cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of health-related quality of life, patient-reported mental health status and psychological distress based on the type of pharmacotherapy used among patients with depression

Effectiveness of antidepressants is generally comparable between and within classes. However, real-world studies on antidepressant treatment and its consequences on the overall quality of life and mental health of individuals are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of specific class of antidepressants with the health-related quality of life, psychological distress and self-reported mental health of individuals suffering from depression who are on monotherapy. This retrospective, longitudinal study included individuals with depression who were on antidepressant monotherapy, using data from 2008 to 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Changes in health-related quality of life, self-reported mental health and psychological distress over a year’s time were observed. A multinomial logistic regression model was built to examine the association between the class of antidepressant medications and the dependent variables. A total of 688 adults met the study inclusion criteria. No significant difference was observed in the change in Physical Component Summary (PCS), self-reported mental health and psychological distress based on the class of antidepressants. However, individuals on serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) (OR 0.337, 95 % CI 0.155–0.730) were significantly less likely to show improvement on Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores as compared to those on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The study findings suggest that practitioners should be aware of the differences in the health-related quality of life of those taking SSRIs versus other classes of antidepressants. Further research needs to be done to determine the reason for SSRIs to show greater improvement on mental health as compared to SNRIs.
Race and critical tourism studies: An analytical literature review

This analytical literature review focuses on critical tourism studies and its intersections with racial analyses. The tourism industry has long relied on desires to experience a sense of Otherness to generate economic growth, which makes race a valuable heuristic site to consider ways culture and economy are intertwined in the global marketplace. Two theories of race—Omi and Winant's (1986) racial formation and Goldberg's (2009) racial neoliberalism—are offered as avenues through that scholars might better investigate intersections of race and tourism. Race is commodified in tourism through orienting the concept around loci of value, and different types of tourism feature more racial prominence than others. Critical tourism scholars may benefit from an increased racial awareness in their work towards providing a counternarrative to strictly business-based tourism research. Meanwhile, race scholars might benefit from an increased understanding of ways racial difference operates within tourism, as it is a major site of negotiations of Otherness. Although racial themes are more prevalent in some types of tourism than others, the two theories provided together force us to consider ways that tourism studies might further racialize its critical inquiries.
A Comparison of Visual Response Properties in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus and Primary Visual Cortex of Awake and Anesthetized Mice.

The cerebral cortex of the mouse has become one of the most important systems for studying information processing and the neural correlates of behavior. Multiple studies have examined the first stages of visual cortical processing: primary visual cortex (V1) and its thalamic inputs from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), but more rarely in the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) in mice. Multiple single-unit surveys of dLGN and V1, both with electrophysiology and two-photon calcium imaging, have described receptive fields in anesthetized animals. Increasingly, awake animals are being used in physiological studies, so it is important to compare neuronal responses between awake and anesthetized state. We have performed a comprehensive survey of spatial and temporal response properties in V1, dLGN, and lateral posterior nucleus of both anesthetized and awake animals, using a common set of stimuli: drifting sine-wave gratings spanning a broad range of spatial and temporal parameters, and sparse noise stimuli consisting of flashed light and dark squares. Most qualitative receptive field parameters were found to be unchanged between the two states, such as most aspects of spatial processing, but there were significant differences in several parameters, most notably in temporal processing. Compared with anesthetized animals, the temporal frequency that evoked the peak response was shifted toward higher values in the dLGN of awake mice and responses were more sustained. Further, the peak response to a flashed stimulus was earlier in all three areas. Overall, however, receptive field properties in the anesthetized animal remain a good model for those in the awake animal. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The primary visual cortex (V1) of the mouse and its inputs from visual thalamus (dLGN), have become a dominant model for studying information processing in the brain. Early surveys of visual response properties (receptive fields) were performed in anesthetized animals. Although most recent studies of V1 have been performed in awake animals to examine links between vision and behavior, there have been few comprehensive studies of receptive field properties in the awake mouse, especially in dLGN and lateral posterior nucleus. We have performed a comparative survey of receptive fields in dLGN, lateral posterior nucleus, and V1 in anesthetized and awake mice. We found multiple differences in processing of time-varying stimuli, whereas the spatial aspects of receptive fields remain comparatively unchanged.
Ecological systems biology: The dynamics of interacting populations

Abstract Ecological systems biology integrates theory and experiments in simple laboratory systems to study how interactions between individuals determine the emergent properties of complex biological communities. This approach reveals parallels between ecological dynamics that result from interactions between populations, and evolutionary dynamics which result from analogous interactions within a population. Tractable microbial systems enable systematic testing of theoretical predications, and identification of novel principles. Notable examples include using a cooperatively growing yeast population to detect theoretically predicted early-warning indicators preceding sudden population collapse, validating predicted spatial expansion patterns using two yeast strains which exchange essential metabolites, and the recent realization that coevolution of predators and prey qualitatively alters the oscillations that are observed in a rotifer-algae system.
Trust filter for disease surveillance: Identity

