cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Body temperature patterns as a predictor of hospital-acquired sepsis in afebrile adult intensive care unit patients: a case-control study

Early treatment of sepsis improves survival, but early diagnosis of hospital-acquired sepsis, especially in critically ill patients, is challenging. Evidence suggests that subtle changes in body temperature patterns may be an early indicator of sepsis, but data is limited. The aim of this study was to examine whether abnormal body temperature patterns, as identified by visual examination, could predict the subsequent diagnosis of sepsis in afebrile critically ill patients. Retrospective case-control study of 32 septic and 29 non-septic patients in an adult medical and surgical ICU. Temperature curves for the period starting 72 hours and ending 8 hours prior to the clinical suspicion of sepsis (for septic patients) and for the 72-hour period prior to discharge from the ICU (for non-septic patients) were rated as normal or abnormal by seven blinded physicians. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare groups in regard to maximum temperature, minimum temperature, greatest change in temperature in any 24-hour period, and whether the majority of evaluators rated the curve to be abnormal. Baseline characteristics of the groups were similar except the septic group had more trauma patients (31.3% vs. 6.9%, p = .02) and more patients requiring mechanical ventilation (75.0% vs. 41.4%, p = .008). Multivariable logistic regression to control for baseline differences demonstrated that septic patients had significantly larger temperature deviations in any 24-hour period compared to control patients (1.5°C vs. 1.1°C, p = .02). An abnormal temperature pattern was noted by a majority of the evaluators in 22 (68.8%) septic patients and 7 (24.1%) control patients (adjusted OR 4.43, p = .017). This resulted in a sensitivity of 0.69 (95% CI [confidence interval] 0.50, 0.83) and specificity of 0.76 (95% CI 0.56, 0.89) of abnormal temperature curves to predict sepsis. The median time from the temperature plot to the first culture was 9.40 hours (IQR [inter-quartile range] 8.00, 18.20) and to the first dose of antibiotics was 16.90 hours (IQR 8.35, 34.20). Abnormal body temperature curves were predictive of the diagnosis of sepsis in afebrile critically ill patients. Analysis of temperature patterns, rather than absolute values, may facilitate decreased time to antimicrobial therapy.
A flexible rule-chaining engine for process-based software engineering

We present the design of a new rule-based process engine that generalizes previous systems to support process enforcement, automation, guidance, monitoring, delegation, planning, simulation, instrumentation and potentially other applications. Our approach is fully knowledge-based, tailored by knowledge regarding the process assistance policies to be supported as well as the process definition. >
Design of stable two-dimensional IIR filters using digital spectral transformations

In this paper, a new theory is presented for the design of 2-D IIR filters using the transformation Z = H_1(z_1)H_2(z_2) , where H_1(z_1) and H_2(z_2) are stable, digital spectral transformations, originally proposed by Constantinides for a different purpose. This transformation is found to be analogous to McClellan's transformation for designing 2-D FIR filters like the circular, elliptic-support and fan filters. But the design of these filters, using our method, involves only a one-dimensional search procedure and not any optimization. The design procedure is very simple and guarantees stability of the resulting IIR filters at the same time. Design examples are included to illustrate the theory and also its relative simplicity.
Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: long‐term follow‐up

