cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of a 5-item modified Fragility Index for risk stratification in patients undergoing surgical management of proximal humerus fractures.

Introduction We hypothesized that the modified Fragility Index (mFI), which predicts surgical complications, would be applicable to surgical complications in patients older than 50 years with distal humerus fractures (DHF). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database, including patients older than 50 years who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of a DHF. A 5-item mFI score was calculated. Postoperative complications, readmission and reoperation rates, and length of stay were recorded. Univariate as well as a multivariable statistical analysis was performed, controlling for age, sex, body mass index, length of stay, and operative time. Results We identified 864 patients (mean age, 68.6 years ± 10.4), and 74.1% were female. As the mFI increased from 0 to 2 or greater, 30-day readmission rate increased from 3% to 10% (P value = .01), rate of discharge to rehabilitation facility increased from 12% to 32% (P value = .0), and any complication rate increased from 4% to 19% (P value = .0). Rates of pulmonary complications increased significantly in patients with the mFI of 2 or greater (P value = .047). Patients with the mFI of 2 or greater were nearly 4 times more likely to be readmitted within 30 days (odds ratio [OR] = 3.5, P value = .007) and had an increased OR of 30-day reoperation and any complication (OR = 3.7, P value = .02; OR = 4.5, P value = .00, respectively) on multivariate analysis. Conclusion A fragility state is predictive of postoperative complications, readmission, and reoperation after surgical management of DHF. Our data suggest that a fragility evaluation can help inform surgical decision-making in patients older than 50 years with DHF.
A Research Agenda: The Globalization of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable System

A workshop on the globalization of the fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) system brought together numerous scholars from around the world at the University of Califoria - Santa Cruz. The FFV system has become truly global as evidenced by (1) the erosion of the seasonality of consumption via international sourcing and (2) the expansion of the product inventory. This has led to the development of non-traditional export agriculture in the Southern Hemisphere, which in turn has had many social, environmental and economic consequences, not all of which are found in all production locations. The distributional segment of the FFV system, where environmental issues dealing with energy intensivity and the sheer vollume of packaging are becoming ever more important, is dominated by a small number of sizable transnational corporations but the marketing sector seems, in effect, to drive the entire system. There is an increased demand for FFV because of rising levels of health and nutritional education, concern about consuming healthy food, worries about food safety, and the aging of populations in the advanced industrial nations. What emerged from the workshop is a growing recognition of the need to systematize the analysis of the FFV by creating a network of researchers and defining a research agenda which would include more topics, i.e. enviromnental and ecological conditions, and more disciplines, i.e. transportation geography/economics.
Metabolic phenotype of B cells from young and elderly HIV individuals.

HIV infection induces inflammaging and chronic immune activation (IA), which are negatively associated with protective humoral immunity. Similar to HIV, aging is also associated with increased inflammaging and IA. The metabolic requirements of B cell responses in HIV infected (HIV+) individuals are not known, although metabolic abnormalities have been reported in these individuals. How these metabolic abnormalities are exacerbated by aging is also not known. B cells were isolated by magnetic sorting from the blood of young and elderly HIV + individuals, as well as from the blood of age-matched healthy controls. We evaluated the composition of the B cell pool by flow cytometry, the expression of RNA for pro-inflammatory and metabolic markers by qPCR and their metabolic status using a Seahorse XFp extracellular flux analyzer. In this study we have evaluated for the first time the metabolic phenotype of B cells from young and elderly HIV + individuals as compared to those obtained from age-matched healthy controls. Results show that the B cell pool of HIV + individuals is enriched in pro-inflammatory B cell subsets, expresses higher levels of RNA for pro-inflammatory markers and is hyper-metabolic, as compared to healthy controls, and more in elderly versus young HIV + individuals, suggesting that this higher metabolic phenotype of B cells is needed to support B cell IA. We have identified the subset of Double Negative (DN) B cells as the subset mainly responsible for this hyper-inflammatory and hyper-metabolic profile. Our results identify a relationship between intrinsic B cell inflammation and metabolism in HIV + individuals and suggest that metabolic pathways in B cells from HIV + individuals may be targeted to reduce inflammaging and IA and improve B cell function and antibody responses.
“It’s Viral!” - A Study of the Behaviors, Practices, and Motivations of TikTok Users and Social Activism

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have long been used for social activism purpose, and lately the short-video app TikTok saw increased popularity for social activism content. We conducted 9 qualitative interviews with TikTok users who recently posted social activism content to better understand user motivations and creation practices when making TikTok videos related to social activism causes. We present an initial look into why TikTok is used for social activism, and what processes users use to carry out this work. Our interview analysis revealed the following five main themes: (1) motivation and inspiration for posting social activist content comes from a wide range of personal sources, (2) video creation practices largely match TikTok standards, (3) social activism has communities on TikTok that provide encouragement and discussion, (4) interaction with other activists and viewers is crucial for social activism content creation and (5) users choose TikTok for its ability to spread messages more simply and with wider range. These findings provide insight into the unique factors that TikTok brings for social activism and corroborates previous findings in understanding how social activists may use social media for their purposes.
Using electronic health data to explore effectiveness of ICU EEG and anti-seizure treatment

