cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oral contraceptives and dysmenorrhea.

PIP: This artical examines the risks and benefits associated with use of the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) by adolescents and the various alternatives and methods of prescribing OCPs. Any adolescent who is either sexually active or contemplating sexual activity should be offered a contraceptive method that is appropriate to her individual needs. The contraceptive needs to be highly effective, safe and within the means and desires of the adolescent. For the majority of teenagers, the contraceptive of choice will be the OCP. The IUD should almost never be prescribed to the adolescent. Most OCPs marketed today are combination pills containing both an estrogen and a progestin in each pill. A variety of contraceptive actions combines to create a contraceptive method that is 99.3-99.9% effective. OCPs provide some protection against the development of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Oral contraceptives also decrease the incidence of anemia by decreasing the amount and duration of menstrual flow. Ovarian cysts do not form in the ovaries of the OCP user. On the other hand, a serious risk of the use of OCPs is the increased danger of thromboembolic events including deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, and myocardial infarction. The increased risk of myocardial infarction in OCP users is additive with other risk factors including hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cigarette smoking, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and age. OCP use seems to provide some protection against development of endometrial or ovarian cancer. Oral contraceptives are associated with the development of benign hepatocellular adenomas. A variety of metabolic and hormonal alterations also occur in pill users. Most appropriate for the adolescent is a formulation containing a low dose of estrogen because of the decreased risk of thromboembolic complications. Dysmenorrhea effects more than 1/2 of female adolescents, and can best be treated with ibuprofen.
Catalytic properties of activated carbon surface in the process of adsorption/oxidation of methyl mercaptan

Abstract Activated carbons of different origins were used as adsorbents of methyl mercaptan (MM). Before the MM breakthrough capacity tests were carried out, the surface of carbons was characterized from the point of view of its chemistry (Boehm titration) and porosity (adsorption of nitrogen at its boiling point). The results showed that the ability of carbon to adsorb methyl mercaptan depends strongly on its surface chemistry, particularly on the presence of basic oxygen-containing groups and ash content. Catalytic effect of one metal, iron, was studied in more details. It was found that introduction of iron enhances the removal capacity significantly as a result of electron transfer reaction in which thiolate ion is oxidized to dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). This reaction likely involves the reduction of iron sites, which are regenerated after further re-exposure to oxygen. DMDS as a main reaction product is strongly adsorbed in small pores. Water is required for the formation of DMDS since it facilitates the dissociation of MM. That dissociation occurs in water film when the pH of the local system is greater than the apparent pKa of MM in the confined pore space.
The 2004 Sumatra earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami: What happened and why?

The December 26, 2004 Sumatra earthquake and the tsunami that followed killed over 300,000 people. In this paper, we analyze and discuss the geologic causes for this earthquake, the mechanisms that generated it, and follow up with a discussion on ways to prevent this type of disaster in the future.
Subtidal Sea Level Fluctuations and Their Relation to Atmospheric Forcing along the North Carolina Coast

Abstract Coastal sea level fluctuations in Onslow Bay are selectively coupled with local atmospheric forcing variables. The coupling is strongest in period bands of 2.5–3.5 and ≳10 days, which span absolute zero group speed, barotropic continental shelf wave periods. The phase of the sea level disturbances propagated upstream from Beaufort to Wilmington, N. C., as expected for stable discrete shelf waves, consistent with earlier results by Mysak and Hamon (1969). The “barometric function”, when corrected for coherent wind stresses, indicated selective, super barometric atmospheric-pressure-to-sea-level coupling in the zero group speed period bands. Stochastic models of atmospheric cold front wind stress and wind stress curl fields were found to selectively force barotropic shelf wave responses near zero group speed periods and wavelengths. A strong Onslow Bay response to the model cold front occurred near the second harmonic forcing frequency, the wind stress curl contributed importantly to the shape and ...
Exercise improves lung function and habitual activity in children with cystic fibrosis

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease leads to progressive deterioration in exercise capacity. Because physical activity has been shown to improve lung function and quality of life (QoL), developing routine exercise programs can benefit this patient population. Methods: Lung function, nutritional status, and exercise capacity and assessments of habitual activity and QoL were measured before and after a two-month, subject-designed exercise regimen based on self-reported activity assessment. Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon signed-rank, Wilcoxon rank sum, and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Subjects completing the study demonstrated significant improvement in exercise capacity and body image perception, a CF-specific QoL measure (pb0.001). In secondary analyses, subjects improving exercise capacity showed significant increases in lung function and self-reported habitual activity. Conclusions: Increases in exercise capacity over a two-month period resulted in significantly improved lung function and self-reported habitual activity. Longer, controlled trials are needed to develop individualized exercise recommendations.
A Natural Science Version of Socioeconomic Evolution: Copeland's Essays Are His First Sustained Attempt to Apply His Approach to Economic History