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has seen a dramatic rise in the USA over the last 30 years. Unresectable disease is present in 80–90% of patients, for which radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an option. The aim of this study is to report the long-term survival after laparoscopic RFA. Methods. This is a prospective analysis of 104 patients who underwent 122 ablations for unresectable HCC from April 1997 to December 2006 at a tertiary care center. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated using Kaplan–Meier curves, excluding 11 patients who subsequently underwent liver transplantation. Patients were analyzed using Child-Pugh classification, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging and various clinical parameters. Results. Median (range) data: age 63 years (41–81), lesion size 3.5 cm (1–10), number of lesions 1 (1–5), AFP 26.5 ng/ml (3.7–43588.5) and time from diagnosis to RFA 2 months (mos) (1–42). The median Kaplan–Meier survival for all patients was 26 mos (OS) while DFS was 14 mos. Univariate analysis demonstrated improved OS for the absence vs. presence of ascites (31 vs. 15 mos, p=0.003), Bilirubin <2 mg/dl vs. ≥2 mg/dl (27 vs. 19 mos, p=0.01), AFP <400 vs. ≥400 (29 vs. 13 mos, p<0.0001) and Child-Pugh Grade (A = 28, B = 15, C = 5 mos, p=0.01). Significant factors for improved DFS: absence vs. presence of ascites (16 vs. 5 mos, p=0.02), Bilirubin <2 vs. ≥2 (14 vs. 5 mos, p=0.0278), AFP <400 vs. ≥400 (15 vs. 4 mos, p=0.0025), Child-Pugh Grade (A = 16, B = 10, C = 3 mos, p=0.03). Patient age, largest tumor size, number of lesions, INR and albumin did not reach clinical significance. Three and five-year actual survival rates are 21% and 8.3%, respectively. Conclusions. Our study suggests that RFA may have a positive impact on survival for unresectable HCC. It also determines which patients fare best after RFA, by determining predictive factors that improve their survival.
Pulmonary manifestations of HIV infection in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Study objectives To determine whether the spectrum of HIV-related pulmonary disease seen by a university medical center Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Service has changed since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Design Retrospective chart review. Setting A tertiary care university hospital. Patients All HIV-infected patients referred to the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Service from January 1, 1993, through December 31, 1995 (era 1) and from July 1, 1997, through June 30, 2000 (era 2). Interventions Inpatient and outpatient charts were reviewed for data regarding patient demographics, CD4 cell counts, viral load levels, duration of HIV seropositivity, history of opportunistic infections, and final diagnosis. Results Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) was less common in the HAART era than in the pre-HAART era, whereas bacterial pneumonia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) were more common in the HAART era than in the pre-HAART era. HAART was protective against PCP (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; confidence interval[CI], 0.16 to 0.89) in a manner dependent on the CD4 cell count. Patients receiving HAART were at increased risk for the development of bacterial pneumonia (OR, 2.41; CI, 1.12 to 5.17) and NHL (OR, 15.11; CI, 3.14 to 28.32). A history of PCP indicated a risk factor for bacterial pneumonia (OR, 2.14; CI, 1.13 to 4.04). A history of cytomegalovirus infection indicated a risk factor for NHL (OR, 6.0; CI, 1.27 to 28.32). Conclusions There have been significant changes in the spectrum of HIV-related pulmonary complications seen by our Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Service in the HAART era.
New Treatment Paradigms for Patients with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

One of the most poorly understood clinical diagnoses in breast cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which now accounts for almost one third of all mammographically detected malignancies. Detection and diagnosis of DCIS have improved, and mature data from randomized controlled trials of lumpectomy for DCIS have provided some measure of the magnitude of benefit to be derived from adjuvant treatments. The past 5 years have seen the emergence of molecular prognostic tools, which together with clinical factors have the potential to allow better selection of individualized therapies for these heterogeneous lesions. Ongoing and future research to identify which patients with DCIS can be safely managed with active surveillance are underway and will create opportunities to better understand the biology of this disease, thereby informing treatment strategies that are more closely aligned with the invasive potential of specific DCIS subtypes.
Assessment of Quasi-Three-Dimensional Composites - with Discussions on Fiber Straining and Weaving Effectiveness

The usage of laminated composite materials in critical applications requiring high specific stiffness, high specific strength, and high impact resistance is commonly hindered by the phenomenon of delamination. Once delamination sets in, for example, due to impact loading, the structural integrity of the composites is at risk of degrading unless delamination is controlled. This study explores the viability of interlaminar integration, so-called quasi-three-dimensional (Q3D) weave, as a potential solution to delamination. Compressive stiffness and strength and impact-induced damage and energy absorption processes for three Q3D configurations were experimentally studied and compared with those of laminated and two-dimensional woven composites. It was found that rear-layer fiber straining and weaving mechanisms had significant effects on composite’s energy absorption and damage processes. A five-harness quasi-three-dimensional (Q3DO5) composite was found to have lower impact-induced damage, higher specific en...
Travel Speed Forecasting by Means of Continuous Conditional Random Fields

This paper explores the application of the recently proposed continuous conditional random fields (CCRF) to travel forecasting. CCRF is a flexible, probabilistic framework that can seamlessly incorporate multiple traffic predictors and exploit spatial and temporal correlations inherently present in traffic data. In addition to improving prediction accuracy, the probabilistic approach provides information about prediction uncertainty. Moreover, information about the relative importance of particular predictor and spatial-temporal correlations can be easily extracted from the model. CCRF is fault-tolerant and can provide predictions even when some observations are missing. Several CCRF models were applied to the problem of travel speed prediction in a range from 10 to 60 min ahead and evaluated on loop detector data from a 5.71-mi section of I-35W in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Several CCRF models, with increasing levels of complexity, are proposed to assess performance of the method better. When these CCRF mod...
Impact of Endotracheal Intubation on Interventional Endoscopy Unit Efficiency Metrics at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center

Impact of Endotracheal Intubation on Interventional Endoscopy Unit Efficiency Metrics at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center
Regularization of brane induced gravity

