cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in Inpatient Resource Utilization and Complications Among Total Joint Arthroplasty Recipients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction Joint arthroplasty practice is highly dynamic to adapt to economic changes and advances in medicine. This study provides updates of the current perioperative practice on healthcare resource utilization. Methods The study included total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, and total shoulder arthroplasty within the healthcare cost and utilization project New York State database from 2007 to 2013 (ie, 202,100, 127,872, and 8858 cases, respectively). Results A higher proportion of sicker patients were prevalent over time. The length of stay decreased continuously. However, total hospital charges increased after adjusting for inflation. The incidence of wound infection and transfusion decreased steadily over time, whereas acute renal failure has been on the rise. There was an increased utilization of echocardiography, while decreased among other resources. Discussion Total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, and total shoulder arthroplasty changed toward sicker patients with shorter length of stay, fewer complications, and less resource utilization. However, overall costs increased over time.
Short communication: Influence of an aqueous myrrh suspension on yogurt culture bacteria over yogurt shelf life

Myrrh is an essential oil and natural flavoring approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and it has antibacterial and antifungal activity against pathogens. Our objective was to determine the effect of an aqueous myrrh suspension on Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus counts in peptone solution and yogurt, as well as pH and titratable acidity of yogurt during 5 wk of storage at 1 to 4°C. The myrrh suspension (10% wt/vol) was prepared and incorporated into a pure culture dilution in peptone and into yogurt mix at a 1% (vol/vol) level. A control with no myrrh was also prepared, and 3 replications were conducted. Streptococcus thermophilus were enumerated using Streptococcus thermophilus agar with aerobic incubation at 37°C for 24 h, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus were enumerated using de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe agar adjusted to pH 5.2, with anaerobic incubation at 43°C for 72 h. During the 8-h period after inoculation, S. thermophilus and L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus counts in peptone solution at 37°C and 43°C, respectively, were not significantly different in the presence or absence of the aqueous myrrh suspension. Counts of S. thermophilus in yogurt containing myrrh (mean ± SD; 4.96 ± 0.58 log cfu/mL) were not significantly different from those in the control yogurt (4.87 ± 0.39 log cfu/mL). The log counts for L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus in yogurt containing myrrh (5.04 ± 1.44 log cfu/mL) and those of the control (5.52 ± 1.81 log cfu/mL) did not differ, and the counts remained within 1 log of each other throughout 5 wk of storage. The pH of the yogurts containing the aqueous myrrh suspension was not significantly different from that of the control yogurts, and their pH values were within 0.1 pH unit of each other in any given week. Titratable acidity values remained steady around 1.1 to 1.2% lactic acid for both yogurt types throughout the storage period, with no significant differences between them. Yogurt culture bacteria can survive in the presence of a myrrh suspension in yogurt with no significant change in pH or titratable acidity. Therefore, it may be beneficial to add an aqueous myrrh suspension to yogurt.
Theoretical Prediction of Roll Moment Due to Sideslip for Thin Low-Aspect-Ratio Wings

The physics associated with leading-edge flow reattachment and tip vortex roll-up in crossflow are incorporated into a simple theory that enables the improved prediction of the lateral static stabi...
Extending multilevel spatial models to include spatially varying coefficients.

Abstract Multilevel models have long been used by health geographers working on questions of space, place, and health. Similarly, health geographers have pursued interests in determining whether or not the effect of an exposure on a health outcome varies spatially. However, relatively little work has sought to use multilevel models to explore spatial variability in the effects of a contextual exposure on a health outcome. Methodologically, extending multilevel models to allow intercepts and slopes to vary spatially is straightforward. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to show how multilevel spatial models can be extended to include spatially varying covariate effects. We provide an empirical example on the effect of agriculture on malaria risk in children under 5 years of age in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Adipose tissue-liver crosstalk during pathologic changes caused by vinyl chloride metabolites in mice

Abstract Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as vinyl chloride (VC), can be directly toxic at high concentrations. However, we have shown that ‘nontoxic’ exposures to VC and its metabolite chloroethanol (CE) enhances experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), suggesting an unpredicted interaction. Importantly, VOC exposure has been identified as a potential risk factor for the development of obesity and its sequelae in humans. As there is a known axis between adipose and hepatic tissue in NAFLD, the impact of CE on white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation and lipolysis was investigated. Mice were administered CE (or vehicle) once, after 10 weeks of being fed high-fat or low-fat diet (LFD). CE significantly enhanced hepatic steatosis and inflammation caused by HFD. HFD significantly increased the size of epididymal fat pads, which was enhanced by CE. The relative size of adipocyte lipid droplets increased by HFD + CE, which was also correlated with increased expression of lipid-associated proteins (e.g., PLINs). CE also enhanced HFD-induced indices of WAT inflammation, and ER stress. Hepatic-derived circulating FGF21, a major modulator of WAT lipolysis, which is hypothesized to thereby regulate hepatic steatosis, was significantly increased by CE in animals fed HFD. Taken together these data support the hypothesis that environmental toxicant exposure can exacerbate the severity of NAFLD/NASH, involving the liver-adipose axis in this process. Specifically, CE enhances local inflammation and alters lipid metabolism and WAT-mediated hepatic steatosis due to changes in WAT lipolysis.
Fluorescent recognition of L- and D-tryptophan in water by micelle probes