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine critical care continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) utilization and downstream anti-seizure treatment patterns, their association with outcomes, and generate hypotheses for larger comparative effectiveness studies of cEEG-guided interventions. Methods Single-center retrospective study of critically ill patients (n = 14,523, age ≥18 years). Exposure defined as ≥24 h of cEEG and subsequent anti-seizure medication (ASM) escalation, with or without concomitant anesthetic. Exposure window was the first 7 days of admission. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Multivariable analysis was performed using penalized logistic regression. Results One thousand and seventy-three patients underwent ≥24 h of cEEG within 7 days of admission. After adjusting for disease severity, ≥24 h of cEEG followed by ASM escalation in patients not on anesthetics (n = 239) was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (OR 0.76 [0.53-1.07]), though the finding did not reach significance. ASM escalation with concomitant anesthetic use (n = 484) showed higher odds for mortality (OR 1.41 [1.03-1.94]). In the seizures/status epilepticus subgroup, post cEEG ASM escalation without anesthetics showed lower odds for mortality (OR 0.43 [0.23-0.74]). Within the same subgroup, ASM escalation with concomitant anesthetic use showed higher odds for mortality (OR 1.34 [0.92-1.91]) though not significant. Interpretation Based on our findings we propose the following hypotheses for larger comparative effectiveness studies investigating the direct causal effect of cEEG-guided treatment on outcomes: (1) cEEG-guided ASM escalation may improve outcomes in critically ill patients with seizures; (2) cEEG-guided treatment with combination of ASMs and anesthetics may not improve outcomes in all critically ill patients.
Numerical Modeling of the Performance of Ray Fins in Fish Locomotion

This is a review of our recent investigation on the structure versus performance of ray fins via a potential-flow based fluid-structure interaction model. The kinematics and dynamic performance of two structurally idealized fins, a caudal fin and a pectoral fin, are considered. The numerical method includes a boundary-element model of the fluid motion and a fully-nonlinear Euler-Bernoulli beam model of the embedded rays. Using this model we studied thrust generation and propulsion efficiency of the fins at different combinations of parameters. Effects of kinematic as well as structural properties are examined. It has been illustrated that the fish’s capacity to control the motion of each individual ray, as well as the anisotropic deformability of the fins determined by the architecture of the rays (especially the detailed distribution of ray stiffness), are essential to high propulsion performance.
Fast Interpolation and Time-Optimization on Implicit Contact Submanifolds

This paper presents a method for generating smooth, efficiently-executable trajectories for robots under contact constraints, such as those encountered in legged locomotion and object manipulation. It consists of two parts. The first is an efficient, robust method for constructing C1 interpolating paths between configuration/velocity states on implicit manifolds. The second is a robust time-scaling method that solves for a minimum-time parameterization using a novel convex programming formulation. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the method is fast, scalable to high-dimensional robots, and numerically stable on humanoid robot locomotion and object manipulation examples.
Chapter 9 Interfacing of Gc/Hplc with Direct Current Plasma (Dcp) Emission Spectroscopic Detection for Trace Metal Analysis and Speciation

Publisher Summary The direct current plasma (DCP) instrument can admirably serve as a batch/flow injection analysis (FIA) element selective detector (ESD) for numerous elemental species, providing total metal content for several elements in sequence. In the chromatographic mode, it is an ideal ESD for virtually all volatile metal species via gas chromatography (GC), with or without a pre-column, on-line hydride formation step. It works best in a single element mode, as opposed to the current Hewlett Packard GC–microwave induced plasma (MIP) unit, which can perform several elemental wavelength determinations simultaneously. Thus, it may perform best when speciation is needed for a single element in its various forms present. It is compatible with virtually all forms of GC, capillary, megabore, packed column. In high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) areas, it is fully compatible with many separation modes, types of mobile phases, flow rates, and secondary chemical equilibria involved in the overall separation schemes. It is also compatible with on-line, post-column hydride formation steps, and can then really provide useful, practical, trace levels of detection, with true speciation results.
The Accidental Promise: Remaking the Law of Misrepresented Intent