We study the regularization of theories of ``brane induced'' gravity in codimension $Ng1.$ The brane can be interpreted as a thin dielectric with a large dielectric constant, embedded in a higher dimensional space. The kinetic term for the higher dimensional graviton is enhanced over the brane. A four dimensional gravitation is found on the brane at distances smaller than a critical distance $rl{r}_{c},$ and is due to the exchange of a massive resonant graviton. The crossover scale ${r}_{c}$ is determined by the mass of the resonance. The suppression of the couplings of light Kaluza-Klein modes to brane matter results in a higher dimensional force law at large distances. We show that the resulting theory is free of ghosts or tachyons.
Spinoza and the General Will

The general will has traditionally been associated with the early modern Platonists, such as Malebranche and Leibniz. Yet careful examination of Benedict Spinoza’s works reveals a prototype of the general will predating the constructions of his famous successors. This is significant not only in reordering the narrative of the general will’s history, but also in revealing an entirely different and original strain that anticipates twentieth-century attempts to forge a post-metaphysical general will.
Immunoassay of serum human chorionic gonadotropin by quantitative complement fixation and its comparison with the Delfs bioassay and two International Standard preparations

A complement fixation radioimmunoassay is described which has the advantage of giving direct quantitation of international units (IU) of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in a given serum sample. With this method unlike other immunoreactive techniques the complement can be fixed quantitatively with the number of IUs of hCG directly related to the number of complement units fixed. None of 10 hCG negative specimens studied to determine effects of dilutaion and anticoagulated vs. clotted blood gave measurable amounts of hCG. Progressive dilutions and presence of anticoagulant gave the same results as clotted blood in the same dilutions. Sera from hysterectomized and nonpregnant patients fixed the same amount of antibody (O-2 U) as controls containing no antibody. Thus no measurable amounts of hormone within assay limits (.5 IU of hCG/ml) for nonpregnant serum are to be found. Quantitative measure of impurities cross-reactions and artifacts which may produce pro- or anticomplementary activity are inherent in this technique. Compared with other complement fixation methods this does not require back titration of antibody to relate it to the International Standard. The reagents necessary are simple and commercially available and the method seems practical for any general hospital laboratory. This pilot study indicated that values obtained by this immunoassay compare exactly with those from a Delf bioassay method.
Competitive Poaching of Customers in Mobile Service Market

This paper studies two strategies of customer poaching in technology-intensive industries: paying customers to switch (acquisition spending) versus attracting customers by new technology. We analyze how these two strategies affect the three stages of customer relationship management -- acquisition, retention, and revenue generation -- in different ways. We evaluate these issues in the global mobile service industry using a firm-level panel dataset of 38 operators in 7 countries over 8 years. We find that acquisition spending helps to attract new customers. However, it does not improve customer retention or revenue generation. Rivals' competitive actions substantially undercut the effectiveness of the focal firm's acquisition effort. Using new technologies alleviates this adverse effect, which suggests the strategic role of technology in the race for customers. Hence, it becomes important that firms synchronize their marketing strategies and technology strategies to acquire/retain the most valuable customers in technology-intensive markets.
Mammalian Safety Tests of Metarhizium anosipliae: Preliminary Results

Preliminary mammalian safety tests were conducted on the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anosipliae . No animals died or were clinically ill after injection of or exposure to M. anosipliae . There was no evidence of ocular irritation, and tissue lesions were confined to local sites at which large numbers of spores were collected. There was no histologic evidence of spore germination in mammalian tissues. M. anosipliae was recovered from stomach, lung, and spleen after 2 weeks of exposure of mice to dusts but not at the end of week 3. Fungi were recovered also from focal granulomas that followed intraperitoneal injections of M. anosipliae spores into rats. Fungi were recovered from spleens of rats given spores intraperitoneally, but the spleens were sterile 21 days after exposure. We concluded that our tests reveal no evidence of human or mammalian pathogenicity of M. anosipliae .
Admission to Legal Practice, The Unauthorised Practice of Law and Legal Specialisation in Uganda

This is a book chapter that introduces and discusses the duties owed by the legal advocate to the client in Uganda.What does it take to become an advocate in Uganda? Who are the gatekeepers and watchdogs of legal practice in Uganda? What tasks can only be performed by an advocate? What is legal specialisation and what is its relevance in Uganda? This chapter addresses these questions. This chapter covers admission to practice, the unauthorised practice of law, the role of non-advocate staff in legal practice, and specialisation in legal practice. These issues make up a broader theme regarding the proper functions and introductions to the roles of an advocate within the context of efficient legal practice.The first section of this chapter concerns admission to legal practice. This section includes brief historical treatment concerning access and admission to formal legal practice in Uganda. This section also outlines the current process for admission to the Roll of Advocates in Uganda and introduces the reader to the institutions involved in the qualification and certification process.The second section addresses the unauthorised practice of law. We begin by establishing the legal parameters for functions that may only be performed by certified advocates. Next, we address law office tasks that non-advocates may perform. This section includes practical guidance on managing, supervising and utilising paralegals and nonadvocate staff.This chapter’s third section covers the emergent trend of legal specialisation. We address the global rise of legal specialisation and its implications and application within the Ugandan context. The chapter will appear as part of textbook that will be published electronically and in hard copy by globethics.net
Pictorial Athleticism and Intensity in Francis Bacon

