cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Harvest Management Effects on Dry Matter Yield, Forage Quality, and Economic Return of Four Cool-Season Grasses

Perennial cool-season grasses are widely grown in Pennsylvania and the northeast USA for forage. Harvest management practices that maximize annual economic return of these grasses have not been adequately identified. The objectives of this research were to determine tbe effect of harvest number on dry matter (DM) yield, forage quality, and economic return of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and timothy (Phleum pratense L.). Established stands of these grasses on a Murrill silt loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludult) were harvested at intervals of 70, 45, and 35 d (two, three, or four harvests per year, respectively) during four consecutive years. In all years and for all grass species, forage quality (crude protein [CP] and digestible dry matter [DDM]) was greatest when the forage was harvested at a 35-d interval. However, in years when rainfall was below normal, the 35-d harvest interval resulted in the lowest DM yields. There was no difference in net economic return for any species when rainfall was below normal. In years when rainfall was at or above normal, the 35 and 45-d harvest interval produced greater net economic return than the 70-d interval for all grasses except timothy, which did not differ in economic return among harvest schedules. The highest quality forage and greatest net economic return were obtained in years with normal or greater rainfall when orchardgrass, reed canarygrass, and smooth bromegrass were harvested at intervals of 35 to 45 d. Harvest intervals for the same species in dry years and timothy in either dry or wet years should be based on the nutrient needs of the consuming animal. Forage for high producing animals (e.g., lactating dairy cows), which require relatively high forage digestibility to achieve adequate intake levels, must be harvested more frequently (35 to 45 d) than forage for animals with lower intake requirements (e.g., nonlactating cows).
Liver carabamyl phosphate synthetase in the primitive freshwater bony fishes (Chondrostei, Holostei).

Abstract 1. 1. Liver carbamyl phosphate synthetase was assayed in representative primitive fresh water bony fish: Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (shovel-nose sturgeon), Polyodon spathula (paddlefish), Lepisosteus platostomus (short-nose gar) and Amia calva (bowfin). 2. 2. Liver carbamyl phosphate synthetase was present in all species examined and showed a range of 0·008 ± 0·002 (P. spathula) to 0·029 ± 0·008 (L. platostomus).
12 W/mm power density AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on sapphire substrate

Record power performance at 4 GHz has been obtained using field-plated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on sapphire substrate. High power density (12 W/mm) as well as high efficiency (58%) have been measured. A comparison between devices with and without field plate on the same sample showed a significant reduction in knee-voltage walk-out for the field-plated device, thus enabling high power and efficiency operation.
Phase detector for PLL-based high-speed data recovery

A new phase detector for high-speed data recovery is introduced. It uses combinational logic circuits along with signals inherently available in multi-stage voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO) of readily derivable from an arbitrary VCO. The resultant stateless phase detector has a very simple architecture and can operate at higher speeds than is achievable with existing state-based phase detectors.
Another Look at the Impacts of Health Reform in Massachusetts: Evidence Using New Data and a Stronger Model

In April 2006, Massachusetts enacted a comprehensive health care reform bill that seeks to move the state to near universal insurance coverage. The bill included expanded eligibility for public coverage, subsidized insurance, market reforms, requirements for employers, and, most controversial, an individual mandate. A study of the early impacts of the state's initiative found evidence of a substantial drop in uninsurance--from 13 to 7 percent for nonelderly adults (Long 2008). Because that study relied on a simple pre-post comparison, it is possible that the estimates of the impact of health reform reflect both the changes under health reform and factors beyond health reform that changed over the same period, leading to biased estimates of the impacts of reform (Lawrence B. Mohr 1995). This paper expands on the earlier work to estimate the impacts of health reform in Massachusetts using new data and a stronger research design. Specifically, we rely on data over time for Massachusetts and other states from the Current Population Survey (CPS) to estimate difference-in-differences (DD) models (Jeffrey M. Wooldridge 2002).
The Isolation and Purification of Mouse Epidermal Nuclei

Abstract We describe here a method for the isolation of a pure nuclear preparation from mouse epidermis. Epidermis was separated from dermis and epidermal nuclei were then freed of cytoplasm and other nonnuclear material by homogenization in 3.0% citric acid. A large portion of the nonnuclear material was then separated from nuclei by filtering through a series of nylon monofilament filters. Final purification of nuclei from cellular debris as well as from nuclei retaining tags of adhering cytoplasm was acheived by banding the nuclei in a metrizamide density gradient. The isolation procedure resulted in the recovery of 39% of the nuclei originally present in the epidermal homogenate.
A hybrid scheme for absorbing edge reflections in numerical modeling of wave propagation