A series of BINOL-based monoaldehydes have been designed and synthesized as fluorescent probes for L- and D-tryptophan. It is found that in the presence of a diblock copolymer PEG-PLLA, these probes can be encapsulated into micelles which in combination with Zn2+ have exhibited chemo- and enantioselective fluorescent enhancement with tryptophan in aqueous media.
Effect of Hydration on Tensile Response of a Dual Cross-linked PVA Hydrogel

Little is known about the effect of water content on the mechanical properties of dual cross-linked hydrogels. To quantify the changes in the mechanical response and equilibrium modulus in a PVA hydrogel as a function of the hydration level. A dual cross-linked hydrogel was tested in tension to a stretch of 1.3 at two stretch rates and in a stress relaxation test. The equilibrium modulus was calculated using the final relaxation stress value. The stiffness of the hydrogel increases significantly as the gel dries. The equilibrium modulus is found to be linear with the hydration level and approximately 2 × stiffer at 60% hydration relative to 90%.
Inflammation in Experimental Models of α‐Synucleinopathies

Neuroinflammation has long been associated with central nervous system pathology in α-synucleinopathy disorders including Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy. In the past decade, research-focused efforts in preclinical and experimental models have rallied around this idea, and considerable effort has been made to delineate critical neuroinflammatory processes. In this article, we discuss challenges in preclinical research, notably the use of animal models to recapitulate and dissect disease phenotypes as well as the need for more sensitive, reliable radiotracers to detect on-target efficacy of immunomodulatory treatments in both human Parkinson's disease as well as preclinical models. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the arctic: early data and emerging trends.

Since February 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has been unfolding in the Arctic, placing many communities at risk due to remoteness, limited healthcare options, underlying health issues and other compounding factors. Preliminary analysis of available COVID-19 data in the Arctic at the regional (subnational) level suggests that COVID-19 infections and mortality were highly variable, but generally remained below respective national levels. Based on the trends and magnitude of the pandemic through July, we classify Arctic regions into four groups: Iceland, Faroe Islands, Northern Norway, and Northern Finland with elevated early incidence rates, but where strict quarantines and other measures promptly curtailed the pandemic; Northern Sweden and Alaska, where the initial wave of infections persisted amid weak (Sweden) or variable (Alaska) quarantine measures; Northern Russia characterised by the late start and subsequent steep growth of COVID-19 cases and fatalities and multiple outbreaks; and Northern Canada and Greenland with no significant proliferation of the pandemic. Despite limitations in available data, further efforts to track and analyse the pandemic at the pan-Arctic, regional and local scales are crucial. This includes understanding of the COVID-19 patterns, mortality and morbidity, the relationships with public-health conditions, socioeconomic characteristics, policies, and experiences of the Indigenous Peoples. Data used in this paper are available at https://arctic.uni.edu/arctic-covid-19.
Modeling and Optimization Methods for Controlling and Sizing Grid-Connected Energy Storage: A Review

Energy storage is capable of providing a variety of services and solving a multitude of issues in today’s rapidly evolving electric power grid. This paper reviews recent research on modeling and optimization for optimally controlling and sizing grid-connected battery energy storage systems (BESSs). Open issues and promising research directions are discussed. Recent studies on BESS dispatch, evaluation, and sizing focus on advanced modeling and optimization methods to maximize stacked value streams from multiple services. BESS models have been improved to better represent operational characteristics or capture degradation effects. Different solution methods and optimization techniques have been proposed to improve the benefits and cost-effectiveness of BESSs, using deterministic approaches prevalently but with impressive progress in modeling and addressing uncertainties. Recent progress in BESS scheduling and sizing better supports planning and operational decision-making in different use cases, which is highly important to advance the deployment of BESSs. Additional research is required to properly model the trade-off between short-term benefits and service life with multiple degradation effects explicitly considered in the decision-making process. Advanced methods are to be developed for effectively determining optimal BESS sizes that maximize overall benefits within a varying lifetime considering diversified system conditions, as well as uncertainties at planning and operational stages.
Nurses' Participation in Limited Resuscitation: Gray Areas in End of Life Decision-Making