The concept of athleticism seems, at first glance, to be a minor component of Deleuze's analysis in Francis Bacon, appearing by name in the text only six times. In this article, I draw out the close link between athleticism and Deleuze's fundamental concept of intensity, arguing that this ostensibly minor term is in fact central to his account of the ‘clear and durable sensation’ produced by Bacon's painting. In tracing links between athleticism, Deleuze's aesthetic concept of ‘the fall’, and his reliance on and critique of Kant's theory of intensive magnitudes, I show that athleticism in Francis Bacon names the form of intensity proper to painting.
The role of pulmonary function testing in children with asthma

Objective To analyse the differences of pulmonary function indexes before and after standard treatment in asthmatic children,to explore the clinical characteristic of asthma,for providing an objective basis for standardized treatment of asthma.Methods Twenty-five asthmatic children were recruited.The pulmonary function tests were performed by spirometry in asthma attack and in remission for 6 months and one year.The measured values were compared with the expected values in different periods.Results The symptoms were consistent with lung function indexes in asthmatic children.During an asthma attack,the measured values of forced vital capacity(FVC),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1),peak expiratory flow(PEF),forced expiratory flow at 75%,50%,25% vital capacity(FEF 25,50,75),and maximum midexpiratory flow(MMEF 75/25)were lower than expected values.After remission for 6 months,the measured values of FVC and FEV1 recovered.After remission for 1 year or more,the small airway function indexes,FEF50,FEF 75,MMEF 75/25,recovered.Conclusions Lung functional indexes have an important role in assessment of asthma and they are also an important guide for asthma treatment.
An Exploration of New Ranking Strategies for Medical Record Tracks.

We report our system and experiments at the 2011 Medical Record Track. Our goal is to return most relevant visits according to a query. In particular, we start with an axiomatic retrieval, and combine it with an aspect based term proximity strategy to improve the retrieval performance. We also propose a “disease-­diversity” strategy based on the assumption that most of documents only contain information related to one main disease. Query expansion using external resources has also been studied.
The Companion Animal within the Family System: The Manner in Which Animals Enhance Life within the Home

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses various roles that companion animals can play within the family system. It addresses the prevalence of companion animals within the family; roles, functions, and contributions of companion animals to the family; companion animals within the context of family systems; companion animals across the family life cycle; challenges associated with companion animals in the family; pet loss and bereavement; and contributions of companion animals to children's development. Anecdotes from personal and professional experiences are incorporated to illustrate specific issues related to human-animal relationships. Companion animals appear to enhance the lives of their human companions in many ways. Within the family, they love and accept their human companions unconditionally, they can facilitate communication and social interaction, they can provide an appropriate outlet for stress by serving as a diversion from the trials and tribulations of our busy lives, and they fulfill emotional and social support needs. Companion animals are however, not without some limitations. The presence of a companion animal results in additional responsibilities, including financial, care taking, time, and energy. Nonetheless, people who share their lives with a companion animal will agree that the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Phagotrophic Protists: Central Roles in Microbial Food Webs

Along with the prokaryotes, bacterial and archaea, single-celled eukaryotic microbes, protists, are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems and have major roles in food webs and elemental cycles. The trophic modes of protists encompass photosynthesis (algae), heterotrophy (phagotrophic protists), and mixotrophy (protists capable of both photosynthesis and phagotrophy). This chapter focuses on the roles of phagotrophic protists in marine and freshwaters with a review of method development and research findings, highlighting our own work in this field. Phagotrophic protists include flagellates in the nanoplankton (2–20 μm in size) that prey on bacteria and smaller-sized phytoplankton, and ciliates and phagotrophic dinoflagellates in the microzooplankton (20–200 μm in size) that consume a wide size range of other protists, up to large diatom cells and chains. Protists in the microzooplankton are dominant herbivores in all regions of the sea. As a consequence of their high rates of grazing and high biomass-specific excretion rates, phagotrophic protists regenerate a large part of the organic nitrogen and phosphorus in bacterial and algal biomass. Phagotrophic protists are also an important food resource for copepods and other multicellular zooplankton. Productive new areas of research on aquatic protists are assessment of their molecular genetic diversity and investigation of the biochemistry of prey detection or avoidance by these abundant microbes.
Understanding Policy Diffusion in the U.S.: An Information-Theoretical Approach to Unveil Connectivity Structures in Slowly Evolving Complex Systems

