cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Main and Interactive Effects of e-Cigarette Use Health Literacy and Anxiety Sensitivity in Terms of e-Cigarette Perceptions and Dependence

Although e-cigarette use is on the rise, there is little understanding of cognitive-based individual difference factors that maintain maladaptive e-cigarette beliefs and dependence. The present investigation sought to test a theoretically-driven interactive model of e-cigarette health literacy and anxiety sensitivity (AS; fear of the consequences of anxiety) among 537 e-cigarette users (50.7% female, Mage = 35.2 years, SD = 10.1) in terms of perceived benefits and risks of e-cigarette use as well as dependence. Results indicated a significant interaction between e-cigarette health literacy and AS. The significant interaction effect for each dependent variable was evident over and above the main effects as well as the covariates of sex, income, education, and dual cigarette use (e-cigarette dependence was also controlled for the models of perceived benefits and risks). The form of this interaction indicated that greater e-cigarette health literacy was more strongly related to greater perceived benefits and risks of e-cigarette use as well as dependence among those with higher, relative to lower, AS. Overall, the current data suggest that individual differences in e-cigarette health literacy and AS may represent two important factors to consider in e-cigarette beliefs and dependence. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the potential role of two cognitive factors in relation to e-cigarette use beliefs and behavior. These data suggest future clinical research may benefit by understanding the potential therapeutic role of e-cigarette health literacy and AS for e-cigarette use behavior.
Unraveling R0: Considerations for Public Health Applications

We assessed public health use of R0, the basic reproduction number, which estimates the speed at which a disease is capable of spreading in a population. These estimates are of great public health interest, as evidenced during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic.We reviewed methods commonly used to estimate R0, examined their practical utility, and assessed how estimates of this epidemiological parameter can inform mitigation strategy decisions.In isolation, R0 is a suboptimal gauge of infectious disease dynamics across populations; other disease parameters may provide more useful information. Nonetheless, estimation of R0 for a particular population is useful for understanding transmission in the study population. Considered in the context of other epidemiologically important parameters, the value of R0 may lie in better understanding an outbreak and in preparing a public health response.
Prevalence, Evolution, and Extent of Impaired Cerebral Autoregulation in Children Hospitalized With Complex Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVES To examine cerebral autoregulation in children with complex mild traumatic brain injury. DESIGN Prospective observational convenience sample. SETTING PICU at a level I trauma center. PATIENTS Children with complex mild traumatic brain injury (trauma, admission Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15 with either abnormal head CT, or history of loss of consciousness). INTERVENTIONS Cerebral autoregulation was tested using transcranial Doppler ultrasound between admission day 1 and 8. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The primary outcome was prevalence of impaired cerebral autoregulation (autoregulation index < 0.4),determined using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography and tilt testing. Secondary outcomes examined factors associated with and evolution and extent of impairment. Cerebral autoregulation testing occurred in 31 children 10 years (SD, 5.2 yr), mostly male (59%) with isolated traumatic brain injury (91%), median admission Glasgow Coma Scale 15, Injury Severity Scores 14.2 (SD, 7.7), traumatic brain injury due to fall (50%), preadmission loss of consciousness (48%), and abnormal head CT scan (97%). Thirty-one children underwent 56 autoregulation tests. Impaired cerebral autoregulation occurred in 15 children (48.4%) who underwent 19 tests; 68% and 32% of tests demonstrated unilateral and bilateral impairment, respectively. Compared with children on median day 6 of admission after traumatic brain injury, impaired autoregulation was most common in the first 5 days after traumatic brain injury (day 1: relative risk, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.9-7.3 vs day 2: relative risk, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.5 vs day 5: relative risk, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.7-2.3). Children with impaired autoregulation were older (12.3 yr [SD, 1.3 yr] vs 8.7 yr [SD, 1.1 yr]; p = 0.04) and tended to have subdural hematoma (64% vs 44%), epidural hematoma (29% vs 17%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (36% vs 28%). Eight children (53%) were discharged home with ongoing impaired cerebral autoregulation. CONCLUSIONS Impaired cerebral autoregulation is common in children with complex mild traumatic brain injury, despite reassuring admission Glasgow Coma Scale 13-15. Children with complex mild traumatic brain injury have abnormal cerebrovascular hemodynamics, mostly during the first 5 days. Impairment commonly extends to the contralateral hemisphere and discharge of children with ongoing impaired cerebral autoregulation is common.
Understanding Nonadherence with Hydroxychloroquine Therapy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a cornerstone to managing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), yet adherence to medication is poor. We sought to measure the association of adherence with 5 “dimensions of adherence” as articulated by the World Health Organization for chronic conditions: the patient’s socioeconomic status, and patient-, condition-, therapy-, and healthcare system–related factors. Our longterm goal is to generate evidence to design effective interventions to increase adherence. Methods. The retrospective cohort study included Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients ≥ 18 years old during 2006–2014, with SLE and ≥ 2 consecutive prescriptions for HCQ. Adherence was calculated from the medication possession ratio and dichotomized as Results. The study included 1956 patients. Only 58% of patients had adherence ≥ 80%. In adjusted analyses, socioeconomic variables did not predict adherence. Increasing age (65–89 yrs compared with ≤ 39 yrs: OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.07–1.93), white race (p Conclusion. At our setting, as in other settings, about half of patients with SLE were not adherent to HCQ therapy. Differences in adherence by race/ethnicity suggest the possibility of using tailored interventions to increase adherence. Qualitative research is needed to elucidate patient preferences for adherence support.
Antennal ultrastructure in Patia (Pieridae, Dismorphiinae).

