cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hybrid control and learning with coresets for autonomous vehicles

Modern autonomous systems such as driverless vehicles need to safely operate in a wide range of conditions. A potential solution is to employ a hybrid systems approach, where safety is guaranteed in each individual mode within the system. This offsets complexity and responsibility from the individual controllers onto the complexity of determining discrete mode transitions. In this work we propose an efficient framework based on recursive neural networks and coreset data summarization to learn the transitions between an arbitrary number of controller modes that can have arbitrary complexity. Our approach allows us to efficiently gather annotation data from the large-scale datasets that are required to train such hybrid nonlinear systems to be safe under all operating conditions, favoring underexplored parts of the data. We demonstrate the construction of the embedding, and efficient detection of switching points for autonomous and non-autonomous car data. We further show how our approach enables efficient sampling of training data, to further improve either our embedding or the controllers.
Trapeziectomy and Suspensionplasty Using an Acellular Dermal Matrix Allograft

Trapeziectomy and suspensionplasty with or without interposition is the most commonly performed surgery in the United States for symptomatic thumb carpometacarpal joint arthritis that has failed conservative treatment. The anterior oblique ligament is traditionally reconstructed using tendon autograft to stabilize the first ray after trapeziectomy, but concerns regarding donor site morbidity have led to the use of commercially available products. Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) allograft has been successfully and safely used in several orthopaedic procedures including anterior oblique ligament reconstruction and interposition following trapeziectomy. The use of ADM negates the need to harvest tendon autograft and therefore reduces both morbidity and operative time while also providing the ability to perform a consistent procedure in both primary and revision cases. In this article, we describe our preferred surgical technique of trapeziectomy and suspensionplasty using an ADM allograft.
Sustainable p-type copper selenide solar material with ultra-large absorption coefficient

Earth-abundant solar absorber materials with large optical absorption coefficients in the visible enable the fabrication of low-cost high-efficiency single and multi-junction thin-film solar cells. Here, we report a new p-type semiconductor, Cu4TiSe4 (CTSe), featuring indirect (1.15 eV) and direct (1.34 eV) band gaps in the optimal range for solar absorber materials. CTSe crystallizes in a new noncentrosymmetric cubic structure (space group F4[combining macron]3c) in which CuSe4 tetrahedra share edges and corners to form octahedral anionic clusters, [Cu4Se4]4-, which in turn share corners to build the three-dimensional framework, with Ti4+ ions located at tetrahedral interstices within the channels. The unique crystal structure and the Ti 3d orbital character of the conduction band of CTSe give rise to near-optimal band gap values and ultra-large absorption coefficients (larger than 105 cm-1) throughout the visible range, which are promising for scalable low-cost high-efficiency CTSe-based thin-film solar cells.
Florida’s Past and Future Roles in Education Finance Reform Litigation

In federalist parlance, the states often are called laboratories of democracy.1 Nowhere is this truer than in the field of education, and almost no subset of the education field lends itself to this label more than education finance. Since 1973, with very few notable exceptions, the entire development of the practice of education finance has proceeded through state-specific reforms.2 These reforms have occurred mostly through legislative policymaking, but the courts have played an important role in directing that policy development.3 If one were to seek to observe one of these laboratories in action to witness
In Vitro Mutagenicity Testing of Ohio Coal-Derived Materials

In the effort to meet United States energy needs from domestic sources, coals of many origins are being studied for their feasibility in industrial and home heating use. The Ohio Coal Research Laboratory Association, a consortium of 12 university laboratories, has as its objective the study of methods by which Ohio coals may be used productively. Of particular interest is the application of technologies to the efficient use of high-sulfur coals by this region’s basic industries. Our concern has been with health effects of increased coal use. It is likely that more extensive coal combustion, particularly high-sulfur coal, would add to the air pollution burden. Processing coal to cleaner-burning fuels, however, is also not without risks. For example, it is known that workmen employed in the carbonization of coal for coke or for generation of gas have higher than expected risks of cancer at various sites (Lloyd, 1971). Likewise, processing of coal to liquid fuels has been associated with increased cancer risk, and carcinogenicity of coal-derived liquids has been demonstrated experimentally (Weil and Condra, 1960; Ketcham and Norton, 1960; Battelle, 1979). Considering the potential biohazards of using coal in whatever form, the necessity for evaluating risks at an early stage in technological development becomes obvious.
Geographic information systems (GIS) applications

"GIS is becoming an increasingly important tool in environmental management, retail, military, police, tourism and many other spheres of our daily lives. If you use a computer or a cell phone, you have probably already used a GIS in some form without even realizing it. Maybe it was a map on a web site, Google Earth, an information booth or your cell phone telling you where you are" (Sutton et al. 2009). Because the uses for GIS technology are so widespread and diverse, the market is growing at an annual rate of almost 35%, with the commercial subsection of the market expanding at the rate of 100% each year according to the United State Department of Labor (2010). CNN Money Magazine (2010) included GIS Analyst as one of the best 100 jobs in America and ranked it as one of the top 5 least stressful jobs in America.
Caveat Emptor: Predatory Publishers, Rogue Journals, and the Potential Corruption of Addiction Science.