Detecting and explaining the relationships among interacting components has long been a focal point of dynamical systems research. In this paper, we extend these types of data-driven analyses to the realm of public policy, whereby individual legislative entities interact to produce changes in their legal and political environments. We focus on the U.S. public health policy landscape, whose complexity determines our capacity as a society to effectively tackle pressing health issues. It has long been thought that some U.S. states innovate and enact new policies, while others mimic successful or competing states. However, the extent to which states learn from others, and the state characteristics that lead two states to influence one another, are not fully understood. Here, we propose a model-free, information-theoretical method to measure the existence and direction of influence of one state's policy or legal activity on others. Specifically, we tailor a popular notion of causality to handle the slow time-scale of policy adoption dynamics and unravel relationships among states from their recent law enactment histories. The method is validated using surrogate data generated from a new stochastic model of policy activity. Through the analysis of real data in alcohol, driving safety, and impaired driving policy, we provide evidence for the role of geography, political ideology, risk factors, and demographic and economic indicators on a state's tendency to learn from others when shaping its approach to public health regulation. Our method offers a new model-free approach to uncover interactions and establish cause-and-effect in slowly-evolving complex dynamical systems.
Complete structural characterization of ceramides as [M−H]− ions by multiple-stage linear ion trap mass spectrometry

Ceramide is a huge lipid family consisting of diversified structures including various modifications in the fatty acyl chain and the long chain base (LCB). In this contribution, negative-ion ESI linear ion-trap multiple-stage mass spectrometric method (LIT MSn) towards complete structural determination of ceramides in ten major families characterized as the [M-H]- ions is described. Multiple sets of fragment ions reflecting the fatty acyl chain and LCB were observed in the CID MS2 spectrum, while the sequential MS3 and MS4 spectra contain structural information for locating the double bond and the functional groups, permitting realization of the fragmentation processes. Thereby, differentiation of ceramide molecules varied by chain length, the LCB (sphingosine, phytosphigosine, 6-hydroxy-sphingosine), and by the modification (α-hydroxy-, β-hydroxy-, ω-hydroxy-FA) can be achieved; and many isomeric structures in the biological specimen can be revealed in detail.
UN Security Council Resolution 1325, Inclusive Peacebuilding and Countries in Transition

After inclusive peacebuilding is defined, there is an explanation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (Women and Peace and Security) and its mandates regarding peacebuilding. This is followed by a discussion of some of the barriers women face in their societies, information about peacebuilding efforts in selected countries and a list of ideas to foster gender justice.
Statistical Photocalibration of Photodetectors for Radiometry without Calibrated Light Sources

Calibration of CCD arrays for identifying bad pixels and achieving nonuniformity correction is commonly accomplished using dark frames. This kind of calibration technique does not achieve radiometric calibration of the array since only the relative response of the detectors is computed. For this, a second calibration is sometimes utilized by looking at sources with known radiances. This process can be used to calibrate photodetectors as long as a calibration source is available and is well-characterized. A previous attempt at creating a procedure for calibrating a photodetector using the underlying Poisson nature of the photodetection required calculations of the skewness of the photodetector measurements. Reliance on the third moment of measurement meant that thousands of samples would be required in some cases to compute that moment. A photocalibration procedure is defined that requires only first and second moments of the measurements. The technique is applied to image data containing a known light source so that the accuracy of the technique can be surmised. It is shown that the algorithm can achieve accuracy of nearly 2.7% of the predicted number of photons using only 100 frames of image data.
Geometrically Shaped 16QAM Outperforming Probabilistically Shaped 16QaM

We compare the proposed geometrically-shaped(GS) 16QAM with the probabilistically-shaped(PS) 16QAM formats in both numerical simulation and experimental setup. The results show that GS-16QAM outperforms PS-16QAM.
Challenge Accepted! Evaluating the Personality and Social Network Characteristics of Individuals Who Participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a popular campaign on Facebook for raising awareness and money for the research of ALS. Given its unprecedented success, it is important to identify the personality and individual difference characteristics that distinguished participants from non-participants. Using an online survey of Facebook users (N = 261), this study investigates the influence that the Big Five personality variables, narcissism, altruism, online social capital, and online opinion leadership have on participation in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Results indicated that extraversion, openness to experience, and altruism positively predict bridging social capital on Facebook. Facebook users with higher social capital were found to have greater opinion leadership on Facebook, which in turn made them more likely to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. These findings have important implications for predicting which individuals will participate in future online social campaigns, which may help organizers target these audiences.
Fertility improvement in tetraploid pearl millet

Autotetraploid (2n=4x=28) pearl millet inbred lines, Tift 23BE and Tift 239DB, have been developed for use in crosses with other polyploid Pennisetum species. Each line set less than 1% and 3% selfed and open-pollinated seed, respectively. Seed germination was usually less than 17%. First generation (F1) hybrids between the two inbreds set up to 61% seed while up to 40% of the seed from hybrids germinated.
“The strange and unusual”: Material and Social Dimensions of Chinese Identity