Insincere Promises advances an economic theory of promissory fraud. Ayres and Klass argue that the doctrine of promissory fraud helps to induce efficient reliance from promisees by penalizing promisors who misrepresent the objective probability of their performance. The authors propose a revised doctrine aimed at inducing optimal reliance with minimal transaction costs.I show that Ayres and Klass have all but abandoned the role of intent in the common law of misrepresented intent. Ayres and Klass are concerned only with making available to promisees accurate information about the probability of performance by promisors. I suggest that whatever the merits of their approach, it is inconsonant with the everyday practice of promising, which as a moral practice attaches great significance to subjective intent. Contrasting the common law of promissory fraud with securities regulation of expressions of corporate intent, I argue that the ?errors? which Ayres and Klass identify in the case law reflect the origins of the common law doctrine in the moral practice of promising. The relevance of subject intent to that practice explains why even Ayres and Klass would make subjective intent essential to the crime of false promise, and also explains why they couch their theory of the tort of promissory fraud in intentional terms. I conclude that, though their proposed reforms are consistent with economic theories of contract law, if given effect they would result in a radical overhaul of existing doctrine.
Remote sensing observatory validation of surface soil moisture using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer E, Common Land Model, and ground based data: Case study in SMEX03 Little River Region, Georgia, U.S.

[1] Optimal soil moisture estimation may be characterized by intercomparisons among remotely sensed measurements, ground-based measurements, and land surface models. In this study, we compared soil moisture from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer E (AMSR-E), ground-based measurements, and a Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) model for the Soil Moisture Experiments in 2003 (SMEX03) Little River region, Georgia. The Common Land Model (CLM) reasonably replicated soil moisture patterns in dry down and wetting after rainfall though it had modest wet biases (0.001–0.054 m3/m3) as compared to AMSR-E and ground data. While the AMSR-E average soil moisture agreed well with the other data sources, it had extremely low temporal variability, especially during the growing season from May to October. The comparison results showed that highest mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) were 0.054 and 0.059 m3/m3 for short and long periods, respectively. Even if CLM and AMSR-E had complementary strengths, low MAE (0.018–0.054 m3/m3) and RMSE (0.023–0.059 m3/m3) soil moisture errors for CLM and soil moisture low biases (0.003–0.031 m3/m3) for AMSR-E, care should be taken prior to employing AMSR-E retrieved soil moisture products directly for hydrological application due to its failure to replicate temporal variability. AMSR-E error characteristics identified in this study should be used to guide enhancement of retrieval algorithms and improve satellite observations for hydrological sciences.
Effect of Methionine and Sulfate on the Metabolism of Cephalosporium acremonium

The metabolism of Cephalosporium acremonium grown in a complex medium supplemented with DL-methionine or inorganic sulfate was studied. More growth occurred in a sulfate medium than in a methionine medium. Methionine-grown cells had an increased rate of respiration, a higher rate of catabolism with acetate and glucose as substrate, and higher specific activities of certain respiratory enzymes than sulfate-grown cells. Labeled acetate and glucose were assimilated at a faster rate by methionine-grown cells than sulfate-grown cells. Taurine, cystathionine, and small quantities of four acidic compounds were present in the amino acid pool of methionine-grown cells, but they were not detected in the pool of sulfate-grown cells. The differences in metabolic activity of sulfate and methionine-grown cells are discussed in regard to cephalosporin C synthesis.
Physical and Geometrical Motivation

It sometimes transpires that mathematics and physics, pursuing quite different agendas, find that their intellectual wanderings have converged upon the same fundamental idea and that, once it is recognized that this has occurred, each breathes new life into the other. The classic example is the symbiosis between General Relativity and Differential Geometry. As the Singularity Theorems of Hawking and Penrose (see [N2]) amply attest, the results of such an interaction can be spectacular. The story we have to tell is of another such confluence of ideas, more recent and perhaps even more profound. Our purpose in this preliminary chapter is to trace the physical and geometrical origins of the notion of a “gauge field” (known to mathematicians as the “curvature” of a “connection on a principal bundle” ). We will not be much concerned yet with rigorously defining the terms we use, nor will we bother to prove most of our assertions. Indeed, much of the remainder of the book is devoted to these very tasks. We hope only to offer something in the way of motivation.
Building One Fire: Art + World View in Cherokee Life

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Chadwick Corntassel Smith, Rennard Strickland, and Benny Smith Year: 2010 Pages: 224 Publisher: The Cherokee Nation ISBN: 9781616589608 (hard cover). Prices: $24.95(hard cover).
Environmental Production Functions and Environmental Directional Distance Functions: A Joint Production Comparison

This study derives the relationship between environmental production functions and environmental directional distance functions. These two approaches make different assumptions when modeling the joint production of good and bad outputs. The environmental production function credits a producer solely for expanding good output production, while the directional environmental distance function credits a producer for simultaneously increasing production of the good output and reducing production of bad outputs. Estimates of technical efficiency and pollution abatement costs are calculated using data from coal-fired power plants. These results provide the empirical basis for comparing the environmental production function to the environmental directional distance function.
Richard Kahn: his welfare economics and lifetime achievement