The name predatory publisher has been applied by academic librarian Jeffrey Beall to describe an open-access, scholarly publishing business model in which publication fees are charged to authors wi...
From the Outside In: Biological Mechanisms Linking Social and Environmental Exposures to Chronic Disease and to Health Disparities.

The ongoing epidemic of chronic diseases involves a spectrum of clinical entities now understood to represent late manifestations of progressive metabolic dysfunction initiated in early life. These...
Critical Component Analysis in Cascading Failures for Power Grids Using Community Structures in Interaction Graphs

Cascading phenomena have been studied extensively in various networks. Particularly, it has been shown that the community structures in networks impact their cascade processes. However, the role of community structures in cascading failures in power grids have not been studied heretofore. In this paper, cascading failures in power grids are studied using interaction graphs. Key evidence has been provided that the community structures in interaction graphs bear critical information about the cascade process and the role of system components in cascading failures in power grids. Furthermore, a centrality measure based on the community structures is proposed to identify critical components of the system, which their protection can help in containing failures within a community and prevent the propagation of failures to large sections of the power grid. Various criticality evaluation techniques, including data driven, epidemic simulation based, power system simulation based, and graph based, have been used to verify the importance of the identified critical components in the cascade process and compare them with those identified by traditional centrality measures. Moreover, it has been shown that the loading level of the power grid impacts the interaction graph and consequently, the community structure and criticality of the components in the cascade process.
Thrombophilia testing in the inpatient setting: impact of an educational intervention

Thrombophilia testing is frequently ordered in the inpatient setting despite its limited impact on clinical decision-making and unreliable results in the setting of acute thrombosis or ongoing anticoagulation. We sought to determine the effect of an educational intervention in reducing inappropriate thrombophilia testing for hospitalized patients. During the 2014 academic year, we implemented an educational intervention with a phase implementation design for Internal Medicine interns at Stanford University Hospital. The educational session covering epidemiology, appropriate thrombophilia evaluation and clinical rationale behind these recommendations. Their ordering behavior was compared with a contemporaneous control (non-medicine and private services) and a historical control (interns from prior academic year). From the analyzed data, we determined the proportion of inappropriate thrombophilia testing of each group. Logistic generalized estimating equations were used to estimate odds ratios for inappropriate thrombophilia testing associated with the intervention. Of 2151 orders included, 934 were deemed inappropriate (43.4%). The two intervention groups placed 147 orders. A pooled analysis of ordering practices by intervention groups revealed a trend toward reduction of inappropriate ordering (p = 0.053). By the end of the study, the intervention groups had significantly lower rates of inappropriate testing compared to historical or contemporaneous controls. A brief educational intervention was associated with a trend toward reduction in inappropriate thrombophilia testing. These findings suggest that focused education on thrombophilia testing can positively impact inpatient ordering practices.
Glucocorticoids mediate egg rejection in a brood parasite host

Abstract Avian brood parasites and their hosts are engaged in a coevolutionary battle that can result in the evolution of sophisticated trickery by parasites and novel defence behaviours in hosts. Despite the clear evolutionary and ecological significance of host behaviour, however, we know very little about the mechanisms that regulate host defences, which limits our understanding of both inter- and intraspecific variation in host responses to parasitism. Here we tested whether corticosterone, a hormone known to be upregulated in hosts exposed to parasitism, also mediates one of the most frequent host defences – the rejection of foreign eggs. We experimentally reduced corticosterone levels in free-living brood parasite hosts, American robins Turdus migratorius, using mitotane and found that the likelihood of model egg rejection was significantly lower in the mitotane-treated birds relative to the sham-treated birds. These results demonstrate a causal link between glucocorticoids and egg rejection in hosts of avian brood parasites, but the physiological and sensory-cognitive pathways that regulate this effect remain unknown.
Comprehensive Prevention of Campus Sexual Violence: Expanding Who Is Invited to the Table:

There are calls for sexual violence prevention to be more comprehensive and align with a socio-ecological approach. However, there is lack of models with specificity on how to engage additional stakeholders. Whole School Approach (WSA) frameworks have been used to address health promotion and bullying prevention and can be a useful model for guiding campus sexual violence prevention work. WSA models situate violence as a community issue and one where all community members have a role to play in prevention. Rather than focusing on addressing individual behavior, WSA frameworks address the role of the larger school environment in serving as a protective factor against violence, abuse, and harassment. A review of the literature on WSA frameworks in other disciplines reveals a number of potential ways to translate key elements of WSA models to the field of campus sexual violence prevention. In particular, mechanisms can be applied to expand the role of students, faculty, staff, parents/significant adults, institutional leadership, and the larger community.
Thymic Function Associated With Cancer Development, Relapse, and Antitumor Immunity - A Mini-Review.

The thymus is the central lymphoid organ for T cell development, a cradle of T cells, and for central tolerance establishment, an educator of T cells, maintaining homeostatic cellular immunity. T cell immunity is critical to control cancer occurrence, relapse, and antitumor immunity. Evidence on how aberrant thymic function influences cancer remains largely insufficient, however, there has been recent progress. For example, the involuted thymus results in reduced output of naive T cells and a restricted T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, inducing immunosenescence and potentially dampening immune surveillance of neoplasia. In addition, the involuted thymus relatively enhances regulatory T (Treg) cell generation. This coupled with age-related accumulation of Treg cells in the periphery, potentially provides a supportive microenvironment for tumors to escape T cell-mediated antitumor responses. Furthermore, acute thymic involution from chemotherapy can create a tumor reservoir, resulting from an inflammatory microenvironment in the thymus, which is suitable for disseminated tumor cells to hide, survive chemotherapy, and become dormant. This may eventually result in cancer metastatic relapse. On the other hand, if thymic involution is wisely taken advantage of, it may be potentially beneficial to antitumor immunity, since the involuted thymus increases output of self-reactive T cells, which may recognize certain tumor-associated self-antigens and enhance antitumor immunity, as demonstrated through depletion of autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene in the thymus. Herein, we briefly review recent research progression regarding how altered thymic function modifies T cell immunity against tumors.
Probing magnon-magnon coupling in exchange coupled Y[Formula: see text]Fe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]/Permalloy bilayers with magneto-optical effects.

We demonstrate the magnetically-induced transparency (MIT) effect in Y$$_3$$Fe$$_5$$O$$_{12}$$(YIG)/Permalloy (Py) coupled bilayers. The measurement is achieved via a heterodyne detection of the coupled magnetization dynamics using a single wavelength that probes the magneto-optical Kerr and Faraday effects of Py and YIG, respectively. Clear features of the MIT effect are evident from the deeply modulated ferromagnetic resonance of Py due to the perpendicular-standing-spin-wave of YIG. We develop a phenomenological model that nicely reproduces the experimental results including the induced amplitude and phase evolution caused by the magnon–magnon coupling. Our work offers a new route towards studying phase-resolved spin dynamics and hybrid magnonic systems.
Documenting and characterising gestational weight gain beliefs and experiences among Marshallese pregnant women in Arkansas: a protocol for a longitudinal mixed-methods study.

Introduction Arkansas has the largest population of Marshallese Pacific Islanders residing in the continental USA. The Marshallese have higher rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, pre-term births, low birthweight babies, infant mortality, and inadequate or no prenatal care. Despite the high rates of cardiometabolic and maternal and child health disparities among Marshallese, there are no studies documenting gestational weight gain or perceptions about gestational weight gain among the Marshallese population residing in the USA. Methods and analysis This paper describes the protocol of a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation longitudinal study designed to understand gestational weight gain in Marshallese women. The mixed-methods design collects qualitative and quantitative data during simultaneous data collection events, at both first and third trimester, and then augments that data with postpartum data abstraction. Quantitative and qualitative data will be analysed separately and then synthesised during the interpretation phase. Ethics and dissemination The study used a community engaged approach approved by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institutional Review Board (#228023). The research team will disseminate results to study participants, research stakeholders (clinics, faith-based organisations and community-based organisation), the broader Marshallese community and fellow researchers. Results will be disseminated to study participants through a one-page summary that show the aggregated research results using plain language and infographics.
Constructivist Grounded Theory to Establish the Relationship Between Technical Error and Adverse Patient Outcome: Modeling Technical Error and Adverse Outcomes:

BackgroundPreventable intraoperative errors have the potential to lead to adverse events. Our objective was to build a conceptual model of the relationship between minute technical errors performed...
Commercial Speech as Free Expression: The Case for First Amendment Protection