Historically nurses have lacked significant input in end-of-life decision-making, despite being an integral part of care. Nurses experience negative feelings and moral conflict when forced to aggressively deliver care to patients at the EOL. As a result, nurses participate in slow codes, described as a limited resuscitation effort with no intended benefit of patient survival. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the process nurses followed when making decisions about participation in limited resuscitation. Five core categories emerged that describe this theory: (1) recognition of patient and family values at the EOL; (2) stretching time and reluctance in decision-making; (3) harm and suffering caused by the physical components of CPR; (4) nurse's emotional and moral response to delivering aggressive care, and; (5) choosing limited resuscitation with or without a physician order. Several factors in end-of-life disputes contribute to negative feelings and moral distress driving some nurses to perform slow codes in order to preserve their own moral conflict, while other nurses refrain unless specifically ordered by physicians to provide limited care through tailored orders.
Phase II randomized study of preoperative calcitriol to prevent hypocalcemia following thyroidectomy

Background A prospective, stratified, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to observe the impact of preoperative calcitriol supplementation on serum calcium levels following total thyroidectomy. Methods Subjects were randomized 1:1 to receive 1 μg calcitriol or placebo for 1 week preceding thyroidectomy. The primary outcome measure was change in serum calcium from baseline to 18 h post-thyroidectomy. Subjects were also assessed for incidence of symptomatic hypocalcemia, length of stay, readmission for hypocalcemia, and intravenous calcium supplementation. Results Forty-seven patients underwent thyroidectomy; 23 received preoperative calcitriol supplementation, and 24 received placebo. Repeated measures regression demonstrated no difference in postoperative serum calcium over time (p = 0.22). There were no occurrences of hypocalcemia, intravenous calcium supplementation, or readmission in either group. No difference was observed in length of stay (p = 0.38). One patient in the calcitriol group developed Grade 3 hypercalcemia. Conclusions Preoperative calcitriol supplementation had no impact on postoperative serum calcium levels compared to placebo.
Leukemic Infiltration of the Optic Nerve

Leukemic infiltration of the optic nerve is an uncommon condition, although its incidence has increased as more effective oncologic and supportive therapy has improved survival among patients with leukemia. Since both the central nervous system and the eye are immunoprivileged sites, they may not be reached by systemic chemotherapy. Therefore, leukemic cells can be harbored in these spaces, even when treatment has eliminated the leukemia elsewhere in the body. Furthermore, when leukemic cells infiltrate the ocular structures, including the intraocular portion of the optic nerve, even intrathecal chemotherapy may not be adequate to eliminate them. Due to the rarity of leukemic infiltration of the optic nerve, there are no randomized controlled trials or other prospective studies evaluating its management. However, treatment with whole brain and directed optic nerve radiation, along with intrathecal chemotherapy and steroids, may be successful for preserving vision or preventing further vision loss, while also treating the underlying disease.
Enterprise Representation: An Analysis of Standards Issues

The purpose of this paper is to describe the domain of standards with respect to achieving the best enterprise integration. There are some definitions about frameworks and architectures, discussions re the use of enterprise models and modeling, the key components and characteristics of these models, a description of the users of the models and their needs, enterprise-model drivers and their relation to enterprise integration, and the nature and advantages of international standards covering enterprise-reference architectures, modeling, and models.
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) as a model for scleroderma: I. Description of model systems

A model murine system of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was explored to determine its suitability for studying scleroderma-like syndromes. The basic protocol was to inject lymphoid cell suspensions into irradiated semiallogeneic or allogeneic recipients which had been irradiated. Serial body weights, skin biopsies, and anti-nuclear antibodies were followed. Changes seen in the skin included increased collagen deposition, a mononuclear infiltrate deep in the dermis, loss of dermal fat, and "dropout" of skin appendages such as hair follicles. Body weight loss was a sensitive index of GVHD. Anti-nuclear antibodies occurred at times, but did not correlate with the tissue changes in the skin of mice undergoing GVHD. This chronic GVHD syndrome was produced across major and minor histocompatibility barriers. The most consistent findings were seen in BALB/c recipients of B10.D2 cells. These strains are nonreactive in unprimed mixed-leukocyte cultures. This combination represents primarily a GVH reaction against minor antigens where the HVG reaction is suppressed by irradiation. Some data suggest that the cutaneous changes may be reversible with time.
Sex, Freedom, and Power in Imperial Germany, 1880-1914

This is a study of the intense, complex, and escalating debate over sexuality and sexual morality that roiled politics in Germany between 1880 and 1914. That debate was grounded in the rapid evolution and growing complexity of German society - the multiplication of cultural groupings, professional associations, and social movements; the emergence of new social groups, social milieus, and professions; the rapid development of the media and commercial entertainments; and so on. All parties involved understood it to be a debate over the most fundamental question of modern political life: how to secure both national power and individual freedom in the context of rapid social and cultural change.
The Representation of Retinal Blood Vessels in Primate Striate Cortex

