cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiopulmonary interactions in children with congenital heart disease: physiology and clinical correlates

Cardiopulmonary interaction is the term that is used to describe the inseparable connection between the heart and lungs. In health, the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems are in perfect balance. In disease, derangements of either system leads to dysfunction in the other. Physicians attempt to improve health with therapeutic interventions (positive pressure ventilation) typically aimed at treating disease (pneumonia with hypoxia) in one system (lungs) with resultant positive (recruitment of alveoli) and negative (ventilator induced lung injury) consequences and secondary impact on the other system (heart with decreased cardiac output). This manuscript will review the physiologic basis of normal cardiopulmonary interactions and the pathophysiology that occurs in specific disease processes affecting children with congenital cardiac disease. Lastly, we will present current data highlighting therapeutic interventions aimed at improving cardiopulmonary interactions.
Numerical modeling and experimental investigations of thermal performance of reflective insulations

Reflective insulations are being used in attics, flat roof, and wall systems. Numerical modeling and experimental investigations were conducted to assess the thermal performance of assemblies with reflective insulations. In this article, the present model was used to verify the use of the ASTM C-518 test method for measuring the effective thermal resistances (R-values) of sample stacks comprising reflective insulations. Two tests were conducted on sample stacks using heat flow meter apparatus. The sample stack consists of two expanded polystyrene layers and a reflective insulation installed in between. The model predictions agreed with the measured heat fluxes within ±1%. The article also discusses the combined effect of heat transfer by convection and radiation in the airspace facing the reflective insulation, showing that the derived R-value from the test data resulted in underestimation of the effective R-value of the sample stack.
Ionization and Displacement Damage in Silicon Transistors

An investigation of electron-induced ionization and displacement damage in N-P-N and P-N-P transistors at medium and low powers is presented. Measurements of base and collector currents as a function of base-emitter voltage with radiation as a parameter were made. The transistors were irradiated sequentially with 125 keV and 1 MeV electrons. Initial saturation of surface-damage effects with 125 keV made possible the separation of displacement and surface damage. The results show that the dominant displacement damage occurs within the emitter-base transistor region for fluence levels less than or equal to 5×1015 1 MeV e/cm2 and emitter currents less than or equal to 10 milliamperes in the 2N2102 and 2N1132 transistors. Above this fluence level, displacement damage in the bulk of the base region becomes effective. Isochronal and isothermal annealing measurements indicate that the results can be explained by attributing the damage in the transistion region to recombination current losses at K-centers for N-P-N transistors and A-centers for P-N-P transistors.
Identification of Disabilities and Service Receipt Among Preschool Children Living in Poverty

This study examined the prevalence of indicators of disability or potential disability among preschool-aged children enrolled in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-Up. Three categories of indicators were established: received Part B services, developmental risk, and biological risk. The majority of participating children (62%) were classified into at least one category. Children living in poverty from birth through preschool and of minority status were among those most likely to be classified; these children were likely to have received a variety of services. The majority of children who received Part C services (79.8%) received Part B services as preschoolers, but 33% of the children with a developmental risk identified before age 3 continued to have a developmental risk during preschool yet did not receive specialized services. Results highlight the importance of understanding the relations among child and family characteristics and service receipt to inform policy and prac...
Development of a highly porous, flexible and biodegradable poly(ester urethane)urea scaffold for tissue engineering

For mechanically demanding applications in tissue engineering an ideal scaffold might possess high elastance and strength together with controllable biodegradative and cell adhesive properties. Toward this end, we have synthesized a biodegradable poly(ester-urethane)urea (PEUU) from polycaprolactone and 1,4-diisocyanatobutane, with putrescine used as a chain extender. Porous PEUU scaffolds were created by thermally induced phase separation of a polymer/solvent mixture. The formed scaffolds had open and interconnected pores with pore sizes ranging from several microns to 100 microns and porosities of 80-94%. The scaffolds were flexible with breaking strains greater than 210% and tensile strengths on the order of 1 MPa. The biodegradation rate of PEUU scaffolds was dependent on pore morphology and porosity with the highest weight loss being 21% over 8 weeks. For cellular ingrowth studies, scaffolds were modified with radio frequency glow discharge followed by surface coupling of RGDS peptide. Smooth muscle cells were cultured on scaffolds with and without adhesion peptide treatment. Cells penetrated deeper and distributed more uniformly in RGDS-modified scaffolds than in unmodified scaffolds, and cell number was consistently higher over time in RGDS-modified scaffolds. In summary, these biodegradable PEUU scaffolds offer a platform that is compatible with mechanical training of cell/scaffold constructs. Such training may prove necessary in the development of functional tissues for the cardiovascular system.
Subgame-Perfect Equilibria for Stochastic Games

