressive sampling (CS) is aimed at acquiring a signal or image from data which is deemed insufficient by Nyquist/Shannon sampling theorem. Its main idea is to recover a signal from limited measurements by exploring the prior knowledge that the signal is sparse or compressible in some domain. In this paper, we propose a CS approach using a new total-variation measure TVL1, or equivalently TVl1, which enforces the sparsity and the directional continuity in the gradient domain. Our TVl1 based CS is characterized by the following attributes. First, by minimizing the l1-norm of partial gradients, it can achieve greater accuracy than the widely-used TVl1l2 based CS. Second, it, named hybrid CS, combines low-resolution sampling (LRS) and random sampling (RS), which is motivated by our induction that these two sampling methods are complementary. Finally, our theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that our hybrid CS using TVl1 yields sharper and more accurate images.
Two spacecraft observations of magnetic discontinuities in the solar wind with STEREO

[1] Directional discontinuities in the solar wind magnetic field are often explored by either single-spacecraft studies with tens of thousands of events or multiple-spacecraft studies with between ten and a few hundred events. The unique orbits of the twin STEREO spacecraft afford the opportunity for a multiple-spacecraft study of tens of thousands of directional discontinuities at variable spacecraft separation. Automated algorithms are developed both for identifying magnetic directional discontinuities at a single spacecraft and for matching discontinuities between spacecraft. Four months of data yield tens of thousands of discontinuities per spacecraft and several thousand discontinuities identified at both spacecraft. Rates of occurrence, minimum lengths, and aspect ratios are determined for discontinuities identified at both spacecraft. Distributions of directional discontinuity properties, including thickness, normal vector orientation, waiting times between successive discontinuities, and the angle through which the magnetic field rotates while crossing the discontinuity (shear angle), are determined for directional discontinuities observed at both spacecraft as well as those observed at only a single spacecraft. It is found that the distributions of many of these properties are different between directional discontinuities observed by both spacecraft and those observed by only a single spacecraft. Based on the nature of these differences, the population of discontinuities observed by both spacecraft is most consistently interpreted as the walls of solar wind flux tubes.
Real-world Data is Dirty: Data Cleansing and The Merge/Purge Problem

The problem of merging multiple databases of information about common entities is frequently encountered in KDD and decision support applications in large commercial and government organizations. The problem we study is often called the Merge/Purge problem and is difficult to solve both in scale and accuracy. Large repositories of data typically have numerous duplicate information entries about the same entities that are difficult to cull together without an intelligent ’’equational theory‘‘ that identifies equivalent items by a complex, domain-dependent matching process. We have developed a system for accomplishing this Data Cleansing task and demonstrate its use for cleansing lists of names of potential customers in a direct marketing-type application. Our results for statistically generated data are shown to be accurate and effective when processing the data multiple times using different keys for sorting on each successive pass. Combing results of individual passes using transitive closure over the independent results, produces far more accurate results at lower cost. The system provides a rule programming module that is easy to program and quite good at finding duplicates especially in an environment with massive amounts of data. This paper details improvements in our system, and reports on the successful implementation for a real-world database that conclusively validates our results previously achieved for statistically generated data.
Stability analysis of multi-hop routing in sensor networks with mobile sinks

This paper presents a formulation for analyzing stability issues inherent to multi-hop routing in mobile sink based data collection systems. The paper parameterizes the extent of multi-hop routing as a hop-bound factor which is used to represent a wide spectrum of design options including single-hop with mobile sink, multi-hop with static sink, and different levels of mobile sink based multi-hop routing in between. An analytical model is developed for studying the impacts of multi-hop routing on collection delay performance. A number of thresholds are derived from the model for determining the amount of multi-hop routing that can be used for stable and efficient data collection in the context of constantly moving sinks. Finally, the system performance trends obtained from the model are validated using packet level simulations.
QUANTUM THREE-PASS PROTOCOL: KEY DISTRIBUTION USING QUANTUM SUPERPOSITION STATES

This letter proposes a novel key distribution protocol with no key exchange in advance, which is secure as the BB84 quantum key distribution protocol. Our protocol utilizes a photon in superposition state for single-bit data transmission instead of a classical electrical/optical signal. The security of this protocol relies on the fact, that the arbitrary quantum state cannot be cloned, known as the no-cloning theorem. This protocol can be implemented with current technologies.
Metamaterial-Enhanced Resistive Wall Amplifiers: Theory and Particle-in-Cell Simulations

