cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flashbacks after traumatic hand injuries: Prognostic indicators

Flashbacks of a traumatic hand injury may compromise a patient's rehabilitation process. This study examined the nature and significance of these flashbacks in a work-injured population. We also evaluated the ability of these patients to return to work at the site of the original injury. Sixty-one patients with work-related, traumatic hand injuries received psychological evaluation and treatment. All patients experienced flashbacks. The following three types of flashbacks were identified: (1) a replaying of the events occurring just before the accident and continuing until the injury (replay flashbacks), (2) an image of the injured hand just after the trauma occurred (appraisal flashbacks), and (3) images in which an injury that was more severe than the one that actually occurred were perceived (projected flashbacks). Regardless of the result of injury, patients with replay flashbacks were the most likely to return to their former employment (95.2%) after only 4.8 1-hour sessions of psychotherapy for control of symptoms. Patients with a combination of appraisal and projected flashbacks were the least likely to return to work (10.3%), despite the fact they received an average of 13.1 1-hour sessions of psychotherapy.
The Military-Industrial Complex

© 2011 by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences CHARLES J. DUNLAP, JR., is Visiting Professor of the Practice of Law and Associate Director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke University School of Law. He served thirty-four years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a Major General in 2010. His publications include “The Air Force and 21st Century Conflicts: Dysfunctional or Dynamic?” in Lessons for a Long War: How America Can Win on New Battle1⁄2elds (edited by Thomas Donnelly and Frederick Kagan, 2010); and “Airpower,” in Understanding Counterinsurgency: Doctrine, Operations, and Challenges (edited by Thomas Rid and Thomas Keaney, 2010). [The] conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . . [W]e must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. –President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1961)1
Modeling and Interference Evaluation of Overhead Medium-Voltage Broadband Power Line (BPL) Systems

We analyze the radio interference from a Broadband Power Line (BPL) system operating between 2 MHz and several tens of MHz. The overhead medium-voltage (MV) power line is modeled as a 3-phase set of parallel wires above a lossy earth. A near-exact solution, based on previous approaches for infinitely long lines, is presented for the fields from arbitrarily long lines. Emissions are computed by considering a specified BPL model of semi-infinite length, and the maximum allowable excitation voltage vs. frequency is computed by assuming compliance with FCC field strength limits. These calibration results are used to study the interference to local terrestrial services and to quantify both the theoretical capacity and practical throughputs for BPL systems operation over [2, 30] MHz and [32, 60] MHz. We conclude that practical BPL throughputs are attainable while meeting current FCC requirements, but that these limits may not be stringent enough to avoid serious interference to neighboring radio services.
Book Review: Color Atlas of Oculoplastic Surgery

David Tse , ed. Color Atlas of Oculoplastic Surgery. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011. ISBN-10: 1608310787 David Tse and his 30-plus coauthors have developed the 38-chapter Color Atlas of Oculoplastic Surgery . As the preface indicates, this second edition provides and illustrates basic information on oculoplastic surgical techniques. Major sections include trauma, eyelid and eyebrow surgery, lacrimal drainage system surgery, and orbital and periorbital surgery, with short chapters on chemical and skin resurfacing as well as botulinum toxin and fillers. The core spectrum of oculoplastic surgery is thoroughly covered, including endoscopic and laser procedures. A scratch-off sticker inside the volume's cover reveals an access code both to the entire text online (with search capability) and also to the text's figures, which can be downloaded as 1000 pixel-wide JPEG photographs. Each chapter is brief and focused. Most (although not all) …
Being Intelligent about Secret Intelligence Agencies

This essay analyzes selected publications since 1974 on U.S. secret intelligence agencies. Published works divide into four categories: memoirs defending the intelligence system, whistle-blowing exposes, scholarly analyses, and reports from executive and congressional studies. What do these materials reveal about the variables determining intelligence system influence in foreign policy decisions? And what do they suggest about criteria for evaluating intelligence performance and product? The finding is that little conceptual progress has been made towards defining the functions of intelligence. But a substantial amount of new illustrative material is now at hand to explore hypotheses such as (1) that intelligence agencies report what they think leaders want to hear, (2) that leaders take decisions without regard to intelligence reports, and (3) that costs often exceed benefits in covert action overseas. We need to understand better the functions of intelligence and to develop theories about the interrelations of information, action, and power within the context of American democratic values. Towards these ends, the article urges the exploitation of the variety of evidence recently published.
The Long-Term Impact of Loyalty Programs on Consumer Purchase Behavior and Loyalty