For many years, commercial speech was summarily excluded from First Amendment protection, without reason or logic. Starting in the mid-1970s, the Supreme Court began to extend protection but it remained strictly limited. In recent years, that protection has expanded, but both Court and scholars have refused to consider treating commercial speech as the First Amendment equivalent of traditionally protected expressive categories such as political speech or literature. Commercial Speech as Free Expression stands as the boldest statement yet for extending full First Amendment protection to commercial speech by proposing a new, four-part synthesis of different perspectives on the manner in which free expression fosters and protects expressive values. This book explains the complexities and subtleties of how the equivalency principle would function in real-life situations. The key is to recognize that as a matter of First Amendment value, commercial speech deserves treatment equivalent to that received by traditionally protected speech.
Major League Baseball & the Antitrust Rules - Where are We Now?

This essay will attempt to look into the history of professional baseball’s antitrust exemption, which has forever been a source of controversy between players and owners. This essay will trace the genesis of the exemption, its evolution through the years, and come to the conclusion that the exemption will go on ad infinitum.What exactly is the Sherman Antitrust Act? The Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C.A. sec. 1 (as amended), is a federal statute first passed in 1890. The object of the statute was to level the playing field for all businesses, and oppose the prohibitive economic power concentrated in only a few large corporations at that time. The Act provides the following: Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal. Every person who shall make any contract or engage in any combination or conspiracy hereby declared to be illegal shall be deemed guilty of a felony.It is this statute that has provided a thorn in the side of professional baseball players for over a century. Why is this the case? Because the teams that employ the players are exempt from the provisions of the Sherman Act.
High Rate of Inappropriate Fecal Immunochemical Testing at a Large Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Introduction Colonoscopies and fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) are the preferred modalities for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. In addition to proper patient selection, appropriate fecal immunochemical testing requires that negative tests be repeated annually, positive tests lead to a diagnostic colonoscopy, and FIT not be performed within 5 years of a colonoscopy with adequate bowel preparation. We sought to study the frequency of inappropriate FITs at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health Care System in Pennsylvania. Methods A retrospective quality assurance study was undertaken of veterans undergoing FIT in a 3-year period (2015-2017). We calculated the rate of a negative initial FIT in 2015/2016 followed by a second FIT in 2016/2017 in a random selection of veterans (3% SE, 95% CI). Demographics were compared in an equal random number of veterans that did and did not have a follow-up FIT (5% SE, 95% CI of all negative FIT). We also calculated the rate of completing colonoscopy following a positive FIT in a random selection of veterans (3% SE, 95% CI). Finally, we investigated use of FIT following a colonoscopy for all veterans in the study period. Results A total of 6,766 FITs were performed; 4,391 unique veterans had at least 1 negative FIT, and 709 unique veterans had a positive FIT. Of 1,742 veterans with at least 1 negative FIT, 870 were eligible for repeat testing during the study period, and only 543 (62.4%) underwent at least 2 FITs. There was no significant demographic difference in veterans that had only 1 or at least 2 FITs. Of 410 veterans with a positive FIT, 113 (27.5%) did not undergo a subsequent colonoscopy within 1 year due to patient refusal, or failure to schedule or keep a colonoscopy appointment. Of 832 veterans who had both a FIT and colonoscopy in the interval, 108 veterans underwent colonoscopy with a subsequent FIT (1.6% of total FITs performed). Of these, 95 (88%) were judged to be inappropriate. Thirteen instances of FIT following colonoscopy were appropriate based on patient preference to undergo fecal immunochemical testing for CRC screening modality after undergoing colonoscopy with an inadequate bowel preparation. Conclusions Veterans underwent inappropriate testing due to failure to undergo serial FIT after a negative result (37.6%), failure to complete colonoscopy following a positive FIT (27.5%), and undergoing inappropriate FIT following a recent colonoscopy (88%). Efforts are still required to improve both patient and provider education and adherence to appropriate fecal immunochemical testing and CRC screening guidelines.
Chemogenetic inhibition of prefrontal projection neurons constrains top-down control of attention in young but not aged rats.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) governs top-down control of attention and is known to be vulnerable in aging. Cortical reorganization with increased PFC recruitment is suggested to account for functional compensation. Here, we hypothesized that reduced PFC output would exert differential effects on attentional capacities in young and aged rats, with the latter exhibiting a more robust decline in performance. A chemogenetic approach involving designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs was utilized to determine the impact of silencing PFC projection neurons in rats performing an operant attention task. Visual distractors were presented in all behavioral testing sessions to tax attentional resources. Under control conditions, aged rats exhibited impairments in discriminating signals with the shortest duration from non-signal events. Surprisingly, chemogenetic inhibition of PFC output neurons did not worsen performance amongst aged animals. Conversely, significant impairments in attentional capacities were observed in young subjects following such manipulation. Given the involvement of PFC-projecting basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in top-down regulation of attention, amperometric recordings were conducted to measure alterations in prefrontal cholinergic transmission in a separate cohort of young and aged rats. While PFC silencing resulted in a robust attenuation of tonic cholinergic signaling across age groups, the capacity to generate phasic cholinergic transients was impaired only amongst young animals. Collectively, our findings suggest a reduced efficiency of PFC-mediated top-down control of attention and cholinergic system in aging, and that activity of PFC output neurons does not reflect compensation in aged rats, at least in the attention domain.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training and Credentialing for mid-late Career Emergency Physicians: Is it worth it? Credentialing Late Career Emergency Physicians

