cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of the Video Assessment of Propensity to Use Emergency Restraints Scale (VAPERS): Results of the VAPERS Study Group

Background:Emergency physicians (EPs) may disagree on when or whether patients need restraints. There is no good objective measure of the likelihood of EPs to restrain patients. Objectives:To 1) develop a scale to determine the likelihood that an EP would restrain a patient, 2) develop subscale scoring, and 3) determine a shortened version that correlates highly with the full scale. Methods:This was a prospective cross sectional study. The Video Assessment of Propensity to use Emergency Restraints Scale (VAPERS), consisting of 17 scenarios utilizing actors, was videotaped to produce a research video assessment tool. The VAPERS was designed by development experts to reflect the spectrum of patients who are considered for restraint in an emergency department. The VAPERS was piloted among a 22-member pilot panel of EPs (faculty and residents). The pilot panel was asked to determine the degree to which each video patient possessed the following patient characteristics: medical instability, trauma, belligerence, agitation, and altered mental status. Each “degree of characteristic” was measured on a separate 100-mm visual analog scale. Participants were then asked whether or not they would restrain each patient and whether the patient exhibited the potential to harm him- or herself or others. VAPERS subscales were developed for the likelihood to restrain patients with each of the patient characteristics. Spearman correlations were used for all comparisons. Linear regression was used to determine which patient characteristics were most related to likelihood to restrain and to develop a reduced scale to predict the overall likelihood to restrain. Results:The overall VAPERS score ranged from 0 to 100, with a median of 50 (interquartile range [IQR], 24–88). The visual analog scale results of how likely each video patient possessed specific characteristics were as follows: medical instability ranged from 0 to 100 (median, 32; IQR, 12–64), trauma ranged from 0 to 69 (median, 0; IQR, 0–31), belligerence ranged from 20 to 93 (median, 28; IQR, 14–63), agitation ranged from 3 to 84 (median, 52; IQR, 23–72), and altered mental status ranged from 1 to 93 (median, 29; IQR, 16–69). Linear regression indicated that two characteristic variables (danger to self and degree of agitation) in the video scenarios were highly correlated (0.87) with overall likelihood to restrain. Based on the results, the authors developed a shortened video assessment tool consisting of five of the original videos that were highly correlated (R= 0.94) with the full VAPERS scale on overall likelihood to restrain. Conclusions:The VAPERS scale covers a wide range of important variables in emergency situations. It successfully measured likelihood to restrain in this pilot study for overall situations, and for subgroups, based on patient characteristics. A shortened five-video VAPERS also successfully measured the overall likelihood to restrain.
A Policy-Based Team Collaboration

This paper presents a policy-based coordination model for team collaboration. Team collaboration requires an agreement that utilizes a negotiation protocol to find candidate teams and to decide on a collaboration partner. The decision relies on policies that are rules governing team situations in an organization. Contexts and rules allow reasoning about team situations. The authors describe a policy-based negotiation protocol. It introduces an ontology-based whiteboard component that uses the Semantic Web technologies such as Web Ontology Language OWL, Semantic Web Rule Language SWRL, and Semantic Query-enhanced Web Rule Language SQWRL. The negotiation protocol facilitates whiteboards as a computational foundation for awareness of situations and policies, and it assists with the final decision using a measure based on the combination of rule-based queries and functions.
Debt Bondage in Cambodia’s Past—and Implications for Its Present

In the Cambodian past, strict guidelines detailed punishments and compensatory arrangements should laws concerning the treatment of persons temporarily entered into debt bondage be transgressed. Although the legal protections that these permitted were abolished by the French colonial administration, the practices themselves remained. Not all “slaves” were condemned to a life of servitude; often, individuals or their families entered into contracts in which their labor was pledged for a set period. Daughters’ labor could most easily be given up by families seeking to borrow a lump sum from a wealthy patron. When laws protecting such girls were removed, there was no longer any effective barrier preventing their temporary masters and mistresses from abusing them. The initial failure of colonial legislators to understand debt bondage as distinct from slavery explains the endurance of human trafficking and the proliferation of increasingly younger children in the sex sector in Cambodia today. 1. 1Women face mo...
The role of positive emotions in experiential decisions

Abstract This research examines how consumers experience decision making for experiential products such as vacations. We combine data from 1) ethnographic interviews, 2) online community discussion forums, and 3) an introspective vacation-planning task to explore the experience of emotion in the decision process and to develop a new model of decision making that extends extant decision theories. We find that consumers experience a variety of positive emotions as they plan vacations, from facilitative feelings that guide the plan to fantasy feelings consumed for pleasure. Positive emotions are most evident in reaction to imagery and when the consumer's self identity is salient, and often precede more analytic information processing. Overall, this research offers a richer understanding of the emotional nature of consumer decision making for experiential products and services.
'Last adventure'--a computer simulation package for use in nurse education.