Kahn's principal novelty for welfare economics came in his 1935 work on Ideal Output. Marshall and Pigou had argued, somewhat confusedly, that industries with more than average increasing costs should be contracted by taxation, so that revenue collected could expand by subsidization of industries with less than average increasing costs. In the Robinson-Chamberlin era of recognizing deviations from perfect competition, Kahn gave a new and parallel argument. Expand by subsidy industries with more than average price-and-marginal cost deviations, while contracting by taxation industries with less than average such deviation. A. P. Lerner, presuming feasibility of perfect lump-sum taxes, showed Kahn's equilibrium not to be (what is today called) Pareto-optimal. Earlier, Frank Ramsey had shown that, under feasible excise-taxing neither Lerner nor Kahn achieve the optimum. Even more lasting than Kahn's welfare contribution was his 1931 anticipation of Keynes's 1936 income-multiplier paradigm. (c) 1994 Academic Press, Inc. Copyright 1994 by Oxford University Press.
Host-controlled Restriction of T-even Bacteriophages: Relation of Four Bacterial Deoxyribonucleases to Restriction

Abstract Escherichia coli strains B and K-12, which restrict growth of nonglucosylated T- even phage (T* phage), and nonrestricting strains (Shigella sonnei and mutants of E. coli B) were tested for levels of endonuclease I and exonucleases I, II, and III, by means of in vitro assyas. Cell-free extracts freed from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) were examined with three substrates: E. coli DNA, T*2 DNA, and T2 DNA. Both restricting and nonrestricting strains had comparable levels of the four nuclease activities and had similar patterns of preference for the three substrates. In addition, mutants of E. coli B and K-12 that lack endonuclease I were as effective as their respective wild types in restricting T* phage.
Molecular Analysis of Nondisjunction in Mice Heterozygous for a Robertsonian Translocation

A Robertsonian translocation results in a metacentric chromosome produced by the fusion of two acrocentric chromosomes. Rb heterozygous mice frequently generate aneuploid gametes and embryos, providing a good model for studying meiotic nondisjunction. We intercrossed mice heterozygous for a (7.18) Robertsonian translocation and performed molecular genotyping of 1812 embryos from 364 litters with known parental origin, strain, and age. Nondisjunction events were scored and factors influencing the frequency of nondisjunction involving chromosomes 7 and 18 were examined. We concluded the following: The frequency of nondisjunction among 1784 embryos (3568 meioses) was 15.9%. Nondisjunction events were distributed nonrandomly among progeny. This was inferred from the distribution of the frequency of trisomics and uniparental disomics (UPDs) among all litters. There was no evidence to show an effect of maternal or paternal age on the frequency of nondisjunction. Strain background did not play an appreciable role in nondisjunction frequency. The frequency of nondisjunction for chromosome 18 was significantly higher than that for chromosome 7 in males. The frequency of nondisjunction for chromosome 7 was significantly higher in females than in males. These results show that molecular genotyping provides a valuable tool for understanding factors influencing meiotic nondisjunction in mammals.
Legibility, Mystery, and Visual Access as Predictors of Preference and Perceived Danger in Forest Settings without Pathways

The authors attempt to address some unresolved issues within the Kaplans’ preference-matrix model of environmental preference. These issues involve the relation between legibility and preference and the relations among preference, danger, and mystery. Participants rated 70 within-forest settings containing no visible pathways for preference, danger, or one of seven predictor variables. Legibility and coherence were found to be independent, positive predictors of preference. Likewise, landmarks and visual access were independent positive predictors of legibility. Legibility fully mediated the positive relation between landmarks and preference. Visual access interacted with legibility in predicting preference: The relation between preference and either predictor was strongest and positive at low values of the other predictor. Preference and danger were negatively correlated, and there was some tendency for each of them to have a different pattern of relations with predictors. Mystery was negatively correlat...
Projections of frames

We show how to improve the properties of a Hilbert space frame by projecting it onto a subspace of the Hilbert space. For example, for any frame on a n-dimensional Hilbert space, there is an orthogonal projection onto a subspace of dimension n/2 (if n is even) or (n+1)/2 (if n is odd) so that the projection of the frame becomes a tight frame.
A risky business: Mining, rent and the neoliberalization of “risk”

Abstract Natural resource investment in the mining sector is often mediated through conflicts over rent distribution between corporate capital and landowner states. Recent rounds of neoliberal policy promoted by the World Bank have highlighted the need for landowner states to offer incentives in order to attract “high risk” capital investment. In Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, countries have been pushed to offer attractive fiscal terms to capital, thereby lowering the proportion traditionally called rent. This paper examines how the concept of “risk” has been mobilized to legitimate such skewed distributional arrangements. While certain conceptions of social and ecological “risk” have been prevalent in political and social theoretic discourse on mining, such focus elides the overwhelming contemporary power of our notion of “neoliberal risk” – or the financial/market risks – in actually setting the distributional terms of mineral investment. We illustrate our argument by examining the nexus of World Bank mining policy promotion and Tanzanian policy in the late 1990s meant to attract foreign direct investment in gold production. In closing, we suggest that just as “risk” is used to legitimate attractive fiscal terms for investment, recent events highlight how skewed distribution of benefits may set into motion risks that corporate capital had not bargained for.
Synthesis of Some Symmetrically Deuterated Cyclohexanones