We propose an efficient scheme to absorb reflections from the model boundaries in numerical solutions of wave equations. This scheme divides the computational domain into boundary, transition, and inner areas. The wavefields within the inner and boundary areas are computed by the wave equation and the one-way wave equation, respectively. The wavefields within the transition area are determined by a weighted combination of the wavefields computed by the wave equation and the one-way wave equation to obtain a smooth variation from the inner area to the boundary via the transition zone. The results from our finite-difference numerical modeling tests of the 2D acoustic wave equation show that the absorption enforced by this scheme gradually increases with increasing width of the transition area. We obtain equally good performance using pseudospectral and finite-element modeling with the same scheme. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that use of 10 grid points for absorbing edge reflections attains nearly perfect absorption.
Evoking the Marshmallow: A Comment on “Communicating” Language and Culture as Knowledge

settlement patterns, farming systems, and social organization are very different from the situation described by Lancaster. These data do not provide evidence for the postulated shift from uxorilocal to virilocal residence in the early 20th century, although they do show an increasing emphasis upon the payment of bridewealth rather than the offering of bride service. Genealogies and life histories, covering approximately 110 years as described in our previous comment, indicate that the people of central and southern Gwembe have practiced virilocal residence since well before the beginning of the 20th century. While the District Notebook is ambiguous with reference to residence, it contains statements that imply the practice of virilocal residence early in the 20th century.
Medicare's Demonstration of Expanded Coverage for Chiropractic Services: Limitations of the Demonstration and an Alternative Direct Cost Estimate

Abstract Objective The purposes of this study were to examine the direct costs associated with Medicare's 2005-2007 “Demonstration of Expanded Coverage of Chiropractic Services” (Demonstration) and their drivers, to explore practice pattern variation during the Demonstration, and to describe scenarios of cost implications had provider behavior and benefit coverage been different. Methods Using Medicare Part B data from April 1, 2005, and March 31, 2007, and 2004 Rural Urban Continuum Codes, we conducted a retrospective analysis of traditionally reimbursed and expanded chiropractic services provided to patients aged 65 to 99 years who had a neuromusculoskeletal condition. We compared chiropractic care costs, supply, and utilization patterns for the 2-year periods before, during, and after the Demonstration for 5 Chicago area counties that participated in the Demonstration to those for 6 other county aggregations—urban or rural counties that participated in the Demonstration; were designated comparison counties during the Demonstration; or were neither participating nor comparison counties during the Demonstration. Results When compared with other groups, doctors of chiropractic in 1 region (Chicago area counties) billed more aggressively for expanded services and were reimbursed significantly more for traditionally reimbursed chiropractic services provided before, during, and after the Demonstration. Costs would have been substantially lower had doctors of chiropractic in this 1 region had responded similarly to those in other demonstration counties. Conclusion We found widespread geographic variation in practice behavior and patterns. Our findings suggest that Medicare might reduce the risk of accelerated costs associated with the introduction of a new benefit by applying appropriate limits to the frequency of use and overall costs of those benefits, particularly in highly competitive markets.
Effect of anti-IgE therapy on food allergen specific T cell responses in eosinophil associated gastrointestinal disorders

Background Anti-IgE therapy inhibits mast cell and basophil activation, blocks IgE binding to both FceRI and CD23 and down regulates FceRI expression by antigen (Ag) presenting cells (APCs). In addition to its classical role in immediate hypersensitivity, IgE has been shown in vitro to facilitate Ag presentation of allergens, whereby APC bound IgE preferentially takes up allergens for subsequent processing and presentation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether anti-IgE therapy, by blocking facilitated Ag presentation in vivo, attenuates allergen specific Th2 cell responses.
Experimentally observed frequency variation of the attenuation of millimeter-wave coplanar transmission lines with thin metallization

The attenuation of small coplanar transmission lines on insulating InP and GaAs has been investigated experimentally over the frequency range 0-60 GHz by on-wafer probing. The ground-to-ground spacing d, the center line width w, and the metal thickness t were varied. For thin (0.25-1 mu m) gold metallization, the variation of the attenuation with frequency was found to be dependent on the geometry of the line. A good fit to the experimental data was obtained when the attenuation a was modeled as a=a/sub 0/f/sup n/, where a/sub 0/ and n are geometry dependent. The exponent n was found to be in the range 0.15-0.35, and to increase with increasing w/d ratio, which is interpreted to be due to a correspondingly varying frequency-dependent resistance and current distribution. >
Thread contracts for safe parallelism