For an n-person stochastic game with Borel state space S and compact metric action sets A1, A2,..., An, sufficient conditions are given for the existence of subgame-perfect equilibria. One result is that such equilibria exist if the law of motion q(...∣ s, a) is, for fixed s, continuous in a = (a1,a2,...,an) for the total variation norm and the payoff functions f1, f2,...,fn are bounded, Borel measurable functions of the sequence of states (s1, s2,...) ∈ SN and, in addition, are continuous when SN is given the product of discrete topologies on S.
A General Review of Recent Reports on Homosexuality and Lesbianism

This review deals with the most recent reports on male homosexuality (H) and lesbianism (L). The reviewer checked the most recent 1000 articles in the Internet’s Medline to report the major new findings in H and L. First discussed is the presumed etiology or cause, including the “maternal immunization hypothesis” and the evidence for both genetic and environmental factors. Next the prevalence in various countries is reported. The related diseases include HIV+, syphilis and other venereal diseases. Factors like drug involvement, unprotected anal sex, casual partners are included, as is suicidal ideation, violence, child molestation and changes in sexual orientation over time. The goal of this review is to make available to all readers the most recent reports on H and L so that pre-existing problems and any new disorders that have arisen can be better understood and that attempts at their solution can be pursued.
Cytomegalovirus DNA as a Potential Placental Marker for Fetal Infection

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is thought to be transmitted to the fetus after a primary placental infection in animals. This mode of transmission has been suggested in humans. This study was designed to determine if evidence of CMV could be found in the placenta using an in situ DNA method in women at risk for recurrent CMV. Placentas and cord blood were obtained from patients undergoing spontaneous term delivery. Placental fragments underwent in situ DNA hybridization with a probe to CMV DNA. Cord blood was tested for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to CMV using an ELISA assay. Four of fifty placentas demonstrated the presence of CMV DNA sequences. All were from pregnancies with anti-CMV IgG in the cord blood. Placental CMV was found in 8% of pregnancies, a number far exceeding the expected number of infected infants. This suggests that placental involvement is more common than, and may precede, fetal involvement.
Bone metastases and hypercalcaemia from cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

An 83-year-old man presented with hypercalcaemia (12.5 mg/dL, reference range 8–10.7 mg/dL) and acute renal failure. On physical examination, the patient was found to have a solid mass behind his left ear (figure 1A). Histopathological examination disclosed squamous cell carcinoma with areas of necrosis. Serum phosphorus level was low (2 mg/dL, reference range 2.7–4.5 mg/dL) and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was also low (4.4 pg/mL, reference range 10–65pg/mL), whereas an elevated PTH-related peptide (PTH-rP) level was found …
Directional Triplen Hybrid Active Filter for radial systems

Increasing use of non linear loads in residential distribution systems can cause significant growth in neutral to earth voltages and false ground relay trips. Since it is impractical to enforce the residential and other small commercial customers to limit harmonics, utilities need an effective low cost harmonic filtering solution to limit 3rd harmonic propagation. This paper presents a Directional Triplen Hybrid Active Filter (DTHAF) for 3-ph 4-wire multi grounded radial distribution systems. The directionality feature enables isolating downstream triplen harmonic current from the system and blocking upstream triplen harmonic currents even with source voltage distortion. This feature restricts filter size to that of the harmonic load downstream. Hybrid active filter approach enables using a fractionally rated active filter and thereby reducing the cost of the filter. Existing power factor correction capacitors (PFC) on the system can be utilized for retrofit applications.
Citizen-Centric E-Government Services: Understanding Integrated Citizen Service Information Systems

Advances in the networked features of information and communication technologies hold the promise of enhancing integrated citizen-centric information and services. However, few governments to date have implemented an integrated citizen service information system, which is needed to fulfill that promise. This study aims to investigate the organizational determinants of the level of integration and use of a citizen service information system. It draws from the literatures on diffusion and adoption of innovation, technology acceptance and use, information systems implementation, and information technology (IT) and public administration. The primary sources of data are from International City/County Management Association (ICMA) data on citizen service systems and Electronic government (e-government) surveys. Ordered logit is the primary data analysis technique used. The study findings suggest the importance of getting citizen feedback in the move toward a more integrated citizen service information system. Strong organizational commitment to citizen services further plays a significant role in the more sophisticated use of such a system. Overall, however, management capacity and technical capacity do not register a significant relationship with a more sophisticated and extensively used system.
The mirror has two faces

Have changing demographics, increased life expectancy and findings about gender similarities and differences, altered portrayals of older people in American feature films during the past 65 years? We identified 3,038 films made between 1929 and 1995 in which actors and actresses, nominated at least once during their lifetimes for an Oscar award, appeared when aged 60 years or older. Academy Award nominees were selected because they offered a sample of ‘notable’ performers and an accessible database. We selected an eight per cent random sample for a content analysis of their roles. Throughout this period, men were more likely to be depicted as vigorous, employed and involved in same-gender friendships and adventure (whether as hero or villain). Women remained either peripheral to the action or were portrayed as rich dowagers, wives/mothers, or lonely spinsters. Despite changing gender roles in later life since the 1930s and despite social and economic changes for older Americans (earlier retirement age and better health are but two examples), their film roles have remained remarkably static in age and gender stereotyping. In feature films, the mask of ageing differs by gender. Male masks veil inactivity and physical changes, while female masks reveal ageist and sexist stereotypes.
Rupturing Context, Resituating Genre: A Study of Use-of-Force Policy in the Wake of a Controversial Shooting