This volume examines the material dimensions of Chinese identity. This scholarship complicates the connection between commodities and identity, while it simultaneously destabilizes those very identities. The question of how material distinctions shape social experience is at the heart of contemporary identity archaeologies, and the Overseas Chinese archaeologies in this collection illuminate the challenge of how to position distinctive collectives in relation to a broader American “mainstream.” The most interesting Overseas Chinese archaeologies paint a picture that rejects easy divisions between assimilation and resistance and probe how Chinese material distinctions reflect complicated accommodations along class, gender, and color lines that structured life for the Overseas Chinese.
Isolation and analysis of radial spoke proteins.

The 9 + 2 axoneme that mediates the highly controlled oscillatory beating of cilia and flagella is an elaborate supramolecular complex. Proteomics and genomics have revealed more than 400 distinct polypeptides that presumably are built into axonemal subcomplexes for specific tasks. However, only a handful of proteins can be assigned to the most prominent structural modules visible by electron microscopy. Much less is known about the function and mechanism of individual molecules and complexes. Isolation of intact complexes will hasten discoveries and open the door to a wide range of analyses as showcased by axonemal dynein motors. However, many axonemal components, such as the radial spoke complex, either are not extracted by conditions that solubilize axonemal dynein or at best are only partially released. This chapter discusses strategies and methods to circumvent this problem in order to characterize radial spokes. With appropriate modifications, the lessons learned from the radial spoke complex may be applicable to other axonemal complexes.
Prying, Spying, and Lying: Intrusive Newsgathering and What the Law Should Do About It

The media's use of intrusive newsgathering techniques poses an increasing threat to individual privacy. Courts currently resolve the overwhelming majority of conflicts in favor of the media. This is not because the First Amendment bars the imposition of tort liability on the media for its newsgathering practices. It does not. Rather, tort law has failed to seize the opportunity to create meaninful privacy protection. After surveying the economic, philosophical, and practical obstacles to reform, this Article proposes to rejuvenate the tort of intrusion to tip the balance between privacy and the press back in privacy's direction. Working within the framework of traditional tort law, this Article advocates reform of intrusion's doctrinal flaws followed by the adoption of a newsgatherer's privilege to protect media intrusions that serve a significant public interest.
Truth or Consequences: A Neopragmatic Critique of Contemporary Mental Health Culture

The mental health counseling profession has increasingly identified with the values of contemporary mental health culture by adopting a descriptive, medicalized perspective. Using a postmodern, neopragmatic analysis, I argue that the consequences of adopting this perspective must be considered. Two such consequences are discussed: (a) the abandonment of an effective, relational orientation toward helping, and (b) the forfeiting of the unique contribution that a traditional counseling perspective can provide to contemporary mental health culture.
Quantile regression analysis of cooperative learning effects

Abstract This paper examines a quasi-experiment designed to analyze the effects of cooperative learning on exam grades earned in Principles of Macroeconomics. In this quasi-experiment, the researcher taught three sections of Principles of Macroeconomics during one term and randomly chose two treatment sections and one control section. Students in all sections engaged in active learning by completing problem sets. Students in the treatment sections were instructed to share and explain their answers to problem sets with peers. The results from OLS regression analysis suggest students in the treatment sections earned higher grades on the Final Exam. Quantile regression analysis suggests a positive relationship between treatment and Final Exam grades for high-achieving students and a negative relationship between treatment and grades earned on Exam 1 and Exam 2 for low-achieving students.
Role of epaQ, a Previously Uncharacterized Enterococcus faecalis Gene, in Biofilm Development and Antimicrobial Resistance.

ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecalis is a commensal of the human gastrointestinal tract; it is also an opportunistic pathogen and one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections. E. faecalis produces biofilms that are highly resistant to antibiotics, and it has been previously reported that certain genes of the epa operon contribute to biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance. Despite several studies examining the epa operon, many gene products of this operon remain annotated as hypothetical proteins. Here, we further explore the epa operon; we identified epaQ, currently annotated as encoding a hypothetical membrane protein, as being important for biofilm formation in the presence of the antibiotic daptomycin. Mutants with disruptions of epaQ were more susceptible to daptomycin relative to the wild type, suggesting its importance in biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, the ΔepaQ mutant exhibited an altered biofilm architectural arrangement and formed small aggregates in liquid cultures. Our cumulative data show that epa mutations result in altered polysaccharide content, increased cell surface hydrophobicity, and decreased membrane potential. Surprisingly, several epa mutations significantly increased resistance to the antibiotic ceftriaxone, indicating that the way in which the epa operon impacts antibiotic resistance is antibiotic dependent. These results further define the key role of epa in antibiotic resistance in biofilms and in biofilm architecture. IMPORTANCEE. faecalis is a common cause of nosocomial infection, has a high level of antibiotic resistance, and forms robust biofilms. Biofilm formation is associated with increased antibiotic resistance. Therefore, a thorough understanding of biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance is important for combating resistance. Several genes from the epa operon have previously been implicated in biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance, pathogenesis, and competitive fitness in the GI tract, but most genes in this locus remain uncharacterized. Here, we examine epaQ, which has not been characterized functionally. We show that the ΔepaQ mutant exhibits reduced biofilm formation in the presence of daptomycin, altered biofilm architecture, and increased resistance to ceftriaxone, further expanding our understanding of the contribution of this operon to intrinsic enterococcal antibiotic resistance and biofilm growth.
A sorbent-focused techno-economic analysis of direct air capture