We build a framework of thread contracts, called Accord, that allows programmers to annotate their concurrency co-ordination strategies. Accord annotations allow programmers to declaratively specify the parts of memory that a thread may read or write into, and the locks that protect them, reflecting the concurrency co-ordination among threads and the reason why the program is free of data-races. We provide automatic tools to check if the concurrency co-ordination strategy ensures race-freedom, using constraint-solvers (SMT solvers). Hence programmers using Accord can both formally state and prove their co-ordination strategies ensure race freedom. The programmer's implementation of the co-ordination strategy may however be correct or incorrect. We show how the formal Accord contracts allow us to automatically insert runtime assertions that serve to check, during testing, whether the implementation conforms to the contract. Using a large class of data-parallel programs that share memory in intricate ways, we show that natural and simple contracts suffice to document the co-ordination strategy amongst threads, and that the task of showing that the strategy ensures race-freedom can be handled efficiently and automatically by an existing SMT solver (Z3). While co-ordination strategies can be proved race-free in our framework, failure to prove the co-ordination strategy race-free, accompanied by counter-examples produced by the solver, indicates the presence of races. Using such counterexamples, we report hitherto undiscovered data-races that we found in the long-tested applu_l benchmark in the Spec OMP2001 suite.
State of stress and age offsets at oceanic fracture zones and implications for the initiation of subduction

Abstract The recycling of oceanic lithosphere back into the Earth's interior through subduction is a central component of plate tectonics. The process by which new subduction zones initiate, however, remains poorly understood. Several different mechanisms for subduction initiation have been proposed, including passive margin collapse (aided by sediment loading and/or rheological weakening due to the presence of volatiles) and forced convergence across a zone of preexisting lithospheric weakness. In this paper we focus on the latter type of model, which identifies three conditions necessary for subduction initiation: a zone of weakness such as a fracture zone, an age (and therefore density) offset along the fracture zone, and significant normal compressive stress which leads to shortening. We identify regions on the present-day Earth which meet these conditions and which may correspond to regions of relatively likely subduction initiation in the near future. Using a digital seafloor age model, we have created a database of oceanic fractures and quantified the associated age offsets. We have evaluated the state of stress on these lithospheric weak zones using two different global stress models. We find that the conditions needed to initiate subduction via the forced convergence model are relatively rare on the present-day Earth, and that there is little indication of incipient subduction at regions identified as relatively likely for subduction initiation. Using the same technique, we have evaluated the state of stress and seafloor age offset at regions of inferred present-day incipient subduction, and find that most of these regions are not associated with both high far-field compressive stresses and large age (and thus density) offsets. Subduction has likely initiated via forced convergence across preexisting zones of lithospheric weakness in the past, but our results indicate that the conditions needed for this type of subduction initiation are rare on the present-day Earth.
Hemodynamics Should Be the Primary Approach to Diagnosing, Following, and Managing Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a highly morbid cardiopulmonary disease characterized by plexogenic pulmonary arteriole remodelling. Importantly, PAH severity correlates inversely with cardiac output and directly with pulmonary vascular resistance and right atrial pressure, illustrating the importance of accurately measured hemodynamics to define the clinical profile of patients. Currently available noninvasive technology offers only hemodynamic estimates. In contrast, right heart catheterization is the principle diagnostic procedure in PAH and is required to: (1) definitively exclude alternative pulmonary vascular diseases; and (2) quantify hemodynamics at baseline, after vasoreactivity testing, or in response to therapy to prognosticate outcome and guide therapeutic escalation.
Total Coliform and Escherichia Coli Counts in 99 Florida Lakes with Relations to Some Common Limnological Factors

Abstract The degree of bacterial contamination of 99 Florida lakes was studied using total coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) counts as indicators. Over 75% of the 4055 samples analyzed for total colifoms and over 98% analyzed for E. coli were below Florida's state standards for total and fecal coliform bacteria, respectively. Thus, there is little evidence of widespread fecal contamination in the Florida lakes examined during this study. Future bacterial sampling in lake systems should consider the facts that open-water samples had significantly lower total coliform and E. coli counts than littoral samples, and that the variance in bacterial counts is greater among lakes over time than spatially within lakes. Additionally, lake trophic status and aquatic bird abundance were also positively related to both total coliform and E. coli counts, while lake surface area and percent area covered with aquatic macrophytes (PAC) showed no significant relations. The method of waste management around lakes is of...
Characterization of methylglyoxal synthase from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 and its use in the formation of 1, 2-propanediol.