. Morris A. Copeland advanced a theory 50 years ago based on the idea, widely accepted in the social sciences at that time, that the society and its economy and polity are products of socioeconotnic evoltttion. Hence, he reasoned, any theoretical economic statement is temporally and culturally relative. Therefore, he held, the concern of economics as a science is with the way economic activity is now organized as well as how it originated and developed over time in specific cultures. After applying it with history-making results to the contemporary economy, he now, in his new book of Essays, applies his approach to economic history, achieving an important methodological contribution.
Comparison of the performance of a reduced-order dynamic PLS soft sensor with different updating schemes for digester control

Abstract In this work, the previously developed reduced-order dynamic PLS (RO-DPLS) soft sensor is extended to its adaptive version to address frequent process changes in a pulp digester. The properties of four model update schemes and the corresponding data scaling methods are investigated through one simulated case study and two industrial case studies of Kamyr digesters. Our findings obtained through extensive experiments are presented, which are expected to provide useful information and some guidance to practitioners. Finally, the effectiveness of the recursive RO-DPLS soft sensor is demonstrated through a digester closed-loop control case study, which shows that the closed-loop control performance can be significantly improved if the soft sensor prediction is fed back to a PID controller.
Flavor symmetry restoration and Symanzik improvement for staggered quarks

We resolve contradictions in the literature concerning the origins and size of unphysical flavor-changing strong interactions generated by the staggered-quark discretization of QCD. We show that the leading contributions are tree-level in $\order(a^2)$ and that they can be removed by adding three correction terms to the link operator in the standard action. These corrections are part of the systematic Symanzik improvement of the staggered-quark action. We present a new improved action for staggered quarks that is accurate up to errors of $\order(a^4,a^2\alpha_s)$ --- more accurate than most, if not all, other discretizations of light-quark dynamics.
Firm Profitability, Inventory Volatility, and Capital Structure

Traditional theories of capital structure imply a consistent relationship between firm profitability and firm leverage. Empirical data, however, suggest that the relationship is not monotonic. In the cross-section of firms, non-profitable firms become significantly more leveraged as losses decrease; profitable firms become significantly less leveraged as profits increase until a point where the most profitable firms have again significantly greater leverage as profits increase. In this paper, we present an extension of a model of Xu and Birge (2004) that is consistent with these observations. The model assumes that firms make debt and production scale decisions that depend on fixed costs necessary to maintain operations, variable costs of production, and volatility in future demand forecasts. In addition to predicting the convex relationship between profit margins and leverage that appears in the data, the model also predicts decreasing inventory volatility for non-profitable firms followed by increasing inventory volatility for profitable firms, which is also a statistically significant result in the data. These observations are consistent with a model of firms that make early price and quantity commitments in advance of demand realization as in the classical news vendor model of operations.
Vénéreau-type polynomials as potential counterexamples

Abstract We study some properties of the Venereau polynomials b m = y + x m ( x z + y ( y u + z 2 ) ) ∈ C [ x , y , z , u ] , a sequence of proposed counterexamples to the Abhyankar–Sathaye embedding conjecture and the Dolgachev–Weisfeiler conjecture. It is well known that these are hyperplanes and residual coordinates, and for m ≥ 3 , they are C [ x ] -coordinates. For m = 1 , 2 , it is only known that they are 1-stable C [ x ] -coordinates. We show that b 2 is in fact a C [ x ] -coordinate. We introduce the notion of Venereau-type polynomials, and show that these are all hyperplanes and residual coordinates. We show that some of these Venereau-type polynomials are in fact C [ x ] -coordinates; the rest remain potential counterexamples to the aforementioned conjectures. For those that we show to be coordinates, we also show that any automorphism with one of them as a component is stably tame. The remainder are stably tame, 1-stable C [ x ] -coordinates.
Dialect and conversational inference in urban communication

Maintenance of dialect differences despite loss of communicative isolation points up the need to analyze the role of dialect-standard alternates in signalling social identity and in contributing to conversational inference. Such analysis should focus on conversational interaction and on the processes by which situated interpretations are arrived at and used as frames for interpreting what follows. An Afro-American sermon and a disputed speech by a Black political leader to a mixed audience are analyzed. Dialect alternants serve to signal switching between contrasting styles in both. In the sermon, the audience shares with the speaker a knowledge of the structure of the activity and of the rules for both styles. In the speech, the activity lacks a predictable structure, only the style can frame interpretation, and most of the audience do not share its rules. Conversational inference is shown to depend not only on grammar, lexical meanings and conversational principles, but also on constellations of speech variants, rhythm, and prosody. Such constellations may persist as symbols of shared cultural background. (Dialectology, conversational and discourse analysis; Afro-American speech styles; urban United States.)
Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual . By Peter Metcalf and Richard Huntington. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Second Edition. Pp. 304. Illustrations, Index.