In our previous work we studied the ultrastructure of the antennae of pierids through a character analysis. In this study we describe the antennal ultrastructure of three species and six subspecies of Patia focused on these traits at the intrageneric level. Patia is a genus of Dismorphiinae with the highest number of scaleless antennomeres (nudum = 11‒15). Therefore, the length of its antennal club is greater than that of any other genus of the subfamily. Several other features differentiate the species of Patia , particularly the number of sulci and pseudosulci and its contour or perimeter. A pattern was observed, especially in P. rhetes , in which the central sulci are disintegrated and surrounded by several pseudosulci in the basal antennomeres and along the club; in the medial and distal antennomeres, the pseudosulci merge to form sulci aggregates. Pseudosulci are uncommon on the distal antennomeres, even in P. rhetes . The central sulci are irregular and have a discontinuous edge when they are disaggregated and accompanied by pseudosulci; those that are elliptical and have a continuous contour, seldom have pseudosulci nearby. Another noteworthy feature is the different shapes of the distal antennomere that occur in the subspecies of P. cordillera and P. orise . In the former, this antennomere is quite elongated and ends at a point, whereas the distal one is less elongated and its apex blunt. Patia rhetes shows the lowest number of scaleless antennomeres (n = 11) while P. cordillera sspp. the largest (n = 14 or 15). The variety of the sensilla present in the Patia species does not provide specific differences, except in P. cordillera sororna where we discovered the presence of a claviform sensillum that does not present in any other species or subspecies. In our small sample size, we did not observe sexual dimorphism.
6.6 A 128Gb/s 1.3pJ/b PAM-4 Transmitter with Reconfigurable 3-Tap FFE in 14nm CMOS

The ever-increasing demand for higher bandwidth continues to fuel the need for faster and more power-efficient IOs, with the next generation high-speed serial links expected to reach data rates higher than 112Gb/s using PAM-4 signaling [1–3]. While PAM-4 spectral efficiency is better than that of NRZ, it is less tolerant of residual ISI and noise. As a consequence, a driver with high bandwidth and large output amplitude is required. This paper presents a 64Gbaud PAM-4 TX with a fully reconfigurable 3-tap FFE, which achieves a power efficiency of 1.3pJ/b in PAM-4 mode and 2.7pJ/b in NRZ mode for a differential output swing of $1\mathrm{V}_{ppd}$. A feature of the FFE construction is the use of fully re-assignable FFE segments among the 3 taps, which allows a reduced number of segments for lower capacitance and higher driver bandwidth. To minimize power consumption, a quarter-rate clocking architecture is adopted with a tailless 4:1 multiplexer, which also acts as a pre-driver to a tailless CML output driver.
Systemic banking panics, liquidity risk, and monetary policy

Abstract I present a general equilibrium monetary model of banking with multiple equilibria. In the good equilibrium, all banks are solvent. In the bad equilibrium, a fraction of banks in the economy are insolvent and subject to runs. The bad equilibrium is also characterized by deflation and a flight to liquidity, and matches other stylized facts of systemic financial crises. The multiplicity of equilibria arises from a strategic complementarity in the decision to fly to liquidity. A sufficiently large monetary injection eliminates the bad equilibrium. However, the size of the monetary injection required to eliminate the equilibrium is smaller if the central bank provides loans to banks, in comparison to using an asset purchase policy. This is because loans to banks are equivalent to asset purchases coupled with partial deposit insurance.
MicroRNA-214 targets PTK6 to inhibit tumorigenic potential and increase drug sensitivity of prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men with African American men disproportionally suffering from the burden of this disease. Biomarkers that could discriminate indolent from aggressive and drug resistance disease are lacking. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that affect numerous physiological and pathological processes, including cancer development and have been suggested as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-214 on prostate cancer cell survival/migration/invasion, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis. miR-214 was differentially expressed between Caucasian and African American prostate cancer cells. Importantly, miR-214 overexpression in prostate cancer cells induced apoptosis, inhibiting cell proliferation and colony forming ability. miR-214 expression in prostate cancer cells also inhibited cell migration and 3D spheroid invasion. Mechanistically, miR-214 inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation by targeting protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6). Restoration of PTK6 expression attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-214 on cell proliferation. Moreover, simultaneous inhibition of PTK6 by ibrutinib and miR-214 significantly reduced cell proliferation/survival. Our data indicates that miR-214 could act as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer and could potentially be utilized as a biomarker and therapeutic target.
New material platforms for antiferromagnetic spintronics (Conference Presentation)