The series of deuterated cyclohexanones shown in Fig. 1 were synthesized for spectroscopic needs. The NMR spectra of the intermediates employed were measured and the assignments of the various CH2 groups have been made. La serie de cyclohexanones specifiquement deuteriees indiquees dans le schema furent synthetisees pour des fins spectroscopiques. Le marquage avec du deuterium nous a permis de faire les attributions des fonctions CH2 en RMN dans divers produits Entermediaires.
Monomeric S-Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase from Plants Provides an Alternative to Putrescine Stimulation†,‡

S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase has been implicated in cell growth and differentiation and is synthesized as a proenzyme, which undergoes autocatalytic cleavage to generate an active site pyruvoyl group. In mammals, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase is active as a dimer in which each protomer contains one alpha subunit and one beta subunit. In many higher organisms, autocatalysis and decarboxylation are stimulated by putrescine, which binds in a buried site containing numerous negatively charged residues. In contrast, plant S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylases are fully active in the absence of putrescine, with rapid autocatalysis that is not stimulated by putrescine. We have determined the structure of the S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase from potato, Solanum tuberosum, to 2.3 A resolution. Unlike the previously determined human enzyme structure, the potato enzyme is a monomer in the crystal structure. Ultracentrifugation studies show that the potato enzyme is also a monomer under physiological conditions, with a weak self-association constant of 6.5 x 10(4) M(-)(1) for the monomer-dimer association. Although the potato enzyme contains most of the buried charged residues that make up the putrescine binding site in the human enzyme, there is no evidence for a putrescine binding site in the potato enzyme. Instead, several amino acid substitutions, including Leu13/Arg18, Phe111/Arg114, Asp174/Val181, and Phe285/His294 (human/potato), provide side chains that mimic the role of putrescine in the human enzyme. In the potato enzyme, the positively charged residues form an extensive network of hydrogen bonds bridging a cluster of highly conserved negatively charged residues and the active site, including interactions with the catalytic residues Glu16 and His249. The results explain the constitutively high activity of plant S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylases in the absence of putrescine and are consistent with previously proposed models for how putrescine together with the buried, negatively charged site regulates enzyme activity.
Operation-oriented design of decision support systems

Operation-oriented design is a practical approach to develop a robust business solution that can reduce reengineering effort and improve reusability. Taking implementing forecast engine for business operation planning process as an example, we first discuss the requirement from operational perspective, including data sources, analytic capability. So that we can design and develop a smart and integrated supply chain, the computer implemented and Internet connected information system that aligns with its supported business process. In our example, we start with how to assess product demand from analyzing sale history and product lifecycle specification and correlating with external economic indicators. The proposed flexible IT system will enable collaboration between users in the product planning process, provides configurable and extensible platform and makes intelligent prediction of product demand incorporating market trend and product lifecycle information. Such an IT system provides not only business process's visibility but also analytic capability and intelligent decision support.
Marine nonfuel minerals in the US exclusive economic zone: Managing information as a resource

Abstract Substantial quantities of marine nonfuel minerals are known to exist in the US exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but most of these are not yet close to production or even to being properly classified as economic resources. Nonfuel mineral prospecting, discovery and exploration activity in the EEZ is part of a long-range process of resource development. The product of this activity in the near-term is not mineral commodities such as metals, however, but rather information about the resource potential. We examine the role of investment in information in the resource development process, briefly discuss the economics of information, characterize the problems faced and the methods employed by public agencies in managing information, and highlight several critical policy issues concerning the management of information about EEZ nonfuel minerals. These issues concern the distribution of research effort, exclusive rights, confidentiality provisions, performance requirements, and national security classification.
Dynamic MC simulations of diamond-like carbon film synthesis by plasma-based ion implantation

Abstract By plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) such as low-energy ion beam implantation in plasma, ion beam assisted deposition, and plasma immersed ion implantation, a diamond-like carbon (DLC) film is synthesized. The structure of the DLC film can be characterized by the hydrogen concentration and the relative fractions of sp2- and sp3-bonded carbon. The energy of the impinging ion plays a crucial role for the film structure and thereby the mechanical, electrical and optical properties of the film. Dynamic Monte Carlo simulations with the binary collision approximation have been applied to the synthesis of DLC films by PBII. It was assumed that energetic CH3+ ions and CH3 radicals are incident on the surface alternately. The incident molecular ions dissociated into its individual atoms when colliding with the surface. The radicals adsorbed on the surface are dissociated by the binary collisions with the impinged atoms and a part of hydrogen atoms are released from the surface. It is assumed that only the atoms receiving enough energy to overcome the surface barrier enter the solid. Release of the displaced hydrogen atoms after the subsequent collision cascade is also assumed. The relative fraction of carbon atoms in the sp2 and sp3 state were estimated by setting different displacement threshold energy for each state. Effects of the ion/neutral arrival ratio and the ion energy on the deposition rate and on the depth profile of the hydrogen content and the sp3/sp2 ratio in the deposited film are presented.
Individual differences in quality-of-life treatment response.