The blood vessels that nourish the inner retina cast shadows on photoreceptors, creating “angioscotomas” in the visual field. We have found the representations of angioscotomas in striate cortex of the squirrel monkey. They were detected in 9 of 12 normal adult animals by staining flatmounts for cytochrome oxidase activity after enucleation of one eye. They appeared as thin profiles in layer 4C radiating from the blind spot representation. Angioscotomas can be regarded as a local form of amblyopia. After birth, when light strikes the retina, photoreceptors beneath blood vessels are denied normal visual stimulation. This deprivation induces remodeling of geniculocortical afferents in a distribution that corresponds to the retinal vascular tree. Angioscotoma representations were most obvious in monkeys with fine ocular dominance columns and were invisible in monkeys with large, well segregated columns. In monkeys without columns, their width corresponded faithfully to the inducing retinal shadow, making it possible to calculate the minimum shadow required to produce a cortical representation. The “amblyogenic threshold” was calculated as the fraction of the pupil area eclipsed to trigger remodeling of geniculocortical afferents. It was found to be constant over retinal eccentricity, vessel size, and shadow size. Ambliogenic shadows only three to four cones wide were sufficient to generate a cortical representation, testifying to the remarkable precision of the cortical map. The representations of retinal blood vessels separated by only 0.65° were resolvable in the cortex, yielding an upper limit on cortical resolution of 340 μm in layer 4C.
Laboratory Maintenance of Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobe and is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis, and toxic megacolon. Essential to the lifestyle of C. difficile is the ability to form a metabolically dormant spore, germinate, and grow out upon appropriate signals and elicit disease with the secretion of two toxins. To aid in the study of this organism, this unit describes the growth and maintenance of C. difficile. Included are methods to isolate C. difficile from environmental samples, grow in laboratory medium, and produce and purify spores.
Explicitly and implicitly teaching Java best practices across the undergraduate curriculum

In 2001, The Joint Task Force on Computing Curricula defined model curricula for a computer science undergraduate that specified the core learning units that a student should take over a four year period. The authors have found that the use of a single, state of the art, interactive development environment across these curricula can both explicitly and implicitly continually teach Java best practices. The net result is a graduating student who can productively step into an entry level computer science position.
Dependability, access diversity, low cost: pick two

Storage systems and data centers are growing rapidly and costing more, with higher energy bills. Users want dependable access to a wide variety of diverse content, but providers want to lower costs. Many studies have looked at the tradeoffs between cost and dependability, but few have looked carefully at how content request diversity changes this relationship. In this paper, we model a disk array and develop an analytical framework to study the relationships between dependability, access diversity, and low cost. We show how access diversity changes the relationship between cost and dependability and that all three are in tension with one another. It is possible to improve any two together, but not all three simultaneously.
Financial Contract Design in the World of Venture Capital

Recent scholarship has described a venture capital cycle which finances start-up technology companies. This cycle, however, bears striking similarities with its counterpart in the old economy under which banks financed young firms. Indeed, with one notable exception, venture capital has introduced little innovation in financial contract design between financial intermediaries and entrepreneurs. The same approaches to information problems are used by banks and venture capital partnerships alike. The significant exception is the frequent use in venture capital finance of convertible instruments in the place of secured debt financing by banks. This paper explains (i) the functional similarity between venture capital and bank contracts with entrepreneurs and (ii) the valuable role played by convertible debt or preferred stock in technology start-ups.
Can we apply projection based frequent pattern mining paradigm to spatial co-location mining?

A co-location pattern is a set of spatial features whose objects are frequently located in spatial proximity. Spatial co-location patterns resemble frequent patterns in many aspects. Since its introduction, the paradigm of mining frequent patterns has undergone a shift from a generate-and-test based frequent pattern mining to a projection based frequent pattern mining. However for spatial datasets, the lack of a transaction concept, which is critical in frequent pattern definition and its mining algorithms, makes the similar shift of paradigm in spatial co-location mining very difficult. We investigate a projection based co-location mining paradigm. In particular, we propose a projection based co-location mining framework and an algorithm called FP-CM, for FP-growth Based Co-location Miner. This algorithm only requires a small constant number of database scans. It out-performs the generate-and-test algorithm by an order of magnitude as shown by our preliminary experiment results.
The Influence of Brand Equity on Consumer Response toward Environmental Product Advertisements

This study reports an examination of the relationship between a three-factor brand equity measure (brand awareness, brand quality, and brand loyalty) and consumer response toward environmental product advertisements for four brands (i.e., Whole Foods, Green Works, Prius, and Volt). An online, digital survey allowed the presentation of television commercials and accompanying response measures including green brand trust, perceived ad claim believability, and attitude-toward-the-ad. Results illustrate significant relationships between brand equity with the green trust and claim believability measures, but not with attitude toward the advertisements. Analysis also illustrated the interrelationships between the response variables and showed of the brand equity dimensions, perceived brand quality, and especially brand loyalty, had significant relationships with the green brand trust and ad claim believability measures. In addition, brand image was a significant factor only for the automobile brands, indicating a possible category effect, where this brand equity factor is relevant. Results suggest that preexistent brand dispositions influence perceived environmental ad believability and trust, critical factors, which have a significant influence on message effectiveness.
Progress Toward the Application of Complex Coordinate and Complex Basis Function Techniques to Molecular Resonance Calculations