Internal institutional genres can become fertile terrain for public policy debate when what Birkland called “focusing events” or ruptures extricate these genres from their contexts and subject them to public scrutiny. This study examines consequences for the local instantiation of the police use-of-force policy genre in the wake of a controversial shooting in Denver, Colorado, and traces ways in which the formation of a multi-interest task force charged with revising the police department's policy altered the policy's conventional activity system. In doing so, the public participated in remapping the local policy instantiation's relationship to the use-of-force policy genre and the routinized social action it performed.
Thermoluminescence of Ion-Implanted SiO1

Thermoluminescence (TL) has been measured from room temperature to 500°C for ion-implanted fused silica glasses, crystalline synthetic quartz and rf-sputtered SiO2 films. Measurements of the TL spectra for widely varying values of electronic and atomic energy depositions, along with the known impurity concentrations of the various systems, has allowed some of the TL features to be identified. In particular, 1) a TL peak at 150°C in fused silica has been identified with defects formed by structural modification, 2) a 330° C peak in crystalline quartz and relatively impure fused silica is tentatively assigned to a center involving Al, 3) a 100°C peak, common to all silicas may be related to oxygen vacancies, and 4) an ~200°C peak may be the analog of the 245 nm impurity absorption band seen in some fused silica glasses.
Osteomyelitis: Early Scintigraphic Detection in Children

The value of scintigraphy in the early detection of osteomyelitis is demonstrated in children who had signs and symptoms suggestive of bone infection. Nine patients between 2 and 13 years of age were evaluated with technetium Tc 99m diphosphonate bone scintigrams and roentgenograms. Blood cultures were performed in all patients, and bone biopsy or drainage was obtained in six patients. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis was made in seven patients; one patient had a subperiosteal abscess surrounded by osteomyelitis, and one patient had cellulitis. The seven children with osteomyelitis had focal increase of radiopharmaceutical uptake in the bone. The child with the subperiosteal abscess had an area of decreased uptake in the center of the abscess surrounded by a zone of increased uptake of the radioactive bone-seeker. The patient with cellulitis had soft tissue changes by X-ray and a normal bone scintigram. In the seven patients with osteomyelitis, the bone scintigram was performed during the early phase of the disease and no bony changes were present on the roentgenogram. In one patient with subacute osteomyelitis, soft tissue changes were seen radiologically. Only three of the seven children with osteomyelitis developed radiological bony changes. Since bone scintigraphy can detect early local bone derangement, it is recommended in the initial evaluation of children in whom osteomyelitis is suspected.
Insight into reaction pathways in CO hydrogenation reactions over K/MoS2 supported catalysts via alcohol/olefin co-feed experiments

Reaction pathways for higher alcohol synthesis from syngas are studied over K/MoS2 domains supported on mesoporous carbon (C) and mixed MgAl oxide (MMO) via addition of methanol, ethanol, and ethylene co-feeds. A methanol co-feed results in an increase in ethanol and methane production for the catalysts studied. Ethanol or ethylene co-feeds yield increased C3+OH and C2+HC over the supported catalysts. No change is observed in the product distribution over K/bulk-MoS2 with an ethanol co-feed, but 1-propanol production significantly increases in the presence of ethylene, suggesting the formation of ethyl species from ethanol and/or the adsorption of ethanol are rate-controlling for 1-propanol formation when ethanol is co-fed. Ethylene and ethanol co-feeds yield similar production rates of C3+OH over the MMO catalyst, indicating that alcohol formation likely proceeds primarily via the same acyl intermediate as olefin carbonylation. Supports do seem to have an important influence on the reaction pathways. Specifically, acidic carbon support seems to facilitate alcohol dehydration/hydrogenation to produce alkanes, while MMO influences methanol plus 1-propanol coupling to form isobutyl alcohol. However, Mo–K–MMO sites are key for superior normalized C3+OH productivity with ethanol and ethylene co-feeds over the MMO catalyst.
Fatigue data for polyether ether ketone (PEEK) under fully-reversed cyclic loading