A flexible and extensible mobile application was delivered for evaluation and optimal inclusion of NextGen (Next Generation) data sources into biosurveillance for early detection, situational awareness and prediction. We present trust analysis of NextGen data sources to increase data confidence. One of the trust filters is the Identity filter, which helps us determine the degree of separation between the sender and the subject of a sentence. In this paper, the authors present the definition of Identity. To help us distinguish different degrees of separation, the authors use relation distance along with a family tree to weigh different relationships. Then the authors compare a discriminative algorithm and a generative algorithm to calculate a user's Identity score. In the end, the authors conclude that it is a good choice to apply a binary classification algorithm combined with a Natural Language Processing algorithm because of the trade-off between accuracy and runtime complexity.
Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Boost for Unfavorable Prostate Cancer: A Report on 3-Year Toxicity.

Background: Recent data suggest that Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) plus brachytherapy boost for unfavorable prostate cancer provides improved biochemical relapse free survival over IMRT alone. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) may be a less invasive alternative to brachytherapy boost. Here we report the three-year gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities of IMRT plus SBRT boost. Materials and Methods: Between March 2008 and September 2012, patients with prostate cancer were treated with robotic SBRT (19.5 Gy in 3 fractions) followed by fiducial-guided IMRT (45-50.4 Gy) on an institutional protocol. Toxicity was prospectively graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 (CTCAEv.4) at the start of and at 1-6 month intervals after therapy. Rectal telangiectasias were graded using the Vienna Rectoscopy Score (VRS). Results: At a median follow-up of 4.2 years [2.4-7.5], 108 patients (4 low-, 45 intermediate-, and 59 high-risk) with a median age of 74 years [55-92] were treated with SBRT plus IMRT, with 8% on anticoagulation and an additional 48% on antiplatelet therapy at the start of therapy. The cumulative incidence of late ≥ grade 2 GI toxicity was 12%. Of these, 7% were due to late rectal bleeding, with 6 patients requiring up to two coagulation procedures. One patient with rectal telangiectasias was treated with hyperbaric oxygen (grade 3 toxicity). No rectal fistulas or stenoses were observed. Ten patients had multiple non-confluent telangiectasias (VRS Grade 2), and 3 patients had multiple confluent telangiectasias (VRS Grade 3). The cumulative incidence of late grade 3 GU toxicity was 6%. Most late toxicities were due to hematuria requiring bladder fulguration. There were no late ≥ grade 4 GU toxicities. Conclusions: Rates of clinically significant GI and GU toxicities are modest following IMRT plus SBRT boost. Future studies should compare cancer control, quality of life, and toxicity with other treatment modalities for patients with high-risk prostate cancer.
Case Report: Mannitol Nephrotoxicity Syndrome: Role of Hemodialysis and Postulate of Mechanisms

High-dose intravenous mannitol infusion in various clinical settings may result in acute renal failure (ARF). This form of ARF is characteristically anuric and follows a distinctive clinical course. Most importantly, it occurs only after high doses of mannitol (> 200 g/day or cumulative dose of > 400 g in 48 hours), but not at lower doses. It appears that a low dose of mannitol acts as a renal vasodilator while high-dose mannitol is renal vasoconstrictor. Mannitol-induced ARF responds promptly to hemodialysis with rapid resolution of anuria and recovery of renal failure. This is a report of a case of anuric ARF after high-dose mannitol infusion for treatment of narrow-angle glaucoma that readily responded to acute hemodialysis. The literature is also reviewed for ARF associated with mannitol infusion in patients who received dialysis and those who did not receive dialysis; and the possible mechanism(s) of mannitol nephrotoxicity are discussed. Hemodialysis should be performed for rapid reversal of mannitol-induced ARF. Patients not treated with hemodialysis have increased morbidity and significant prolongation of their hospital course.
Detection of fallout 241Am in U.S. Atlantic salt marsh soils

Abstract We report the presence of the fallout radionuclide 241 Am (t 1/2 = 433 years) in salt marsh soils from two U.S. Atlantic estuaries and discuss its utility as a particle tracer and geochronometer. This work is motivated by the knowledge that 137 Cs, the most widely used geochronometer in environmental studies, will decay to extinction during the next century. At the same time, levels of 241 Am, produced by radioactive decay of fallout 241 Pu, will continue to increase on Earth's surface as they have since the height of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s. Measurements of 241 Am in soils at eighteen salt marsh locations were made by non-destructive gamma spectrometry and compared to activities of 137 Cs in the same samples. Results indicate that decay of fallout 241 Pu can explain the presence of 241 Am in the soils, and that the activities are sufficiently high to provide meaningful chronological information with acceptable confidence limits. We achieved a detection limit of 0.28–1.47 Bq kg −1 using low-energy, planar germanium detectors and 11-55 g powderized samples. Activities of 241 Am (0.08–6.44 Bq kg −1 ) were similar in mineral- and organic-rich marsh soils indicating that soil composition does not appear to influence the initial capture of 241 Pu and retention of its 241 Am progeny. Given its high affinity for fine particles, long half-life, and ease of measurement by non-destructive gamma spectrometry, 241 Am has potential to serve as an alternative to 137 Cs geochronometry in salt marshes and perhaps other estuarine and coastal environments.
Validating a Model of Motivational Factors Influencing Involvement for Parents of Transition-Age Youth With Disabilities:

Parent involvement is a predictor of postsecondary education and employment outcomes, but rigorous measures of parent involvement for youth with disabilities are lacking. Hirano, Garbacz, Shanley, and Rowe adapted scales based on Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model of parent involvement for use with parents of youth with disabilities aged 14 to 23. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Motivators of Parent Involvement (MPI) scales. A confirmatory factor analysis tested an 11-factor model, three parent involvement factors, and eight motivators of involvement factors for parents of transition-age youth (ages 14–25) with disabilities. Using a sample of 288 parents and caregivers, the model was determined to have acceptable fit. The MPI can be used to assess motivators of parent involvement and guide interventions.
The Pediatric Index of Mortality as a Trigger Tool for the Detection of Serious Errors and Adverse Events.

OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that patients who die in a PICU despite a low predicted mortality at PICU admission are affected by serious errors and adverse events. DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional review of medical records for serious errors and adverse events. SETTING Tertiary interdisciplinary neonatal PICU. PATIENTS All admissions to our PICU who died despite a low expected mortality (Pediatric Index of Mortality) of less than 10% (trigger-positive admissions). They were compared with a random sample of 100 PICU admissions with a Pediatric Index of Mortality of less than 10% who survived (trigger-negative admissions). INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS There were 7,383 admissions (91%) with a Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 below 10%. Seventy-two trigger-positive admissions and 100 trigger-negative admissions met the criteria for detailed chart review. Forty-five serious errors and adverse events were identified, 0.47 per trigger-positive admission and 0.11 per trigger-negative admission (p < 0.001). Nineteen serious errors and adverse events (42%) were related to clinical sepsis acquired during the PICU stay, 17 (89%) in trigger-positive admissions and two (11%) in trigger-negative admissions (p < 0.001). A further 18 serious errors and adverse events (40%) were intervention related, nine (50%) in trigger-positive admissions and nine (50%) in trigger-negative admissions (p = 0.46). Eight serious errors and adverse events (18%) were associated with medication use, all of which occurred in trigger-positive admissions (p = 0.001). The median (interquartile range) age for admissions with and without serious errors and adverse events was 0.3 months (0.0-4.6 mo) and 7.4 months (0.4-58.4 mo) (p < 0.001), and their median (interquartile range) duration of invasive ventilation was 140 hours (50-451 hr) and 2 hours (0-41 hr) (p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The records of PICU patients with a low expected mortality at admission and death in PICU should be reviewed routinely and/or discussed at morbidity and mortality meetings. These patients may have experienced more in-hospital safety-related events compared with PICU patients with a low Pediatric Index of Mortality who survived. Such adverse events may be amenable to system changes, thus improving patient care.
Chemical and Enzymatic Protein Cross-Linking To Improve Flocculant Properties

Some proteins promote the flocculation of aqueous suspensions, but proteins are much smaller than modern polymeric flocculants, and they are often not as potent. In this study, two globular protein...
Design Considerations for Turbo Rack with Smart Battery Backup System(BBS)

A new power delivery architecture of IDC rack named Turbo Rack is proposed to increase server density of rack by extending the usage of existed battery backup system(BBS). The working principle, control algorithm and key design considerations are analyzed. One prototype is built to verify the theoretical analysis.
Breast cancer survivorship visits: Presenting concerns and resulting recommendations.

e20553 Background: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are mandated for cancer patients following initial cancer therapy. However, appropriate content, processes, and outcomes of survivorship visits are...
Response to Comment on Elliott et al. Prevalence and Prognosis of Unrecognized Myocardial Infarction in Asymptomatic Patients With Diabetes: A Two-Center Study With Up to 5 Years of Follow-up. Diabetes Care 2019;42:1290-1296.