A gene encoding a putative 150-amino-acid methylglyoxal synthase was identified in Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. The enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Methylglyoxal synthase has a native molecular mass of 60 kDa and an optimum pH of 7.5. The Km andVmax values for the substrate dihydroxyacetone phosphate were 0.53 mM and 1.56 mmol min−1μg−1, respectively. When E. coli glycerol dehydrogenase was coexpressed with methylglyoxal synthase in E. coli BL21(DE3), 3.9 mM 1,2-propanediol was produced.
Incremental cost-effectiveness of initial cataract surgery

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to perform a reference case, cost-utility analysis of initial cataract surgery using the current literature on cataract outcomes and complications. Design Computer-based econometric modeling. Methods Visual acuity data of patients treated and observed over a 4-month postoperative period was obtained from the US National Cataract Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT). The results from this prospective study were combined with other studies that investigated the complication rates of cataract surgery to complete the cohort of patients and outcomes. These synthesized data were incorporated with time-tradeoff utility values, decision analysis, and econometric modeling to account for the time value of money. Main outcome measures The number of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained was calculated for the study group undergoing cataract extraction in the first eye when the vision was the same in both eyes. This was divided into the cost of the procedure to find the year 2000 nominal US dollars spent per quality-adjusted life-year ($/QALY) gained. Results Initial cataract surgery, compared with observation, resulted in a mean gain of 1.776 QALYs per patient treated. A 3% annual discount rate was used to account for the benefit over time, yielding 1.25 QALYs gained. The mean cost of treatment (also discounted at a 3% annual rate) of each patient totaled $2525. The cost divided by the discounted benefit resulted in $2020/QALY gained for this procedure. Conclusions Initial cataract surgery seems to be highly cost-effective compared with procedures across multiple medical specialties. This information, incorporating patient preferences into evidenced-based medicine, will play an increasingly important role in the evaluation of health care in the future.
A new state estimation using synchronized phasor measurements

The most commonly used WLS state estimator in power industry is non-linear and formulated by using conventional measurements such as line flow and injection measurements. The computational burden becomes a concern for the existing WLS state estimation when integrating PMU measurements. Distributed state estimators, which can solve this problem of integrating, have been proposed for this reason. However, the discrepancy between distributed state estimator and the integrated state estimator exists. This paper proposes an approach to formulate the state estimation in a new manner that is able to formulate together the traditional measurements as well as PMU measurements easily and efficiently. The proposed estimator is tested on IEEE 118-bus system and ERCOT 5514- bus system.
GENDER-RESPONSIVE DRUG COURT TREATMENT: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This pilot study compared outcomes for 94 women offenders in San Diego County, California, who participated in four drug court programs. Women were randomized to gender-responsive (GR) programs usi...
Are insulin and hypertension independently related

Hyperinsulinemia has been proposed as the common pathogenetic mechanism of obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. We examined the cross-sectional relationship between fasting and postchallenge insulin levels and hypertensive status in a population-based study of 653 men and 784 women, aged 50 to 93 years, in Rancho Bernardo, California. Hypertensive subjects had slightly but not significantly higher fasting plasma insulin levels than did normotensive subjects, but significantly higher postchallenge insulin levels. After stratification for obesity and glucose intolerance, there was no significant difference between the mean age-adjusted fasting or postchallenge insulin levels of those with and those without hypertension in 12 possible subgroups. Analysis of variance of both fasting and postchallenge insulin levels also failed to reveal a significant relationship between insulin and hypertensive status after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes. The current study does not support the hypothesis that insulin is independently associated with hypertension.
LPS induction of gene expression in human monocytes

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS [endotoxin]) is the principal component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent studies have elucidated how LPS is recognized by monocytes and macrophages of the innate immune system. Human monocytes are exquisitely sensitive to LPS and respond by expressing many inflammatory cytokines. LPS binds to LPS-binding protein (LBP) in plasma and is delivered to the cell surface receptor CD14. Next, LPS is transferred to the transmembrane signaling receptor toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its accessory protein MD2. LPS stimulation of human monocytes activates several intracellular signaling pathways that include the IkappaB kinase (IKK)-NF-kappaB pathway and three mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways: extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1 and 2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38. These signaling pathways in turn activate a variety of transcription factors that include NF-kappaB (p50/p65) and AP-1 (c-Fos/c-Jun), which coordinate the induction of many genes encoding inflammatory mediators.
An organization-based adaptive information system for battlefield situational analysis

On the field of battle, it is crucial to retrieve a continual flow of information necessary to achieve information superiority. Sensors used to provide the information streams can be lost due to dangerous conditions. We show how the combination of adaptive information systems and organizational models create a flexible agent system capable of overcoming sensor incapacitation or loss within a battlefield scenario.
Photonic NoC for DMA Communications in Chip Multiprocessors

As multicore architectures prevail in modern high- performance processor chip design, the communications bottleneck has begun to penetrate on-chip interconnects. With vastly growing numbers of cores and on-chip computation, a high-bandwidth, low-latency, and, perhaps most importantly, low-power communication infrastructure is critically required for next generation chip multiprocessors. Recent remarkable advances in silicon photonics and the integration of photonic elements with standard CMOS processes suggest the use of photonic networks-on-chip. In this paper we review the previously proposed architecture of a hybrid electronic/photonic NoC. We improve the former internally blocking switches by designing a non-blocking photonic switch, and we estimate the optical loss budget and area requirements of a practical NoC implementation based on the new switches. Additionally, we tackle one of the key performance challenges: the latency associated with setting-up photonic paths. Simulations show that the technique suggested can substantially reduce the latency and increase the effective bandwidth. Finally, we consider the DMA communication model in the context of the photonic network and evaluate the optimal DMA block size.
Mechanism for Liquid Phase Exfoliation of MoS2