Abstract Despite the prevalent use of loyalty programs, there is limited evidence on the long-term effects of such programs, and their effectiveness is not well established. The current research examines the long-term impact of a loyalty program on consumers' usage levels and their exclusive loyalty to the firm. Using longitudinal data from a convenience store franchise, the study shows that consumers who were heavy buyers at the beginning of a loyalty program were most likely to claim their qualified rewards, but the program did not prompt them to change their purchase behavior. In contrast, consumers whose initial patronage levels were low or moderate gradually purchased more and became more loyal to the firm. For light buyers, the loyalty program broadened their relationship with the firm into other business areas. The findings suggest a need to consider consumer idiosyncrasies when studying loyalty programs and illustrate consumers' cocreation of value in the marketing process.
Stability of Aspirin in Liquid and Semisolid Bases II: Effect of Fatty Additives on Stability in a Polyethylene Glycol Base

Aspirin decomposes rapidly when incorporated into mixtures of polyethylene glycols, but aspirin incorporated into fatty-type suppository bases is much more stable. Fats of vegetable origin were incorporated into a polyethylene glycol base in an attempt to inhibit the decomposition of aspirin in this type of mixture. The process is temperature dependent and refrigeration of the mixture greatly slows decomposition. Degradation was retarded at 26°, but little effect was noted at 4 and 45° within the time limits of this study.
Interactive road finding for aerial images

Fully automatic road recognition remains an elusive goal in spite of many years of research. Most practical systems today use tedious manual tracing for the entry of data from satellite and aerial images to geographical data bases. The paper presents a semi-automatic method for the entry of such data. First ribbons of high contrast are found by analyzing gray scale surface principal curvatures. Then, pixels belonging to such ribbons are fitted by conic splines, and then a graph is constructed whose nodes are end points of the arcs fitted by the splines. The key new idea is to assign edges between all nodes and label them with a cost function based on physical constraints on roads. Once a pair of end points is chosen, a shortest path algorithm is used to determine the road between them. Thus a global optimization is performed over all possible candidates. >
Pancreas after Kidney Transplants in Posturemic Patients with Type I Diabetes Mellitus

Pancreas after previous kidney (PAK) transplants are an attractive option for type 1 diabetic patients because of the short waiting time and use of living kidney donors. Factors associated with the increased success rate of PAK transplants in four immunosuppressive eras were analyzed. Between July 1, 1978, and April 30, 2000, 406 PAK transplants were performed in posturemic patients. Four immunosuppressive eras were analyzed: (1) the precyclosporine era, era 1 (n = 65; 16%); (2) the cyclosporine era, era 2 (n = 109; 27%); (3) the tacrolimus era with monoclonal or polyclonal antibody induction therapy, era 3 (n = 104; 26%); and (4) the tacrolimus era with monoclonal and polyclonal antibody induction therapy, era 4 (n = 128; 31%). Patient and graft survival, rejection, and technical failure rates were calculated. Patient survival rates have remained high over time, from 91% (era 1) to 96% (era 4) at 1 yr posttransplant. Pancreas graft survival rates with primary cadaver transplants have significantly increased, from 17% (era 1) to 81% (era 4) at 1 yr. The rate of graft loss from rejection has significantly decreased, from 78% (era 1) to 9% (era 4) at 1 yr. Results were best when donors and recipients were matched for at least one antigen per HLA locus. Kidney graft survival was higher in PAK transplant recipients compared with diabetic recipients of kidney transplants alone from the time of the kidney as well as the pancreas transplants. PAK recipients now enjoy >80% graft survival at 1 yr. This improvement in outcome results from better immunosuppression, good matching, and close posttransplant monitoring for rejection.
Using Locus of Control to Empower Student Nurses to be Professional

The author examines locus of control as a factor in some educational problems. Characteristics and implications of internal and external locus of control are identified; and strategies are presented to promote assertiveness, accountability, and independence in students who previously avoided risking-taking behaviors.
Toward sustainable urbanization on Mainstreet Cascadia

Mainstreet Cascadia is a band of urban development stretching from the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia to the US city of Eugene, Oregon. The rate and pattern of urbanization there have produced deep public concern over growth related problems and negative environmental consequences. City and regional plans have been prepared in response to these conditions with the common goal of promoting more sustainable urbanization. Some cities in the area already exhibit elements of sustainable urbanization and census data indicate these places are measurably different from other places. Demographic and market trends suggest the plans can be successfully implemented. Copyright ~ 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd
Contradictions in Contraindications for Drug-Drug Interactions:

Health-care providers use computerized provider order entry as a component of the electronic medical record system in conjunction with clinical decision support. An important aspect of clinical decision support is screening of drug-drug interactions including contraindications in the labeling approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Currently, there are inconsistencies between the knowledge databases and the official package labeling for contraindications on drug-drug interactions. Unnecessary warnings can cause alert fatigue among clinicians and potentially influence adoption of true contraindications for drug prescribing. Each institution should evaluate the accuracy and completeness of the knowledge databases used for screening of contraindications on drug-drug interactions.
Microfinance on the margin: why recent impact studies may understate average treatment effects