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming more prevalent in community emergency medicine (EM) practice with the current American College of Emergency Physician guidelines recommending POCUS training for all graduates from United States based residency programs as well as support for POCUS privileging by the American Medical Association. However, in a recent survey of nonacademic EDs, it was found that most providers lack US training, credentialing, and quality assurance (QA) assessments of their POCUS studies. In 2017, our healthcare system embarked on a system-wide credentialing process for POCUS to credential community physicians with little to no POCUS training.
Effects of chloride and chloride-free accelerators combined with typical admixtures on the early-age cracking risk of concrete repair slabs

Abstract Accelerators are commonly added to concrete mixtures used for concrete repair slabs due to high early strength requirements. This study compared the effects of a calcium chloride-based accelerator and a calcium nitrate-based accelerator in rapid strength concrete mixtures on the early age cracking potential of concrete repair slabs. The results showed more shrinkage, higher restraint stresses, and higher strength for the calcium nitrate-based accelerator mixture. HIPERPAV simulated a lower cracking risk for the calcium nitrate-based accelerator mixture during evening and nighttime placements. Calorimetry, free shrinkage, and rigid cracking frame testing were used with the modeling software to observe trends in these mixtures.
"Behold Me and This Great Babylon I Have Built": The Life and Work of Sophia Sawyer, 19th Century Missionary and Teacher Among the Cherokees

Sophia Sawyer (1792-1853) was born and educated in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She was a strong-willed and independent woman who turned to teaching as a means of support after the death of her parents. At age thirty-one, she joined the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions and was stationed at the Brainerd Mission in Tennessee. Sawyer exemplifies the first generation of women to receive an academy education and become teachers themselves. This dissertation will examine the structure and environment of the schools in which Sophia Sawyer, missionary educator of females and Native Americans, taught the Cherokee students in the missions of Tennessee and Georgia, 1823-1836, and later in the Fayetteville Female Seminary, 1839-1853. In the large number of letters written to, by, and about Sophia Sawyer and her work among the Cherokees, it is revealed that she was a religious and pious person who felt a calling to Christianize and educate the Cherokees. She also displayed considerable respect for their culture, something which is often overlooked in many histories of White/Native American encounters. Sawyer appears to have cared deeply about her students, and the techniques that she used reflect this depth of feeling. The existing written opinions of her are either very positive or very negative, but even her detractors respected her commitment to education. Cherokee leaders such as John Ridge recognized this dedication. It is possible they held Sawyer in such high esteem because of her ability to look beyond the stereotypes held by many other missionaries about Indians. She created a classroom atmosphere which encouraged but challenged the students to learn English, as well as subjects similar to those taught in schools for Anglo-American children. That Sawyer was able to accomplish this with few resources and textbooks is an accomplishment worth examining in light of our modern concern about multi-cultural education.
Retention of Low Income Mothers in a Parenting Intervention Study

Women with inadequate prenatal care were recruited to a multi-component parenting intervention study. Because it was anticipated that this high-risk population might present challenges to retention, a variety of strategies were employed to maintain their participation in the study. This report reviews the results of these retention efforts and compares the population that completed the study versus those that terminated prior to study completion. Two hundred and eighty-six women were randomized to an intervention or control group. Careful tracking of the mothers, offering incentives for completing various study activities and providing a culturally competent staff were among the strategies employed to maintain participation. Comparison was made of those mothers terminating before study completion versus those retained, and of those terminating early in the study period versus later. Despite retention efforts, attrition at a level of 41% occurred. A few characteristics of mothers terminating early from the study were significant including older maternal age, a larger number of children, and incidence of no prenatal care. Despite comprehensive tracking procedures, some mothers were lost to follow up after change of residence. Other reasons for attrition included child outplacement and refusal of services or data collection procedures.
Page's Ordered Alternatives Test