Abstract The benefits of using microcomputers in the education of learner nurses is not always apparent. A simulation package called ‘Last Adventure’ was developed for use by a group of Introductory Course nurse learners. A small scale research project was carried out to assess the educational value of the software, as well as to determine whether any educational benefits occurred as a result of using this piece of computer software, compared with the traditional method of written work. The results indicate that although initially no major differences were noted, there was a more positive feedback to nurse learners using the microcomputer which resulted in a longer retention time of facts tested.
PRINCES IN THE POLITY: THE ANHUA PRINCE’S UPRISING OF 1510

AbstractFocusing on a brief but comparatively well-documented uprising in 1510 in the important frontier city of Ningxia, this essay explores the composition of the Anhua Prince’s inner circle, the place of his court in local society, particularly its intimate connections to the local officer corps, and finally how imperial princes figured in the wider discourse of the Ming polity. This essay begins with a few words on the Qing House, to which the Anhua Prince belonged, moves to the prince’s imperial pretensions and the uprising itself, and then examines the lengthy deliberations over defining the crimes and punishing the conspirators. It concludes with some observations about the revolt’s relevance for understanding provincial courts during the Ming.
An Exploration into How Physical Activity Data-Recording Devices Could Be Used in Computer-Supported Data Investigations

There is a great potential opportunity to use portable physical activity monitoring devices as data collection tools for educational purposes. Using one such device, we designed and implemented a weeklong workshop with high school students to test the utility of such technology. During that intervention, students performed data investigations of physical activity that culminated in the design and implementation of their own studies. In this paper, we explore some of the mathematical thinking that took place through a series of vignettes of a pair of students engaged in analyzing some of their own activity data. A personal connection to the data appeared to aid these students in recognizing their own errors, and ultimately helped them move from a point-based analytical approach for making sense of the data to an aggregate one. From our observations of this designed learning experience, we conclude that physical activity data recording devices can afford students the opportunity to reason with personally relevant data in meaningful ways.
High effective-resolution built-in jitter characterization with quantization noise shaping

A novel built-in jitter characterization architecture combining quantization noise shaping and a partial Vernier delay structure is proposed for high resolution jitter measurement. The effective resolution is optimized at the system level as well as the circuit level. Using 90nm CMOS technology, an area of 0.008mm2 is occupied. The power consumption is 1.85mW. An effective resolution of 1.5ps is achieved.
AN OVERVIEW OF FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC CARE OF THE ADOLESCENT

The field of forensic psychiatric nursing is a relatively recent addition to the specialty of psychiatric nursing. This paper provides an overview of forensic psychiatric care of adolescent patients. It describes the juvenile justice system, identifies various theoretical models useful for understanding youthful offenders, and explores risk and protective factors. Psychiatric comorbidities and treatment considerations also are presented.
Regulation of Potassium Channel Kir 1.1 (ROMK) Abundance in the Thick Ascending Limb of Henle's Loop

The renal outer medullary potassium channel (ROMK) of the thick ascending limb (TAL) is a critical component of the counter-current multiplication mechanism. In this study, two new antibodies raised to ROMK were used to investigate changes in the renal abundance of ROMK with treatments known to strongly promote TAL function. These antibodies specifically recognized protein of the predicted size of 45 kD in immunoblots of rat kidney or COS cells transfected with ROMK cDNA. Infusion of 1-deamino-(8-D-arginine)-vasopressin (dDAVP), a vasopressin V2 receptor-selective agonist, for 7 d into Brattleboro rats resulted in dramatic increases in apical membrane labeling of ROMK in the TAL of dDAVP-treated rats, as assessed by immunocytochemical analyses. Using immunoblotting, a more than threefold increase in immunoreactive ROMK levels was observed in the outer medulla after dDAVP infusion. Restriction of water intake to increase vasopressin levels also significantly increased TAL ROMK immunolabeling and abundance in immunoblots. In addition, dietary Na(+) levels were varied to determine whether ROMK abundance was also affected under other conditions known to alter TAL transport. Rats fed higher levels of sodium, as either NaCl or NaHCO(3) (8 mEq/250 g body wt per d), exhibited significantly increased density of the 45-kD band, compared with the respective control animals. Moreover, in rats fed a low-NaCl diet (0.25 mEq/250 g body wt per d), a 50% decrease in band density for the 45-kD band was observed (relative to control rats fed 2.75 mEq/250 g body wt per d of NaCl). These results demonstrate that long-term adaptive changes in ROMK abundance occur in the TAL with stimuli that enhance transport by this segment.
Border Guards, Part IV