Analyse de la deuxieme edition de l'ouvrage de P. Metcalf et R. Huntington consacre a l'anthropologie des rites funeraires et plus particulierement des rites americains, des Berawan de Borneo et des Bara de Madagascar. Reprenant le meme decoupage que la premiere edition, l'introduction est une reponse aux critiques dont ils ont ete l'objet
UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS OF INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY IN CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER

Infrared thermography is the preferred choice in many industrial processes for thermal diagnostics, condition monitoring, and non-destructive testing. However, the inherent uncertainty of surface emissivity affects the accuracy of temperature measurement by infrared thermography. In this paper a comprehensive experimental investigation was conducted to assess the uncertainty of infrared thermography in convective heat transfer. Four convective heat transfer conditions, including natural and forced convection on a flat plate, were studied. A composite test plate was constructed with an embedded heater and thermocouples. The thermocouples were used as references to compare with measurements by the infrared camera. The results indicate that the uncertainty of temperature measurement is about 4°F (2.7% of the wall-to-ambient temperature difference) with the largest uncertainty being contributed by calibration of the infrared camera. The uncertainty of the heat transfer coefficient is 4.2% which is largely contributed by wall temperature measurement.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Micro-computed tomography imaging and analysis in developmental biology and toxicology.

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a high resolution imaging technique that has expanded and strengthened in use since it was last reviewed in this journal in 2004. The technology has expanded to include more detailed analysis of bone, as well as soft tissues, by use of various contrast agents. It is increasingly applied to questions in developmental biology and developmental toxicology. Relatively high-throughput protocols now provide a powerful and efficient means to evaluate embryos and fetuses subjected to genetic manipulations or chemical exposures. This review provides an overview of the technology, including scanning, reconstruction, visualization, segmentation, and analysis of micro-CT generated images. This is followed by a review of more recent applications of the technology in some common laboratory species that highlight the diverse issues that can be addressed. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 99:71–82, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sharp Inequalities for Error Probabilities of Tests under Moment Conditions

We discuss the method of moment spaces to calculate the extreme values of integrals. The maximization (minimization) is done with respect to measures restricted by some moment conditions. Inequalities for error probabilities will give some knowledge on robustness properties of tests.
Metacognition in Later Adulthood Spared Monitoring Can Benefit Older Adults' Self-Regulation

Metacognition includes two key concepts: monitoring of internal states and adaptive use of control strategies based on that monitoring. We review studies that indicate that aging does not materially affect the accuracy of elementary forms of monitoring encoding and retrieval states in episodic-memory tasks, even though it does influence episodic memory itself. Spared monitoring accuracy can therefore serve as a basis for older adults' use of compensatory strategies to achieve learning goals despite the influence of aging on mechanisms of learning. Metacognitive-intervention studies based on this premise show greater effects on learning than do traditional strategy-training approaches. Use of strategies for self-regulation, informed by monitoring, may be an important tool for older adults' effective cognitive functioning in everyday life.
V(D)J Recombination: RAG Proteins, Repair Factors, and Regulation*

V(D)J recombination is the specialized DNA rearrangement used by cells of the immune system to assemble immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes from the preexisting gene segments. Because there is a large choice of segments to join, this process accounts for much of the diversity of the immune response. Recombination is initiated by the lymphoid-specific RAG1 and RAG2 proteins, which cooperate to make double-strand breaks at specific recognition sequences (recombination signal sequences, RSSs). The neighboring coding DNA is converted to a hairpin during breakage. Broken ends are then processed and joined with the help of several factors also involved in repair of radiation-damaged DNA, including the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and the Ku, Artemis, DNA ligase IV, and Xrcc4 proteins, and possibly histone H2AX and the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex. There may be other factors not yet known. V(D)J recombination is strongly regulated by limiting access to RSS sites within chromatin, so that particular sites are available only in certain cell types and developmental stages. The roles of enhancers, histone acetylation, and chromatin remodeling factors in controlling accessibility are discussed. The RAG proteins are also capable of transposing RSS-ended fragments into new DNA sites. This transposition helps to explain the mechanism of RAG action and supports earlier proposals that V(D)J recombination evolved from an ancient mobile DNA element.
Methyl bromide intoxication in four field‐workers during removal of soil fumigation sheets