In this article, the data obtained from the uniaxial fully-reversed fatigue experiments conducted on polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a semi-crystalline thermoplastic, are presented. The tests were performed in either strain-controlled or load-controlled mode under various levels of loading. The data are categorized into four subsets according to the type of tests, including (1) strain-controlled fatigue tests with adjusted frequency to obtain the nominal temperature rise of the specimen surface, (2) strain-controlled fatigue tests with various frequencies, (3) load-controlled fatigue tests without step loadings, and (4) load-controlled fatigue tests with step loadings. Accompanied data for each test include the fatigue life, the maximum (peak) and minimum (valley) stress–strain responses for each cycle, and the hysteresis stress–strain responses for each collected cycle in a logarithmic increment. A brief description of the experimental method is also given.
Misinformation and its Implications for Green Markets

This paper develops and analyzes a model of misinformation in markets for so-called "green" products, and more generally, impure public goods. Unlike previous studies of green goods, I account for strategic interactions between consumers and consider equilibrium outcomes under misinformation. A major finding is that misinformation can help or harm environmental quality and welfare, and the direction of these changes depends critically upon whether "green" or "brown" consumers are more likely to be misinformed. These results are particularly germane to markets where nascent methods for analyzing environmental impacts, like lifecycle assessments (LCA) and carbon footprinting, are applied.
The power elite

Who is is really calling the shots in the Kremlin? In this contribution to our series Mark Beissinger reaches the not surprising conclusion that it is Leonid Brezhnev and his group, ruling as one faction among others, in the leadership over an elite pacified by the promise ofjob security. The value of such a privileged position in Soviet society—of guaranteed wealth and power in the midst of universal dependency and widespread scarcity—cannot be over-stressed, particularly to a generation with memories of the wholesale purges of Josef Stalin and then Nikita Khrushchev. Hence the potency of Brezhnev's “social contract”—exchanging job security for political quiescence—in controlling Soviet policy. Inferring reasonable probability from solid fact, Beissinger offers numerous such insights into the nature of Soviet politics at the top, insights that will remain valid at least in the nearer term, whether Brezhnev himself stays or goes.In addition to Jerry F. Hough and Merle Fainsod, How the Soviet Union Is Gove...
The Normal Pituitary Gland

The normal pituitary gland is composed of the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary), neurohypophysis (posterior pituitary), and pars intermedia.
An optimization approach to designing a baseball scout network

Abstract We study the problem of assigning and scheduling minor league scouts for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. There are multiple objectives in this problem. We formulate the problem as an integer program, use decomposition and both column-generation-based and problem-specific heuristics to solve it, and evaluate policies on multiple objective dimensions based on 100 bootstrapped season schedules. Our approach can allow teams to improve operationally by finding better scout schedules, to understand quantitatively the strategic tradeoffs inherent in scout assignment policies, and to select the assignment policy whose strategic and operational performance best meets their needs.
Multiversion concurrency control—theory and algorithms

Concurrency control is the activity of synchronizing operations issued by concurrently executing programs on a shared database. The goal is to produce an execution that has the same effect as a serial (noninterleaved) one. In a multiversion database system, each write on a data item produces a new copy (or version) of that data item. This paper presents a theory for analyzing the correctness of concurrency control algorithms for multiversion database systems. We use the theory to analyze some new algorithms and some previously published ones.
Ischemic Stroke Risk After Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background Prior studies show an increased risk of ischemic stroke (IS) after myocardial infarction; however, there is limited evidence on long‐term risk and whether it is directly related to cardiac injury. We hypothesized that the risk of IS after acute coronary syndrome is significantly higher if there is evidence of cardiac injury, such as ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non‐STEMI, than when there is no evidence of cardiac injury, such as in unstable angina. Methods and Results Administrative claims data were obtained from all emergency department encounters and hospitalizations at California's nonfederal acute care hospitals between 2008 and 2011. Patients with STEMI, non‐STEMI, and unstable angina were identified using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. The primary outcome was IS during 2 years of follow‐up. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the association between acute coronary syndrome subtype and IS risk. We identified 73 059 patients with a diagnosis of STEMI (n=26 427), non‐STEMI (n=39 833), or unstable angina (n=6819) during the study period. In the fully adjusted models that included potential confounders such as atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure, the risk of IS was higher with STEMI (hazard ratio 4.17, 95% CI 3.00–5.83; P <0.001) and non‐STEMI (hazard ratio 3.73, 95% CI 2.68–5.19, P <0.001) compared with unstable angina. Conclusions Non‐STEMI and STEMI confer an equally increased risk of IS. Studies exploring IS mechanisms in cardiac patients are needed to improve and tailor stroke prevention strategies.
Comparative inhibitory action of D- and L-tryptophan on the effect of d-lysergic acid diethylamide in vitro.