Abstract Direct air capture, the removal of carbon dioxide from air, requires special sorbents, with high capture capacity, fast kinetics and long lifetime. Beyond that they also need to be affordable. However, since air capture is still in an early development stage, costs are still uncertain. We present a techno-economic model to value a sorbent based on the CO2 market price and the most important sorbent characteristics: cycle time, loading capacity, and rate of degradation. The model gives a net present value equation for any air capture sorbent, whether it uses a moisture swing, pressure swing or thermal swing for regeneration and makes it possible to estimate the maximum allowable budget for any air capture sorbent, i.e., the sorbent value. The analysis aims to focus the rapidly growing field of air capture sorbent development onto the most important parameters. The value of a sorbent is dramatically affected by its longevity. To be economically viable, the typical sorbent must survive tens if not hundreds of thousands of loading and unloading cycles. The model can also be used to investigate the interactions between different sorbent parameters. For example, the correlation between loading capacity and cycle time makes it possible to determine the cycle time that optimizes the economics of an air capture device. Our analysis highlights the significance of some neglected parameters in air capture cost analysis such as cycle duration and stability of the sorbent. Finally, the analysis can also be adapted to post-combustion flue gas sorbents.
Human Gut Microbiota from Autism Spectrum Disorder Promote Behavioral Symptoms in Mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manifests as alterations in complex human behaviors including social communication and stereotypies. In addition to genetic risks, the gut microbiome differs between typically developing (TD) and ASD individuals, though it remains unclear whether the microbiome contributes to symptoms. We transplanted gut microbiota from human donors with ASD or TD controls into germ-free mice and reveal that colonization with ASD microbiota is sufficient to induce hallmark autistic behaviors. The brains of mice colonized with ASD microbiota display alternative splicing of ASD-relevant genes. Microbiome and metabolome profiles of mice harboring human microbiota predict that specific bacterial taxa and their metabolites modulate ASD behaviors. Indeed, treatment of an ASD mouse model with candidate microbial metabolites improves behavioral abnormalities and modulates neuronal excitability in the brain. We propose that the gut microbiota regulates behaviors in mice via production of neuroactive metabolites, suggesting that gut-brain connections contribute to the pathophysiology of ASD.
“If the Lesson Is Not Going as Planned, Learn From It and Adapt”: Examining a Hybrid Field Experience

This article examines the possibilities of supplementing field experiences with digitally mediated third spaces as a way to foster relationships between urban youth and middle-class teacher candida...
5 Continuous outcome measures – conundrums and conversions contributing to clinical application objectives

Objectives To discuss how continuous outcome measures are commonly used to measure patient-relevant outcomes, the obstacles in employing these measures clinically, and methods available to facilitate use of bodies of evidence comprised of continuous outcomes. Method Many patient-relevant outcomes, particularly quality of life measures such as pain or function, are routinely measured on a continuous scale. However, the interpretation of continuous outcomes can be difficult, particularly when considering application to clinical practice and shared decision-making. Making matters worse is the frequent existence of multiple scales for any given construct. Therefore, quantitative syntheses of literature must find a way to combine different scales into a ‘common language’, and the longest-standing and most frequently used method to do so is the standardized mean difference. Unfortunately, the standardized mean difference is even more difficult to interpret clinically. However, there are validated methods to make these measures easier to understand and apply clinically. This presentation explores these issues and offers a resource to help make these continuous measures more clinically useful. Results Different methods to amplify the clinical use of continuous outcome measures have been discussed for at least three decades now, some better known than others. These methods seek to estimate the proportion of patients expected to achieve a specified degree of benefit or harm based on the observed continuous outcome. Exploring the strengths, limitations, and judicious use of these methods facilitates a greater understanding of how continuous outcomes data might be usable for clinical and shared decision-making. Of the methods that have been validated for this purpose, approximated and observed estimates of the proportion of people who achieved a specified degree of change in the continuous outcome measure have shown considerable consistency. Conclusions Although not necessarily a panacea, methods facilitating conversion of continuous outcomes data to proportions of people expected to achieve a specified degree of benefit adds considerably to our ability to make sense and clinical use of continuous outcome measures. As such, when these methods are used appropriately, they add substantially to our evidence-based medicine and shared decision-making ‘toolkit’.
Impact of First True Leaf Photosynthetic Efficiency on Peanut Plant Growth under Different Early-Season Temperature Conditions