Background.Individual differences in treatment responses to health-related quality-of-life interventions arise ubiquitously and prominently in clinical trials. These differences do not reflect error, but instead represent patterns of response that vary reliably across patients. Individual difference
On equivalence of relational and network database models

On montre que certaines structures relationnelles +1 composees a la fois de dependances fonctionnelles (FD) et de dependances multivaluees (MVD) ne sont pas equivalentes a un diagramme de Bachman a boucle libre si on suit l'approche de Lien et on remplace chaque X→A des FD par sa contrepartie X→A de MVD
Irrationally related lattices and LEED intensities

Abstract A study of Nb layers deposited on a Cu {001} substrate provides an example of irrationally related lattices. The low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) intensity spectra from the clean substrate are almost unaffected by the presence of the Nb overlayer.
Chemisorption and decomposition of nitric oxide on ruthenium

Abstract Nitric oxide, strongly chemisorbed on ruthenium, is desorbed almost completely as oxygen and nitrogen. Oxygen, nitrogen, and nitric oxide were observed singly on ruthenium with field emission microscopy. Thermal desorption spectroscopy from Ru(1010) showed that molecular nitrogen is only physisorbed but nitrogen from NO decomposition is strongly chemisorbed. Nitrogen from NO shows three binding states, the most strongly bound being present to only a small extent. NO shows three and two binding states when adsorbed at 120 K and 295 K respectively. Work function measurements gave Δφ = 1.3 eV for a monolayer of NO. NO is dissociatively adsorbed above 250 K but a lower temperature limit was not established. The decomposition of NO on Ru (10 1 0) under high vacuum conditions is catalytic in that no oxides of ruthenium were observed to form in the process.
Differentiation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells after in vitro treatment with epstein-barr virus or phorbol ester. I. Immunologic and morphologic studies

Leukemic cells from ten patients with "nonsecretory," B-type chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were cultured alone or in the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or a phorbol ester (12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate; TPA) for 7 days. At periodic intervals the cell morphology, cytoplasmic immunoglobulin content (direct immunofluorescence) and capacity for immunoglobulin secretion (hemolytic plaque assay) were assessed. A variable but significant number of the TPA-treated CLL cells from all patients expressed cytoplasmic immunoglobulin of a single light-chain type at some stage, usually within the first 3 days. EBV induced similar changes in seven of eight cases tested. Untreated cell cultures were negative or contained a few cytoplasmic immunoglobulin-positive cells. Cells from five of nine cases secreted immunoglobulin of a single light-chain type. In every instance this was identical to the surface and cytoplasmic immunoglobulin. Cytologic changes were observed in the leukemic cells after treatment with one or both agents in nine of ten cases. The major feature was an increase in cell size associated with immunoblastic or plasma-cytoid features. Mitotic figures and binucleate cells were also present. These studies indicate that EBV and TPA are effective at inducing immunoglobulin synthesis and secretion in "nonsecretory" B cell neoplasms and are useful tools for studying the maturation potential inherent in these tumors. The study also suggests that the secreted immunoglobulin is a monoclonal product.
Surface Wettability Scanning of Long Filaments by a Liquid Membrane Method

A technique is presented for characterizing the surface wettability of relatively long filaments based on scanning the filament with a liquid membrane. This technique overcomes the limitations of specimen size and crimp, which are inherent in the bulk immersion method for evaluating wettability changes along a filament. The technique can be used to study the surface distribution of finishes on long filaments, provided the wettability characteristics of the finished surface are significantly different from those of the untreated filament under the conditions of measurement. If the method is to be used to study finish distribution, an appropriate liquid must be used for the membrane, and guidelines for selection of such a liquid are discussed.
Early stage spreading: Mechanisms of rapid contact line advance

Abstract Inertial spreading occurs at the onset of a droplet wetting a solid; for low viscosity, highly wetting liquids, very high contact line velocities have been observed during this regime. Initial wetting kinetics are so rapid that careful experimental exploration of this phenomenon has only occurred over the past ~ 10 years. Herein, we review recent experimental and computational investigations into inertial spreading. We highlight results and discussion from literature that bear out an initially surprising conclusion: even nanometer scale drops exhibit a regime of early stage wetting kinetics that are well described as inertia dominated. Given this, some focus is placed on reviewing results from atomic scale simulations of inertial wetting and how they can be used to battle the lack of understanding regarding fundamental mechanisms of rapid contact line advancement. To bolster this discussion, new results are also presented from molecular dynamics simulations exploring inertial wetting in metallic systems. It is demonstrated that atomic scale simulations can reveal nanoscale size effects on inertial wetting and that, after accounting for these nanoscale effects, inertial regime spreading data for nanodrops are fully explained by otherwise continuum fluid mechanics theory. Data obtained are thus used to explore the role of order in liquid films near solid surfaces in controlling contact line advancement. In exploring the structure of an ordered liquid layer adjacent to the solid surface that undergoes significant slip during inertial spreading, it is demonstrated that a tensile strain gradient manifests in the layer as the film edge is approached.
Testing assumptions of deliberate practice theory, relevance, effort, and inherent enjoyment of practice on a novel task.