Methyl bromide is a highly toxic and penetrating compound used extensively as an insecticide for dry foodstuffs and as a soil fumigant (in greenhouses and fields) for the control of nematodes, fungi, and weeds. More than 300 cases of systemic poisoning and 60 fatalities attributable to methyl bromide have been reported [Alexeeff and Kilgore, 1983], resulting in substantial regulations concerning its handling, storage, application, and disposal. A recent exposure incident at a Connecticut nursery represents to our knowledge the first report of toxicity stemming from exposures in the field during removal of plastic sheets days after injection of methyl bromide into soil. Following removal of polyethylene sheets covering soil fumigated with methyl bromide, four field-workers developed fatigue and light-headedness and 3 workers noted progressive respiratory, gastrointestinal (GI), and neurologic symptoms. The acute systemic symptoms improved over several days, but later-onset neuropsychiatric symptoms persisted for several weeks. This incident stresses the need for improved worker education and strict adherence to safety precautions during all stages of methyl bromide fumigation and raises the possibility of an increased risk of toxicity associated with methyl bromide fumigation during a cool season.
Attracting future radiation oncologists: An analysis of the national resident matching program data trends from 2004 to 2015

Purpose A significant physician shortage has been projected to occur by 2025, and demand for oncologists is expected to outpace supply to an even greater degree. In response to this, many have called to increase the number of radiation oncology residency positions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data for the number of residency positions between 2004 and 2015 as well as the number and caliber of applicants for those positions and to compare radiation oncology to all residency specialties. Methods NRMP data for all specialties participating in the match, including radiation oncology, were assessed over time examining the number of programs participating in the match, the number of positions offered, and the ratio of applicants to positions in the match from 2004 to 2015. Results From 2004 to 2015, the number of total programs participating in the match has increased by 26.7%, compared to the increase of 28.6% in the number of radiation oncology programs from during the same time period. The total number of positions offered in the match increased by 53.4%, whereas radiation oncology positions increased by 56.3%, during the same time period. The ratio of applicants (defined as those selecting a specialty as their first or only choice) to positions for all specialties has fluctuated over this time period and has gone from 1.21 to 1.15, whereas radiation oncology experienced a decrease from 1.45 to 1.14. Conclusions NRMP data suggest that senior medical student applications to radiation oncology are decreasing compared to those of other specialties. If we hope to continue to attract the best and brightest to enter our field, we must continue to support early exposure to radiation oncology, positive educational experiences, and dedicated mentorship to interested medical students.
Anti-inflammation effect by anti-angiogenesis enhances oncolysis.

A133 Glioblastoma multiforme is a complex tissue consisting of neoplastic, stromal, endothelial, and pericytic cells embedded in a complex extracellular matrix. The complex interplay between cancer cells and their stromal resonse is crucial in determining the fate of a tumor and its response to treatment. Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy is a radical biological strategy being tested in several clinical trials in patients with malignant astrocytomas. OVs are viruses that can infect and replicate selectively within tumor cells, but not in normal non-neoplastic cells. Detailed elucidation of the response of tumor environment to therapy with OV has been neglected. We are using a syngeneic rat glioma model treated with an experimental herpes simplex virus (HSV)-derived OV to evaluate the response of tumor vessels to this treatment strategy. Our results have indicated a four-fold increase in vascular leakage upon infection with OV compared to injection with PBS (control). We investigated inflammatory response with Quantative PCR array for inflammatory genes. We show that forty-four genes such as Interferon gamma, TNFα, and etc. were upregulated in tumor area of OV treated rats. Recent studies have revealed that rapid viral clearance mediated by innate host inflammatory responses limits OV therapy. Finally, we show that vascular normalization achieved by pretreatment with a single dose of cyclic RGD peptide (cRGD; a known anti-angiogenic agent and antagonist of integrins) suppressed OV-induced vascular leakage, suppressed CD45-positive leucocyte infiltration in tumor tissue, and significantly increased OV propagation and survival of rats with brain tumors. Now we are further performing the profiling of inflammatory gene changes between OV and OV +cRGD peptide. In conclusion, anti-inflammation achieved by vascular normalization enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of OV.
Simulation based optimization: applications in healthcare

Increasing healthcare costs are driving the need for optimizing care delivery processes. Due to the complexity associated with healthcare processes, discrete event simulation is the most popularly used decision support tool in assessing trade-offs between multiple objectives of healthcare systems. However in situations where there is little or no structure to input constraints, it can be very difficult to evaluate all alternative configurations. Simulation based optimization is a technique used to efficiently find solutions to problems that have a large number of possible scenarios. In this method a simulation model is used to develop an approximate mathematical model that represents the surface of the results over a range of input values. This is then solved using linear programming or integer programming or other advanced optimization heuristics. In this paper, we discuss the methodology and applications of simulation based optimization, highlighting advantages, challenges and opportunities of using this method in healthcare.
California's Basque Hotels and Their Hoteleros

Chapter focusing on Basque settlement in California and the development of the Basque ethnic boarding houses in California. Focus is on late nineteenth and early twentieth century California.
Intrinsic alignments in redMaPPer clusters -- I. Central galaxy alignments and angular segregation of satellites