The incorporation in vitro of d-[3H]lysergic acid diethylamide into secreted protein from hyperimmune rabbit lymphoid cells was inhibited by both D- and L-tryptophan. The inhibition was specific for tryptophan isomers and analogues. On the basis of these findings a pathway was formulated to describe the preliminary steps culminating in the covalent incorporation of lysergic acid diethylamide into synthesized protein.
The Tragedy of a priori Selectionism: Dennett and Gould on Adaptationism

In his recent book on Darwinism, Daniel Dennett has offered up a species of a priori selectionism that he calls algorithmic. He used this view to challenge a number of positions advocated by Stephen J. Gould. I examine his algorithmic conception, review his unqualified enthusiasm for the a priori selectionist position, challenge Dennett's main metaphors (cranes vs. skyhooks and a design space), examine ways in which his position has lead him to misunderstand or misrepresent Gould (spandrels, exaptation, punctuated equilibrium, contingency and disparity), and discuss recent results in developmental biology that suggest that an a priori position does not fill the demands of an evolutionary biology. I conclude by insisting that evolutionary biology is many leveled, complicated, and is carried on an ever shifting and expanding empirical base that when disregarded results in caricature.
Henrik Ibsens „Peer Gynt“

Der polnische Theatermann Jan Kott (1914–2001) hat Henrik Ibsen einmal anerkennend als den Freud des Nordens bezeichnet. Ahnlich wie der Begrunder der Psychoanalyse habe der Dramatiker die Aufdeckung und Beschreibung von unbewussten Motiven menschlichen Handelns als eine wesentliche Aufgabe seiner Dichtkunst verstanden. Als in dieser Hinsicht zentrales Thema begegnet uns in vielen seiner Dramen die Frage nach der menschlichen Identitat, um die auch das Stuck Peer Gynt kreist.
Elastic Properties of the Tectorial Membrane in Vivo

The subject of this paper concerns the role of the tectorial membrane in cochlear hair-cell stimulation. According to our measurements this role in the mammalian cochlea was misunderstood for the past three quarters of this century.
MIST: Mobility-inspired software-defined fog system

Softwarization approaches in networks, storages, M2M, services, and smart things aim to optimize costs and processes and bring new infrastructure definitions and functional values. A recent integration of wireless and mobile cyber physical systems with the dramatically growing smart sensors enables a new type of pervasive smart and mobile urban surveillance infrastructures, which opens up new opportunities for boosting the accuracy, efficiency, and productivity of uninterrupted target tracking and situation awareness. In this paper, we present a design and prototype of a mobility-inspired efficient and effective fog system using software-defined control over a mobile and wireless environment (MIST). Fog Computing, a recently proposed extension and complement for cloud computing, enables computing at the network edge in a smart device without outsourcing jobs to a remote cloud. We investigated an effective softwarization approach in the Fog environment for dynamic big data driven, real-time urban surveillance tasks of uninterrupted target tracking. We address key technical challenges of node mobility to improve the system awareness. We have built a preliminary proof-of-concept MIST architecture on both Android and Linux based smart devices and tested various collaboration scenarios among the mobile sensors.
Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure.

Treatment of iron deficiency in patients with heart failure using intravenous iron improves function, fatigue, and quality of life, and decreases risk of hospitalizations compared with placebo.
Associations of Work Stress, Supervisor Unfairness, and Supervisor Inability to Speak Spanish with Occupational Injury among Latino Farmworkers.

Little is known about how psychosocial work factors such as work stress, supervisor fairness, and language barriers affect risk of occupational injury among Latino farmworkers. This study attempts to address these questions. Surveys were administered via interviews to 225 Latino thoroughbred farmworkers. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of occupational injury in the past year in relation to occupational characteristics. Work stress (OR 6.70, 95% CI 1.84–24.31), supervisor unfairness (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.14–9.73), longer tenure at farm (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.13–6.34), and supervisor inability to speak Spanish (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.05–5.00) were significantly associated with increased odds of occupational injury. Due to the associations between work stress, supervisor unfairness, supervisor inability to speak Spanish and injury, supervisor training to improve Spanish language ability and equitable management practices is merited. Future research is needed to understand the antecedents of work stress for Latino farmworkers.
Characterization of Zirconia Specimens Fabricated by Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion

Abstract The Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) process is a novel additive manufacturing method for fabricating dense (~99% of theoretical density) ceramic components from aqueous, high solids loading pastes (>50 vol%). In this study, 3 mol% Y2O3 stabilized zirconia (3YSZ) specimens were fabricated using the CODE process. The specimens were then dried in a humidity-controlled environmental chamber and afterwards sintered under atmospheric conditions. Mechanical properties of the sintered specimens were examined using ASTM standard test techniques, including density, Young’s modulus, flexural strength, Weibull modulus, fracture toughness, and Vickers hardness. The microstructure was analyzed and grain size measured using scanning electron microscopy. The results were compared with those from Direct Inkjet Printing, Selective Laser Sintering, Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM), and other extrusion-based processes, and indicated that zirconia specimens produced by CODE exhibit superior mechanical properties among the additive manufacturing processes. Several sample components were produced to demonstrate CODE’s capability for fabricating geometrically complex ceramic components. The surface roughness of these components was also examined.
Social avoidance in policing: Associations with cardiovascular disease and the role of social support