Page's test provides for a distribution-free randomized blocks test where the researcher can order the k treatments in terms of the expected magnitudes of response to those treatments. Keywords: ordered treatments; randomized blocks; rank-based inference
Deconvolution of Energetic Neutral Atom Images of the Earth's Magnetosphere

A method for deconvolving equatorial pitch angle distributions of energetic neutral atoms from images from the ENA instruments on the IMAGE satellite is described and illustrated using simulated data obtained from calculated models of ring current flux. The unknown flux is expanded in terms of cubic B-splines and Legendre polynomials. The expansion coefficients are obtained from the solution of a linear set of equations that select the smoothest solution that fits the data. In this way, all the information that is contained in the data is extracted but no more.
Masculine, Feminine, or Androgynous: The Influence of Gender Identity on Job Satisfaction Among Female Police Officers

Research shows the experience of female police officers differ from their male coworkers as a result of factors related directly to gender. The current study explores the relationship between gender identity and job satisfaction among 100 female police officers using the Bem Sex Role Inventory and Job Descriptive Index scales. Correlations between demographics, gender, and job satisfaction were investigated. The results found that policewomen with masculine gender identity experienced less job satisfaction than those identifying as androgynous.
Children's Deaths at Day-Care Facilities

In the US, there is no mechanism readily available to identify children who die while attending day care. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses the International Classification of Diseases 9th Edition (ICD-9) to categorize US mortality data; however, the International Classification of Diseases does not contain a category for "day care" as the place of death. Thus, researchers using NCHS mortality data are unable to count day-care deaths on a national basis. To identify children who died while in day care, it is necessary to review the records of those who investigated the deaths. In most counties and states, medical examiners or coroners (ME/C) are responsible for investigating unusual and sudden deaths. Their records often contain detailed information on the place and circumstances of death. The Medical Examiners and Coroners Information Sharing Programs (MECISP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with state and local medical examiners and coroners to improve the availability of data on deaths that they investigate. Computerized data are gathered on all deaths investigated by participating ME/C offices; data are obtained from six state and seven county jurisdictions. These jurisdictions have a combined population of 37 million people and record 56 000 deaths per year. Of these jurisdictions, one state and three county offices have text within their computerized data that describes the circumstances, place, and cause of each death. The objective of our study was to demonstrate the usefulness of ME/C death-investigation records as a means of identifying and characterizing the types of deaths that occur among children while attending day care facilities.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Coronary Heart Disease in the American Cancer Society CPS-II Cohort

Background Thirteen of 14 epidemiological studies have shown an increased risk of ≈20% for coronary heart disease (CHD) for never-smokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), but this association remains controversial. If true, ETS might account for an estimated 35 000 to 40 000 heart disease deaths per year in the United States. Methods and Results We have conducted the largest study to date, a prospective study of 353 180 female and 126 500 male never-smokers enrolled in 1982 in the American Cancer Society9s Cancer Prevention Study II and followed through 1989. Analyses focused on subcohorts of 309 599 married pairs and of 135 237 subjects concordant for self-reported exposure and exposure reported by each one9s spouse. More than 2800 CHD deaths (ICD 410-414) occurred among married pairs; 10% of married men and 28% of married women were married to currently smoking spouses, while 10% and 32%, respectively, were married to former smokers. After controlling for many cardiovascular risk factors, we found 22% higher CHD mortality (rate ratio, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.40) among never-smoking men married to currently smoking wives compared with those married to wives who had never smoked. The corresponding rate ratio for women was 1.10 (0.96 to 1.27). Never-smokers living with former smokers showed no increased risk. When analyses were restricted to subjects whose ETS exposure was classified via both their own self-report and a spouse9s report, the rate ratio was 1.23 (1.03 to 1.47) for currently exposed men and 1.19 (0.97 to 1.45) for women. Conclusions Results are consistent with prior reports that never-smokers currently exposed to ETS have about 20% higher CHD death rates. However, our data do not show consistent dose-response trends and are possibly subject to confounding by unmeasured risk factors.
Primary hyperhidrosis increases the risk of cutaneous infection: a case-control study of 387 patients.