A highly efficient, reproducible, and scalable approach for exfoliation of MoS2 is critical for utilizing these emerging materials from coatings and composites to printable devices. Additive-free techniques, such as solvent-assisted exfoliation via sonication, are considered to be the most viable approach, where N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is the most effective solvent. However, understanding the mechanism of exfoliation and the key role NMP plays during the process have been elusive and challenges effective improvements in product yield and quality. Here, we report systematic experiments to understand the mechanism of solvent-assisted exfoliation by elucidating the sonolysis chemistries associated with NMP. It is confirmed that in the presence of O2(g) dissolved moisture in NMP plays a critical role during sonication. The higher the moisture content, the more efficient the exfoliation process is. Conversely, when exfoliations are carried out with dried solvents with an inert atmosphere, reaction yields ...
The inositol metabolism pathway as a target for neuroprotective strategies

Neurodegeneration is characterized by the progressive and permanent loss of neurons. Degeneration typically results in a debilitating loss of function in an otherwise healthy person. Neurodegenerative diseases have enormous direct health care costs, with some estimates for diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease exceeding $36,000 USD per patient annually. Currently there is a lack of effective treatments for neurodegenerative disease, thus there is no way to slow or prevent the irreversible death of neurons in patients suffering from these diseases. Growing evidence suggests that the pathways controlling the levels of intracellular calcium [Ca2+], including the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3), are disrupted in some of the more common forms of neurodegeneration. Dysfunction in these pathways allow for excessive and toxic levels of intracellular [Ca2+] to accumulate. One possible neuroprotective strategy would be to target InsP3 regulatory pathways to prevent excess calcium release from intracellular stores. This review will focus on the implication of InsP3 pathways in current strategies of neuroprotection. While the causes of neurodegeneration are diverse, common pathological pathways may exist between diseases and protective targeting of a common pathway would have the potential to treat genetically distinct diseases.
A Neuromorphic Architecture for Context Aware Text Image Recognition

Although existing optical character recognition (OCR) tools can achieve excellent performance in text image detection and pattern recognition, they usually require a clean input image. Most of them do not perform well when the image is partially occluded or smudged. Humans are able to tolerate much worse image quality during reading because the perception errors can be corrected by the knowledge in word and sentence level context. In this paper, we present a brain-inspired information processing framework for context-aware Intelligent Text Recognition (ITR) and its acceleration using memristor based crossbar array. The ITRS has a bottom layer of massive parallel Brain-state-in-a-box (BSB) engines that give fuzzy pattern matching results and an upper layer of statistical inference based error correction. Optimizations on each layer of the framework are introduced to improve system performance. A parallel architecture is presented that incorporates the memristor crossbar array to accelerate the pattern matching. Compared to traditional multicore microprocessor, the accelerator has the potential to provide tremendous area and power savings and more than 8,000 times speedups.
Converting enzyme inhibitors cause pressure-independent resetting of baroreflex control of sympathetic outflow

The current study was performed to determine whether baroreflex resetting after acute administration of converting enzyme inhibitors (CEIs) was dependent on the concomitant decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP). Reflex changes in lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (LSNA) due to increases and decreases in MAP [i.v. phenylephrine (PE) and nitroprusside infusions] were determined in normotensive and renal hypertensive (1-kidney, 1-clip) anesthetized WKY rats 1) before (control), 2) 15 min after intravenous captopril (2 mg/kg) or enalaprilat (300 micrograms), and 3) 15 min after MAP was returned to pre-CEI levels with intravenous PE. CEIs decreased MAP and caused a leftward shift of the MAP-LSNA curve toward a lower operating pressure range in all hypertensive and in one group of normotensive rats. The baroreflex curve remained shifted to the left even after MAP was restored to pre-CEI levels by infusion of PE. Thus CEIs cause a pressure-independent resetting of baroreflex control of sympathetic outflow within 15 min. This effect of CEIs is most likely due to elimination of a central nervous system effect of circulating angiotensin II and could contribute to the antihypertensive actions of this class of compounds.
Early transition to oral antibiotics for treatment of perforated appendicitis in pediatric patients: Confirmation of the safety and efficacy of a growing national trend.