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the association of social avoidance among police, cardiovascular disease (CVD) (metabolic syndrome (MetSyn)), and social support. Design/methodology/approach Participants were officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study (n=289). Social avoidance (defined as the tendency to avoid social contact) and other subscales from the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale were analyzed. The mean number of MetSyn components across tertiles of the Cook-Medley scales was computed using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance. Social support was measured with the Social Provisions Scale, categorized as high or low based on the median. Findings The mean number of MetSyn components increased significantly across tertiles of social avoidance (1.51±0.18, 1.52±0.12, and 1.81±0.12); the only Cook-Medley subscale that remained significantly associated with MetSyn following adjustment for age and gender. Participants high in social avoidance reported significantly lower social support (79.9±8.5 vs 85.8±8.6; p=0.001). Research limitations/implications The study is cross-sectional and therefore precludes causality. The authors were unable to determine the direction of associations between social avoidance and MetSyn. The measure of social support was unidimensional, including only perceived support; additional types of social support measures would be helpful. Practical implications This study suggests that occupational-based police social isolation is associated with health outcomes and lower support. Several suggestions are made which will help to improve communication between the police and public. Examples are the use of social media, training in communication techniques, and changing the police role to one of public guardians. Originality/value Social avoidance is the least studied the Cook-Medley subscale associated with CVD. It is important for the health of officers to maintain a social connection with others.
Parallel Implementation of the Double Bracket Matrix Flow for Eigenvalue-Eigenvector Computation and Sorting

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a new systolic algorithm based on isospectral flows for the computation of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a symmetric matrix and for sorting lists. This algorithm can be implemented in the form of both a linear array and a two-dimensional array. It also analyzes the implementations from the viewpoint of ease of implementation in very-large-scale integration (VLSI). One of the most important developments in the field of parallel algorithms for eigenvalue computation has been the design of special-purpose systolic arrays. The demand for such high performance algorithms is driven by the real-time constraints of digital signal processing applications. Unfortunately, the practical impact of these algorithms has been limited because of the difficulties encountered in implementing these algorithms in VLSI. Most of the parallel implementations to date are based on the Jacobi algorithm, in which the off-diagonal elements are systematically reduced to zero by applying a sequence of plane rotations to the original matrix. The computation algorithm, discussed in the chapter, is based on isospectral flows that is matrix flows in which the eigenvalues of the matrix are preserved. A major advantage the implementation has over other VLSI implementations is that it is easily scalable, meaning that several small chips can be put together to form a large system. This is quite important from the point of view of cost-effectiveness. Each processing node in this implementation is very simple, and is consequently smaller in area than most other implementations. This implementation also gives sorted eigenvalues, while other systems do not sort. An implementation of the linear version of the array is being fabricated in VLSI.
Using On-campus Monitoring Wells to Enhance Student Learning in Geo-hydrology Courses

This project aimed at effective teaching of hydrologic concepts in the water sciences curriculum at the University of Northern Iowa and the State University of New York at New Paltz. The primary goal was to use outdoor instructional facilities to fill the large gap between classroom learning of concepts and its application at the watershed level. In this project, groundwater monitoring wells were set up within walking distance from the instructional buildings. Students were involved in hands-on activities, such as water sampling, on-site chemical analysis, well purging, preparing flow-nets, mapping water table contours, etc. The well clusters served as an effective intermediate step in learning hydrologic concepts. While the shallow wells were useful for unsaturated flow exercises, the deeper bedrock wells were very effective in teaching the natural hydrologic environment in the area. It was much easier for them to understand the negative impact of land use on area waters. We concluded that an on-campus o...
Comparison of devices used in carotid artery stenting: A vascular quality initiative analysis of commonly used carotid stents and embolic protection devices.

Background Data regarding efficacy of various stent and embolic protection device (EPD) combinations to prevent stroke during carotid artery stenting (CAS) is limited. We compared post-procedure inpatient neurologic outcomes across various carotid stent-EPD platforms recorded in the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) registry. Methods We analyzed 13,786 consecutive CAS procedures in the VQI registry performed between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015. The most commonly used stent-EPD combinations (n = 5407) were included in the analysis. Post-procedure inpatient neurologic outcomes included (1) ipsilateral stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and (2) any stroke/TIA. Multivariate generalized estimating equation regression analysis was performed, adjusting for age, sex, tobacco use, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, prior stroke/TIA, hypertension, history of carotid revascularization, and presence of a second ipsilateral stenosis >70%, to determine whether risk of outcomes differed according to device. Results Of 13,786 CAS procedures, Xact-Emboshield (n = 2,438, 17.6%), Precise-Angioguard (n = 1,480, 10.7%), Acculink-Accunet (n = 829, 6.01%), and Acculink-Emboshield (n = 660, 4.8%) were the most commonly used combinations, accounting for a total of 5,407 procedures. Inpatient event rates for ipsilateral stroke/TIA and any stroke/TIA were 1.9 and 2.7% in the Accunet-Acculink, 3.0 and 3.2% in Acculink-Emboshield, 3.2 and 4.1% in Precise-Angioguard and 2.2 and 3.0% in Xact-Emboshield. There was no evidence of difference in risk of ipsilateral stroke/TIA or any stroke/TIA across device combinations (P = 0.15 and P = 0.16, respectively). Conclusion CAS with current carotid stent-EPD combinations is associated with low rates of inpatient stroke/TIA. There is no statistically significant difference in rates of inpatient stroke/TIA across device combinations.
Cosmopolitanism: Reflections at the Commemoration of Ulrich Beck, 30 October 2015:

This is a tribute to Ulrich Beck and a rumination on his legacy in work on cosmopolitanism, translation, anxiety, and memory. Historical transitions and symbolic transmissions open up urgent questi...
The prevention of infection: 12 modifiable risk factors.

Aims Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a serious complication that is associated with high morbidity and costs. The aim of this study was to prepare a systematic review to examine patient-re...
2013 – A Year in Review for Hotel Firms

2013 has been yet another memorable year for U.S. lodging firms. According to the latest Smith Travel Research (STR) quarterly report, the occupancy of these lodging firms increased by 1.4% to 67.9...
Goal commitment predicts cannabis use for adolescents in treatment.

Background: Commitment to change is an innovative potential mediator and mechanism of behavior change (MOBC) that has not been examined in adolescents with cannabis use. The Adolescent Substance Ab...
Tuning, power and efficiency of piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters

Through an impedance plot obtained from the equivalent circuit modeling of linear energy harvesters, this paper provides explanations of their system behaviors such as power and efficiency. The impedance plot shows the tuning impedance and the matched source impedance in the same graph, providing a visualization of their relationship as the system parameters are changed or tuned. Using this relationship, the power characteristics of the system are clearly explained. In addition, the impedance plot is connected to the structural effects in stiffness and damping due to energy harvesting. Two types of efficiency are defined in terms of the electrically induced damping: the energy conversion efficiency and conventional energy efficiency. By using the impedance plot, it is shown that the maximum power and maximum efficiency are achieved almost simultaneously for weakly coupled systems. However, for strongly coupled systems, they cannot be achieved at the same time due to the significant reduction in structural energy associated with high efficiency. Though many relationships discussed in this paper are reasonably understood in the research community, a deeper and more direct understanding of these relationships are offered by this paper with the aid of this graphical and intuitive approach.
Establishing Empirical Benchmarks for Disciplinary Infractions in Alternative School Settings: Findings From a National Sample

The purpose of this study was to establish empirical benchmarks for the rate of student discipline in public alternative schools in the United States and to identify normative rates of disciplinary...
A semi-Lagrangian direct-interaction closure of the spectra of isotropic variable-density turbulence

A study of variable-density homogeneous stationary isotropic turbulence based on the sparse direct-interaction perturbation (SDIP) and supporting direct numerical simulations (DNS) is presented. The non-solenoidal flow considered here is an example of turbulent mixing of gases with different densities. The spectral statistics of this type of flow are substantially more difficult to understand theoretically than those of the similar solenoidal flows. In the approach described here, the nonlinearly coupled velocity and scalar (which determine the density of the fluid) equations are expanded in terms of a normalised density ratio parameter. A new set of coupled integro-differential SDIP equations are derived and then solved numerically for the first-order correction to the incompressible equations in the variable-density expansion parameter. By adopting a regular expansion approach, one obtains leading-order corrections that are universal and therefore interesting in their own right. The predictions are then compared with DNS of forced variable-density flow with different density contrasts. It is found that the velocity spectrum owing to variable density is indistinguishable from that of constant-density turbulence, as it is supported by a wealth of indirect experimental evidence, but the scalar spectra show significant deviations, and even loss of monotonicity, as a function of the type and strength of the large-scale source of the mixing. Furthermore, the analysis helps clarify what may be the proper approach to interpret the power spectrum of variable-density turbulence.
Spontaneous fingering between miscible fluids