Background Although primary hyperhidrosis (PHH) has been frequently associated with diminished quality of life, the medical consequences of the condition are less well studied. Objective The objective was to study the clinical presentation of PHH and to determine its relationship to cutaneous infection. Methods A retrospective case-control study of patients encountered between 1993 and 2005 with the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis code for hyperhidrosis (HH) and meeting criteria for PHH was conducted. Results Of 387 patients with PHH included, 59% were female and 41% were male; mean age was 27.3 years (range 2-72). Sites of HH included soles (50.1%), palms (45.2%), and axillae (43.4%). Distributional patterns of HH were isolated axillary (27.6%), palmoplantar (24.3%), isolated plantar (15%), axillary/palmoplantar (5.7%), isolated palmar (5.7%), and craniofacial (5.2%). Axillary HH was more common in female patients ( P = .004). The mean age of onset (18.6 ± 12.3 years) indicated a mean duration of untreated symptoms of 8.9 years. Age at onset for palmoplantar HH (11.5 ± 8 years) was significantly younger than for axillary HH (20.0 ± 8.3 years; P P P P P = .017), and viral infection (OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.2-3.0; P = .011) were all increased. Risks of pitted keratolysis (OR 15.4; 95% CI 2.0-117; P = .0003), dermatophytosis (OR 9.8; 95% CI 3.4-27.8; P P = .0077) were particularly increased. Association with atopic/eczematous dermatitis (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.5-55; P = .019) was observed. Limitations Retrospective design and single-institution study are limitations. Conclusions Patients with HH are at high risk of secondary infection. Management of HH may have a secondary benefit of decreasing this risk.
Top performing banks: the benefits to investors

In this study, we examine whether superior accounting performance as reported in the annual ABA Banking Journal Top Performing Banks survey translates into higher investor returns. We observe that the announcement effect is more pronounced during the early years of the survey. For the entire survey period and for later sub-periods in which bank holding companies (BHCs) are ranked based on return on equity (ROE), we observe statistically-significant superior holding period returns against both the S&P 500 index and in some cases a matched sample. These results include raw and risk-adjusted returns as well as buy and hold abnormal returns (BHARs). We obtain similar results after controlling for the market return, size, book-to-market ratio, and momentum factors.
Mesoscale and large‐eddy simulation model studies of the Martian atmosphere in support of Phoenix

[1] In late May of 2008, the NASA/JPL Phoenix spacecraft will touch down near its targeted landing site on Mars (68.2°N, 126.6°W). Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) occurs in the late afternoon (∼1630 hours local solar time (LST)) during late northern spring (Ls ∼ 78°). Using a mesoscale and a large-eddy simulation (LES) model, we have investigated the range of conditions that might be encountered in the lower atmosphere during EDL. High-resolution (∼18 km) results from the Oregon State University Mars MM5 (OSU MMM5) are used to understand the hazards from the transient circulations prominent during this season. Poleward of ∼80°N these storms produce strong winds (∼35 m s−1) near the ground; however, owing to the synoptic structure of these storms, and the deep convective mixed layer equatorward of the seasonal cap boundary during EDL, our modeling suggests the spacecraft would not be in winds stronger than ∼20 m s−1 at parachute separation. The storm-driven variability is much weaker at Phoenix latitudes than it is poleward of the seasonal cap edge (result from an extensive sensitivity study). The OSU MLES model is used to explicitly simulate the hazards of convection and atmospheric turbulence at very high resolution (100 m). This modeling suggests that an upper bound for the maximum expected horizontal-mean atmospheric turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is ∼12 m2 s−2, seen ∼3 km above the ground at ∼1430 hours LST. TKE amplitudes are greatest when the horizontal mean wind is large (shear production) and/or the surface albedo is low (a lower albedo enhances buoyancy production, mimicking decreased atmospheric stability after a storm advects colder air into the region). LES simulations predict deep mixed layers (∼6–7 km), ∼1.5 km deeper than the mesoscale model (∼5 km). Mesoscale modeling suggests that the actual landing site differs meteorologically from other longitudes (larger-amplitude diurnal wind cycle), a consequence of the strong thermal circulations that are excited by the very large regional topography. The OSU MLES model was modified for this work to utilize time- and height-dependent geostrophic wind forcing (constructed from OSU MMM5 results). With this forcing, the OSU MLES provides a site-specific simulation, where the time/height variability of the horizontal mean LES wind field is in good agreement with the OSU MMM5. On the basis of some statistical analysis, we have good confidence that the “full-spectrum” wind field is within engineering guidelines for Phoenix EDL.
Origin of layer 1 deposits in ignimbrites