In this talk I will discuss some recent developments in complex coordinate and basis function techniques which are beginning to make possible the application of these techniques to the treatment of molecular resonance phenomena. I will avoid any detailed discussion of the history of successful applications to atomic resonances and atomic photoionization. That history is in itself sufficient to furnish material for a review.1 Instead I will concentrate mainly on the discussion of two problems which have, until recently, slowed the development of generalizations of complex coordinate and basis function approaches suitable for molecular resonance calculations.
Agency problems and interest representation: An empirical analysis of the costs of lobbying

Most recent work on the politics of interest representation assumes that lobbyists represent their clients’ interests with fidelity. We test the validity of this assumption. Relying on a principal-agent framework developed by Stephenson and Jackson, Kersh and Lowery and Marchetti, we first discuss the nature of agency problems in lobbying and the utility of several potential solutions for those problems. We next develop and test two sets of hypotheses on how agency problems might influence one form of lobbying behavior – the prices contract lobby firms charge their interest organization principals. The hypotheses are tested with a purposive sample of clients employing major contract lobby firms operating in Washington DC in 2012.
Editor’s Spotlight/Take 5: What Drives Variation in Episode-of-care Payments for Primary TKA? An Analysis of Medicare Administrative Data

High hospital and medical charges are good fodder for outraged commentary [6]. In fact, a Google search for “ridiculous hospital charges” yields more than 6 million hits. It is hard to argue that extreme charges are justified, but what about actual costs? Presumably, a standard high-volume procedure with no complications should cost about the same, whether it is performed in Seattle, WA, USA or Santa Fe, NM, USA. This is particularly true if the payer is the federal government, which has the power to dictate terms to providers.
Hierarchical organization for video annotation

The omnipresent multimedia data calls for efficient and flexible methodologies to annotate, organize, store, and access video resources. Video annotation data, or video meta-data, plays an important role in the future annotation-driven video systems. Although the importance of the video annotation data is widely recognized and a considerable amount of research has been conducted on its various aspects, there is no consistent framework on which to structure video annotation data. In this paper, we have focused on investigating the nature of the video annotation data, and accordingly proposed one hierarchical structure for video annotations. Additionally, we have studied the techniques needed to hierarchically organize video annotations and proposed VideoML - an XML-based language - to organize the hierarchical video annotation data. VideoML is built upon the video part of MPEG-7 with special consideration of the video annotation data's hierarchical structure
PROMOTING LOW INCOME HOUSING THROUGH INNOVATIONS IN LAND USE REGULATIONS

ABSTRACT:Many analysts argue that important structural conditions exist that discourage city governments from engaging in redistributive policy, especially programs that create direct costs for private developers. Labeled the limited city argument, this logic concludes that only cities with sufficient levels of economic and fiscal well-being can afford to impose upon private developers to meet social needs. Using survey data from 133 cities with populations over 100,000, this paper examines land use regulations that impose obligations or restrictions on the private sector to promote low income housing. The data suggest that the limited city argument is only part of the explanation. The use of regulatory housing policy is also correlated with measures of need and low income housing advocacy.
Silicon Nanowire Fabric as a Lithium Ion Battery Electrode Material

A nonwoven fabric with paperlike qualities composed of silicon nanowires is reported. The nanowires, made by the supercritical-fluid–liquid–solid process, are crystalline, range in diameter from 10 to 50 nm with an average length of >100 μm, and are coated with a thin chemisorbed polyphenylsilane shell. About 90% of the nanowire fabric volume is void space. Thermal annealing of the nanowire fabric in a reducing environment converts the polyphenylsilane coating to a carbonaceous layer that significantly increases the electrical conductivity of the material. This makes the nanowire fabric useful as a self-supporting, mechanically flexible, high-energy-storage anode material in a lithium ion battery. Anode capacities of more than 800 mA h g–1 were achieved without the addition of conductive carbon or binder.
Urinary retention associated with herpes zoster infection.