The resistive wall amplifier (RWA), a vacuum electron device, has been theoretically predicted to provide extremely high gain. However, the properties of practical, naturally available bulk materials for the resistive wall support structure significantly reduce achievable gain. This paper investigates the capabilities of a metamaterial-enhanced RWA (ME-RWA). We predict that using epsilon-negative metamaterials can yield high gains that closely approach the idealized performance limit. ME-RWAs may exhibit bandwidths and gains much higher than many commercially available vacuum electron devices.
Does health care insurance affect outcomes after traumatic brain injury? Analysis of the National Trauma Databank

Increasing evidence indicates insurance status plays a role in the outcome of trauma patients; however its role on outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains unclear. A retrospective review was queried within the National Trauma Data Bank. Moderate to severe TBI insured patients were compared with their uninsured counterparts with respect to demographics, Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors for mortality. Of 52,344 moderate to severe TBI patients, 41,711 (79.7%) were insured. Compared with the uninsured, insured TBI patients were older (46.1 +/- 22.4 vs. 37.3 +/- 16.3 years, P or =16: 78.4% vs. 74.4%, P < 0.0001), had longer intensive care unit length of stay (6.0 +/- 9.4 vs. 5.1 +/- 7.6, P < 0.0001) and had higher mortality (9.3% vs. 8.0%, P < 0.0001). However, when controlling for confounding variables, the presence of insurance had a significant protective effect on mortality (adjusted odds ratio 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.82-0.97, P = 0.007). This effect was most noticeable in patients with head abbreviated injury score = 5 (adjusted odds ratio 0.7; 95% confidence interval: 0.6-0.8, P < 0.0001), indicating insured severe TBI patients have improved outcomes compared with their uninsured counterparts. There is no clear explanation for this finding however the role of insurance in outcomes after trauma remains a topic for further investigation.
Corticosterone regulation of brain and lymphoid corticosteroid receptors.

Circulating lymphocytes are often used as a model for brain corticosteroid receptor regulation in clinical disease states, although it is not known if lymphoid receptors are regulated in a similar manner as brain receptors. In the present study the regulation of brain (hippocampus, frontal cortex, hypothalamus and striatum), lymphoid (circulating lymphocytes, spleen and thymus) and pituitary glucocorticoid receptors in response to alterations in circulating corticosterone levels was examined. Seven days following adrenalectomy, type II corticosteroid receptors (i.e. glucocorticoid receptors) were significantly increased in the hippocampus, frontal cortex and hypothalamus, but not in any other tissues. Administration of corticosterone (10 mg/kg) for 7 days significantly decreased type II as well as type I (i.e. mineralocorticoid receptors) receptors in the hippocampus. Type II receptors in the frontal cortex, circulating lymphocytes and spleen were also significantly decreased by chronic corticosterone treatment. Immobilization stress (2 h a day for 5 days) failed to alter receptor density in any of the tissues. These results demonstrate that homologous regulation of corticosteroid receptors by corticosterone does not invariably occur in all tissues and emphasize the complex degree of regulation of these receptors. However, the simultaneous downregulation of both hippocampal and lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptors by corticosterone provides support for the hypothesis that circulating lymphocytes do reflect some aspects of brain glucocorticoid receptor regulation.
USIM: a user interface manager

This paper proposes a control mechanism for the user interface. This mechanism provides two principal services of frequent importance in interactive systems: management of alternate file input, and log files. The mechanism is independent of the command language interpreter and thus its services are available to all programs.
Modeling resist heating in mask fabrication using a multilayer Green's function approach

Pattern distortion caused by resist heating can be a significant contributor to errors in feature size and pattern placement. The Green's function method is suitable for determining the temperature evolution during resist exposure, but the previous published solutions are based on different simplifications and lead to different results. In this paper we present a solution of the multi-layer Green's function with clearer physical meaning. This model takes into account the thermal diffusion in all layers of resist chromium and substrate and can be used to calculate the four-dimensional temperature profiles that exist during and after electron beam exposure. Different writing strategies can cause differing degrees of edge displacement and this can lead to errors in feature size and feature position and to edge roughness.
Alteration in neurofilament axonal transport in the sciatic nerve of the diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP)-treated hen