We greatly appreciate the comments by Milei et al. (1) about our investigation of the prevalence and prognostic significance of unrecognized myocardial infarction (MI) on delayed-enhancement MRI imaging (2). The combination of silent presentation and adverse prognosis associated with unrecognized MI in patients with diabetes presents both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. It has been suggested that the high cardiac risk associated with diabetes may, in part, be attributed to the fact that coronary artery disease in this patient population is notoriously …
Beyond Passwords: Enforcing Username Security as the First Line of Defense

Combinations of account identifier (e.g., username) and key phrase (i.e., password) are among the most utilized form of credentials for several types of authentication purposes, such as, user verification, connection to public and private networks, and access to digital resources. Typically, usernames are considered a method of account or user identification, whereas passwords are regarded as the crucial component that protects from attackers and prevents breaches. As a result, the level of security of a set of digital credentials is primarily associated with the strength of the key phase, and most of the attention focused on promoting initiatives for increasing password security. Unfortunately, account identifiers received less consideration. Consequently, users are aware of how to enforce the security of their password, though they might prefer more convenient options. Contrarily, several bad practices are caused by overlooking usernames as the first line of defense. In this paper, we highlight the increasing importance of account names and we overview the main username practices that impact account security. Furthermore, we present the results of a study that evaluated how human factors and individuals’ awareness impact username security.
Resection of a large primary left ventricle tumour by cardiac autotransplantation in a 2-month-old infant: a case report.

Background Surgery is the fundamental method for the treatment of primary cardiac tumours. However, due to the inaccessibility of anatomy and the proximity of important structures, it is very difficult to completely resect tumours of the left atrium or left ventricle without damaging the normal tissues. Cardiac autotransplantation for the resection of cardiac tumours is carried out by taking out the heart from the body, resecting cardiac tumours, and then transplanting the heart back into the body. Case summary This article presents a successful case of cardiac autotransplantation for the complete resection of primary cardiac tumour in a 2-month-old infant and shares the noteworthy experience. Discussion Tumours located in the left atrium and left ventricle are difficult to be exposed because of their deep posterior location and proximity to important anatomical structures such as mitral valve and chordae tendineae. How to resect the tumours completely without damaging the normal tissues is a great challenge. This case proves that cardiac autotransplantation is a good solution for tumours that are difficult to be resected completely by orthotopic cardiac transplantation.
C - reactive protein and urinary tract infection due to Gram-negative bacteria in a pediatric population at a tertiary hospital, Mwanza, Tanzania.

Introduction: Gram-negative bacteria are the major cause of urinary tract infections (UTI) in children. There is limited data on UTI systemic response as measured using C-reactive protein (CRP). Here, we report the association of CRP and UTI among children attending the Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2017. Urine and blood were collected and processed within an hour of collection. Data were analyzed using STATA version 13. Results: Of 250 enrolled children, 76(30.4%) had significant bacteriuria with 56(22.4%, 95%CI; 11.5-33.3) having gram-negative bacteria infection. There was dual growth of gram-negative bacteria in 3 patients. Escherichia coli (32.2%, 19/59) was the most frequently pathogen detected. A total of 88/250(35.2%) children had positive CRP on qualitative assay. By multinomial logistic regression, positive CRP (RRR=4.02, 95%CI: 2.1-7.7, P<0.001) and age ≤ 2years (RRR=2.4, 95%CI: 1.23-4.73, P<0.01) significantly predicted the presence of significant bacteriuria due to gram-negative enteric bacteria. Conclusion: C-reactive protein was significantly positive among children with UTI due to gram-negative bacteria and those with fever. In children with age ≤ 2 years, positive CRP indicates UTI due to gram-negative enteric bacteria. Keywords: C - reactive protein, urinary tract infection, Gram-negative bacteria, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Learning to Walk : Bio-Mimetic Hexapod Locomotion via Reinforcement-Based Spiking Central Pattern Generation

Online learning for the legged robot locomotion under performance and energy constraints remains to be a challenge. Methods such as stochastic gradient, deep reinforcement learning (RL) have been explored for bipeds, quadrupeds and hexapods. These techniques are computationally intensive and thus difficult to implement on edge computing platforms. These methods are also inefficient in energy consumption and throughput because of their reliance on complex sensors and pre-processing of data. On the other hand, neuromorphic computing paradigms, such as spiking neural networks (SNN), become increasingly favorable in low power computing on edge intelligence. SNN has exhibited the capability of performing reinforcement learning mechanisms with biomimetic spike time-dependent plasticity (STDP) of synapses. However, training a legged robot to walk in the synchronized gait patterns generated by a central pattern generator (CPG) in an SNN framework has not yet been explored. Such a method can combine the efficiency of SNNs with the synchronized locomotion of CPG based systems – providing breakthrough performance improvement of end-to-end learning in mobile robotics. In this paper, we propose a reinforcement based stochastic learning technique for training a spiking CPG for a hexapod robot which learns to walk using bio-inspired tripod gait without prior knowledge. The whole system is implemented on a lightweight raspberry pi platform with integrated sensors. Our method opens new opportunities for online learning with limited edge computing resources.
Tribes, Nations, States: Our Three Commerce Powers