Types of layer 1 deposits in ignimbrite sequences include ground-surge, ground-layer, and jetted deposits. Ground-surge deposits are generally thought to represent deposition from turbulent, low-concentration pyroclastic density currents resulting from “ash hurricane,” initial stages of Plinian eruption column collapse, or blast-wave phenomena. Ground layers form by sedimentation from the fluidized head of a pyroclastic flow, and jetted deposits form by explosive jetting from the flow head as a result of heating of ingested air. Theoretical evidence suggests some layer 1 deposits may result from turbulent boundary layers at the base of pyroclastic flows. Deposits formed from this process will have characteristics that depend on local flow conditions and thus may be largely independent of distance from vent. The turbulenit-boundary-layer model may explain the occurrence of surgelike deposits at distances from sources that appear too far for transportation by a low-concentration, turbulent pyroclastic surge.
FLT3/FLK2 Receptor Expression by Fetal Human Liver and Cord Blood CD34+ Cells and Ligand-mediated Colony Formation

FLT3/FLK2 Receptor Expression by Fetal Human Liver and Cord Blood CD34+ Cells and Ligand-mediated Colony Formation
Professionalization, Deprofessionalization, and Reprofessionalization of Rehabilitation Counseling According to Criteria of Professions

Using documentation from professional literature, this article reviews and examines the professionalization, deprofessionalization, and reprofessionalization of rehabilitation counseling according to selected descriptors of professionalism. Recommendations designed to facilitate the continuation of rehabilitation counseling's professional development are offered.
Ethics in Academic Publication

The article examines potential ethical violations in academic publication and then proposes that the Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (CHRIE) adopt a set of ethical guidelines for writers and researchers in hospitality. An example of a possible code of ethics is presented as a starting point for an eventual code that could be sanctioned by CHRIE.
A 32 nm 0.58-fJ/Bit/Search 1-GHz Ternary Content Addressable Memory Compiler Using Silicon-Aware Early-Predict Late-Correct Sensing With Embedded Deep-Trench Capacitor Noise Mitigation

A Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) uses a two-phase search operation where early prediction on its pre-search results prematurely activates the subsequent main-search operation, which is later interrupted only if the final pre-search results contradict the early prediction. This early main-search activation improves performance by 30%, while the low-probability of a late-correct has a negligible impact on power consumption. This Early-Predict Late-Correct (EPLC) sensing with silicon-aware tuning enables a high-performance TCAM compiler implemented in 32 nm High-K Metal Gate SOI process to achieve 1 Gsearch/sec throughput on a 2048×640 bit TCAM instance while consuming only 0.76 W, resulting in an energy efficiency of 0.58-fJ/bit/search. Embedded Deep-Trench (DT) capacitance reduces power supply collapse by 53% while adding only 5% area overhead for a total TCAM area of 1.56 mm2 .
Gas chromatograph analysis on closed nitrous oxide and air atmospheres of recalcitrant Quercus alba seeds

Storage of recalcitrant seeds remains an unsolved problem. The study of gaseous atmospheres could provide insights in understanding the metabolism of recalcitrant seeds and their potential in being used as means for storage. This study investigated the metabolism of the recalcitrant Quercus alba seeds when subjected under nitrous oxide (N2O) and air atmospheres. Seeds were placed in sealed atmospheric flasks of 98/2% N2O/O2. Three experiments were conducted to determine N2O uptake in relation to oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. For the first experiment, “non-renewed” closed atmospheric systems with 98/2% N2O/O2 and air were used. Two more experiments were also conducted for the 98/2% N2O/O2 atmosphere to determine how rate of gas renewal (two and seven days) affects the N2O, O2, and CO2 gases quantitatively. Cumulative results on non-renewed flasks with 98/2% N2O/O2 showed that as time progressed, N2O uptake increased with variation in the magnitude of N2O utilization throughout the 37 experim...
Critical appraisal of the role of glucosamine and chondroitin in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee.

Correspondence: C Thomas Vangsness Jr Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1520 San Pablo St., Suite 2000, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA Tel +1 323-226-8010 Fax +1 323-226-4051 email vangsness@usc.edu Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the United States, with rising prevalence. Medical management of OA involves acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and other analgesics, all of which are of variable efficacy and are associated with significant side effects and toxicities. The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate the efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin, both as single agents and in combination, for the treatment of knee OA. Also evaluated were the level of evidence and funding support of the included articles. Almost every included trial of glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, and chondroitin sulfate has found the safety of these compounds to be equal to that of placebo, though their therapeutic efficacy in decreasing knee OA pain and improving joint function is variable. Additionally, there are data to support a role of these agents in reducing radiographic progression of knee OA. Industry involvement, however, remains prominent. Further, more comprehensive study by independent researchers free of industry ties is necessary to identify a subset of patients in whom the use of glucosamine and/or chondroitin would be most beneficial. These agents may be safely tried as an initial therapy in select OA patients prior to initiating therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and other traditional medications.