i. The stylized dance around a worked body. They always ask your name and birth date but this time she responded sternly: “your full name.” “Sarojini.” Between Christian and surname my parents had slipped the memory of a poet Sarojini Naidu The Nightingale of India. She marched with Gandhi married out of caste favored her words for independence. An otherwise disavowed history, home infused my hidden name as if it could be diluted by generation. A French kiss The syringe leaves one drop a rising sun on my prairie arm. Later that day I received a text photo the technician’s peering face, a message: “Cocktails?” ii. Rules and flesh modulate strangers. Bureaucratic priest thumb searches a vein unwraps the swab unpapers the needle unravels the tubing her oaths snapped on like latex. The lab tech calls me “sweetie.” In the stream of anxious sweeties, both of us tired, I ask why. She answers with a needle jab. No one would know about this tiny transgression; I deserved it. For 43 minutes the machine commands its meat to breathe don’t breathe breathe don’t. The technician watches the computer screen in the next room as bloodless wedges fall in rows. iii. Trust holds the possibility that you will become lunch. “The PET scanner slices you like salami.” My doctor is a boy photographer with a new lens. I crave the fat, flesh, live peppercorn. Sometimes the road kill I pass on my way home no longer has fur, beak, hooves. Driving is like making dinner. “Tumors love sugar,” they devour radioisotopes like vultures who mistake poisoned flesh for carrion. Sometimes only a brown stain stretches across the five lanes of Highway 101. I open my car door, lean down, and lick: human, skunk, or heron?
MED1 Phosphorylation Promotes Its Association with Mediator: Implications for Nuclear Receptor Signaling

Mediator is a conserved multisubunit complex that acts as a functional interface between regulatory transcription factors and the general RNA polymerase II initiation apparatus. MED1 is a pivotal component of the complex that binds to nuclear receptors and a broad array of other gene-specific activators. Paradoxically, MED1 is found in only a fraction of the total cellular Mediator complexes, and the mechanisms regulating its binding to the core complex remain unclear. Here, we report that phosphorylation of MED1 by mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK-ERK) promotes its association with Mediator. We show that MED1 directly binds to the MED7 subunit and that ERK phosphorylation of MED1 enhances this interaction. Interestingly, we found that both thyroid and steroid hormones stimulate MED1 phosphorylation in vivo and that MED1 phosphorylation is required for its nuclear hormone receptor coactivator activity. Finally, we show that MED1 phosphorylation by ERK enhances thyroid hormone receptor-dependent transcription in vitro. Our findings suggest that ERK phosphorylation of MED1 is a regulatory mechanism that promotes MED1 association with Mediator and, as such, may facilitate a novel feed-forward action of nuclear hormones.
Ionic Inputs To Onondaga Lake: Origins, Character, and Changes

ABSTRACT The origins and loadings of Cl−, Na+, and Ca2+ to ionically polluted Onondaga Lake, NY, are determined based on monitoring data collected for surface inflows over the 1973–1993 interval. The analysis delineates for lake managers the central role a chemical company has played in the loading of these constituents to the lake and the resulting ionic enrichment of the lake. The recurring, but disparate, ratios of Cl−, Na+, and Ca2+ concentrations maintained in the two largest tributaries to the lake depict contrasting industrial and geologic origins of these constituents. Concentrations of the three ionic species are inversely related to flow in these tributaries. The average annual combined loading of Cl−, Na+, and Ca2+ to the lake over the last 12y of operation of the chemical plant was 1.2 million metric tons. The plant closed in 1986, and by 1989 the annual loads of Cl−, Na+, and Ca2+ had decreased by about 79, 67, and 70% respectively. The residual annual input of the ionic waste in 1989, from t...
Two-dimensional position detection system with MEMS accelerometers, readout circuitry, and microprocessor for padless mouse applications

A hybrid two-dimensional position sensing system is designed with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for padless mouse applications. The X/Y-axis acceleration of the user's hand movements is measured by two MEMS accelerometer devices. These acceleration values are pulsewidth modulated and converted into (X, Y) coordinates on the screen by integral operations on a microprocessor. The overall system consists of four major components: 1) MEMS accelerometers; 2) CMOS analog readout circuitry; 3) an acceleration magnitude extraction module; and 4) a 16-b RISC microprocessor. Mechanical and analog simulation shows that the designed mouse system can detect acceleration as small as 5.3 mg (g=9.8 m/s/sup 2/) with 100-kHz sampling frequency for low power consumption.
Occurrence of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Wild Hosts in Nonmanaged Woodlands and Soybean Fields in North Carolina and Virginia

ABSTRACT Nonmanaged plants occurring along forest edges and in suburban settings were sampled for brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Sta° l), in North Carolina (NC) and Virginia (VA) over the course of three growing seasons. Commercial soybeans (Glycine max), an attractive cultivated host, were also sampled in 2014 in NC and in VA from 2010–2014. Very few H. halys were found on nonmanaged plants or soybean fields in the coastal plain region of either state, but substantial populations were recorded in the piedmont and mountain regions. From 2011 to 2013, H. halys comprised from 51 to 97% of all stink bug species observed on nonmanaged plants in the piedmont and mountain regions. In VA, the distribution expanded from detection in 12 counties in 2010 to 53 counties in 2014, with economically damaging levels occurring in the piedmont region. During these studies, H. halys were observed to complete one and a partial second generation per year in western NC and southwestern VA, similar to that prev...
Innovation in the Machine Tool Industry