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics is an emerging field of research, which exploits the Neel vector to control spin- and orbital-dependent transport properties. This talk will address two approaches, involving new material platforms, which can be exploited in AFM spintronics. The first approach comprises the subfield of AFM spintronics known as topological AFM spintronics, where the Neel vector is used to electrically manipulate the symmetry-related topological states. Based on density-functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that room temperature AFM metal MnPd2 allows the electrical control of the Dirac nodal line by the Neel spin-orbit torque. The reorientation of the Neel vector leads to switching between the symmetry-protected degenerate state and the gapped state associated with the dispersive Dirac nodal line at the Fermi energy. The calculated spin Hall conductivity strongly depends on the Neel vector orientation and thus can be used to experimentally detect the predicted effect. The second approach involves Neel vector switching in non-collinear antiferromagnets ANMn3 (A = Ga, Ni, Zn, etc.) with an antiperovskite structure. These compounds are characterized by the competing non-collinear AFM Γ5g and Γ4g phases. We demonstrate from first-principles that by stoichiometry engineering ANMn3 can be tuned close to the critical transition point between the Γ5g and Γ4g phases, at which the Neel vector switching can be achieved by strain or spin-transfer torque. The switching can be detected through the anomalous Hall effect being zero or finite for the Γ5g and Γ4g phases, respectively, due to the symmetry of the Berry curvature. Our results broaden the scope of materials and approaches, which can be exploited in AFM spintronics.
Complete set of translation invariant measurements with Lipschitz bounds

Abstract In image and audio signal classification, a major problem is to build stable representations that are invariant under rigid motions and, more generally, to small diffeomorphisms. Translation invariant representations of signals in C n are of particular importance. The existence of such representations is intimately related to classical invariant theory, inverse problems in compressed sensing and deep learning. Despite an impressive body of literature on the subject, most representations available are either not stable due to the presence of high frequencies or non discriminative. In the present paper, we construct low dimensional representations of signals in C n that are invariant under finite unitary group actions, as a special case we establish the existence of low-dimensional and complete Z m -invariant representations for any m ∈ N . Our construction yields a stable, discriminative transform with semi-explicit Lipschitz bounds on the dimension; this is particularly relevant for applications. Using some tools from Algebraic Geometry, we define a high dimensional homogeneous function that is injective. We then exploit the projective character of this embedding and see that the target space can be reduced significantly by using a generic linear transformation. Finally, we introduce the notion of non-parallel map, which is enjoyed by our function and employ this to construct a Lipschitz modification of it.
A quantitative trait rare variant nonparametric linkage method with application to age-at-onset of Alzheimer's disease

To analyze pedigrees with quantitative trait (QT) and sequence data, we developed a rare variant (RV) quantitative nonparametric linkage (QNPL) method, which evaluates sharing of minor alleles. RV-QNPL has greater power than the traditional QNPL that tests for excess sharing of minor and major alleles. RV-QNPL is robust to population substructure and admixture, locus heterogeneity, and inclusion of nonpathogenic variants and can be readily applied outside of coding regions. When QNPL was used to analyze common variants, it often led to loci mapping to large intervals, e.g., >40 Mb. In contrast, when RVs are analyzed, regions are well defined, e.g., a gene. Using simulation studies, we demonstrate that RV-QNPL is substantially more powerful than applying traditional QNPL methods to analyze RVs. RV-QNPL was also applied to analyze age-at-onset (AAO) data for 107 late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) pedigrees of Caribbean Hispanic and European ancestry with whole-genome sequence data. When AAO of AD was analyzed regardless of APOE e4 status, suggestive linkage (LOD = 2.4) was observed with RVs in KNDC1 and nominally significant linkage (p < 0.05) was observed with RVs in LOAD genes ABCA7 and IQCK. When AAO of AD was analyzed for APOE e4 positive family members, nominally significant linkage was observed with RVs in APOE, while when AAO of AD was analyzed for APOE e4 negative family members, nominal significance was observed for IQCK and ADAMTS1. RV-QNPL provides a powerful resource to analyze QTs in families to elucidate their genetic etiology.
Rational treatments for mineral disorders in fresh cows

Hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypokalemia are important metabolic diseases of fresh dairy cows. Many dairy practitioners and dairy producers may need to update their approaches to these diseases based on current scientific information. Hypocalcemia in standing cows is best treated orally; intravenous calcium should be reserved for recumbent cases of milk fever because it may cause cardiac toxicity and rebound hypocalcemia. Glucose or additional electrolytes should not be included in intravenous solutions administered to cows with hypocalcemia. Hypophosphatemia is a less common mineral disorder that is usually secondary to hypocalcemia. Mild to moderate cases of hypophosphatemia are best treated with oral phosphorus; intravenous phosphorus should be reserved for severe cases. Hypomagnesemia may be a clinical problem in grazing herds or a subclinical problem in confinement dairies with cows fed stored feeds. Clinical hypomagnesemia may be treated intravenously or via rectal enema; subclinical cases are best managed by oral magnesium supplementation. Hypokalemia may follow prolonged periods of anorexia in early lactation cows and typically presents as severe, flaccid paralysis. Oral potassium supplementation is the preferred means for treating and preventing hypokalemia.
Acceptability factors for wildlife approach in park and protected area settings.

Abstract Human-wildlife conflicts are a challenge in parks and protected areas around the world. Facilitating quality wildlife viewing experiences that minimize negative impacts to people and animals is often complicated by distance-related human behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine how people's distance-related norms varied as a function of proximity from wildlife, wildlife species, and physical landscape features. By using virtual reality technology and simulations, this study assessed how physical landscape features (i.e., an open field, deadfall, and a paved road) impact wildlife viewing norms and also compared norms among three different wildlife species (i.e., bison, bear, and elk). Data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA to explore how these factors influenced acceptability ratings of distances between people and wildlife. Results revealed a significant interaction between distance to wildlife and landscape features. Recommendations for improving the management of humanwildlife conflicts and future research directions are discussed.
Correction: Curcumin encapsulation in Pickering emulsions co-stabilized by starch nanoparticles and chitin nanofibers

Correction for ‘Curcumin encapsulation in Pickering emulsions co-stabilized by starch nanoparticles and chitin nanofibers’ by Yeong-Sheng Lee et al., RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 16275–16284, DOI: 10.1039/D1RA01622A.
Patient Experience on a Hospital Oncology Service Before and After Implementation of a No-Visitor Policy During COVID-19

Hospital visitor restriction policies prompted by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may lead to a less comfortable or informed inpatient experience for oncology patients admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions. We surveyed oncology inpatients before (n = 47) and after (n = 65) implementation of a no-visitor policy using a validated questionnaire to measure patient experience. Results revealed no significant difference in the percentage of patients reporting "no problems" (P < .05) in all questions. Patient experience was not adversely impacted by visitor restrictions enacted in response to COVID-19 on an oncology service, as measured by a questionnaire capturing common concerns among inpatients.
Reexamining Risk Aversion: Willingness to Pursue and Utilize Nonideal Donor Livers Among US Donation Service Areas.

Background Livers from "nonideal" but acceptable donors are underutilized; however, organ procurement organization (OPO) metrics do not assess how OPO-specific practices contribute to these trends. In this analysis, we evaluated nonideal liver donor avoidance or risk aversion among OPOs and within US donation service areas (DSAs). Methods Adult donors in the United Network for Organ Sharing registry who donated ≥1 organ for transplantation between 2007 and 2019 were included. Nonideal donors were defined by any of the following: age > 70, hepatitis C seropositive, body mass index > 40, donation after circulatory death, or history of malignancy. OPO-specific performance was evaluated based on rates of nonideal donor pursuit and consent attainment. DSA performance (OPO + transplant centers) was evaluated based on rates of nonideal donor pursuit, consent attainment, liver recovery, and transplantation. Lower rates were considered to represent increased donor avoidance or increased risk aversion. Results Of 97 911 donors, 31 799 (32.5%) were nonideal. Unadjusted OPO-level rates of nonideal donor pursuit ranged from 88% to 100%. In a 5-tier system of overall risk aversion, tier 5 DSAs (least risk-averse) and tier 1 DSAs (most risk-averse) had the highest and lowest respective rates of non-ideal donor pursuit, consent attainment, liver recovery, and transplantation. On average, recovery rates were over 25% higher among tier 5 versus tier 1 DSAs. If tier 1 DSAs had achieved the same average liver recovery rate as tier 5 DSAs, approximately 2100 additional livers could have been recovered during the study period. Conclusion Most OPOs aggressively pursue nonideal liver donors; however, recovery practices vary widely among DSAs. Fair OPO evaluations should consider early donation process stages to best disentangle OPO and center-level practices.
Decoy Eff ect In Luxury Hotel Booking

This paper aims to test the decoy effect in the context of luxury hotel booking by conducting a survey experiment. By adding a strong decoy or a weak decoy to the treatment group’s choice set and calculating the shift of participants’ preferences, the paper came with two main findings. First, adding a strong decoy to the choice set will significantly change participants’ preferences towards the target rate. Second, adding an unsuccessfully designed weak decoy will cause an undesirable preference shift and attenuate the decoy effect.
Spatio-Temporal Directional Analysis of Real-Time Three Dimensional Cardiac Ultrasound