National Science Foundation [AST-1313169]; William S. Dietrich II Presidential PhD Fellowship Award; US Department of Energy [DE-SC0007901]
Influence of noise on blood pressure of professional drivers

[Objective]To observe the influence of noise on blood pressure of professional drivers.[Methods]The blood pressure and pure tone audiometry were measured among 620 professional drivers who had received the occupational health surveillance in Zhaoqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2011-2012,the results were compared with the data of the controls(460 people),meanwhile the data of different age groups of drivers were compared,and the statistical analysis was performed.[Results] The prevalence rate of hypertension of noise exposed drivers and the controls was 27.4% and 16.1% respectively,and there was a significant difference(χ2 = 19.39,P 0.01).The sensorineural hearing loss of drivers was significantly higher than that of the control group(χ2 = 19.13,P 0.01).The sensorineural hearing loss and prevalence rate of hypertension among drivers obviously increased with the increasing of exposure age,and the differences were significant between different age groups(χ2 = 27.39 and χ2 = 19.16,both P 0.01).[Conclusion]Noise can increase the prevalence rate of hypertension of professional drivers.
Range Ecology, Global Livestock Influences

Livestock have played a pivotal and positive role in human development. Yet this has come at a heavy cost to the biological diversity of the world's rangelands and forests. Livestock grazing is the most widespread land use occurring on Earth. In many regions of the world, grazing has reduced the density and biomass of many plant and animal species, reduced biodiversity, aided in the spread of exotic species and disease, altered ecological succession and landscape heterogeneity, altered nutrient cycles and distribution, accelerated erosion, and diminished both the productivity and land use options for future generations. Rangelands, a general term for grasslands, savannas, semi-arid shrublands, and woodlands, are a dominant terrestrial land cover type in all continents (except Antarctica). They contain a significant portion of the world's biodiversity. Ecosystem degradation or desertification associated with livestock grazing is a significant problem throughout these rangelands. In addition, the majority of tropical forests in South and Central America are being deforested at alarming rates primarily for conversion to cattle pasture. In effect, the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth are being converted to simple pastures dominated by exotic grasses. To halt this degradation or to restore native ecosystems, innovative approaches to land use and livestock management need to be implemented. Ecosystems should be managed such that natural ecological and physical processes are allowed to occur with minimal disruption. Governmental institutions and policies are among the most significant barriers to land use change.
Targeting Public Relations Activities

This paper examines traditional definitions of Public Relations (P.R.) and who the “publics” or targets for P.R. activities have been. An explanation of “publics” to encompass the “stakeholders” is suggested as a universal definition and operational guide in order to pinpoint the appropriate groups which should be targeted for P.R. activities.
A Review of Expectancy Theory Research in Selling

AbstractMotivation of sales personnel is a major consideration of sales managers. Expectancy theory research holds promise of providing practical answers to certain motivation questions. The theory and empirical evidence is reviewed and synthesized, and strategic implications are discussed.
Selective Gas-Phase Ion/Ion Reactions: Enabling Disulfide Mapping via Oxidation and Cleavage of Disulfide Bonds in Intermolecularly-Linked Polypeptide Ions.

The selective gas-phase oxidation of disulfide bonds to their thiosulfinate form using ion/ion reactions and subsequent cleavage is demonstrated here. Oxidizing reagent anions are observed to attach to all polypeptides, regardless of amino acid composition. Direct proton transfer yielding a charge-reduced peptide is also frequently observed. Activation of the ion/ion complex between an oxidizing reagent anion and a disulfide-containing peptide cation results in oxygen transfer from the reagent anion to the peptide cation to form the [M+H+O]+ species. This thiosulfinate derivative can undergo one of several rearrangements that result in cleavage of the disulfide bond. Species containing an intermolecular disulfide bond undergo separation of the two chains upon activation. Further activation can be used to generate more sequence information from each chain. These oxidation ion/ion reactions have been used to illustrate the identification of S-glutathionylated and S-cysteinylated peptides, in which low molec...
Artificial neural networks for SPECT image reconstruction with optimized weighted backprojection

An artificial neural network has been developed to reconstruct quantitative single photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) images. The network is trained using known projection-image pairs containing Poisson noise to learn a shift-invariant weighting (filter) which minimizes the mean squared error between the reconstructed image and the sample image. Once trained, the network produces a reconstructed image as its output when projection data are presented to its input. Supervised training with a modified delta rule was used to train this two-layer neural network having a backpropagation architecture with one hidden layer (the filtered projection). The system was trained for noise levels representative of 1000, 10k, and 1M counts per slice. The Fourier transform of the filtered projection (for an impulse function) is compared with the ramp filter used with backprojection. >
Efficacy, Safety, and Timing of 5% Sodium Chloride Compared With 23.4% Sodium Chloride for Osmotic Therapy.