This study examined three assumptions of the theory of deliberate practice: that deliberate practice is perceived as relevant for improving performance and that it requires effort, but that it is not perceived as being inherently enjoyable. Of particular interest was how these perceptions change as practice difficulty changes. 30 college undergraduates practiced two different maze memorization and replication tasks and rated the practice relevance for improving performance on the task, the practice effort, and the inherent enjoyment of practice. The findings for each of the assumptions were consistent with those suggested by the theory and also showed that these perceptions are subject to the current performance on an activity and the difficulty of the practice.
Photochemical hydrogen production from water using the new photocatalyst [{(bpy)2Ru(dpp)}2RhBr2](PF6)5

Abstract The synthesis, electrochemical, and photochemical properties of the new photocatalyst [{(bpy) 2 Ru(dpp)} 2 RhBr 2 ](PF 6 ) 5 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, dpp = 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine) which couples two ruthenium light absorbing metal centers to a reactive rhodium center is reported. The substitution of the bromide in lieu of the chloride in the RhX 3 · n H 2 O starting material provides the bromo analog in high yield and purity. The basic chemical properties of the bromide complex are very similar to the chloride system [{(bpy) 2 Ru(dpp)} 2 RhCl 2 ](PF 6 ) 5 , being an efficient metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) light absorber in the visible while possessing a lowest lying metal-to-metal charge-transfer ( 3 MMCT) state. In the presence of an electron donor and visible light, [{(bpy) 2 Ru(dpp)} 2 RhBr 2 ](PF 6 ) 5 undergoes excited state intramolecular electron transfer affording photoinitiated electron collection on the reactive rhodium center to generate the Rh I complex, [{(bpy) 2 Ru(dpp)} 2 Rh I ](PF 6 ) 5 . The new complex affords photocatalytic hydrogen production from water with Φ ≈ 0.01, generating higher hydrogen yields than the chloride analog, 10.9 versus 8.2 μmol H 2 over a 4 h photolysis period.
How the Party of God Uses Media and Resources to Succeed in the 21st Century

In July 2013, the Lebanese Shi'a group Hezbollah publically announced its participation in the Syrian Civil War at the battle of al-Qusayr. Long advertized as the protector of Lebanon, many analysts believed involvement in Syria on behalf of Bashar al-Assad's regime would ultimately damage Hezbollah's position at home. Nevertheless, the Party of God has been able to maintain its power in Lebanon. This paper will investigate how Hezbollah is able to autonomously pursue objectives that potentially run contrary to the wishes of its constituents, while still acting as a powerful, domestic political actor in Lebanon. I will first identify why Hezbollah insists on pursuing selfish objectives by considering Hezbollah's weapon supplies. Next, I will show that Hezbollah owes much of its success to its unique relationship with the Lebanese Shi'i. Finally, by examining Hezbollah's media apparatus and international financial and operational networks, I will illustrate how Hezbollah has adapted to trends in globalization to cement itself as one of the most dangerous sub-state organizations in the world.
Light cone dynamics and reverse Kibble-Zurek mechanism in two-dimensional superfluids following a quantum quench

We study the dynamics of the relative phase of a bilayer of two-dimensional superfluids after the two superfluids have been decoupled. We find that on short time scales the relative phase shows ``light cone''-like dynamics and creates a metastable superfluid state, which can be supercritical. We also demonstrate similar light cone dynamics for the transverse field Ising model. On longer time scales the supercritical state relaxes to a disordered state due to dynamical vortex unbinding. This scenario of dynamically suppressed vortex proliferation constitutes a reverse-Kibble-Zurek effect. We study this effect both numerically using truncated Wigner approximation and analytically within a newly suggested time dependent renormalization group approach (RG). In particular, within RG we show that there are two possible fixed points for the real-time evolution corresponding to the superfluid and normal steady states. So depending on the initial conditions and the microscopic parameters of the Hamiltonian the system undergoes a nonequilibrium phase transition of the Kosterlitz-Thouless type. The time scales for the vortex unbinding near the critical point are exponentially divergent, similar to the equilibrium case.
Field-ion imaging of titanium and effects due to hydrogen