A series of recent randomised trials estimate the impact of microfinance on incomes, consumption, and other key measures of welfare. This comment demonstrates why impact estimates obtained from experimental designs focusing on marginal microfinance borrowers are likely to understate the impacts yet realised by inframarginal borrowers, those having taken microfinance loans prior to implementation of an experiment, when field experiments are implemented in areas broadly served by microfinance.
Tools to Address Illinois Revenue: Increasing Sin Taxes

In this report, I estimate the revenue that could be generated by increasing Illinois sin taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. I discuss the efficiency and distributional effects of those taxes, as well as potential savings from a reduction in cigarette and alcohol consumption.
Ceramic Valve Analysis, Reliability and Test Results

Utilisation de ceramiques de zircone PSZ et de Si 3 N 4 fritte pour des soupapes de moteurs Diesel: analyse thermique et analyse des contraintes et temperatures en regimes permanent et transitoire. Prevision de la fiabilite. Resultats d'essais sur moteurs
Determination of binding affinities of retinoids to retinoic acid-binding protein and serum albumin

Binding affinities of retinoic acid and its synthetic analogues to intracellular retinoic acid-binding protein, which is a possible candidate for mediating their biological function, and to serum albumin, the plasma transport protein, were evaluated. A quantitative method involving elimination of interfering serum albumin by immunoprecipitation was developed to measure the binding efficiency of these retinoids, some of which are active in modifying epithelial differentiation and preventing tumorigenesis. Two cyclopentenyl analogues of retinoic acid and 13-cis-retinoic acid showed, like retinoic acid, a binding efficiency of 100% for the cellular binding protein. With the phenyl, dichlorophenyl and trimethylmethoxyphenyl analogues of retinoic acid, the binding efficiency increased as the substituents on the aromatic ring increased; thus the trimethylmethoxyphenyl analogue binds almost as efficiently as retinoic acid itself. However, the trimethylmethoxyphenyl analogue with a sulphur atom on the side chain has a much decreased binding affinity. The correlation noticed between the binding efficiency of these retinoids and their biological activity in differentiation and/or in the control of tumorigenesis particularly enhances the confidence in the present method of determining the relative binding efficiencies. None of the vitamins, hormones and cofactors tested, showed appreciable affinity for the retinoic acid-binding site. Studies on binding of retinoic acid and its analogues to serum albumin indicate that no correlation exists between binding affinity for albumin and their biological potency.
Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of The Stabilis Stand Alone Cage (SAC) Versus Bagby and Kuslich (BAK) Implants for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Background Degenerative disc disease is common and debilitating for many patients. If conservative extensive care fails, anterior lumbar interbody fusion has proven to be an alternative form of surgical management. The Stabilis Stand Alone Cage(SAC) was introduced as a method to obtain stability and fusion. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Stabilis Stand Alone Cage (SAC) is comparable in safety and efficacy to the Bagby and Kuslich (BAK) device. Methods As part of a prospective, randomized, controlled FDA trial, 73 patients underwent anterior interbody fusion using either the SAC(56%) or the BAK device (44%). Results Background characteristics were similar between the two groups. There was no significant difference between the SAC and BAK groups in mean operative time or mean blood loss during surgery. Adverse event rates did not differ between the groups. Assessment of plain radiographs could not confirm solid fusion in 63% of control and 71% of study patients. Functional scores from Owestry and SF-36 improved in both groups by the two-year follow-up. There were no significant differences between the SAC and BAK patients with respect to outcome. Conclusions Both the Stabilis Stand Alone Cage and the BAK Cage provided satisfactory improvement in function and pain relief, despite less than expected radiographic fusion rates. The apparent incongruency between fusion rates and functional outcomes suggests that either radiographs underestimate the true incidence of fusion, or that patients are obtaining good pain relief and improved function despite a lower rate of fusion than previously reported. This was a Level III study.
Comparison of Experimental and Computational Ice Shapes for an Engine Inlet

range of -14F to 16F, and icing exposure times of 6, 10, 12, and 22.5 minutes. Ice shape traces were obtained at four inlet circumferential stations corresponding to 0 (inlet upper lip), 90, 180, and 270. Inlet leading edge ice shapes were computed with the LEWICE3D ice accretion code for the conditions investigated during the icing tunnel tests. The experimental and LEWICE3D ice shapes were compared to assess the performance of LEWICE3D in computing inlet ice accretion characteristics. Experimental and LEWICE3D ice shapes were found to be in good overall agreement, in terms of ice shape size, horn features, and icing limits, for six out of the nine cases presented in this paper. For the remaining three cases, however, the LEWICE3D shapes exhibited considerable differences with the experimental shapes.
Multimodal spatial discrimination in the face of uncertainty: The effects of action video game expertise

The current study expands upon previous research that has demonstrated perceptual and attentional superiority of action video game (AVG) players. Here, the effects of AVG expertise are further exam...
Sexually transmitted diseases