Background: Bolus doses of 23.4% sodium chloride (NaCl) are commonly used for the treatment of intracranial hypertension; however, delays in administration may occur in patients without central intravenous access. At our institution, equiosmolar bolus doses of 5% NaCl have emerged as potential alternatives to 23.4% NaCl because they may be safely administered through peripheral lines. Objectives: We sought to assess the efficacy in reducing intracranial pressure (ICP), time to administration, and safety of 5% NaCl as compared with 23.4% NaCl for the treatment of intracranial hypertension. Methods: Patients admitted from July 2012 to June 2014 who received boluses of 5% NaCl or 23.4% NaCl for a sustained ICP >20 mm Hg were included. Data collected included measurements of ICP, time to administration, and adverse events. Results: A total of 44 patients were identified; 11 received 5% NaCl, and 33 received 23.4% NaCl. The median percentage reductions in ICP at 30, 60, and 120 minutes in patients who received...
To Thine Own Self Be True Says Who? The Perceived Authenticity of a Leader’s Fariness

The merits of authentic leadership have received considerable attention in recent years (Avolio & Gardner, 2005). Indeed the notion of a leader acting consistently with internal values has been sho...
Group work camp memories: Group power

Abstract: Article describes how organizational history and early contact with two AASWG founders influenced author’s attendance at first 2009 group camp in USA. The collective camp experience is described in the context of Tuckman’s group development stages. Keywords:, Group Work Camp; stages of group development; groupwork history
Structural Differentiation between Layered Single (Ni) and Double Metal Hydroxides (Ni-Al LDHs) Using Wavelet Transformation.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are anionic clays important in disciplines such as environmental chemistry, geochemistry, and materials science. Developments in signal processing of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data, such as wavelet transformation (WT), have been used to identify transition metals and Al present in the hydroxide sheets of LDHs. The WT plots of LDHs should be distinct from those of isostructural single metal hydroxides. However, no direct comparison of these minerals appears in the literature using WT. This work systematically analyzes a suite of Ni-rich mineral standards, including Ni–Al LDHs, single metal Ni hydroxides, and Ni-rich silicates using WT. The results illustrate that the WT plots for α-Ni(OH)2 and Ni–Al LDHs are often indistinguishable from each other, with similar two-component plots for the different mineral types. This demonstrates that the WT of the first metal shell often cannot be used to differentiate an LDH from a single metal hydroxide. Interlaye...
Insulation design for Wide Bandgap (WBG) device based voltage source converter fed motors

The fast switching times of Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices pose a challenge for the insulation design of voltage source inverter (VSI)-fed motors, interturn insulation in particular. This paper discusses interturn insulation breakdown problem due to steep fronted voltage at motor terminals and calculates the electrical stress for different insulations in a motor based on the standards IEC 60034-18-42 and IEC 60034-18-41. IEC TS 61800-8 is used to estimate voltage appearing at the terminals of motor in an electric drive installation so that the insulation can be designed accurately. With Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices enabling Medium-Voltage (MV) Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) VSI drives for high speed, MW class motors, accurate insulation design is critical for reliability of these motors. This paper uses FEM model to calculate non-uniform voltage distribution in the winding and coil. The contribution of this paper is a comprehensive overview of insulation design for WBG device based converter-fed motors and accurate estimation of increase in insulation volume for random wound and MV form wound motors.
Abstract 18782: Cardiac-specific Ablation of Ulk1, but not of Atg7, Attenuates Mitochondrial Autophagy in the Heart in Response to Energy Stress (Best of Basic Science Abstract)

Rationale and Objective: During myocardial ischemia, mitochondria in cardiomyocytes undergo oxidative stress, develop protein damage/dysfunction, and trigger cell death. Dysfunctional mitochondria ...
Targeted Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer related death and by 2030, it will be second only to lung cancer. We have seen tremendous advances in therapies for lung cancer as well as other solid tumors using a molecular targeted approach but our progress in treating pancreatic cancer has been incremental with median overall survival remaining less than one year. There is an urgent need for improved therapies with better efficacy and less toxicity. Small molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies and immune modulatory therapies have been used. Here we review the progress that we have made with these targeted therapies.
WebBCI: An Electroencephalography Toolkit Built on Modern Web Technologies