Among screening modalities, echocardiography is the fastest, least expensive, and least invasive method for imaging the heart. Recently a new generation of technology has been developed for real-time 3D (RT3D) transducers, where an entire cardiac volume may be acquired instantaneously. Such transducers no longer require volumetric reconstruction, as with rotational and freehand 3D ultrasound acquisition systems. While, the wealth of information acquired by RT3D transducers is by far greater than any other echocardiography screening modality, on the other hand, echoes acquired with RT3D systems have low spatial resolution in the short axis plane and a high level of speckle noise embedded in the signal. We have developed a multidimensional spatio-temporal denoising/enhancement tool using brushlet basis functions to characterize ultrasound data in terms of oriented texture components, which decorrelate non-coherent speckle noise in the frequency domain. A redundant brushlet expansion exploits spatial and temporal coherence to identify persistent cardiac structures while removing uncorrelated speckle noise components. Denoising performance is evaluated quantitatively on phantom volumes and qualitatively on clinical RT3D patient data. We show in this study that brushlet analysis is well adapted to the intrinsic nature of RT3D ultrasound data and outperforms traditional denoising methods. We also show that by incorporating the time dimension directly in the analysis, we can bring into play temporal coherence between successive frames to improve denoising performance and enhance cardiac boundaries and structure.
The Analysis on the Length and Content Changes on Secondary Mathematics Textbooks in North Korea

North Korea is one of the most closed nations in the world. It is difficult to access information about their education system. North Korea’s economic system was reorganized on July 1, 2002, as well as the education system. This change has impacted North Korea’s mathematics education. With limited information on North Korean mathematics textbooks, this study examines the North Korean education system and compares the content and length of mathematics textbooks of the mid-1990s and 2002s.
Recombinant expression, purification and osmotic regulation of in vitro activity of two enzymes constituting the Mozambique tilapia myo-inositol biosynthesis pathway (1182.5)

To cope with hyperosmotic stress cells accumulate compatible organic osmolytes, which replace harmful inorganic electrolytes while maintaining homeostasis of cell volume and intracellular ionic str...
Irrigation Water Quality Evaluation

Many factors degrade water quality from an irrigation standpoint. Various methods are currently used for evaluating quality of irrigation water. A new method of evaluating irrigation waters at six levels for five important quality factors is given with explanatory notes of the effect of each factor on soils and plants along with examples of classification of a number of surface and ground waters.
Paper 1: learning to see sound: meaning-making about sound through architectural diagrams among elementary school Black boys

This work has to primary objectives: 1) To explore the representational criteria that elementary school Black boys utilize in producing and interpreting architectural diagrams; and 2) To identify the sense-making practices that elementary school Black boys demonstrate while producing and interpreting architectural diagrams.
Ground Penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar is a near-surface geophysical method that reflects radar waves from buried interfaces in the ground and produces two and three-dimensional images of buried geological and anthropogenic units. When many thousands or hundreds of thousands of reflections are displayed in two-dimensional vertical slices, profiles of these units can be made and interpreted much like viewing layers in the wall of a trench. When many hundreds of profiles are collected within a grid of closely spaced two-dimensional slices, horizontal maps of the reflective units as defined by the amplitude of the waves produced can be constructed. Those amplitude maps can show geological changes over broad areas such as where certain soils or strata are found, and also the human-produced features on and within those units. An interpretation of what is producing amplitude-defined features visible in map form is possible by analyzing the individual two-dimensional reflection profiles and that interpretation can be used to understand broad areas of study.
Reaction of N-ethyl maleimide with the ribosomes of Escherichia coli.

Abstract The ribosomal proteins which react when 70 s ribosomes are exposed to N-ethyl maleimide are identified. The reactivities of 30 s components change when the 70 s complex dissociates, while the reactivities of the 50 s components remain constant. The uptake of one 30 s component, 2b, parallels the N-ethyl maleimide-induced loss of ribosome activity. When ribosomes are exposed to iodoacetamide, only slight changes in incorporating activity are seen, even though 2b reacts extensively. However, iodoacetamide-treated ribosomes become insensitive to N-ethyl maleimide inactivation when the iodoacetamide reaction has proceeded to the point where 2b is no longer available for reaction. It is suggested that 2b is the N-ethyl maleimide-sensitive protein in the ribosome.
Fiber Transport and Deposition in Human Upper Tracheobronchial Airways

Transport and deposition of inhaled asbestos fibers has been studied in the past few decades due to its pathological response in living being. Of the earlier study, in vitro and vivo experiments in human and animal subjects were conducted and measurements were made where carcinogenicity of these particles was investigated. In this work, the transport and deposition of elongated ellipsoidal fibers were numerically simulated in a physiological realistic multi-level lung model. Detailed motion of the inhaled fibers and their interaction with the surrounding environment were reproduced by solving the system of coupled nonlinear equations governing the fibers’ translational and rotational motion. This information has never been revealed in past studies. Correlations between the deposition pattern, fiber characteristics, breathing conditions, and airway morphology in human upper tracheobronchial airways were analyzed. The results were compared with experimental measurements, and carcinogenicity of these fibers was discussed.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Utilization of citrate by epiphyseal cartilage of rachitic and normal rats.