I. The industry, 406. — II. The process of innovation, 409. — III. A theory of innovation, 415.
Cool-Season Precipitation Patterns Associated with Teleconnection Interactions in the United States*

AbstractSeasonal climate forecasts are regularly published to provide decision makers with insights on upcoming climate conditions. Precipitation forecasts, in particular, are useful for fields such as agriculture and water resources. Projections frequently cite a single climate oscillation such as El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) when suggesting whether a region will be wetter or drier than normal. The complex climate system is composed of a multitude of simultaneous oceanic and atmospheric oscillations, however. Through the study of five atmospheric-pressure-based oscillations, their interactions, and associated precipitation values, this research demonstrates the wide variety of precipitation patterns that can arise when different phases of prominent climate modes occur. Results show that incorporating other Northern Hemisphere teleconnections can dampen or shift expected ENSO and NAO impact patterns. These results indicate that seasonal precipitation projecti...
Genetic epidemiology in psychiatry. Taking both genes and environment seriously.

THIS ISSUE of theArchivescontains three articles that examine diverse aspects of the genetic epidemiology of psychiatric illness. 1-3 These articles attest to the vibrancy of this field, which represents a hybrid discipline, combining features of traditional medical genetics and epidemiology. While medical genetics has generally focused on classic, rare, Mendelian disorders where the genetic signal is so powerful that environmental effects are irrelevant, genetic epidemiology examines common, familial disorders where an inherited vulnerability interacts with environmental risk factors in often complex and uncertain ways. 4,5 As demonstrated by these articles, the field of the genetic epidemiology of psychiatric illness has been maturing rapidly. As little as a decade ago, most publications focused solely on the assessment of the familial or genetic transmission of psychiatric disorders. Although these questions are fundamental, they represent only the beginning rather than the conclusion of the endeavor. Each article examines a critical issue
Remote control catheter navigation: options for guidance under MRI

Background Image-guided endovascular interventions have gained increasing popularity in clinical practice, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as an attractive alternative to X-ray fluoroscopy for guiding such interventions. Steering catheters by remote control under MRI guidance offers unique challenges and opportunities.
Equivalent Safe Response Model for Evaluating the Closed Loop Handling Characteristics of UAS to Contribute to the Safe Integration of UAS into the National Airspace System.

As unmanned aerial systems are introduced into the national airspace system, specific outer-loop handling qualities and performance requirements are needed to maintain a safe environment. Current sources on the subject have yet to determine appropriate concrete requirements for this situation. Equivalent Safe Response attempts to aid in this area by defining necessary and applicable requirements for unmanned aerial system and by developing a method to evaluate a given unmanned aerial system’s performance and outerloop handling qualities. The Equivalent Safe Response requirements were primarily derived from the Federal Aviation Administration's Instrument Rating Practical Test Standards. Equivalent Safe Response provides a way of evaluating an unmanned aerial system by using the Piccolo Software-in-the-Loop simulations, a specific obstacle course designed to stress each requirement, and a MATLAB program that was written to analyze and evaluate the performance of the unmanned aerial system. As a test case, the ArcWulf unmanned aerial system, flown by the Aerial Robotics Club at North Carolina State University was evaluated using the Equivalent Safe Response model. The results of the evaluation indicated that the ArcWulf could successfully comply with the requirements in the three environmental conditions that were tested.
Synapse maturation is enhanced in the binocular region of the retinocollicular map prior to eye opening

In the developing visual system of mammals, retinal axons from the two eyes compete for postsynaptic partners. After eye opening, this process is regulated in part by homeostatically constrained competition for synaptic connectivity with target neurons. However, prior to eye opening, the functional and synaptic basis of binocular map development is unclear. To examine the role of binocular interactions during early stages of visual map development, we performed in vitro patch-clamp recordings from the superior colliculus (SC) of neonatal mice. Using newly designed slice preparations, we compared retinocollicular synapse development in the medial SC, which receives binocular input, and the lateral SC, which is predominantly monocular. Surprisingly, we found that at P6–7, when eye-specific segregation has just emerged, retinocollicular synapses were stronger and more mature and dendritic arbors were more elaborate in the medial than the lateral SC. Furthermore, monocular enucleation of the ipsilateral eye at P0 selectively reduced synaptic strength and dendritic branching in the medial SC and abolished the differences normally observed between the two slices at P6–7. This specifically implicates binocular interactions in the development of retinocollicular connectivity prior to eye opening. Our findings contrast with the predictions of a constrained-connectivity model of binocular map development and suggest instead that binocular competition prior to eye opening enhances retinocollicular synaptic strength and the morphological development of retino-recipient neurons.
The metal ion assisted hydrolysis of organic fluorides