Abstract Diffusion-initiated interfacial dynamics between two miscible fluids are investigated. Heptane is diffused into viscous crude oil in a microscale Hele-Shaw cell. No external pressure gradients are applied; hence, the imposed Peclet number is zero. Surprisingly, the diffusive/dispersive process is dictated by a two-stage dispersive mechanism owing to the multicomponent character of the crude oil. Stage I is distinguished by the spontaneous fractal-like fingering of heptane into the crude oil phase due to diffusive preferential light components extraction from the crude oil. Stage II is characterized by diffusive miscible fluid-pair mixing between the heptane and the heavy components in the crude oil. Preferential diffusive extraction of light components exceeds the diffusion between heptane and heavy components in stage I, thereby allowing a distinct interface to form between heptane and the crude oil. Compositional gradients induce dynamic interfacial tension gradients that lead to convection. Convection cells at the finger tips dictate local mass exchange and drive the self-similar fractal-like finger splitting. Fractal analysis of the fingering process shows increasing fractal dimensionality during the early diffusively-dominant fingering regime approaching that of diffusion-limited aggregation (Df ∼ 1.67), and a drastic decrease in fractal dimensionality thereafter due to small-scale convection (Df ∼ 1.55). We characterize the fractal finger growth and mass exchange, and calculate the local dynamic interfacial tension. We find that spontaneous fingering, i.e., the occurrence of stage I, requires gap spacing less than 15 μm in the current system and the presence of light extractable components in the crude oil.
Dynamic Analysis of Vehicle Performance for Changes to Rear Axle Housing

This paper explores the performance improvements of a 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 resulting from changes to the rear axle housing. In previous work, described in (Peters et al., In Optimal Design of an Automotive Rear Axle Housing. Proceedings of the 2018 IAJC International Conference, Orlando, FL, 2018; Patel, In Design, Analysis, & Optimization of 8.8 Inch Rear Axle Differential Housing, MS Thesis, Kettering University, Flint, MI, 2017), the rear axle housing was optimized in order to minimize its weight. It was expected that the decrease in weight would lead to improved fuel economy; in this work, the vehicle was simulated for the EPA highway drive cycle (HWFET) both before and after the optimization of the housing, in order to quantify the changes in fuel economy. It was found that the optimization of the housing did produce a modest improvement in the chassis energy demand and in the fuel energy demand.
Historical antecedents and recent innovations in pitheciid (titi, saki, and uakari) feeding ecology.

The modern pitheciids (titis, sakis, and uakaris) of northern South America represent one of the earliest radiations of platyrrhines and demonstrate morphological adaptations and ecological strategies for seed eating. While seeds can provide reliable resources for relatively long periods of time, they are often well protected by thick husks and hard seed coverings. Seeds also tend to be rich in lipids, but they may also be high in indigestible fiber. Even though seed eaters are found in each major primate radiation, only the pitheciids demonstrate primary adaptations for eating seeds. In this partly historical, partly contemporary review, I examine the ecological and anatomical correlates of seed eating. It is dedicated to two well-known field primatologists: ecologist and conservationist J. Marcio Ayres; and anatomist and ecologist Warren G. Kinzey. Using observations in Kinzey (1992, Am J Phys Anthropol, 88, pp. 499-514) as a framework, I provide context and analysis for the intervening three decades of pitheciid research to identify what we know about this understudied group of primates and propose directions for future work.
Imperial Law as Identity Politics: A Subjective Perspective

Colonial legal historiography takes various forms. Here I concentrate on a less common lens to examine juridical relationships between colonial subjects and their respective normative structures (or, in this case, empire). In this paper, I examine the ubiquitous struggle for and against agency that occurs in non-linear processes of (re)imagining legal codes to show how subjects are situated in relation to various juridical constructs. I argue that this battle over individual or collective agentic status is a result of law’s ability to create and to stratify (or, graph) the degree of “personhood” ceded to subjects. This capacity of law can prima facie be seen as impacting two aims of empire, the need to adjudicate difference (and thus define/limit colonial personhood – the local agenda) and the desire to extend imperial influence (the universal agenda). Concentrating on the former, I conclude that the effort to concretize subjective difference in these spaces can be seen as a strategic objective to normalize the space governed. This then necessitates correlative tactical responses by subjects. 1
Vaccines in the Time of COVID-19: How Government and Businesses Can Help Us Reach Herd Immunity (preprint)

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on American society. Public health experts agree that the best way to end it is with the development, distribution and implementation of a safe and effective vaccine program. However, a vaccine will only be successful if the number of Americans inoculated is sufficient to reach herd immunity. Unfortunately, recent polls indicate this may not be achieved because the majority of Americans appear unwilling to be vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Such a failure might be prevented by action of both the government and private entities. This Essay addresses the potential strategies available to government and private businesses to either mandate or encourage people to get vaccinated. First, the Essay examines the broad power state governments have to pass mandatory vaccination laws and how this would apply to a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In doing so, it distinguishes between broad mandatory vaccination policies that apply to all residents of a given location and more targeted policies that condition receipt of a government benefit on vaccination. Next the Essay focuses on how private businesses could mandate vaccination for both employees and customers, highlighting potential legal issues involving medical and religious exemptions. Finally, the Essay discusses how lessons learned from behavioral economics can be used by both government and employers to nudge people to be vaccinated. The Essay concludes by explaining that the best approach for ensuring that a sufficient number of Americans are immunized is a combination of targeted government mandates, employer mandates and nudging by both government and private businesses.