This Article argues that one aspect of the power to regulate “Commerce with foreign Nations … and with the Indian Tribes” is broader than the power over “Commerce … among the several States.” If “Tribes” and “Nations” consist of people, but “States” of territory, then “Commerce … among the several States” must cross state lines, even though small, local transactions between Americans and non-citizens are commerce “with foreign Nations” or “with the Indian tribes.” Why think that? There is considerable evidence that the tribal commerce power replaces “trade … with the Indians” in the Articles of Confederation, but early direct definitions of the other two commerce powers are surprisingly rare. Antifederalists complained at length that the power to tax for the general welfare would make the federal government all-powerful, but not so about the commerce power which largely did the job after 1937. In January 1788, Federal Farmer 11 described the foreign commerce power as “trade and commerce between our citizens and foreigners.” Elbridge Gerry restated it in 1790 as “trade with foreigners.” Jefferson and Randolph’s 1791 bank objections defined foreign and tribal commerce as commerce with non-citizens. Martens’s 1788 international-law treatise explained “commerce … with foreign nations” as including “power over the foreigners living in its territories.” The 20-year slave-trade protection presupposes broad foreign commerce power, but narrow interstate commerce power: Congress may control “migration,” but not domestic slavery or other labor conditions. The earliest attacks on federal power over non-citizens’ commerce discussing the 1794 Jay Treaty and 1798 Alien Act were internally inconsistent. Despite lots of its own inconsistency, the Supreme Court adopted this view in 1866 in United States v. Holliday. Why care? Broad foreign and tribal commerce powers undermine the late-nineteenth-century motivation for unenumerated “plenary” powers over foreign affairs or tribes; a limited interstate commerce power allows “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution” to refer to something. The tribal commerce power likewise supports the Indian Child Welfare Act’s regulation of the transfers of tribal-member custody. Congress’s 1870 protection of non-citizens’ occupational and contracting rights and 1986 prohibition on employment discrimination rest on its foreign commerce power, not the Fourteenth Amendment; Congress may regulate non-citizens’ labor conditions, but not labor conditions generally. Antidiscrimination law can then refocus on equal citizenship — the Privileges or Immunities Clause for states and fiduciary principles for the federal government — instead of historically-less-plausible rights for all humanity. Cases like Graham v. Richardson would turn on pre-emption, and three gaps in antidiscrimination law — federal citizenship classifications in Mathews v. Diaz, governmental functions in Ambach v. Norwick, and tribal classifications in Morton v. Mancari — receive possible justification.
Access to Health Care and Treatment Among Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses Paroled to Urban and Rural Communities

Returning from prison to the community is rife with challenges. For individuals with health care, mental health, or substance abuse treatment needs, the reentry period can be especially vulnerable....
Neurological issues in children with COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) usually leads to a mild infectious disease course in children, but serious complications may occur in conjunction with both acute infection and associated phenomena such as the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Neurological symptoms, which have been predominantly reported in adults, range from mild headache to seizure, peripheral neuropathy, stroke, demyelinating disorders, and encephalopathy. Similar to respiratory and cardiac manifestations of COVID-19, neurological complications present differently based on age and underlying comorbidities. This review provides a concise overview of the neurological conditions seen in the context of COVID-19, as well as potential mechanisms and long-term implications of COVID-19 in the pediatric population from literature reviews and primary data collected at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.
Restructuring by Rewriting or Toward a More Responsible Government: Remedies I (The What)

“Is America by nature a violent society?” This question is posed at the beginning of this chapter (“Restructuring by Rewriting Or Towards a More Responsible Government: Remedies I (The What)”) and critical to a discussion of “the what” of constitutional change because it brings to the forefront an overarching concern: Is structural change of the kind being called for in this text possible in the absence of violent revolution or crisis? In the fervent hope it is, this chapter moves from focusing on the mechanisms for change included in the Constitution by the Framers (Chapter 9) to the types of structural reforms that have been called for by various scholars and advocates throughout the years—in particular, in the post-Reconstruction era. To this end, the chapter includes ten specific reform proposals called for by reformers going back to Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story and President Woodrow Wilson and continuing to reformers in the modern era such as Lloyd Cutler and James Sundquist.
Automated real-time solids content and salinity analysis of well construction fluids using in-line XRF measurements

Abstract Measurements and monitoring of solids content and salinity in fluids to maintain these at ideal levels is essential for optimum well construction operations during drilling, completion, workover and abandonment phases. Currently, API measurements are used for solids and salinity determination, which have certain drawbacks and are difficult to automate. As an alternative, a novel in-line X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement approach was investigated to make determination of solids content and salinity of well construction fluids much simpler and more efficient through automation. Laboratory experiments were conducted to generate a comprehensive dataset of X-ray photon counts from an in-line XRF setup coupled to a flow loop to evaluate common solids and solutes in well construction fluids. Using this dataset, calibration curves were generated to determine the high-gravity solids (HGS) and low-gravity solids (LGS) content as well as the salinity of water/brine, oil, and synthetic-based fluids at a high level of accuracy in real-time with full automation. It was observed that with the XRF measurements, certain solids can be measured and monitored by analyzing the concentration of certain elements in the compounds (i.e., barium (Ba) for barite concentration, potassium (K) for potassium chloride concentration, iron (Fe) for clay concentration). The mean average errors in estimating the HGS, LGS and salinity values were found to be less than 2%. Using this method together with automated rheology, density and water-cut measurements decreases these errors to significantly lower levels. The system presented here offers the possibility for real-time solids content management and optimization, opening the door to fully automated fluid measurements, maintenance, and solids control in well construction operations. This will benefit well construction efficiency (e.g. lowering drilling costs), quality, productivity (e.g. reducing reservoir impairment from unwanted solids) and safety (e.g. lowering incidence of well control and lost circulation events due to better equivalent circulating density (ECD) management in narrow margin drilling environments).
Trust, Trustworthiness, and Trust-Free Technologies