Abstract 1. 1. The citrate concentration is reduced in tibial epiphyseal cartilage from rats made rachitic with diets low in phosphate and vitamin D. Addition of vitamin D to the diet for 3 to 7 days raises the citrate level without otherwise altering the rickets histologically. 2. 2. Citrate utilization by slices of tibial epiphyseal cartilage incubated in vitro was measured by determining the production of 14CO2 from [6-14C]citrate. The epiphyseal tissues from rachitic rats produced 14CO2 at a rate several-fold that of tissue from normal rats or rachitic rats given vitamin D and/or inorganic phosphate. This difference was not accounted for by the variation in the apparent size of the citrate pool. 3. 3. One explanation for the decrease in the citrate content of rachitic epiphyses is increased utilization of this substrate by the cartilage.
A technical solution to avoid partial scan artifacts in cardiac MDCT

Quantitative evaluation of cardiac image data obtained using multidetector row computed tomography (CT) is compromised by partial scan reconstructions, which improve the temporal resolution but significantly increase image-to-image CT number variations for a fixed region of interest compared to full reconstruction images. The feasibility of a new approach to solve this problem is assessed. An anthropomorphic cardiac phantom and an anesthetized pig were scanned on a dual-source CT scanner using both full and partial scan acquisition modes under different conditions. Additional scans were conducted with the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal being in synchrony with the gantry rotation. In the animal study, a simple x-ray detector was used to generate a signal once per gantry rotation. This signal was then used to pace the pig’s heart. Phantom studies demonstrated that partial scan artifacts are strongly dependent on the rotational symmetry of angular projections, which is determined by the object shape and composition and its position with respect to the isocenter. The degree of partial scan artifacts also depends on the location of the region of interest with respect to highly attenuating materials (bones, iodine, etc.) within the object. Single-source partial scan images (165 ms temporal resolution) were significantly less affected by partial scan artifacts compared to dual-source partial scan images (82 ms temporal resolution). When the ECG signal was in synchrony with the gantry rotation, the same cardiac phase always corresponded to the same positions of the x-ray tube(s) and, hence, the same scattering and beam hardening geometry. As a result, the range of image-to-image CT number variations for partial scan reconstruction images acquired in synchronized mode was decreased to that achieved using full reconstruction image data. The success of the new approach, which synchronizes the ECG signal with the position of the x-ray tube(s), was demonstrated both in the phantom and animal experiments.
Chemical Mechanism of Haemophilus influenzae Diaminopimelate Epimerase

Seven unique enzymatic steps lead to the biosynthesis of L-lysine from L-aspartate semialdehyde and pyruvate in bacteria. The immediate precursor to L-lysine is D,L-diaminopimelate, a diamino acid which is incorporated into the pentapeptide of the Gram-negative peptidoglycan moiety. D,L-Diaminopimelate is generated from the corresponding L,L-isomer by the dapF-encoded epimerase. Diaminopimelate epimerase is a representative of the pyridoxal phosphate-independent amino acid racemases, for which substantial evidence exists supporting the role of two cysteine residues as the catalytic acid and base. The pH dependencies of the maximum velocities in the L,L --> D,L and D,L --> L,L direction depend on a single catalytic group exhibiting pK values of 7.0 and 6.1, respectively, which must be unprotonated for activity. The pH dependencies of the V/K values in both directions depend on the ionization of two groups, one exhibiting a pK value of 6.7 which must be unprotonated and one exhibiting a pK value of 8.5 which must be protonated. Primary kinetic isotope effects on V and V/K are unequal, with D(V/K) being larger than DV in both the forward and reverse directions. Solvent kinetic isotope effects in both directions are inverse on V/K, but normal on V. Both of these isotopic observations support a model in which proton isomerization after catalysis and substrate dissociation is kinetically significant. A single solvent "overshoot" is observed when L, L-diaminopimelate is incubated with enzyme in D2O; however, an unprecedented double overshoot is observed when D,L-diaminopimelate is incubated with enzyme in D2O. A model has been developed which allows these two overshoots to be simulated. A chemical mechanism is proposed invoking the function of two cysteine residues, Cys73 and Cys217, observed in the recently determined three-dimensional structure of this enzyme [Cirilli, M., et al. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 16452-16458], as the acid and base in the mechanism.
NATO's Visegrad Allies and the Bombing of Qaddafi: The Consequence of Alliance Free-Riders