Abstract Purpose We performed a quality improvement initiative to monitor the change in protocol from purely intravenous therapy for perforated appendicitis to oral antibiotics at discharge once patients could tolerate eating. Methods Standardized prospective data were gathered on all children with perforated appendicitis treated under the new oral protocol from January 1 to December 31, 2014. Retrospective data through chart review were gathered on all children treated for perforated appendicitis during 2013. We compared demographics, clinical parameters, and hospital charges. Results Comparing 115 patients in 2013 and 144 in 2014, demographics and clinical characteristics were similar. In 2014, 95% of patients were discharged on oral therapy. Compared to the intravenous group, the enteric group had statistically lower rates of repeat ultrasound imaging (49.6% vs 35.1%) and PICC placement (98.3% vs 9.1%) and similar rates of intraabdominal abscess (20.9% vs 16.0%) and antibiotic change (26.1% vs 22.2%). In 2014, 55% of patients were discharged by postoperative day 5, compared to 33% in 2013. Total antibiotic days and readmission rate were similar, while hospital charges decreased by half. Conclusion Our results reaffirm that transition to oral antibiotics is safe, effective, and cost-efficient in treatment of perforated appendicitis in the child.
Nonlinear observer design for a magnetic position estimation technique

This paper develops an observer for a magnetic field based position sensor. The process model for the magnetic field sensing system is linear while the output equation is highly nonlinear. Previous results on observer design in nonlinear systems have mostly assumed that the output equation is linear, even if the process dynamics are nonlinear. This paper presents a new observer design technique that can rigorously address the presence of nonlinearity in the output equation. The estimation error dynamics of a two degree-of-freedom observer is transformed into a Lure system in which the sector condition for the nonlinearity in the feedback loop is constructed from the element-wise bounds on the Jacobian matrix of the nonlinear measurement equation. The developed observer design technique is applied to non-intrusive estimation of the position of a piston inside a pneumatic cylinder. Experimental results show that the observer can accurately estimate piston position with sub-mm accuracy. The advantages of the nonlinear observer over an extended Kalman Filter are demonstrated. The developed observer has applications in many other problems involving nonlinear output equations.
Utility of Daily Mobile Tablet Use for Residents on an Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Inpatient Service

The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of electronic tablets and their capacity to increase hospital floor productivity, efficiency, improve patient care information safety, and to enhance resident education and resource utilization on a busy Otolaryngology --- Head & Neck Surgery inpatient service. This was a prospective cohort study with a 2-week pre-implementation period with standard paper census lists without mobile tablet use, and a 2-week post-implementation period followed with electronic tablets used to place orders, look up pertinent clinical data, educate patients as appropriate, and to record daily to-dos that would previously be recorded on paper. The setting for the study was Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, with 13 Otolaryngology residents comprising the study population. The time for inpatient rounding was shorter with the use tablets (p?=?0.037). There was a non-significant trend in the number of times a resident had to leave rounds to look up a clinical query on a computer, with less instances occurring in the post-implementation study period. The residents felt that having a tablet facilitated more detailed and faster transfer of information, and improved ease of documentation in the medical record. Seventy percent felt tablets helped them spend more time with patients, 70 % could spend more time directly involved in rounds because they could use the tablet to query information at point-of-care, and 80 % felt tablets improved morale. The utility of a mobile tablet device coupled with the electronic health record appeared to have both quantitative and qualitative improvements in efficiency, increased time with patients and attendance at academic conferences. Tablets should be encouraged but not mandated for clinical and educational use.
Faking and Faking Detection on the Comrey Personality Scales

The Comrey Personality Scales (CPS; Comrey, 1970) is a new assessment instrument providing scores on eight personality dimensions and on two validity scales. It is intended primarily for use with normal, socially functioning individuals in school, college and business settings. Along with most other inventories, the CPS falls short of meeting the recomme~~at ion of the 1966 Standardr for Educational and Psychological Terts and Manuals that . . . widence should be presented on the extent to which scores are susceptible to an attempt by the examinee to present a false or unduly favorable picture of himself." The present study provides data on the fakability of the CPS and also on the extent to which the two validity keys can effectively detect faking. Eighty-one university students completed the CPS, 40 having instructions to be honest and forthright, and 41 having instructions to fake so as to make an excellent impresslon. The 41 faking Ss were warned that the CPS has ways of detecting faking and were asked to try to fake in such a way that their faking could not be detected. For each of the 10 CPS scales a r test based on independent groups was computed comparing means for the control (honest) and experimental (faking) groups.
Trends in childbirth before 39 weeks' gestation without medical indication.