The hydrolysis of CF linkages in many aliphatic fluorides is accelerated in the presence of salts of Th(IV), Al(III), and other typical hard acids. Such acceleration has been noted with benzyl fluoride, fluoroacetate, benzotrifluoride, and its ortho hydroxy and ortho and meta amino derivatives. Two RCF3 compounds, trifluoroacetate and 3-nitro-4-chlorobenzo-trifluoride did not undergo hydrolysis under the conditions used. Fluorophenols were found to undergo both nitration and fluoride hydrolysis, reactions which probably proceeded through intermediate nitroso compounds. Hydrolysis of fluorophenols occurs only in the presence of nitrate salts. The product isolated from a reaction mixture containing meta fluorophenol and an acidic solution of thorium nitrate is 2,4,6-trinitroresorcinol. Other compounds containing a fluorine atom bonded directly to a carbon in an aromatic ring were unaffected in such reaction media.
Instability After Shoulder Replacement: Rockin’ & Rollin’

Instability after shoulder replacement is a rare but serious complication. Instability can be due to component malpositioning, bone deficiency, improper soft tissue balancing or soft tissue defects. Posterior glenoid wear, abnormal humeral version, humeral shortening or soft tissue deficiency such as subscapularis insufficiency can result in instability. Patients with rotator cuff deficiency may experience anterosuperior escape as well. Soft tissue balancing should be addressed at the time of surgery. It is important to recognize all of these factors so that each can be addressed at the time of revision and also to help prevent instability during primary surgery.
A hierarchical model for object-oriented design quality assessment

The paper describes an improved hierarchical model for the assessment of high-level design quality attributes in object-oriented designs. In this model, structural and behavioral design properties of classes, objects, and their relationships are evaluated using a suite of object-oriented design metrics. This model relates design properties such as encapsulation, modularity, coupling, and cohesion to high-level quality attributes such as reusability, flexibility, and complexity using empirical and anecdotal information. The relationship or links from design properties to quality attributes are weighted in accordance with their influence and importance. The model is validated by using empirical and expert opinion to compare with the model results on several large commercial object-oriented systems. A key attribute of the model is that it can be easily modified to include different relationships and weights, thus providing a practical quality assessment tool adaptable to a variety of demands.
The Relationship of Personality to Entrepreneurial Intentions and Performance: A Meta-Analytic Review

A set of meta-analyses were conducted to examine the relationship of personality to outcomes associated with two different stages of the entrepreneurial process: entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial performance. A broad range of personality scales were categorized into a parsimonious set of constructs using the Five Factor model of personality. The results show that four of the Big Five personality dimensions were associated with both dependent variables, with agreeableness failing to be associated with either. Multivariate effect sizes were moderate for the full set of Big Five personality variables on entrepreneurial intentions (multiple R = .36) and entrepreneurial performance (multiple R = .31). Risk propensity, included as a separate dimension of personality, was positively associated with entrepreneurial intentions but was not related to entrepreneurial performance. These effects suggest that personality plays a role in the emergence and success of entrepreneurs.
Rehabilitation: Boost for movement

By electrically stimulating the motor neurons of rats that have spinal-cord injury, in bursts that are attuned to the times at which the neurons receive voluntary motor commands, the animals' recovery can be improved.
Hemodynamic Monitoring During Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a unique physiologic condition in which there is significant potential for end-organ injury with associated morbidity and mortality. Many standard hemodynamic monitors used in acute care environments do not function in the same manner during CPB, and care should be taken to ensure adequate end-organ perfusion. Although CPB has been in routine clinical use for nearly half a century, there are many unanswered questions and clinical controversies regarding optimal hemodynamic management and monitoring during CPB.
Is ‘Reflectance’ Basking Real?

Various kinds of butterflies raise both (or sometimes one) of their pairs of wings while basking with their body at approximately right angles to the incident solar radiation and with their wings held at an acute angle to the incident sunlight. I here test the effects of wing posture on thoracic temperature in so-called ‘reflectance’ basking. These results indicate that wing elevation in basking butterflies does not increase T th by way of solar reflection from the wings. Instead, the raised wings increase T th by reducing convective cooling. ‘Reflectance’ basking is a form of dorsal basking used by species of butterflies that perch above vegetation rather than above a heated substratum.
Multi-institutional phase I trials involve more patients and longer accrual time compared to single institution trials

2500 Background: There has been a suggested increase in the number of multi-institutional phase I trials over the past decade. Methods: We reviewed all published phase I studies between 1/98 and 12...
A Potential New Herbicide for Invasive Annual Grass Control on Rangeland