This analysis focuses on the three “Visegrad” states who became members of NATO in 1999: Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. We assess the degree of diplomatic and military support provided to the alliance by the Visegrads during NATO's military strikes on Libya. Our findings suggest that these states contributed essentially nothing to the military operation, despite calls for assistance from some contributing NATO allies. This abstention from Operation Unified Protector has larger political implications for NATO, including serious political damage to the Visegrads themselves, who now suffer more meaningfully from the free-rider critique.
Bonds of Enterprise: John Murray Forbes and Western Development in America's Railway Age

The Bonds of Enterprise: John Murray Forbes and Western Development in America's Railway Age. By John Lauritz Larson. (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2001. Pp. xxiii, 257. Paper, $17.95.) Bonds of Enterprise was first published seventeen years ago. The book offered a comprehensive business history biography of John Murray Forbes and a carefully constructed interdisciplinary look at the so-called railroad question. In his introduction to this new and expanded edition, John Lauritz Larson reflects: "I had hoped when the book came out that it would model in a small way the kind of integrated history that might reconcile claims about the impact of railroads, the plight of farmers, the intentions of political reformers, and the efficacy of government regulation-all issues about which historians, economists, geographers, and rural sociologists had argued bitterly for many decades" (xi). Those acquainted with the previous edition are familiar with Larson's dual approach, which offers a commanding look at Forbes and his financial capitalist orchestrations interwoven with the sweeping historical theme of western railroad development. Now, in one of the ways good reading becomes classic reading, the University of Iowa Press reissue of Bonds of Enterprise extends an opportunity to a wider audience to discover the richness of this work and contemplate Larson's plea for the integrated historical method. The book endures as a well-documented account of the professional life of John Murray Forbes. Through his acumen and dealings, we gain a better understanding of railroad expansion and its consequences. As Forbes quickly realized in his initial venture with the Michigan Central Railroad, by correcting the errors of others, fortunes could be made. Acquisitions and fine-tuning business practices from financing to operations ultimately played as large a role in the railroad question as new construction itself. Scholars of the early republic will find the first half of Bonds of Enterprise especially interesting, as later chapters focus on the railroad era beyond the mid-nineteenth century. Chapter one, "The Liberal Merchant," tells how the young Forbes, having lost his father and brother, moved to China at the age of seventeen to work in a commission house. The reader senses the personal hardship of such a choice with the slow transportation and communication possibilities of the early 1830s. Forbes subsequently dedicated his professional life to motivating railroad development, which accelerated the flow of information and goods to and from distant regions. That journey began in the late 1830s and early 1840s as Forbes shifted from brokering deals among traders to brokering deals among investors. Chapter two, "An Assault on Space and Time," is the forbearer to the same theme in Carol Sheriff's The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862 (1996). …
Temperature dependence of Frenkel-defect formation energy deduced from diffusion of sodium in silver chloride

The anomalously large excess ionic conductivity displayed by AgCl at high temperatures has been variously interpreted in terms of the onset of a second type of cation interstitialcy mechanism, or alternatively as due to a decrease in the Frenkel-defect formation energy with increasing temperature. A detailed measurement of the temperature dependence of the diffusivity of substitutional sodium-ion tracer in AgCl is here shown quantitatively to confirm the latter of these possibilities.
Shell-model calculation of M1 scattering strengths in 42,44,48Ca

Abstract Calculation in the complete f 7 2 f 5 2 p 3 2 p 1 2 model space are presented for the M1 excitation of the ground states of 42,44,48Ca.
Relativistic Self-Consistent-Field Calculation of the Wave Functions, Eigenvalues, Isotope Shifts, and the 6 s Hyperfine-Structure Coupling Constant as a Function of Pressure for Metallic Gold in the Wigner-Seitz Model

We describe a versatile code for the calculation of the electronic properties of atoms in the Hartree-Dirac approximation. Calculations may be made for excited-state and multihole configurations as well as for the ground state of the neutral atom. Exchange may be included in the Slater approximation. The properties of metals may be calculated in the Wigner-Seitz approximation. The calculations may be made for a point nucleus or for a finite nucleus with a diffuse surface. We give results from a calculation made in the Wigner-Seitz approximation of the way a gold atom changes as a result of compression. This includes results about the way the charge density changes both near the gold nucleus and throughout the atom as the Wigner-Seitz radius is decreased from infinity to a value somewhat less than that for metallic gold at zero pressure. It was found that the charge density near the nucleus goes through a minimum which is related to the Wigner-Seitz boundary condition. The eigenvalues for all of the states occupied in atomic gold are given as a function of compression, of Slater exchange, and of nuclear size. Using these, the change with nuclear size of the eigenvalues of all of the electronic $s$ states is calculated and is compared with a first-order perturbation-theory calculation of this change. The hfs coupling constant of the $6s$ state of a free atom of gold is calculated and compared with experiment. The core polarization in gold is discussed. Finally, a brief discussion of internal conversion in $^{169}\mathrm{Tm}$ is given. The calculations given for gold are pertinent to a measurement of the change of energy of the resonance $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ ray of $^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ with pressure. This measurement was made through the use of the M\"ossbauer effect.
Talking Peace, Making Weapons: IAEA Technical Cooperation and Nuclear Proliferation