The technology underlying most cryptocurrencies, blockchain, is well known for enabling “trust-free” financial transactions and for transforming the role of trust in financial transactions (Nakamot...
ASPECTS OF INTEGRABILITY IN $\mathcal{N} = 4$ SYM

Various recently developed connections between supersymmetric Yang–Mills theories in four dimensions and two-dimensional integrable systems serve as crucial ingredients in improving our understanding of the AdS/CFT correspondence. In this review, we highlight some connections between superconformal four-dimensional Yang–Mills theory and various integrable systems. In particular, we focus on the role of Yangian symmetries in studying the gauge theory dual of closed string excitations. We also briefly review how the gauge theory connects to Calogero models and open quantum spin chains through the study of the gauge theory duals of D3 branes and open strings ending on them. This invited review is based on a seminar given at the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton.
The Axisymmetric Stability of the Milky Way

The problem of axisymmetric Jeans stability of a stellar disk was essentially completely solved in the classic paper by Toomre (1964). While his analysis was strictly local, the stability criterion it yielded has been found to be remarkably reliable in global studies; I review earlier results and give a further example in Sellwood (1995, hereafter S95). Toomre (1974) concluded that the MW is safely stable to axisymmetric Jeans modes.
Dsp.rack: laptop-based modular, programmable digital signal processing and mixing for live performance

This document describes modular software supporting live signal processing and sound file playback within the Max/MSP environment. Dsp.rack integrates signal processing, memory buffer recording, and pre-recorded multi-channel file playback using an interconnected, programmable signal flow matrix, and an eight-channel i/o format.
Program Results of Some Nations: Austria and France

Just as in Botwana2.m policies can be deduced from the equation for y. It was executed by E. Chukwu. The raw data was taken from International Yearbook publications for 2003 and 2007. The equation q1(t) yield the government strategies and the equation r1(t) the representative firms strategy.
Crime and punishment in the marketplace: Accountants and business executives repeating history

Purpose – To develop theoretical frameworks to discuss high profile scandals, where responsible accountants and other executives could have saved themselves, many investors and others severe personal and financial loss by considering the costs of improper or immoral behavior. These cases emphasize the importance of ethics driving accountants' decisions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses these ethical lapses in light of applying Kohlberg's models, biblical examples from the Old and New Testaments and the Koran, and other ethical systems.Findings – The paper shows that this concept is not new. Throughout history, people have taken actions that cost them their freedom, their money and most importantly, their good names. Upon reflection, many of these people are astounded at the seriousness of their action given what little they had to gain from continued involvement. In reinforcing lessons that should be learned from cases of business malfeasance and highlighting many well‐known accounting and...
Distribution system modeling and analysis

Introduction to Distribution Systems The Distribution System Distribution Substations Radial Feeders Distribution Feeder Map Distribution Feeder Electrical Characteristics Summary The Nature of Loads Definitions Individual Customer Load Distribution Transformer Loading Feeder Load Summary Approximate Method of Analysis Voltage Drop Line Impedance K Factors Uniformly Distributed Loads Lumping Loads in Geometric Configurations Summary References Series Impedance of Overhead and Underground Lines Series Impedance of Overhead Lines Series Impedance of Underground Lines Series Impedances of Parallel Lines Summary References Shunt Admittance of Overhead and Underground Lines General Voltage Drop Equation Overhead Lines Concentric Neutral Cable Underground Lines Tape-Shielded Cable Underground Lines Sequence Admittance The Shunt Admittance of Parallel Underground Lines Summary References Distribution System Line Models Exact Line Segment Model The Modified Line Model The Approximate Line Segment Model The General Matrices for Parallel Lines Summary References Voltage Regulation Standard Voltage Ratings Two-Winding Transformer Theory Two-Winding Autotransformer Step-Voltage Regulators Summary References Three-Phase Transformer Models Introduction Generalized Matrices The Delta-Grounded Wye Step-Down Connection The Ungrounded Wye-Delta Step-Down Connection The Grounded Wye--Grounded Wye Connection The Delta-Delta Connection Open Wye--Open Delta Thevenin Equivalent Circuit Summary Load Models Wye Connected Loads Delta Connected Loads Two-Phase and Single-Phase Loads Shunt Capacitors The Three-Phase Induction Machine Summary References Distribution Feeder Analysis Power-Flow Analysis Short-Circuit Studies Summary References Center-Tapped Transformers and Secondaries Center-Tapped Single-Phase Transformer Model Ungrounded Wye-Delta Transformer Bank Leading Open Wye--Open Delta Transformer Connection Lagging Open Wye--Open Delta Connection Four-Wire Secondary Putting It All Together Summary Reference Appendix A Appendix B Index
Pathways to financial success: Determinants of financial literacy and financial well-being among young adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of personal and family background, academic ability, and childhood consumer experiences on the financial literacy of college students in Malaysia. The sample comprised 2,519 students in 11 public and private colleges in Malaysia. Financial literacy was measured with a 25-item test of financial knowledge. On average, students answered less than half of the questions correctly. Methods of analysis included bivariate t-tests, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. The childhood consumer experience of discussing family finances with parents has a substantial positive relationship with financial literacy. Students of Chinese ethnicity, who live on campus, and who attend private colleges are less likely to be financially literate.
`Failure to Thrive' or the Failure to Define