Background. Herpes zoster infection particularly involving the sacral dermatomes has been associated with bladder and bowel dysfunction, most commonly urinary retention. Case Reports. We report two patients who developed acute urinary retention, one of whom also had constipation, within days of herpes zoster skin lesions of the S2-S4 dermatomes. Conclusions. Herpes zoster is a reversible cause of neuro-genic bladder and bowel dysfunction and should be considered in a patient that presents with acute urinary retention and/or constipation. Sensory abnormalities and flaccid detrusor paralysis are most likely involved in the pathogenesis.
Dynamic Methane Partial Oxidation Using a Fe2O3@La0.8Sr0.2FeO3-δ Core–Shell Redox Catalyst in the Absence of Gaseous Oxygen

Chemical looping reforming partially oxidizes methane into syngas through cyclic redox reactions of an active lattice-oxygen (O2–) containing redox catalyst. The avoidance of direct contact between methane and steam and/or gaseous oxygen has the potential to eliminate the energy consumption for generating these oxidants, thereby increasing methane conversion efficiency. This article investigates redox catalysts comprised of iron oxide core covered with lanthanum strontium ferrite (LSF) shell. The iron oxide core serves as the primary source of lattice-oxygen, whereas the LSF shell provides an active surface and facilitates O2– and electron conductions. These core–shell materials have the promise to provide higher selectivity for methane conversion with lower solid circulation rates than traditional redox catalysts. Methane oxidation by this catalyst exhibits four distinct regions, i.e. deep oxidation; competing deep and selective oxidation; selective oxidation with autoactivation; and methane decompositio...
Development Accounting and the Rise of TFP

The paper presents evidence that the contribution of differences in total factor productivity (TFP) to income differences across countries steadily increased between 1970 and 2000. We verify that our finding is neither imputable to measurement errors in input factors nor dependent on the assumption of factor neutral differences in technology. We conclude that theories explaining cross-country income differences based on institutions or on forces that are constant over time, such as geography or legal origin, should be reconsidered in the light of their consistency with the rise of the explanatory power of TFP.
New species of Podandrogyne (Cleomaceae) I. Two species from western Colombia and eastern Panama

Podandrogyne chocoensis and Podandrogyne caucana, two new species of Cleomaceae from western Colombia and eastern Panama, are described and illustrated. In view of their probable relationship to each other, but somewhat isolated position with respect to the majority of species of Podandrogyne, the new subsection Breviracemosae is proposed.
Petrology and origin of deep-sea sands: Hatteras Abyssal Plain

Abstract A petrographic reconnaissance survey of 23 Pleistocene deep-sea sand layers from the Hatteras Abyssal Plain and adjacent deep-sea environments was undertaken in an attempt to delineate the provenance of the Hatteras Abyssal Plain sands. Data from 18 widely spaced piston cores reveal that subarkosic sands on the Hatteras Abyssal Plain derive from widely separated, characteristically different source areas. When the diverse character of the Hatteras Abyssal Plain sands is compared to that of the Hatteras Fan and adjacent continental margin, differences in composition suggest a portion of the coarse fraction derives north of Cape Hatteras via Wilmington Canyon System or the Sohm Abyssal Plain. The presence of certain diagnostic grain assemblages (schistose metaquartz, schistose, basic, and meta-volcanic rock fragments), not found in adjacent continental margin sands, indicates the glaciated areas that feed the Hudson Canyon/Fan and Sohm Abyssal Plain are a principal source. The data substantiate that premise of previous studies, that channelization and overflow of turbidity currents through the Sohm Abyssal Gap has played a major role in sedimentation on the Hatteras Abyssal Plain. Aside from the obvious Pleistocene contributions from the adjacent Hatteras Fan, which fed southerly flowing littoral drift material into the deep ocean, a more southerly continental shelf source is also indicated. The occurrence of certain carbonate grain types (ooids and peloid-algal biomicrites) is generally restricted to the continental shelf south of Hatteras Canyon system. The presence of these diagnostic grain types on the Abyssal Plain suggests a two-step process involving northerly transport via the Gulf Stream into canyon tributaries offshore Cape Hatteras during lower sea levels and eventual redistribution by density currents into the deep ocean. This process appears to have been responsible for the emplacement of carbonate-rich sands on the Hatteras Abyssal Plain.
Compositional Evolution of Saturn's Rings Due to Meteoroid Bombardment

In this paper we address the question of compositional evolution in planetary ring systems subsequent to meteoroid bombardment. The huge surface area to mass ratio of planetary rings ensures that this is an important process, even with current uncertainties on the meteoroid flux. We develop a new model which includes both direct deposition of extrinsic meteoritic "pollutants", and ballistic transport of the increasingly polluted ring material as impact ejecta. Our study includes detailed radiative transfer modeling of ring particle spectral reflectivities based on refractive indices of realistic constituents. Voyager data have shown that the lower optical depth regions in Saturn's rings (the C ring and Cassini Division) have darker and less red particles than the optically thicken A and B rings. These coupled structural-compositional groupings have never been explained; we present and explore the hypothesis that global scale color and compositional differences in the main rings of Saturn arise naturally from extrinsic meteoroid bombardment of a ring system which was initially composed primarily, but not entirely, of water ice. We find that the regional color and albedo differences can be understood if all ring material was initially identical (primarily water ice, based on other data, but colored by tiny amounts of intrinsic reddish, plausibly organic, absorber) and then evolved entirely by addition and mixing of extrinsic, nearly neutrally colored. plausibly carbonaceous material. We further demonstrate that the detailed radial profile of color across the abrupt B ring - C ring boundary can.constrain key unknown parameters in the model. Using new alternates of parameter values, we estimate the duration of the exposure to extrinsic meteoroid flux of this part of the rings, at least, to be on the order of 10(exp 8) years. This conclusion is easily extended by inference to the Cassini Division and its surroundings as well. This geologically young "age" is compatible with timescales estimated elsewhere based on the evolution of ring structure due to ballistic transport, and also with other "short timescales" estimated on the grounds of gravitational torques. However, uncertainty in the flux of interplanetary debris and in the ejects yield may preclude ruling out a ring age as old as the solar system at this time.
Using laser scattering to identify diatoms and conduct aggregation experiments