ABSTRACT Downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.), a winter annual grass, is considered one of the most invasive non-native rangeland species in the United States. Although glyphosate, imazapic, and rimsulfuron are herbicides commonly recommended to control invasive, annual grasses, their performance is inconsistent and they can injure desirable perennial grasses. Indaziflam is a recently registered cellulose biosynthesis inhibiting herbicide, providing broad-spectrum control of annual grass and broadleaf weeds. Indaziflam is labeled for winter annual grass control in citrus, grape, and tree nut crops and could represent a new mode of action for selective winter annual grass control on rangeland. Three field experiments were conducted to compare indaziflam with imazapic, rimsulfuron, and glyphosate, three herbicides commonly used for downy brome control. Multiple herbicide application timings were evaluated. At all three sites, glyphosate and rimsulfuron provided less downy brome control than indaziflam 1 year af...
Actinomyces meyeri, a Common Agent of Actinomycosis

Abstract Background Actinomyces , particularly Actinomyces israelii , may cause indolent, persistent infections or represent normal mucosal flora, leading to management dilemmas. Materials and Methods Prompted by a refractory Actinomyces meyeri infection complicating AIDS, clinical data for all Actinomyces isolates at our hospital laboratory since 1998 were analyzed. Results A total of 140 cases had a positive result for Actinomyces cultures. Of 130 cases with adequate follow-up, 36 (28%) cases had end-organ or disseminated disease treated with prolonged antibiotics or surgery or both (Group 1). A. meyeri was more common than A. israelii (33% versus 8%; P P = 0.05) and human immunodeficiency virus or AIDS was uncommon. Foreign bodies or devices (Group 1 versus Group 2 or 3, P = 0.003) and alcoholism (Group 1 versus Group 2 or 3; P = 0.03) were associated with actinomycosis. Isolates from the central nervous system and musculoskeletal sites were more often treated as definitive disease; skin, abdominal or pelvic or single blood culture isolates were more likely commensals (all P Conclusions In the absence of disseminated or end-organ disease, avoiding prolonged therapy for Actinomyces isolates was not associated with adverse outcomes. Alcoholism or foreign bodies were associated with actinomycosis . A. meyeri may be a more common cause of actinomycosis than previously recognized.
Field performance of entomopathogenic nematodes for suppression of western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Entomopathogenic nematodes, Steinemema carpocapsae (Weiser) (Mexican and All strains) and Heterorhabditis bactetiophora Poinar (Lewiston strain), and terbufos were evaluated as control agents for the western com root worm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. Several application methods for the nematodes were tested: a subsurface knife (planting or after planting) or soil surface (single or multiple applications after planting). Terbufos was applied in a band to the soil surface at planting. Tests were conducted with artificially infested populations of the western com root worm. S. carpocapsae (Mexican strain) and H. bactetiophora (Lewiston strain) as a single soil surface, after planting treatment of 200,000 nematodes per plant significantly reduced root damage below that of the control and reduced adult emergence equivalent to terbufos. These treatments reduced root damage below the threshold for potential economic loss and adult emergence by 66-98%. Three soil surface, after planting applications with a total of 600,000 nematodes per plant did not decrease root damage or adult emergence as compared with that of a single application at 200,000 nematodes. The All strain of S. carpocapsae as a knifed or soil surface, after planting treatment was ineffective. Studies are needed to evaluate thee efficacy of additional nematode species and strains on natural root worm populations under a set of soil and crop management condition that are representative for maize production.
Current Intervention Strategies for the Microbial Safety of Sprouts

Sprouts have gained popularity worldwide due to their nutritional values and health benefits. The fact that their consumption has been associated with numerous outbreaks of foodborne illness threatens the $250 million market that this industry has established in the United States. Therefore, sprout manufacturers have utilized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended application of 20,000 ppm of calcium hypochlorite solution to seeds before germination as a preventative method. Concentrations of up to 200 ppm of chlorine wash are also commonly used on sprouts. However, chlorine-based treatment achieves on average only 1- to 3-log reductions in bacteria and is associated with negative health and environmental issues. The search for alternative strategies has been widespread, involving chemical, biological, physical, and hurdle processes that can achieve up to 7-log reductions in bacteria in some cases. The compilation here of the current scientific data related to these techniques is used to compare their efficacy for ensuring the microbial safety of sprouts and their practicality for commercial producers. Of specific importance for alternative seed and sprout treatments is maintaining the industry-accepted germination rate of 95% and the sensorial attributes of the final product. This review provides an evaluation of suggested decontamination technologies for seeds and sprouts before, during, and after germination and concludes that thermal inactivation of seeds and irradiation of sprouts are the most practical stand-alone microbial safety interventions for sprout production.
Production and Trade in an Islamic Context: Sharika Contracts in the Transitional Economy of Northern Samaria, 1853–1943 (II)