Smith and Berenberg wrote a commentary, "The Concept of Failure to Thrive," in these pages in 1970.1 After recounting the history of the term, they added: "We hope that as a label it will not become indistinct or obscured by uncertainty as to its past, current, or future diagnostic implications." Their warning was appropriate, but numerous authors have failed to accept their concern. Failure to thrive is assigned as a diagnosis to many children. To some physicians, it means that a child fails to gain weight; others intend it to include failure to grow. It is widely assumed that a failure to gain entails inevitably a failure to grow.
Psychiatric Comorbidity and Greater Hospitalization Risk, Longer Length of Stay, and Higher Hospitalization Costs in Older Adults with Heart Failure

OBJECTIVES: To explore associations between psychi-atriccomorbidityandrehospitalizationrisk,lengthofhospi-talization, and costs.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of 1-year hospital admin-istrative data.SETTING: Claims-basedstudyofolderadultshospitalizedin the United States.PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-one thousand four hundredtwenty-nine patients from a 5% national random sampleof U.S. Medicare beneﬁciaries aged 65 and older, with atleast one acute care hospitalization in 1999 with a Diag-nostic-Related Group of congestive heart failure.MEASUREMENTS: The number of hospitalizations,mean length of hospital stay, and total hospitalization costsin calendar year 1999.RESULTS: Overall, 15.8% of patients hospitalized forheart failure (HF) had a coded psychiatric comorbidity; themost commonly coded comorbid psychiatric disorder wasdepression (8.5%of the sample). Most forms of psychiatriccomorbidity were associated with greater inpatient utiliza-tion, including risk of additional hospitalizations, days ofstay, and hospitalization charges. Additional hospitaliza-tion costs associated with psychiatric comorbidity rangedup to $7,763, and additional days length of stay ranged upto 1.4 days.CONCLUSION: Psychiatric comorbidity appears in a sig-niﬁcant minority of patients hospitalized for HF and mayaffecttheirclinicalandeconomicoutcomes.Theassociationsbetweenpsychiatriccomorbidityanduseofinpatientcarearelikely to be an underestimate, because psychiatric illness isknowntobeunderdetectedinolderadultsandinhospitalizedmedical patients. J Am Geriatr Soc 55:1585–1591, 2007.Key words: heart failure; psychiatric comorbidity;depression; hospitalization costs; economic analysis;Medicare; sex; socioeconomic status; race/ethnicity
Microstructural development in non-oriented lamination steels

The microstructures produced during continuous cooling of two particular non-oriented lamination steels have been examined using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In addition to proeutectoid ferrite and pearlite, cementite was present on ferrite grain boundaries and on proeutectoid ferrite/ pearl ite interfaces. Mechanisms for the formation of these cementite films are presented. The microstructural results demonstrate that ferrite is the “active nucleus” for pearlite in these low-carbon steels. In addition, the data suggest that in addition to branching, the pearlite reaction can be initiated by the nucleation of a series of cementite precipitates on the proeutectoid ferrite/austenite interface.
An extraordinary breach of the Gulf Stream north wall by a cold water intrusion

[1] A breach of the Gulf Stream (GS) North Wall by a parcel of cold Middle Atlantic Bight shelf water was observed from October 2 to 5, 2001 by a sequence of NOAA AVHRR sea surface temperature (SST) images. Unlike the warm/cold core rings generated by GS meanders, the path of cold water eventually cuts into the GS. Subsequently, the cold water remained intact and eventually penetrated and transversed the entire width of the GS. This is readily apparent in the 3-day SST sequence. Analysis of wind data from a nearby CMAN station reveals a high (over 12.8 m/s) and persistent (3 days) alongshore wind event occurred prior to the breach. An 11-year time series (1991–2001) of local wind measurements show that this type of strong and persistent wind situation is uncommon, which may explain why the large-scale surface shelf water breach of the GS has not been previously reported.
Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women: Commodification, Consumption, and Cleanliness in Modern Zimbabwe

Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women: Commodification, Consumption, and Cleanliness in Modern Zimbabwe. Timothy Burke. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1996. 298 pp.
Bathymetry of shallow coastal regions derived from space-borne hyperspectral sensor

Hyperion is a hyperspectral sensor on board NASA's EO-1 satellite. Its spatial resolution is about 30 meters with a swath of /spl sim/7 Km. Though Hyperion was not designed for ocean studies, its unique spectral configuration (430 nm-2400 nm with a /spl sim/10 nm step) makes it especially attractive to study the effectiveness of such kind of sensor for observing complex coastal waters. In this study, Hyperion data over two sites of the Florida coasts were acquired, with one focused on the clear Key West waters, and the other focused on the relatively turbid Tampa Bay waters. From both data sets, water properties and bottom bathymetry were simultaneously derived from atmosphere-corrected Hyperion data using a spectral matching technique. More importantly, in the top-to-bottom processing of Hyperion data, there was no use of any a prior or ground truth information. For the Key West site, derived bathymetry and water properties were validated with NAVOCEANO CHARTS (active bathymetric LIDAR system) and field measurements, respectively. It is found that the retrieved depths (in a range of /spl sim/1-20 m) match LIDAR depths very well (/spl sim/15% average error), indicating significant potential of using hyperspectral satellite sensor for efficient and repetitive observation of shallow coastal regions.
Structural consequences of tumor-derived mutations in p16INK4a probed by limited proteolysis.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16INK4a (hereafter p16) functions as a multiple tumor suppressor. Mutations in p16, which are distributed throughout the entire protein, have been identified in a variety of human cancers and cancer-derived cell lines. It is unclear how tumor-derived mutations disrupt the structure and function of p16, especially since many of these mutations are located far away from the cyclin-dependent kinase binding site. In this study, we investigated the effect of two tumor-derived mutations, P81L and V126D, on the structure of p16 by limited proteolysis. The proteolytic products were characterized by gel electrophoresis, HPLC, and mass spectrometry. Our results show that the N-terminal half of p16 is significantly more sensitive to proteolysis in both tumor-derived mutant proteins than in the wild type, suggesting that this region is particularly unstable. Interestingly, the N-terminal half of p16 contains many residues that are important for cyclin-dependent kinase binding. T...
Fugu for Logicians

What do you get when you cross a fallacy with a good argument? A fugu, that is, a valid argument that tempts you to reach its conclusion invalidly (named after the dangerous but delicious Japanese puffer fish). You have yielded to the temptation more than you realize. If you are a teacher, you may have served many fugus. They arise systematically through several mechanisms. Fugus are interesting intermediate cases that shed light on the following issues: bare evidentialism, false pleasure, philosophy of education, and the ethics of argument. Normally, a fugu will not yield knowledge from known premises. But if the reasoning is only slightly fallacious, they do yield knowledge. These mild fugus show that we can gain knowledge by invalid reasoning. This is a conservative resource for historians. They want to credit discoveries to Euclid rather than those who made minor corrections to his proofs, such as David Hilbert. We also benefit from this practice of grandfathering in old standards of knowledge attribution. For we can compete spiritedly for priority. We do not need to worry that credit will instead go to future scholars who will make the minor amendments needed to raise present proofs to a future standard of demonstration.
Minority Parental Involvement and School Barriers: Moving the Focus Away from Deficiencies of Parents.

Abstract There has been an alarming imbalance in recent research on minority parental involvement because it has focused on parents’ variables to identify groups for effective interventions without searching for broader contextual variables. This literature review provides available research findings on the school barriers that prevent minority parents’ participation in their children's school in the United States. The following school barriers were identified: (a) teachers’ perception about the efficacy of minority parents, (b) teachers’ perception concerning the capacity of minority parents, (c) teachers’ beliefs in the effectiveness of parental involvement and developmental philosophy, (d) teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching effectiveness, (e) school friendliness and positive communication, (f) diversity of parental involvement programs, (g) school policies, and (h) school leadership. Increased understanding about the nature of minority parental involvement in their children's school will lead to a more collaborative home–school partnership and ensure the long-term success of parental involvement.
Progress in Improving the Development of Low Birth Weight Newborns

In 1982, with major funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a team of investigators initiated an 8-site randomized, controlled trial of an educational intervention for preterm and low birth weight newborns known as the Infant Health and Development Program. Although interventions had been tested for this population in earlier studies,1 this trial was unique in its boldness of program and research design. The investigators adapted a promising program for the intervention that consisted of home visiting and educationally enriched day care for children who were aged 0 to 3 years, … Address correspondence to David Olds, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, 1825 Marion St, Denver, CO 80218. E-mail: olds.david{at}tchden.org