Laser in situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST) instruments are used to measure particle size distributions (PSDs) and volume concentrations in water. For populations of regularly shaped non-spherical particles, such as phytoplankton, the PSD produces a ‘scattering signature’ that corresponds to the shape of the particles. The objectives of this research were to describe the scattering signatures of six diatom species and to determine whether LISST instruments can be used as a tool to measure the aggregation of diatoms into larger particles. The scattering signatures of Chaetoceros muelleri var. subsalsum, Coscinodiscus wailesii, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Skeletonema costatum and S. marinoi were measured. The scattering signatures of individual species were consistent over time in batch culture and there were clear differences between species in terms of peak location, peak width, and relative peak height in the PSD. LISST was used to non-destructively follow the formation...
Sodium Molybdate as a Corrosion Inhibitor of Mild Steel in Natural Waters Part 1: Flow Rate Effects

Abstract Sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4) has been proposed as a possible replacement for chromate-based corrosion inhibitors for steel. Although Na2MoO4 is used in industry, little characterization of its behavior in low-conductivity natural waters or under flowing conditions has been performed. Effects of flow rate and water treatment on ASTM A36 carbon steel (UNS K02600) in natural lake water has been examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using the rotating cylinder electrode technique. The corrosion behavior of A36 steel was found to be highly dependent upon flow rate in untreated natural water, but only moderately dependent upon flow rate in waters treated with Na2MoO4, as determined by alternating and direct current methods. The electrochemical impedance spectra of steel in natural water were corrupted by artifacts at frequencies of 100 Hz and above. These artifacts were exacerbated by the low conductivity of the natural water. The solution and polarization resistances were isolated in ...
Relationship of heat tolerance and oxygen consumption in chickens.

Abstract Chicks from lines genetically selected for high or low heat tolerance were compared to lines selected for high or low oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption, survival time, respiration rate, lung capacity and body weight were determined. Selection for high oxygen consumption and high heat tolerance resulted in birds with similar characteristics. The high line birds for both heat tolerance and oxygen consumption had greater oxygen consumption, survival time and lung capacity but lower body weight.
On zero water discharge solutions in the process industry

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical programming approach to analyze the feasibility of zero liquid discharge option in different industries. Mathematical programming methodologies are applied to four industrial cases—a tricresyl phosphate plant, an ethyl chloride plant, a paper mill and a refinery. In each case study various end of pipe and regeneration configurations using different treatment technologies are explored to determine the possibility of zero liquid discharge and its economical feasibility. The results show that the relationship between the cost of regeneration and the cost of freshwater as well as the discharge concentration of the treatment is the determining factor for the feasibility of zero liquid discharge.
Measurement of the glaucomatous cup using sequentially acquired stereoscopic images

This paper describes a new method for recovering the three-dimensional surface of the optic disc based on stereoscopic techniques. The images that form the stereo pair are obtained sequentially from standard ophthalmoscopes. The method is based on calibration algorithms for an optical set-up and uses a novel algorithm for the search of correspondences in the stereo pair that is unique for this kind of applications. It is proposed as a quantitative tool in the diagnosis of the primary open angle glaucoma. The technique shows a robust performance, is simple to embed in an clinical ophthalmoscope, and is a low-cost solution to diagnose and control the glaucoma pathology.
Personality and Pet Ownership: A Preliminary Study