BACKGROUND There is increasing attention to labor induction and cesarean delivery occurring at 37 0/7-38 6/7 weeks' gestation (early-term) without medical indication. OBJECTIVE To measure prevalence, change over time, patient characteristics, and infant outcomes associated with early-term nonindicated births. RESEARCH DESIGN AND SUBJECTS Retrospective analysis using linked hospital discharge and birth certificate data for the 7,296,363 uncomplicated births (>37 0/7 wk' gestation) between 1995 and 2009 in 3 states. MEASURES Early-term nonindicated birth is calculated using diagnosis codes and birth certificate records. Secondary outcomes included infant prolonged length of stay and respiratory distress. RESULTS Across uncomplicated term births, the early-term nonindicated birth rate was 3.18%. After adjustment, the risk of nonindicated birth before 39 0/7 weeks was 86% higher in 2009 than in 1995 [hazard ratio (HR)=1.86; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.81-1.90], peaking in 2006 (HR=2.03; P<0.001). Factors independently associated with higher odds included maternal age, higher education levels, private health insurance, and delivering at smaller-volume or nonteaching hospitals. Black women had higher risk of nonindicated cesarean birth (HR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.27-1.32), which was associated with greater odds of prolonged length of stay [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.60; 95% CI, 1.57-1.64] and infant respiratory distress (AOR=2.44; 95% CI, 2.37-2.50) compared with births after 38 6/7 weeks. Early-term nonindicated induction was also associated with comparatively greater odds of prolonged length of stay (AOR=1.20; 95% CI, 1.17-1.23). CONCLUSIONS Nearly 4% of all uncomplicated births to term infants occurred before 39 0/7 weeks' gestation without medical indication. These births were associated with adverse infant outcomes.
Durability and Residual Strength Assessment of F/A-18 A-D Wing-Root Stepped-Lap Joint

The F/A-18 wing root structure consists of composite-titanium bonded stepped-lap joint. This effort is designed to evaluate the residual static strength and remaining life of this joint area after 1 lifetime of aircraft service. A reliability analysis is conducted on residual strength and fatigue life data to compare the original certification data used in the scatter analysis. Spectrum loading representing fleet usage with load-severity factors (to accelerate the fatigue damage growth) is used for cyclic testing to determine the remaining life of the stepped-lap joints. This effort also supports the life-extension efforts without additional large-scale testing to determine the remaining life of the structure. Furthermore, the tests are designed to address one of the biggest concerns with the aging aircraft fleet–the unknowns that emerge with little or no warning, raising the concern that an unexpected phenomenon may suddenly jeopardize an entire fleet’s flight safety, mission readiness, and/or support costs.
Taming Manhattan: environmental battles in the antebellum city

Catherine McNeur’s intently researched Taming Manhattan: Environmental Battles in the Antebellum City documents the conflict that ensued when mid-nineteenth-century ‘elites’ reformed a laissez-fair...
Outcomes of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy after fellowship training.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Experienced surgeons at select high-volume centers have reported favorable outcomes of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) in their contemporary experience. However, it is unclear whether recently fellowship-trained surgeons can replicate such outcomes. We evaluated LPNs performed by 3 surgeons in their initial years of independent practice following laparoscopic fellowship training. METHODS Prospectively maintained databases were queried for LPNs performed during the first 3.5 years of practice. Intraoperative parameters, oncological efficacy, and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS Of 138 total LPNs (76 left, 62 right), the mean patient age was 57 years, mean tumor size was 2.52cm, and mean depth of invasion was 1.68cm. Mean OR time was 252 minutes, mean warm ischemia time (WIT) was 26 minutes, and mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 202 mL. Complications occurred in 7 patients (5%), and conversions occurred in 9 patients (7%). Comparison of the first 15 vs. the last 15 cases demonstrated a significant reduction in mean OR time (204 min vs. 253 min, P=0.007), and mean WIT (24 min vs. 32 min, P<0.001). No significant change was demonstrated for tumor size (2.6 cm vs. 2.4 cm, P=0.390) or EBL (226 mL vs. 220 mL, P=0.922). CONCLUSION Newly fellowship-trained surgeons performing LPN achieve initial outcomes comparable to those reported by highly experienced surgeons. Further experience reduced total operative and warm ischemia times.
Auditor Tenure and Financial Reporting Fraud: Pre and Post Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

We use a comprehensive and unique fraud database from the Institute for Fraud Prevention (IFP) to test the relationship between audit firm tenure and fraudulent financial reporting pre and post Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX 2002). Overall, short tenure is only marginally related to the likelihood of fraud. Also, only tenure of nine years or more is positively associated with the likelihood of fraud. We also find that compared with other audit firms, the Big-N are less likely to be associated with fraud, while client size is marginally positively associated with fraud, possibly reflecting larger clients’ bargaining power with auditors in contentious audit situations (c.f., Nelson et al. 2002). The results hold for the pre-SOX period but not for the post SOX period.
Simultaneity in Processing of Verbal and Spatial Information