Containment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) requires that physicians become meticulous in prescribing appropriate treatment, and in diagnosis, especially those with asymptomatic infection. Physicians must educate their patients and community on the acquisition, transmission, and prevention of STDs.
Use of a Clinician Reminder System for Screening Mammography in a Public Health Clinic

Physician reminder systems have been used to increase the appropriate use of clinical preventive services. These systems, though, have been typically tested in resident clinics. We conducted this study, using a time-series design, to determine if a manual clinician reminder system could increase the use of screening mammography in an urban public health clinic. In the one-year baseline period, 47% of women who were due for a mammogram received the procedure; the corresponding percentage in the one-year intervention period was 72% (P
Effects of Al3+ Ion on Tc-99m Sulfur Colloid Preparations with Different Buffers

The effect of aluminum ions on two Tc-99m sulfur colloid preparations, one with phosphate buffer and the other with acetate buffer, was studied by the filtration technique using Nuclepore filters of sizes 0.6 μm, 3 μm, and 10 μm. The aluminum concentrations were
HERA: A reconfigurable and mixed-mode parallel computing engine on platform FPGAs

The high price, long design and development cycles, programming difficulty and high maintenance cost of supercomputers limit their range of potential applications. Recent advances in Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have made feasible the development of highperformance and programmable parallel systems on a programmable chip (PSOPC). PSOPC’s yield highperformance at low cost for many parallel applications. We present in this paper the design and implementation of our HERA (HEterogeneous Reconfigurable Architecture) machine that employs FPGAs to allow the simultaneous execution of a variety of parallel processing modes, including SIMD (Single-Instruction, Multiple-Data), MIMD (Multiple-Instruction, Multiple-Data) and MSIMD (Multiple-SIMD). The processing element is centered on a single-precision IEEE 754 floating-point unit (FPU) and employs a 7-stage pipeline. To demonstrate the robustness and viability of our approach, we propose a data partitioning scheme and employ mixedmode scheduling for Cannon’s matrix-matrix multiplication algorithm with matrices of arbitrary size and shape. Performance results on our 64-PE machine that employs a dual-FPGA system are better than the optimized performance on a dual-Xeon PC.
Computationally-efficient model-based clutter suppression with ADMIRE

Aperture domain model image reconstruction (ADMIRE) algorithm demonstrates off-axis and reverberation clutter suppression while preserving the signal of interest. However, ADMIRE is computationally slow due to the large size of the model matrix. Generating a large in vivo image may require a total serial run-time of over ten hours per frame. Such a lengthy run-time limits the usefulness of ADMIRE in practice. The goal of this study is to accelerate ADMIRE without losing image information. We used a singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm to reduce the number of predictors in the ADMIRE model matrix, which is necessarily oversampled due to the correlation characteristics of reverberation clutter. To assess the SVD-based reduced model, we simulated 12 realizations of an anechoic cyst phantom with varying levels of clutter. We then measured image quality metrics resulting from the full and reduce models, along with delay-and-sum (DAS). The contrast improvement relative to DAS for the full model was 3.2 ± 0.4 dB, 12.6 ± 1.0 dB, 8.2 ± 0.7 dB and 4.7 ± 1.1 dB for the uncluttered, −10, 0 and 10 dB of signal-to-clutter ratio, while the improvement for the reduced model was 3.6 ± 0.3 dB, 12.7 ± 0.7 dB, 8.2 ± 0.4 dB and 4.7 ± 0.6 dB for each case, respectively. We also measured the total serial run-time of each form of ADMIRE in MATLAB on a 3.40 GHz CPU desktop computer. The full model had 1,320 predictors versus 96 in the reduced model at the focal depth. This resulted in total single-core serial run-times of 1,294 sec and 91 sec for the full versus reduced models, respectively.
Abstract 3518: Growth inhibition of SCLC cell lines by treatment with LSD1 inhibitors is associated with modulation of neuroendocrine pathways