Pet ownership seems to be related to penonaliry traits. For example, Kidd and Feldmann (1981) found that pet owners had higher needs for numrance and lower needs for succorance and abasement, and Kidd, et ul. (1983) have explored the relationship between type of pet owned and the owner's personality. In the present study, 55 female and 36 male single college students in an introductory course in psychology ( M m g a = 19.1 yr., SD = 1.0; range 18 to 2 2 ) were given a self-disclosure scale (Jourard, 1971) . the Extraversion scale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1968) , asked which pets they owned, asked to rank cat, bird, dog, and fish for the order in which they would prefer them as pets, and asked to rate on a graphic rating scale how strongly they would consider owning a cat, bird, dog, and fish if circumstances permitted. Females were more likely to own a cat (point-biserial r = 0.25 one-tailed p = 0.008) but no more likely to own a dog, bird or fish. In ranking their preferences for these four types of pets, females ranked dogs lower in preference ( r = 0.24. p = 0 . 0 1 ) . For future likelihood of ownership, females ranked cats as more likely ( r = 0.20, fi = 0 .02 ) and a lower ranking for fish ( r = 0.26, p = 0 . 0 1 ) . Self-disclosure to mothers, best male friend, and best female friend were unrelated to pet choices. However, those with higher self-disclosure to fathers consistently showed a lower preference for cats and fish and a higher preference for dogs. For example, high self-disclosure to fathers was related to a higher ranking for dogs ( r = 0.23, p = 0.023) and a lower ranking for fish ( r 0.26, p = 0 .013 ) . Extraversion was related to pet ownership only for males. The more extraverted males ranked cats lower and birds higher ( r = 0.38 and 0.48, respectively) and were more likely to anticipate owning a dog and less likely a cat ( 7 = 0.45 and 0.28, respectively).
Inelastic scattering of pi + and pi - mesons from 3He and 4He at energies of 350, 400, and 475 MeV.

The momentum distributions of pions inelastically scattered from $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ were measured for incident energies of 350, 400, and 475 MeV. Pions were detected in a magnetic spectrometer at scattering angles of 60\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, and 120\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The spectra show quasifree scattering from single nucleons along with a substantial component of lower momentum pions. The results are compared to a simple impulse approximation model, which accounts for the principal features of the data, but does not reproduce the low momentum tail even with the inclusion of multiple scattering.
The effect of thermal reactor neutron irradiation on semi-insulating GaN

Semi-insulating Gallium nitride was irradiated by fast and thermal neutrons with fluences from 1014 to 1016 n/cm2. Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy was used to determine defects changes before and after irradiation. The results revealed two kinds of defects affected near-band emission recombination from two opposite directions. One was attributed to irradiation-induced N vacancies that contribute to near-band emission recombination. Another was attributed to irradiation-induced deep level defects that contribute to sub-band gap recombination and thus decrease the near-band emission recombination.
Cell transformation and the genesis of cancer.

(1969). Cell Transformation and the Genesis of Cancer. Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal: Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 157-166.
A rapid geochemical spectrophotometric determination of tungsten with dithiol

Abstract 1-g sample is decomposed with nitric and hydrofluoric acids, and after evaporation of the solution to dryness the residue is dissolved in concentrated hydrochloric acid. A clear aliquot is treated with stannous chloride to inhibit interferences. The blue tungsten dithiol complex is developed at a temperature of 85° over a half-hour period. The complex is extracted into 2 ml of heptane and the tungsten is determined spectrophotometrically with a sensitivity of 0.5 ppm. Fifty samples per man-day can be analysed in this manner.
α-hydroxylation of ketones using o-iodosylbenzoic acid

Abstract -o-Iodosylbenzoic acid (KOH/CH3OH) converts various ketones to α-hydroxydimethyl-acetals in high yield with the advantageous feature of solubility of the reduction product o-iodobenzoic acid under the basic reaction conditions thus allowing isolation of the oxidation product by simple CH2Cl2 extraction.
Physicians’ Opinions of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis: Survey Results from a Large Urban Medical Center

Stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) has been increasingly prescribed for patients admitted to medical wards. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of those in the healthcare profession regarding use of SUP in medical wards are understudied. A survey consisting of closed-ended questions and multiple-choice queries was handed out during grand rounds. One hundred people (39 attending physicians, 61 residents) completed the survey. More attending physicians (41 vs. 30 %) believed SUP was indicated for patients treated in a non-intensive-care medical ward (P = 0.2357). All residents preferred a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) for SUP compared with 85 % of attending physicians (P < 0.05). Despite equal agreement that PPIs were not harmless, more attending physicians than residents agreed that using PPIs increased the risk of community-acquired pneumonia (P < 0.05). More residents than attending physicians agreed on the use of SUP for patients suffering from major burns and for those with liver failure. In situations of respiratory distress not requiring intubation and in cases of steroid treatment for a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease flare, more attending physicians than residents felt SUP was required. Approaching a statistically significant difference, more attending physicians than residents felt that being too busy to question SUP indication and the perception of PPIs as harmless affected decision making. Despite the publication of guidelines, misuse of gastric acid suppressants continues to occur, even by attending physicians. More complete understanding of the need and occasion for SUP use should result in more cautious use.
Information theory approach in efficiency measurement

The current non–parametric method of measuring productive efficiency of input–output systems is generalized here in the stochastic case in terms of an information theory approach based on the concept of entropy. Use of maximum entropy as a method of finding the most probable distribution of the input–output data set and as a predictive criterion is illustrated for production systems with multiple inputs and outputs.