Recent advances in electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have led to applications that allow users to control devices such as wheelchairs, prosthetic arms, drones, and gaming systems using cognitive commands. However, software environments used to create these technologies are often designed for expert developers. This research paper investigates the feasibility of JavaScript as a development platform for non-critical BCI systems. We also discuss the current issues with JavaScript-based BCIs and introduce a new library, WebBCI, which is designed to take the initial step towards addressing these issues. Initial benchmarks of WebBCI suggest JavaScript can run common EEG and BCI methods such as band power extraction, common spatial pattern, and linear discriminant analysis in real-time on an array of devices, including mobile phones.
Trophic Factors in Experimental Models of Adult Central Nervous System Injury

Unlike cells in most organ systems, neurons of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) are exquisitely vulnerable to injury and alterations in their environment. Furthermore, those central neurons that survive a perturbation in their environment exhibit only limited regeneration to reestablish functional connectivity. Such observations led the pioneering neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal to state, “Once development was ended, the founts of growth and regeneration of the axons and dendrites dried up irrevocably. In adult centers, the nerve paths are something fixed and immutable; everything may die, nothing may be regenerated” (Cajal, 1928). The specialization within the CNS exacerbates the vulnerability of individual neurons by causing system-wide failures as a result of loss of specialized neurons. For example, the selective vulnerability of dopaminergic projection neurons in the human substantia nigra leads to the movement disorders characterized as Parkinson’s disease, affecting the entire organism. The mechanisms of neuro-degeneration have been extensively studied in the hope of elucidating crucial steps in the sequence of neuronal death. One approach has sought the identity of endogenous survival factors whose presence could support injured adult neurons and prevent their death and the corresponding loss of function.
Comparison of membrane distillation and high-temperature nanofiltration processes for treatment of silica-saturated water

Abstract Desalination of inland water resources such as brackish groundwater or geothermal water must achieve high water recovery to minimize reject brine volume and costs associated with its disposal. Pressure-driven membrane processes such as reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) are presently the most commonly used technologies for desalination of brackish water; however, water recovery is often limited due to high scaling potential by silica, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. Membrane distillation (MD), a thermally driven membrane process, is commonly tolerant to high salinity and may be less prone to irreversible fouling by mineral scaling. This investigation compared performance and fouling behavior of MD and NF during concentration of silica-containing solutions from 225 mg/L to 600 mg/L SiO2 at comparable operating conditions. Water flux was impacted by silica scaling in both MD and NF processes; however, an induction time was observed before flux decline occurred during MD experiments, which was not observed for NF. Salt rejection during MD was > 99.8% for all solutions tested and was unaffected by scaling, whereas rejection during NF was between 78% and 90% and tended to decrease after scaling. Attempts to clean the fouled membranes for both processes by rinsing with an NaOH solution at pH > 11 were partially effective at restoring water flux but unable to completely remove the silica scale layer.
Design of Small GPS Anti-Jam Antenna

We propose a small GPS anti-jam antenna. The method is based on adaptive null-steering processing with miniature antenna elements. Our antenna system can maintain GPS tacking and adaptively steering null(s) for optimal performance. The adaptive antenna technology provides the performance advantages of a null-steering array in a small footprint antenna, allowing an increase in performance without a significant increase in size or cost.
Proceedings of the 13th Workshop on Formal Techniques for Java-Like Programs

The 13th Workshop on Formal Techniques for Java-like Programs (FTfJP), a satellite workshop of ECOOP 2011, took place in Lancaster, UK, on July 26, 2011. In response to the call for papers, twelve papers were submitted. Each paper received at least four reviews. After a week-long electronic PC meeting, nine papers were accepted for presentation at the workshop. I wish to thank the entire Program Committee for their thorough evaluation and thoughtful discussions of the submissions.
Self-Changing of Animal Hearing to Mitigate the Effects of Loud Sound

Abstract : Work on the hearing of animals while they echolocate (Supin et al, 2008: Nachtigall et al 2008) has demonstrated that hearing sensitivity changes with echolocation condition. False killer whales, bottlenose dolphins (Li et al, 2012) and harbor porpoises (Linnenschmidt et al, 2012) maximize hearing of echoes and minimize sensitivity to loud outgoing clicks. These observations led to the idea that perhaps these animals might also change hearing sensitivity out side of the echolocation situation. Perhaps they might protect their own hearing by reducing sensitivity if they were warned to a loud impulsive sound was about to arrive. The long term goal of this work is to examine whether or not cetaceans will change their hearing sensitivity when warned that a loud impulsive sound is about to immediately arrive.
Foreign Aid Conditionality and Economic Growth

Why do we observe failure of foreign aid in promoting economic growth? This chapter disentangles this puzzle by reviewing the literature addressing the “aid-policies/institutions-growth” nexus. Multiple reasons attribute to the failure of foreign aid in the present literature. Limited data and imperfect methodology hamper this type of research. Statistically, the negative correlation between aid and growth makes it difficult to causally identify the effectiveness of aid on economic growth. Empirically, although good policy may boost economic growth, it seems irrelevant to foreign aid effectiveness. Institutions, however, may explain aid’s ineffectiveness at promoting economic growth.
Splicing factor DHX15 affects tp53 and mdm2 expression via alternate splicing and promoter usage.