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with a high propensity for early metastasis. Response rates to first-line chemotherapy are typically high, but short lived. We describe an epigenetic-based mechanism for targeting SCLC using inhibitors for the LSD1 histone lysine demethylase. Mechanistically reversible and irreversible LSD1 inhibitors (GSK690 and OG-86) demonstrate induction of either cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in 54% of SCLC cell lines (12/22) that becomes apparent upon continuous treatment for 7-to-10 days. Maximal rates of growth inhibition in sensitive cell lines vary from 50-to-95% and plateaus between 18-to-21 days of LSD1 inhibitor treatment. Thus, heterogeneous sensitivity to LSD1 inhibitors exists between cell line models as well as within subpopulations of cells in the same cell line. To understand the mechanisms underlying LSD1 inhibitor activity in SCLC we have performed RNA-seq and ChIP-seq experiments coupled with bioinformatic analysis of expression signatures in sensitive and resistant models. Our data indicate that although LSD1 is over-expressed in SCLC cell lines and patient samples relative to non-small cell lung cancers, high LSD1 expression does not predict sensitivity to LSD1 inhibitors. Pathway analysis demonstrates that LSD1 inhibition modulates the expression of genes involved in cell adhesion and axon guidance including members of the Ephrin and Semaphorins families. At LSD1 target genes, we demonstrate site-specific H3K4me2 histone methylation changes overlapping LSD1 binding sites, however no global changes in H3K4me2 were observed. Interestingly we find morphological and cell adhesion changes in sensitive cell lines that coincide with expression changes in markers of neuroendocrine differentiation of SCLC such as GRP, NCAM, and NEUROD1. Based on these data, we propose a model that LSD1 inhibition modulates the neuroendocrine differentiation program of SCLC cells promoting tumor inhibition in sensitive SCLC models. Citation Format: Thomas A. Paul, Shikhar Sharma, Jill Hallin, Tao Xie, Timothy Nichols, Mike Greig, James Hardwick, Martin Wythes, Dominique Verhelle. Growth inhibition of SCLC cell lines by treatment with LSD1 inhibitors is associated with modulation of neuroendocrine pathways. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3518. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3518
FluoRBT: A Multimodal Method for Investigating Single-Molecule Dynamics

Single-molecule methods provide direct measurements of macromolecular dynamics, but are often limited to following one or two degrees of freedom at a time. Rotor bead tracking (RBT) measures DNA torque, twist, and extension, and can be used to characterize the structural dynamics of DNA and diverse nucleoprotein complexes. High-resolution RBT has been implemented by combining magnetic tweezers manipulation with infrared evanescent darkfield imaging of a nanoparticle attached to the side of a DNA molecule1.
The Ruler and Rusty Compass

A challenging problem is to construct with the ruler and rusty compass a triangle whose sides are congruent to three given segments. It has recently been discovered that the study of the rusty compass goes back to the ancient Greeks. However, the name most associated with the rusty compass is that of the tenth-century Arab scholar Abul-Wefa (940–998). Not only did he give the most elementary ruler and rusty compass constructions, but Abul-Wefâ also gave ruler and rusty compass constructions for inscribing in a given circle a regular pentagon, a regular octagon, and a regular decagon. Ludovico Ferrari (1522–1565) showed in 1547 that all the constructions in Euclid’s Elements could be done with the ruler and rusty compass. In 1673, Georg Mohr wrote a little book that also proves the principal theorem of this chapter.
A history of white violence tells us attacks on black academics are not ending (I know because it happened to me)

ABSTRACTThis article examines attacks on black academics as an analytical apparatus for connecting histories of U.S. racial violence to the current state of white backlash against black advancement. Through an anatomy of these attacks – of which the author herself was targeted – this essay explores two processes: First, what these attacks do to blackness and, second, what this violence does for whiteness. In the former, this work explains that attacks on black academics are first and foremost anti-black attacks, not dissimilar to attacks on visible African- Americans in other arenas. The intention is to terrorize black progress on the whole. In the latter process, the generative nature of these attacks reproduces collective white identities across region, age, and newly digitized spaces. In the current political moment this digitized mob violence ritualistically reaffirms white hegemony. This essay concludes with an explanation for why the author believes these attacks will continue with regularity.
Precision CCD Photometry of the Horizontal Branch

The Stromgren four-color system is well suited to the measure and analysis of horizontal-branch stars. The increased accuracy of the CCD photometric system and the ability to measure fainter stars in very crowded regions make the combination of the CCD system and four-color photometry an excellent one to study horizontal-branch stars in globular clusters.
Emergency Medicine Evaluation of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: History, Examination, Imaging and Laboratory Assessment, and Risk Scores

Abstract Background Pneumonia is a common infection, accounting for approximately one million hospitalizations in the United States annually. This potentially life-threatening disease is commonly diagnosed based on history, physical examination, and chest radiograph. Objective To investigate emergency medicine evaluation of community-acquired pneumonia including history, physical examination, imaging, and the use of risk scores in patient assessment. Discussion Pneumonia is the number one cause of death from infectious disease. The condition is broken into several categories, the most common being community-acquired pneumonia. Diagnosis centers on history, physical examination, and chest radiograph. However, all are unreliable when used alone, and misdiagnosis occurs in up to one-third of patients. Chest radiograph has a sensitivity of 46–77%, and biomarkers including white blood cell count, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein provide little benefit in diagnosis. Biomarkers may assist admitting teams, but require further study for use in the emergency department. Ultrasound has shown utility in correctly identifying pneumonia. Clinical gestalt demonstrates greater ability to diagnose pneumonia. Clinical scores including Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI); Confusion, blood Urea nitrogen, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, age 65 score (CURB-65); and several others may be helpful for disposition, but should supplement, not replace, clinical judgment. Patient socioeconomic status must be considered in disposition decisions. Conclusion The diagnosis of pneumonia requires clinical gestalt using a combination of history and physical examination. Chest radiograph may be negative, particularly in patients presenting early in disease course and elderly patients. Clinical scores can supplement clinical gestalt and assist in disposition when used appropriately.
Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in Youths: New Challenges to Overcome