In Part I of this article I noted that the farming out of capital resources to an entrepreneur for a share of the profits, which has always played a very important role in the Middle Eastern economy, never won unqualified approval by the jurists of medieval Islam; for on the one hand farming out on shares was held to be closely allied to the sharika (an institution of broad scope corresponding to the partnership) yet on the other it did not meet all the criteria by which a sharika was accounted valid by the shari'a. The requirement it did not meet, the jurists felt, was full contractual equality between the parties — in this case the owner of the resources and his working partner or entrepreneur. Owing to the pressure of necessity, farming out on shares was validated, but on the rather shaky grounds of custom and precedent.
221 A PROSPECTIVE STUDY CHARACTERIZING DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS CLOSURE IN IN-BORN NEONATES ≤ 1000 G BIRTH WEIGHT

Background Closure of the ductus arteriosus (DA) is complete in 99% of term neonates by 96 h postnatal. In neonates Objective To prospectively determine in in-born neonates ≤ 1000 g BW the time of spontaneous DA closure, prevalence of persistent PDA, and failure rate following indocin therapy. Methods Neonates ≤ 1000 g BW born at Parkland Hospital between 2/16/01 and 12/21/03 were eligible for study. Exclusion criteria included congenital cardiac disease (CHD) or death Results 139 consecutive neonates were enrolled; 10 were excluded due to death Conclusion This is the first prospective study in neonates ≤ 1000 g BW demonstrating that spontaneous permanent DA closure is generally delayed to ≥ 4 d postnatal, occurs in only 1/3 of these neonates, is more likely to occur in the absence of antenatal steroid exposure, and that indocin therapy fails in > 40% with persistent PDA. These data will be used to characterize neonates at risk of a persistent PDA and to determine which of these neonates will be at risk of failing medical therapy.
Plasmacytosis in diseases other than the primary plasmacytic diseases; a report of six cases.

1. This limited study has revealed plasmacytosis of 5.4 per cent to 23.6 per cent in the bone marrow of six diseases other than the primary plasmacytic diseases. 2. The plasmacytic elements observed in these responses were predominantly mature varieties consisting of plasmacytes and degenerative plasmacytes. 3. In each of the cases described a coexisting increase of reticulum cells was observed in the bone marrow. 4. Plasmacytic elements with nuclear and cytoplasmic characteristics of reticulum cells were described and lend additional morphologic evidence to the suggested reticulum cell origin of the plasmacytic series. 5. Even though a morphologic analysis of these cells has revealed a predominance of plasmacytes and degenerative plasmacytes it has not been suggested that plasmacytic responses can be distinguished from the primary plasmacytic diseases on the morphologic appearance of the plasmacytic elements in the bone marrow. Rather, the demonstration of bone marrow plasmacytosis should be subjected to careful evaluation with consideration of other diagnostic criteria before a diagnosis of primary plasmacytic disease is made.
Thermal volume change of poorly draining soils II: Model development and experimental validation

Abstract This study presents the development of an alternative constitutive model for predicting the thermal volume change of saturated and unsaturated soils using the concept of thermally-accelerated secondary compression. The model requires observation of the secondary compression response prior to drained heating to estimate the coefficient of secondary compression. The model was found to successfully capture the trends in thermal volume change arising from accelerated secondary compression resulting from prior mechanical loading for unsaturated, compacted Bonny silt. The model was also used successfully to represent data from the literature for normally consolidated and heavily overconsolidated soils prepared with different loading paths.
Models of Patient Navigation

Patient navigation is a barrier-focused intervention which aims to assist patients who are completing a healthcare goal [1–3].
Sustaining the Ogallala Aquifer: From the Wells to People, AHolistic CNH Model

The impact of water policy on sustaining the Ogallala Aquifer is analyzed using a system-level theoretical approach integrating agricultural water and land use tendencies, changing climate, economic trends, and population dynamics. In so doing, we 1) model the current hyper-extractive coupled natural-human system (CNH), 2) forecast future outcomes of policy scenarios transitioning the current groundwater-based economic system toward more sustainable paths for the social, economic and natural components of the integrated system, and 3) communicate model projections to inform public policies for enhanced sustainability while minimizing the economic pain for the region's communities. The findings corroborate previous studies showing that conservation often leads initially to an expansion of irrigation activities. However, we also find that the expanded presence of irrigated acreage will reduce the impact of an increasingly dryer climate on the region's economy and create greater long-term stability in the farming sector along with increased employment and population in the region. The primary negative aspect of more extensive conservation policies are on the net present value of farmers' current investments in their operations. This study reinforces the salience of interdisciplinary linked CNH models to provide policy prescriptions to untangle and address significant environmental policy issues.
Online Growth Options for Retailers: Three Essays on Domestic and International Growth Strategies with Online Retailing: Schu, Matthias. (2017). Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer Gabler Verlag. 136 pp. $69.99 ISBN: 978-3-658-18214-4

The importance of e-commerce has reached unprecedented levels. E-commerce has become an established avenue for many companies. Some companies use e-commerce as an additional channel, whereas others...
An Active Vision Approach to Height Estimation with Optical Flow