DHX15, a DEAH box containing RNA helicase, is a splicing factor required for the last step of splicing. Recent studies identified a recurrent mutational hotspot, R222G, in DHX15 in ∼ 6% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients that carry the fusion protein RUNX1-RUNX1T1 produced by t (8;21) (q22;q22). Studies using yeast mutants showed that substitution of G for the residue equivalent to R222 leads to loss of its helicase function, suggesting that it is a loss-of-function mutation. To elucidate the role of DHX15 during development, we established the first vertebrate knockout model with CRISPR/Cas9 in zebrafish. Our data showed that dhx15 expression is enriched in the brain, eyes, pectoral fin primordia, liver and intestinal bulb during embryonic development. Dhx15 deficiency leads to pleiotropic morphological phenotypes in homozygous mutant embryos starting at 3 days post fertilization (dpf) that result in lethality by 7 dpf, revealing an essential role during embryonic development. RNA-seq analysis suggested important roles of Dhx15 in chromatin and nucleosome assembly and regulation of the Mdm2-p53 pathway. Interestingly, exons corresponding to the alternate transcriptional start sites for tp53 and mdm2 were preferentially expressed in the mutant embryos, leading to significant upregulation of their alternate isoforms, Δ113p53 (orthologous to Δ133p53 isoform in human) and mdm2-P2 (isoform using distal promoter P2), respectively. We speculate that these alterations in the Mdm2-p53 pathway contribute to the development of AML in patients with t(8;21) and somatically mutated DHX15.
Polyvictimization and mental health consequences of female genital mutilation/circumcision (FGM/C) among Somali refugees in Kenya

Female genital mutilation or circumcision (FGM/C) is a perilous social and cultural practice that affects the physical, mental, and psychological health of affected women. It is widespread around the world, affecting 200 million women and girls. This study aimed to explore the relation of FGM/C to mental and physical conditions in Somali refugees displaced in a low-resource setting, applying the concept of poly-victimization to reveal multifaceted trauma sequelae. Data for this cross-sectional study with 143 female Somali youth living in Eastleigh, Kenya were collected between April and May in 2013. FGM/C was strongly associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. Logistic regression analysis revealed that separation from a parent and poly-victimization experiences were significantly associated with FGM/C experience. The results also showed that FGM/C and other traumas did not occur singly but were indicative of cumulative adversities, especially for women who were socially vulnerable and marginalized. The results of this study highlight the practice of FGM/C in the context of other adverse living conditions of refugees and the importance of attending to other co-occurring risk factors that prevail with FGM/C practice in the ecological system of refugee forced migration.
Using fMRI to deepen our understanding of design fixation

Design fixation refers to blind adherence to a set of ideas, which can limit the output of conceptual design. Engineering designers tend to fixate on features of pre-existing solutions and consequently generate designs with similar features. The objective of this study is to leverage functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brain activity of engineering designers during conceptual design in order to understand whether/where design fixation can be detected in a person’s brain when solving design problems. Design solutions indicated that fixation effects were detectable at a statistically significant level. fMRI results show increased activation in areas associated with visuospatial processing when comparing ideation activities using an Example solution to No Example solution. Activation was found in the right inferior temporal gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus, and right superior parietal lobule regions. The left lingual and superior frontal gyri were found to be less active in the example condition; these gyri are close in proximity to the prefrontal cortex, associated with creative output. The spatial patterns of activation provide evidence that a shift in mental resources can occur when a designer becomes fixated. For designers, the timing of ideation relative to the timing of benchmarking existing solutions should be considered.
The Collateral Damage of In-School Suspensions: A Counterfactual Analysis of High-Suspension Schools, Math Achievement and College Attendance:

Even the least severe forms of exclusionary discipline are associated with detrimental effects for students that attend schools that overuse them. With a nationally representative longitudinal stud...
Heritage Sites: How Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Communities Leverage Archaeology and Architecture to Protect Their Histories and Challenge the Hegemonic Heritage Discourse

During the construction for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, an archaeological site of tremendous importance resurfaced: the Cais do Valongo (Valongo Wharf), main port of entry of enslaved African people to the Americas. Between 1811, the year of its construction, through the two decades of its
Photoinduced Palladium-Catalyzed Carbofunctionalization of Conjugated Dienes Proceeding via Radical-Polar Crossover Scenario: 1,2-Aminoalkylation and Beyond.

A photoinduced palladium-catalyzed 1,2-carbofunctionalization of conjugated dienes has been developed. This mild modular approach, which does not require employment of exogeneous photosensitizers a...