A growing literature suggests that nuclear assistance from other countries is an important determinant of whether states pursue nuclear weapons. Existing work does not consider, however, the most widely available source of assistance—the Technical Cooperation (TC) program administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). IAEA assistance is an important piece of the nonproliferation regime's central bargain: member states enjoy nuclear assistance in exchange for agreeing not to seek nuclear weapons. Using a data set of TC projects since 1972, we examine whether international nuclear assistance is associated with the pursuit of nuclear weapons. We hypothesize that some TC assistance reduces the cost of pursuing nuclear weapons, making weapons programs more likely. We find that receiving TC related to the nuclear fuel cycle is a statistically and substantively significant factor in state decisions since 1972 to seek nuclear weapons, with important implications for existing theories of nuclear proliferation.
Collection development for government map collections

Abstract Of the maps produced worldwide 80% are published by government agencies. In developing a map collection the librarian faces problems very different from those involved in developing a documents or book collection. This article reviews those problems, and suggests a methodology for use in developing the map collection. The method suggested involves a careful analysis of the information needs of the institution and community, and an equally careful, and quantifiable analysis of the map collection proposed to meet those needs.
Manifold learning by preserving distance orders

Nonlinear dimensionality reduction is essential for the analysis and the interpretation of high dimensional data sets. In this manuscript, we propose a distance order preserving manifold learning algorithm that extends the basic mean-squared error cost function used mainly in multidimensional scaling (MDS)-based methods. We develop a constrained optimization problem by assuming explicit constraints on the order of distances in the low-dimensional space. In this optimization problem, as a generalization of MDS, instead of forcing a linear relationship between the distances in the high-dimensional original and low-dimensional projection space, we learn a non-decreasing relation approximated by radial basis functions. We compare the proposed method with existing manifold learning algorithms using synthetic datasets based on the commonly used residual variance and proposed percentage of violated distance orders metrics. We also perform experiments on a retinal image dataset used in Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) diagnosis.
Implementation of the epilepsy center of excellence to improve access to and quality of care - protocol for a mixed methods study

Background: To address the growing problem of epilepsy among aging Veterans and younger Veterans who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has implemented 16 Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECOE) to assure increased access to high quality of care for Veterans with epilepsy. Each ECOE consists of a network of regional hubs to which spoke facilities refer Veterans for subspecialty treatment. The ECOEs are expected to improve access to and quality of epilepsy care through patient care, consultation and education. This study aims to: evaluate the effectiveness of the ECOE structure by describing changes in the quality of and access to care for epilepsy before and after the ECOE initiative using QUality Indicators in Epilepsy Treatment (QUIET Indicators); describe associations between changes in the structure and processes of care and Relational Coordination (RC), a model of task-oriented communication that has been shown to play a role in implementation science; and determine if variations in care are related to levels of RC. Methods: This four-year comparative case study uses a mixed-methods approach. We will use VA inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, and chart abstraction data to identify changes in the quality of and access to epilepsy care in the VA between Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2014. Qualitative and survey methods will be used to identify changes in the structure and processes of epilepsy care and RC over the course of the study. We will then link data from the first two objectives to determine the extent to which quality of and access to epilepsy care is associated with RC using multivariable models. Discussion: This innovative study has the potential to improve understanding of hub-and-spoke model effectiveness, VA epilepsy care, and models of epilepsy specialty care more globally. Moreover, it contributes to implementation science by advancing understanding of the role of RC in the context of a major transformation in the structure of care delivery in a national integrated healthcare system.
Thermal Monitoring: Raman Spectrometer System for Remote Measurement of Cellular Temperature on a Microscopic Scale

A simple setup was demonstrated for remote temperature monitoring of water, water-based media, and cells on a microscopic scale. The technique relies on recording changes in the shape of a stretching band of the hydroxyl group in liquid water at 3,100-3,700 cm-1. Rather than direct measurements in the near-infrared (IR), a simple Raman spectrometer setup was realized. The measured Raman shifts were observed at near optical wavelengths using an inverted microscope with standard objectives in contrast to costly near-IR elements. This allowed for simultaneous visible inspection through the same optical path. An inexpensive 671-nm diode pump laser (<100 mW), standard dichroic and lowpass filters, and a commercial 600-1,000 nm spectrometer complete the instrument.