Abstract Titanium specimens of nominal 99.99 + % purity were prepared and imaged in the field-ion microscope between 23–30 K using hydrogen, hydrogen-helium mixtures, and neon imaging gases. Micrographs obtained in the presence of hydrogen show features that may indicate the early stage development of cracks and hydrides, mostly on and between the {1120} and {1010} plane regions. Neon field-ion microscopy shows that the image features due to hydrogen-titanium interactions in the field-ion microscope are confined to about 10–15 topmost metal layers.
Surgical Revascularization Is Associated With Maximal Survival in Patients With Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation A 20-Year Experience

Background—The optimal treatment for ischemic mitral regurgitation remains actively debated. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between ischemic mitral regurgitation treatment strategy and survival. Methods and Results—We retrospectively reviewed patients at our institution diagnosed with significant coronary artery disease and moderate or severe ischemic mitral regurgitation from 1990 to 2009, categorized by medical treatment alone, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), or CABG plus mitral valve repair or replacement. Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to assess the relationship between treatment strategy and survival, with the use of propensity scores to account for nonrandom treatment assignment. A total of 4989 patients were included: medical treatment alone=36%, percutaneous coronary intervention=26%, CABG=33%, and CABG plus mitral valve repair or replacement=5%. Median follow-up was 5.37 years. Com...
Influence of pressure and chemical structure on the thermal conductivity of vitreous poly(alkyl methacrylates). II. Relation to free volume

A quantitative model for the pressure dependence of the thermal conductivity K in glassy polymers is presented. By extending the hole theory of liquids to temperatures below the glass transition temperature, an equation of state is obtained and an expression for the pressure dependence of the thermal conductivity is then formulated from a consideration of the anharmonicity associated with the segmental vibrations. The resulting equation ΔK/K = γGf0[1−exp(−p/B*)], where γG is the Gruneisen parameter, f0 is the fractional free volume, and B* = kTg/V0, is compared with experimental results for the poly(alkyl methacrylates).
Gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric determination of etomidate in mouse brain

A simple, rapid and reliable method was developed to determine the concentration of etomidate [ethyl-1-(1-phenylethyl)-1 H-imidazole-5carboxylate] in mouse brain tissue by gas chromatography ‐ mass spectrometry (GC ‐ MS). Ethyl 5-amino-1-phenyl-4-pyrazolecarboxylate was used as internal standard (IS) and liquid ‐ liquid extraction using ethyl ether as the solvent. The method demonstrated excellent recovery (93%) and a linear calibration range of 50 ‐ 2500 ng/0.2 g. Intra-day accuracy and precision had an error and coefficient of variation of less than 8.7% and 4.2%, respectively. The limit of detection was 1 ng in mouse brain. Our results suggest that this new method is suitable for the quantitative analysis of etomidate in mouse brain tissue. D 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
A note on moment generating functions

Abstract In this note, we show that if a sequence of moment generating functions M n ( t ) converges pointwise to a moment generating function M ( t ) for all t in some open interval of R, not necessarily containing the origin, then the distribution functions F n (corresponding to M n ) converge weakly to the distribution function F (corresponding to M). The proof uses the basic classical result of Curtiss [1942. A note on the theory of moment generating functions. Ann. Math. Statist. 13 (4), 430–433].
Accelerating Parameterizaton of Large-Scale Dynamic Models Through the Use of Activity Analysis

Previous research presents both sensitivity-based and principal component-based techniques for improving the tractability of system identification. Both have proven viable, but the former may be computationally inefficient for large problems, and the latter require a change of realization that may compromise the physical meaning of the parameters to be identified. This paper proposes for the first time the use of activity analysis, an efficient and realization-preserving model reduction technique, for identification space reduction. Theoretical and numerical studies highlighting the viability of activity analysis versus the previous two methods are presented.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Efficiency of tandem solar cell systems as a function of temperature and solar energy concentration ratio

Abstract This paper presents the results of a comprehensive theoretical analysis of tandem photovoltaic solar cells as a function of temperature and solar concentration ratio. The I–V characteristics of the solar cells were assumed to be governed by the relation I = I 0 ( e qV/AkT − 1) with I 0 = K e −E G /BkT and A = B The overall efficiencies of tandem cell stacks consisting of as many as 24 cells having energy gaps in the 0.7 to 3.6 eV range were calculated for temperatures of 200, 300, 400 and 500 K and for illumination by an AMO solar spectrum having concentration ratios C = 1, 100, 500 and 1000 suns. For ideal diodes (A = B = 1), the calculations show that the optimized overall efficiency has a limiting value ηopt ≈ 70% for T = 200 K and C = 1000. For T = 300 K and C = 1000, this limiting efficiency approaches 60%. Most of the gain in efficiency occurs with the number of semiconductors in the tandem system between six and ten, e.g. for T = 300 K and C = 1000, an optimized six cell system has a theoretical limit efficiency of about 53%. Calculations were also conducted for the A = B = 2 case (non-ideal diode behavior); in this case the limiting value of η for a 24 cell system is about 65% at 200 K and 55% at 300 K.