In this research we propose a prudent method for estimating the principal point of a camera with a means of active vision and, in particular, by varying the focal length of a camera and applying optical flow with the aim to estimate the height of the objects. In our method only one parameter is known, namely the height of the camera from the ground. No reference objects or points are used in the real environment nor any calibration of the camera has been employed. The known camera height is projected in the image plane, that is, from the principal point to the ground and is used as a reference to estimate the height of objects. Our results show that our method for estimating both the principal point and the height of the objects is parsimonious yet effective.
Indirect Bypass Surgery

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a progressive disease of the cerebrovasculature characterized by unilateral or bilateral large vessel stenosis or occlusion with associated microvascular proliferation. The incidence is highest in Asian populations, with a prevalence in Japan of 3.2–10.5 per 100,000 people [1]. The disease can be congenital with a presentation in children or adults or can be acquired as moyamoya syndrome as a secondary response to a primary vascular occlusion. Options for treatment include direct superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass or indirect bypass. Direct bypass can have some advantages in certain patient groups and is practiced in specialized centers for patients in whom there are donor and recipient vessels of sufficient size for direct anastomosis. The main benefit to the procedure is that it provides immediate augmentation of flow to the ischemic cortex. Disadvantages of direct bypass include intracerebral hemorrhage secondary to hyperperfusion of anastomotic failure and cerebral infarction.
Quantum Killer Apps: Quantum Fourier Transform and Search Algorithms

We present a brief overview of the Fourier series, the Fourier and discrete Fourier transforms and their applications. We discuss a quantum algorithm that encodes the Fourier transform of the mapping f : {0, 1}n →{0, 1} in an n-qubit register. It’s shown how the quantum Fourier transform (QFT) gate is constructed from single-qubit phase and two-qubit control gates. Due to the collapse postulate, the quantum Fourier transform for f is not available in a register query, but it does allow efficient period estimation. We illustrate how the QFT is exploited in the Shor algorithm for factoring large numbers. On the average, search for an item in an unordered list of size N requires N∕2 queries. We show how the Grover quantum algorithm improves on this figure of merit as it requires resources that scale as \(\sqrt {N}\).
The Evidence Surrounding Recent Technologies Used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units to Assess and Treat Feeding Development in Premature Infants

Purpose Premature infants are at risk for sucking, feeding, and gastroesophageal issues that can require a prolonged neonatal intensive care unit stay. Although feeding skill development is of crit...
Venous gas embolism - Time course of residual pulmonary intravascular bubbles

A study was carried out to determine the time course of residual pulmonary intravascular bubbles after embolization with known amounts of venous air, using an N2O challenge technique. Attention was also given to the length of time that the venous gas emboli remained as discrete bubbles in the lungs with 100 percent oxygen ventilation. The data indicate that venous gas emboli can remain in the pulmonary vasculature as discrete bubbles for periods lasting up to 43 + or - 10.8 min in dogs ventilated with oxygen and nitrogen. With 100 percent oxygen ventilation, these values are reduced significantly to 19 + or - 2.5 min.
Seeing Social Hierarchy in a New Light: The Bright Side of Power and the Dark Side of Status

The dynamics that underlie social hierarchy among individuals represent some of the fastest growing research areas in management and related sciences (Fiske, 2010; Magee & Galinsky, 2008; Rucker, G...
Acousto-Optic Measurements in CFRP Laminates Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

In light of ongoing efforts to reduce weight but maintain durability, designers have examined the use of carbon composite materials for a number of aerospace and civil structures. Along with this research has been the study of determining reliable sensing and monitoring capabilities to avoid catastrophic failure. Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors are known to carry several advantages in this area one of which is their proven ability to detect acoustic emission (AE) lamb waves in composite structures. AE is produced in these materials by failure mechanisms such as resin cracking, fiber debonding, fiber pullout and fiber breakage. With such activity there is a noticeable change in Felicity Ratio (FR) in relation to the increase of accumulated damage. FR is obtained directly from the ratio of the stress level at the onset of significant emission and the maximum prior stress at the same AE level. The main objective of this paper is to describe the results of an acousto-optic experiment using FBG sensors and present FR as a potential way of determining accumulated damage in a carbon composite structure.
Fine-Grained Management of Thread Blocks for Irregular Applications

Co-locating threads with complementary resource usage is a key strategy for improving throughput in parallel machines such as GPUs. However, the proliferation of irregular algorithms which change execution behavior dynamically makes optimal thread placement impossible when done statically or by profiling kernels as a whole. In this work, we characterize the performance loss associated with current thread block scheduling policies in GPU architectures. We then demonstrate that an extension of these strategies incorporating dynamic performance metrics such as memory and functional unit utilization at the thread block level as well as preemptive thread block swapping can improve throughput. We show that performance on irregular algorithms can be improved by an average increase of 17.1% over static profiling methods and 12.9% over dynamic strategies with no changes to legacy software and minimal hardware extensions which increase SRAM storage area by less than 0.5%.