Abstract Diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP) is an organophosphorus ester that produces organophosphorus ester-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN) in hens 7–14 days after a single s.c. dose of 1.7 mg/kg. In this study, hens were treated with a single dose of DFP (1.7 mg/kg, s.c.) 24 hr after [ 35 S]methionine injection into the sacrolumbar region of their spinal cord, and killed 3, 7, 14, or 27 days post-DFP treatment. The rates of transport of labeled high (NF-H), medium (NF-M), and low (NF-L) molecular weight neurofilaments, and tubulin were faster in DFP-treated birds than in controls after 3 days. Subsequently, the rate of transport of these proteins started falling, so that the peaks of labeled proteins in control and DFP-treated hens were overlapping after 7 days. At 14 days, the peaks of NF-H, NF-M, and NF-L in treated hens were distinctly behind the corresponding peaks in control hens. This was again followed by an increase in transport of NF-H and NF-L, but not of NF-M, so that the labeled NF-H and NF-L showed the same pattern in control and treated hens after 27 days. The transient decrease in NF-H and NF-L axonal transport rate, and recovery correlated in a temporal manner with the previously reported increase of Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation of neurofilament proteins and inhibition of calpain activity in the sciatic nerve in OPIDN. Proteinase inhibition has been reported recently to result in enhanced phosphorylation of neurofilaments in some cells. The present study suggests that the enhanced phosphorylation of neurofilaments by DFP-increased Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity may be contributing toward alteration in NF axonal transport and the development of OPIDN.
Forecasting automobile demand using disaggregate choice models

Abstract This paper presents a simulation model of the American automobile market. The simulation model combines a disaggregate model of household automobile number and type choice with an econometric model of used vehicle scrappage and simple models of new car supply. For fixed vehicle designs, consumer and producer interactions determine new car sales, used car scrappage and consumer vehicle holdings. The model allows automobiles to be highly differentiated and consumers to be heterogeneous. Short-run equilibrium is defined as supply equal to demand for every vehicle type during each market period. The automobile stock then evolves slowly as new vehicles are added and old vehicles are removed during each period. An empirical application of the simulation model with 12 consumer groups and 131 vehicle types is used to forecast automobile holdings. A base case scenario is run for 1978–1984 and compared with the observed market behavior during this period. Several other simulations are then run comparing different gasoline price scenarios with the base case for 1984–1990.
Catecholamine-mediated constrictor effects of aldosterone on vascular smooth muscle

The possibility that the corticosteroid hormone, aldosterone, might possess direct vasoconstrictor properties was examined in the isolated central ear artery of the New Zealand white rabbit. Aldosterone alone produced only minimal contractile effects in the arterial segments; but following pretreatment of the tissue with desipramine (10−7M), a blocker of neuronal uptake of norepinephrine, aldosterone concentrations of 10−6M, 10−5M, and 10−4M produced stepwise contractile responses of 0.16 ± 0.03 (SE)g, 0.48 ± .04g, and 1.31 ± 0.06g. The possible involvement of norepinephrine in this action of aldosterone was tested in a series of tissues stored for 2 days at 2°C in Krebsbicarbonate medium so as to deplete endogenous catecholamine stores. Treatment with desipramine followed by aldosterone (10−4M) now produced an average contraction of only 0.1 ± 0.06g; but if the labile neuronal tissue stores of norepinephrine in these tissues were then replenished by exposure to norepinephrine 10−7M, contractions of 1.2 ± 0.3g now occurred when desipramine and aldosterone were added. To examine whether aldosterone's action might be due to blockade of extraneuronal norepinephrine uptake (uptake-2), 3H-norepinephrine was added to ear artery tissues exposed to desipramine with or without aldosterone: a significant (P<0.005) decrease of 25% in 3H-norepinephrine uptake occurred in the tissues treated with aldosterone. In further studies, the contractile effects of aldosterone could be prevented by pretreatment with prazosin (10−7M) or phentolamine (10−7M); if added after the aldosterone, each of these alpha-blockers completely reversed the contractile responses. Although the physiological relevance of these findings is yet to be fully defined, these studies indicate that the in vitro contractile effects of aldosterone are dependent upon its inhibition of extraneuronal uptake of endogenous norepinephrine; it is likely that the resulting increase in extracellular norepinephrine concentration then produces vasoconstriction by stimulation of post-synaptic alpha-adrenergic receptors.