The increased prevalence of childhood obesity all over the world has been accompanied by an increase in obesity complications, such as type 2 diabetes. This latter has suddenly shown up in the last decade among the pediatric diseases, obliging pediatricians to deal with a disease once thought not to exist in the pediatric age.
Underutilized and Under Threat: Environmental Policy as a Tool to Address Diabetes Risk

Diabetes is a burgeoning threat to public health in the USA. Importantly, the burden of diabetes is not equally borne across society with marked disparities based on geography, race/ethnicity, and income. The etiology of global and population-specific diabetes risk remains incompletely understood; however, evidence linking environmental toxicants acting as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as particulate matter and arsenic, with diabetes suggests that environmental policies could play an important role in diabetes risk reduction. Evidence suggests that disproportionate exposures to EDCs may contribute to subgroup-specific diabetes risk; however, no federal policies regulate EDCs linked to diabetes based upon diabetogenic potential. Nevertheless, analyses of European Union data indicate that such regulation could reduce diabetes-associated costs and disease burden. Federal laws only regulate EDCs indirectly. The accumulating evidence linking these chemicals with diabetes risk should encourage policymakers to adopt stricter environmental standards that consider both health and economic impacts.
A SOLUTION TO LAPLACE'S EQUATION FOR HYPERBOLOIDAL ELECTRODES WITH APPLICATIONS TO DIELECTRIC TESTING IN NONUNIFORM ELECTRIC FIELDS

Equipotentials and electric field lines for hyperboloidal electrodes are calculated. Application of these results to dielectric breakdown near sharp points is discussed.
5-Lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid stimulate isolated osteoclasts to resorb calcified matrices

Bone resorption requires cooperation between osteoclasts and mononuclear accessory cells by mechanisms which have not been elucidated. Since multinucleated cells in giant cell tumors of bone have many phenotypic and functional characteristics of normal osteoclasts, we have examined the interaction between the bone-resorbing multinucleated cells and the distinct mononuclear stromal cells from these tumors. We have found that these mononuclear cells produce an activity which stimulates both giant cells from giant cell tumors and rodent osteoclasts to resorb bone in vitro. We have identified the activity and found that it represents several products of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism, namely 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and the leukotrienes. These data indicate that 5-lipoxygenase metabolites stimulate isolated osteoclasts to resorb bone in vitro and may represent a mechanism by which mononuclear stromal cells in human giant cell tumors communicate with the giant cells. In addition, these results may explain a possible mechanism for communication between accessory cells and osteoclasts involved in normal bone resorption.
Various Basic Theorems

Let A be a vector space over F that has a law of multiplication which, together with the existing law of addition, makes A an associative ring. We call A an algebra over F, or simply an F -algebra, if \(\,c({\alpha}{\beta}) =(c{\alpha}){\beta}={\alpha}(c{\beta})\,\) for every \(\,c\in F\) and \(\,{\alpha},\,{\beta}\in A.\) If A has an identity element \(1_A,\) then identifying \(\,c\,\) with \(\,c1_A,\) we can view F as a subfield of A. Notice that \(\,c{\alpha}=(c1_A){\alpha}={\alpha}(c1_A) ,\) and so two laws of multiplication for the elements of F (one in the vector space and the other in the ring) are the same. Every field extension of F can naturally be viewed as an F-algebra.
Mortgage Valuation and Optimal Refinancing

This paper summarizes recent research on a new approach, namely, an equilibrium approach, to the valuation of fixed-rate mortgage contracts. Working in a discrete time setting with the mortgagor’s prepayment behavior described by a suitable intensity process and with exogenous mortgage rates, the value of the contract is derived in an explicit form that can be interpreted as the principal balance plus the value of a certain swap. This leads to a nonlinear equation for what the mortgage rate must be in a competitive market, and thus mortgage rates are endogenous and depend upon the mortgagor’s prepayment behavior. The complementary problem, where mortgage rates are exogenous and the mortgagor seeks the optimal refinancing strategy, is then solved via a Markov decision chain. Finally, the equilibrium problem, where the mortgagor is a representative agent in the economy who seeks the optimal refinancing strategy and where the mortgage rates are endogenous, is developed, solved, and analysed. Existence and uniqueness results, as well as a numerical example, are provided.
Pinus taeda L. response to differential inoculum density of Leptographium terebrantis colonized toothpicks