ABSTRACT Selecting planting dates with optimal temperatures for plant growth and development is important for successful crop production. Photosynthetic rates of peanut leaves under adverse environ...
Qualitative Content Analysis: A Novice's Perspective

In diesem Beitrag positioniere ich die qualitative Inhaltsanalyse im Bereich der qualitativen Forschung und vergleiche sie mit anderen inhaltsanalytischen Verfahren und der Grounded-Theory-Methodologie. Ich schlage drei Punkte vor, mit deren Hilfe qualitativ inhaltsanalytisch arbeitende Forscher_innen ein groseres Publikum erreichen konnen: erstens die systematische Auseinandersetzung mit der Vielfalt qualitativer Forschung, zweitens die Differenzierung und Theoretisierung des zu analysierenden Inhalts und drittens die starkere Beteiligung an der aktuellen Mixed-Methods-Debatte.
Dean's List: Eleven Habits of Highly Successful College Students

With a solid GPA, numerous extracurricular achievements, and an acceptance letter from an excellent college, it seems that all of your hard work in school has paid off. Now what? What can you expect from college life, and how can you get the most out of it? This book answers these questions to help you excel in college. Deans at America's top institutions tell you what you need to know to have a rich and rewarding college experience. Armed with an insider's perspective, you will develop habits critical for college success, including: * Focusing on learning, not on grades* Building an adult relationship with your parents* Working the system by understanding the system* Learning from diversity at home and abroad* Coping with failure * Planning boldly for life after college Dean's List offers a thoughtful, common-sense approach to higher education that allows every student to achieve. Many books will tell you how to get an "A" in class, but this book encourages you to do more-to explore college life, embrace new challenges, and become independent. Includes expert advice from deans at top U.S. colleges: Barnard College * Brown University * Bryn Mawr College * Columbia University * Cornell University * Dartmouth College * Duke University * Georgetown University * Harvard University * The Johns Hopkins University * Mount Holyoke College * Northwestern University * Oberlin College * Pomona College * Princeton University * Rice University * Smith College * Stanford University * University of Pennsylvania * University of Rochester * Wellesley College * Yale University
A cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes (FREE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

In persons with type 1 diabetes (T1D), hypoglycemia is the major limiting factor in achieving optimal glycemic control. All persons with T1D are at risk for hypoglycemia (blood glucose level < 70 mg/dl), which is life-threatening and accompanied by serious physical and psychological symptoms, resulting in profound fear of hypoglycemia (FOH) and reduced quality of life. Young adults with T1D are at risk for FOH and have worse glycemic control and self-management behavior than other age groups with T1D. FOH also results in increased glycemic variability (GV). A major gap exists in how to manage FOH. Our overall objective is to reduce FOH and improve diabetes self-management, glycemic control, and GV in young adults with T1D to reduce or delay diabetes complications and improve quality of life. We aim to (1) determine the feasibility and acceptability of an eight-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based Fear Reduction Efficacy Evaluation (FREE) intervention in young adults with T1D who experience FOH; and (2) determine the impact of the FREE intervention, compared to an attention control group, on the outcomes FOH, self-management, glycemic control (A1C), and glycemic variability (continuous glucose monitoring recordings). A randomized controlled trial in 50 young adults aged 18 to 35 years with T1D will be used. Eligible subjects will be randomized to the intervention program (Fear Reduction Efficacy Evaluation [FREE]) or attention control group. A one-week run-in phase is planned, with baseline measures of FOH, self-management behavior, A1C, and real-time continuous glucose monitoring recordings (RT-CGM) to calculate GV for both groups. The intervention group will participate in eight weekly individual one-hour sessions using CBT and exposure treatment for specific fears. RT-CGM and a daily FOH diary will be used as feedback cues as part of the FREE program. The attention control group will participate in eight weekly individual one-hour diabetes self-management education (DSME) sessions and wear a RT-CGM device (to measure GV only) over 8 weeks. At completion, FOH will be measured, and RT-CGM recordings will be analyzed to determine differences between the FREE and control groups. Findings from this proposed pilot study will serve as the foundation for a larger trial to reduce FOH and improve self-management, glycemic control, and GV. ClinicalTrials.gov: A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes, NCT03549104. Registered June 7, 2018