Recent studies involving recall of verbal and spatial information produced conflicting results. In some cases investigators found males recalled verbal and spatial information equally well whereas females did less well on spatial than verbal information, but in other cases no sex differences were found. They also differed in that one study found processing of verbal and spatial information to be independent whereas others suggested trade-offs might occur. Using college-age subjects (17-25 yrs) with equal numbers of males and females (total n = 186) two experiments were performed to examine these differences. Although overall differences were found favoring verbal recall, females’ recall of spatial information was relatively poorer than males. Using a procedure designed to avoid possible artifactual depression of combined performance, we concluded that processing of spatial and verbal information is simultaneous in nature.
Derivation and Validation of the Periodontal and Tooth Profile Classification System for Patient Stratification

Background: The goal of this study is to use bioinformatics tools to explore identification and definition of distinct periodontal and tooth profile classes (PPCs/TPCs) among a cohort of individuals by using detailed clinical measures at the tooth level, including both periodontal measurements and tooth loss.Methods: Full-mouth clinical periodontal measurements (seven clinical parameters) from 6,793 individuals from the Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (DARIC) were used to identify PPC. A custom latent class analysis (LCA) procedure was developed to identify clinically distinct PPCs and TPCs. Three validation cohorts were used: NHANES (2009 to 2010 and 2011 to 2012) and the Piedmont Study population (7,785 individuals).Results: The LCA method identified seven distinct periodontal profile classes (PPCs A to G) and seven distinct tooth profile classes (TPCs A to G) ranging from health to severe periodontal disease status. The method enabled identification of classes with common clinical mani...
A Review of Coastal Zone Meteorological Processes Important to the Modeling of Air Pollution

Coastal areas are frequently favored as sites for cities, industrial activity and power plants. Therefore, it is important to understand the meteorological conditions that prevail in coastal zones and how these conditions affect the transport, transformation and diffusion of materials emitted into the atmosphere. A brief review of the atmospheric processes that govern pollutant concentration will provide a basis for discussing shoreline conditions and their effects on concentration.
A Calculus for Variational Programming.

Variation is ubiquitous in software. Many applications can benefit from making this variation explicit, then manipulating and computing with it directly---a technique we call "variational programming". This idea has been independently discovered in several application domains, such as efficiently analyzing and verifying software product lines, combining bounded and symbolic model-checking, and computing with alternative privacy profiles. Although these domains share similar core problems, and there are also many similarities in the solutions, there is no dedicated programming language support for variational programming. This makes the various implementations tedious, prone to errors, hard to maintain and reuse, and difficult to compare. In this paper we present a calculus that forms the basis of a programming language with explicit support for representing, manipulating, and computing with variation in programs and data. We illustrate how such a language can simplify the implementation of variational programming tasks. We present the syntax and semantics of the core calculus, a sound type system, and a type inference algorithm that produces principal types.
Assessing the Effects of Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Behavior Change Strategies on Physical Activity in Older Adults: a Factorial Experiment.

Background Little is known about which behavior change strategies motivate older adults to increase their physical activity.
Multilevel Modeling for Research in Group Work.

Researchers in group counseling often encounter complex data from individual clients who are members of a group. Clients in the same group may be more similar than clients from different groups and this can lead to violations of statistical assumptions. The complexity of the data also means that predictors and outcomes can be measured at both the client and the group level. Researcher questions may focus on variables at the client level or the group level, or the interaction of client and group level variables. In this article, we introduce multilevel modeling as a tool that can be used both to account for the complex structure of the data and to incorporate variables at both the client and group levels. A published group counseling study is used as an example.
Learning as Othering: Narratives of Learning, Construction of Difference and the Discourse of Immersion in Study Abroad.

AbstractThis article shows ethnographically the process of learning as othering in study abroad: acknowledgement of ‘learning’ through immersion – without clear structure or markers of learning – constructs cultural difference of the host society. It is because acknowledgement of learning something is necessarily the acknowledgement of the prior ignorance about it due to difference. Study abroad thus privileges particular types of difference in the name of learning them, under-appreciating domestic minorities’ cultural differences.
Austerity urbanism and the promise of immigrant- and refugee-centered urban revitalization in the US Rust Belt

ABSTRACTRecent urban studies research emphasizes the unevenness of local responses to immigration in the United States and the emergence of economic development-focused inclusionary initiatives as a response to neoliberal downscaling in the Rust Belt. Scholars also highlight the impact of austerity urbanism – the deepening of neoliberal urbanism – in Rust Belt cities following the 2007–2008 financial crisis, noting its potential to produce progressive activism. This article considers the relationship between downscaling, austerity urbanism, and immigration activism in the Rust Belt by analyzing economic revitalization narratives within a regional consortium of inclusionary initiatives. My findings underscore the incongruities and compromises encompassed by welcoming coalitions operating in the age of austerity. Some local actors are motivated by growth agendas but affirm inclusionary values toward immigrants and refugees to substantiate them. Other actors are motivated by social justice agendas but cite t...