Bark beetle‐vectored ophiostomatoid fungi, Leptographium terebrantis, is inoculated on the roots and lower stems of stressed Pinus species during the feeding activity of bark beetle. To determine the exact host response following inoculation, it is critical to challenge the host with a realistic amount of fungal inoculum. Thus, we designed a series of stepwise experiments using L. terebrantis colonized toothpicks which focused on the inoculum transfer from the toothpicks to excised Pinus taeda stem segments and living saplings, respectively, at different inoculum densities. The toothpicks served as a substrate for fungal growth and sporulation and the inoculation showed their utility in eliciting host's response to the pathogen. The inoculated fungus caused blue‐stain and sapwood occlusions in P. taeda stems and saplings, respectively. The volume of occluded, visually damaged sapwood increased by 1.96 cm³ per radial inoculation point on average. Fungal colonized toothpicks can be used as a suitable alternative to agar discs for studying bark beetles vectored fungi and their host interactions.
Ultrasound Measurements of Frontal Horns and the Cavum Septi Pellucidi in Healthy Fetuses in the Second and Third Trimesters of Pregnancy

Objectives To assess the visualization rate and size of the frontal horns (FHs) and cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) in healthy fetuses throughout pregnancy. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, 522 consecutive uncomplicated singleton pregnancies between 15 and 39 gestational weeks were enrolled in the study. Ultrasound measurements of the anterior horn width (AHW), center from the horn distance (CFHD), distance from the FHs to the CSP, and CSP width were retrospectively performed using axial transventricular or transcerebellar planes. Available maternal body mass indices were recorded. Results At least 1 FH was seen in 78% of the cases. The mean AHW decreased over the second trimester and plateaued in the third trimester. The CFHD plateaued in the second trimester and increased in the third trimester. Downside FHs were generally larger than upside FHs. More FHs were measured in transventricular (69%) than transcerebellar (31%) planes. Frontal horns were seen with high, low, and no confidence in 57%, 21%, and 22% of cases, respectively. No-confidence rates were 17% in the second trimester and 42% in the third trimester. The CSP was not visualized in 4% of cases; 15 of 19 cases of a nonvisualized CSP were scanned between 18 and 37 weeks. Mean body mass indices ± SDs were 27.6 ± 6.7 kg/m2 for the patients in cases of a visualized CSP and 32.4 ± 9.1 kg/m2 for the patients in cases of a nonvisualized CSP. Conclusions Normative data for the fetal FH and CSP width were established. Frontal horns are more frequently seen on transventricular views and are difficult to confidently assess in the late third trimester. This study challenges previously reported data that the CSP is seen in 100% of cases from 18 to 37 weeks.
A Comparative Study of Reading Performance with a Head-mounted Laser Display and Conventional Low Vision Devices:

This study compared the reading performance of subjects using a prototype, head-mounted laser display, a closed-circuit television (CCTV), and a prescribed optical reading device. The prototype yie...
CuInSe 2 nanotube arrays for efficient solar energy conversion.

Highly uniform and vertically aligned p-type CuInSe2 (CISe) nanotube arrays were fabricated through a unique protocol, incorporating confined electrodeposition on lithographically patterned nanoelectrodes. This protocol can be readily adapted to fabricate nanotube arrays of other photoabsorber and functional materials with precisely controllable design parameters. Ternary CISe nanotube arrays were electrodeposited congruently from a single electrolytic bath and the resulting nanotube arrays were studied through powder X-ray diffraction as well as elemental analysis which revealed compositional purity. Detailed photoelectrochemical (PEC) characterizations in a liquid junction cell were also carried out to investigate the photoconversion efficiency. It was observed that the tubular geometry had a strong influence on the photocurrent response and a 29.9% improvement of the photoconversion efficiency was observed with the nanotube array compared to a thin film geometry fabricated by the same process. More interestingly such enhancement in photoconversion efficiency was obtained when the electrode coverage with the nanotube arrays as photoactive material was only a fraction (~10%) of that for the thin film device. Apart from enhancement in photoconversion efficiency, this versatile technique provides ample opportunities to study novel photovoltaic materials and device design architectures where structural parameters play a key role such as resonant light trapping.
Bipolar Disorder in the Menopausal Transition

We review recent data on bipolar disorder in menopausal-aged women, particularly in women undergoing the menopausal transition (MT). We discuss evidence on the severity of symptoms in bipolar women during the MT. Moreover, we address two factors in bipolar disorder and menopausal research: standardized menopausal staging and women’s conceptualization of their menopausal and bipolar symptoms. While there are few studies within the last 5 years on bipolar women undergoing the MT, new evidence suggest that mood symptoms in women worsen with progression through the MT. Consistent use of the standardized menopausal staging system can facilitate understanding of the timing of worsening symptoms. Moreover, whether women conceptualize their symptoms as arising from their MT or bipolar disorder can influence whether they seek hormonal therapy or psychiatric treatment, respectively. The MT is a potential time for mood instability in vulnerable women, which can manifest as first-onset development of bipolar disorder or increased symptom severity in women with pre-existing bipolar disorder. Adoption of a standardized menopausal staging may offer novel frameworks for understanding of the role of the MT in bipolar disorder.
Developing hands-on security activities with open source software and live CDs

Developing "hand on" information security lab activities often requires a substantial budget and resource commitment. In addition to an appropriate software budget, activities such as installing security software, setting up user accounts, and configuring lab systems can require significant time and labor resources. In a conventional environment, it may also require a dedicated computer lab for each security class. In a given educational environment, obtaining these resources may be problematic.To mitigate these problems, we developed a "hand on" security design process that utilizes Live CDs and Open Source tools. By definition, a Live CD is a bootable CD that contains a complete operating system. Many Live CDs also include useful security utilities. In our security classes, we have utilized both general purpose Live CDs, such as Knoppix, and dedicated security centric Live CDs, such as Auditor. [8] In addition to being self configuring, Live CDs may also be remastered to accommodate additional security tools and related information.This paper presents an overview of our experiences developing "hands on" security activities with Live CD and Open Source components. Our "hands on" activities were developed to support our four course security specialization. To provide a context for this, we first present a brief overview of the security specialization.
Field-based Model of Flux Compression Generators

This paper provides a field-based model of flux compression generators, capturing the effects of magnetic diffusion and pressure. A set of differential-algebraic-equations are derived to describe the magnetic dynamics. The electromechanical dynamics of the cylindrical implosion generator, accounting for magnetic pressure, are also demonstrated.
Ranging Requirements for Open-Loop Coherent Distributed Arrays With Wireless Frequency Synchronization

We present an analysis on the required ranging accuracy for open-loop coherent distributed beamforming when wireless frequency synchronization is simultaneously implemented. In dynamic coherent networks, ranging is used to adjust the shifts in the phase of the transmitted signals by estimating the relative phase changes. The constraints on the desired ranging accuracy are increased in the case where wireless frequency transfer is implemented. We discuss a model for distributed beamforming and present analysis of the required ranging accuracy as a function of the relative beamforming gain, demonstrating that some angles exhibit significantly more ranging error tolerance than other angles.
Description of symptom course in a telemedicine monitoring clinic for acute symptomatic COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the disease course in a cohort of outpatients with COVID-19 and evaluate factors predicting duration of symptoms. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Telemedicine clinic at a large medical system in Atlanta, Georgia. PARTICIPANTS: 337 patients with acute COVID-19. Exclusion criteria included intake visit more than 10 days after symptom onset and hospitalisation prior to intake visit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Symptom duration in days. RESULTS: Common symptoms at intake visit are upper respiratory (73% cough, 55% loss of smell or taste, 57% sinus congestion, 32% sore throat) and systemic (66% headache, 64% body aches, 53% chills, 30% dizziness, 36% fever). Day of symptom onset was earliest for systemic and upper respiratory symptoms (median onset day 1 for both), followed by lower respiratory symptoms (day 3, 95% CI 2 to 4), with later onset of gastrointestinal symptoms (day 4, 95% CI 3 to 5), when present. Cough had the longest duration when present with median 17 days (95% CI 15 to 21), with 42% not resolved at final visit. Loss of smell or taste had the second longest duration with 14 days (95% CI 12 to 17), with 38% not resolved at final visit. Initial symptom severity is a significant predictor of symptom duration (p<0.01 for multiple symptoms). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 illness in outpatients follows a pattern of progression from systemic symptoms to lower respiratory symptoms and persistent symptoms are common across categories. Initial symptom severity is a significant predictor of disease duration for most considered symptoms.
Conformal Blocks, Generalized Theta Functions and the Verlinde Formula

In 1988, E. Verlinde gave a remarkable conjectural formula for the dimension of conformal blocks over a smooth curve in terms of representations of affine Lie algebras. Verlinde's formula arose from physical considerations, but it attracted further attention from mathematicians when it was realized that the space of conformal blocks admits an interpretation as the space of generalized theta functions. A proof followed through the work of many mathematicians in the 1990s. This book gives an authoritative treatment of all aspects of this theory. It presents a complete proof of the Verlinde formula and full details of the connection with generalized theta functions, including the construction of the relevant moduli spaces and stacks of G-bundles. Featuring numerous exercises of varying difficulty, guides to the wider literature and short appendices on essential concepts, it will be of interest to senior graduate students and researchers in geometry, representation theory and theoretical physics.
Exploring the Intersections and Connections: Discursive Psychology and Disability Studies

This chapter offers a response to Chapters 2, 3, and 5 within the volume. Specifically, the chapter brings together the potential links between discursive psychology and disability studies, pointing to key ideas raised by the authors of the three chapters.