cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validity of ICD-9-CM Codes for the Identification of Complications Related to Central Venous Catheterization:

Two complications of central venous catheterization (CVC), iatrogenic pneumothorax and central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), have dedicated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Despite increasing use of ICD-9-CM codes for research and pay-for-performance purposes, their validity for detecting complications of CVC has not been established. Complications of CVCs placed between July 2010 and December 2011 were identified by ICD-9-CM codes in discharge records from a single hospital and compared with those revealed by medical record abstraction. The ICD-9-CM code for iatrogenic pneumothorax had a sensitivity of 66.7%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.5%. The ICD-9-CM codes for CLABSI had a sensitivity of 33.3%, specificity of 99.0%, PPV of 28.6%, and NPV of 99.2%. The low sensitivity and variable PPV of ICD-9-CM codes for detection of complications of CVC raise ...
Early Birds versus Just-in-Timers: The effect of procrastination on academic performance of accounting students

Abstract This study investigates the effect of procrastination on academic performance. Prior research has often relied upon self-reported measures of procrastination, which are only weakly correlated with actual procrastination. We use the start and submission of a set of online homework problems as two objective, direct measures of student procrastination and the grade on the assignments as a measure of performance. In our study, there were a number of potential benefits to submitting online assignments ‘just-in-time’. Thus, there was a direct benefit to procrastination, which students had to weigh against potential drawbacks. With a sample size larger than those previously reported in the literature, we find that for both procrastination measures, task procrastination is associated with lower task performance. To ensure that our results are not just an association between performance and student quality, we test for the association between task procrastination and task performance, while controlling for student quality. We find that even after controlling for student quality, task procrastination is associated with lower task performance.
Education, Economic Development, and Technology Transfer: A Colonial Test

I test the hypothesis advanced by Richard Easterlin and others that the importation of modern technology and prospects for economic development in the Third World are principally a function of the local population's formal schooling. According to orthodoxy, manufacturing more than any other sector should repay investment in human capital. Yet the correlation of schooling with the manufacturing sector is much lower than with the mineral sector, an enclave in colonial economies and a symbol of underdevelopment.
Proliferative arrest and rapid turnover of thymic epithelial cells expressing Aire

Expression of autoimmune regulator (Aire) by thymic medullary epithelial cells (MECs) is critical for central tolerance of self. To explore the mechanism by which such a rare cell population imposes tolerance on the large repertoire of differentiating thymocytes, we examined the proliferation and turnover of Aire+ and Aire− MEC subsets through flow cytometric analysis of 5-bromo-2′deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation. The Aire+ MEC subset was almost entirely postmitotic and derived from cycling Aire− precursors. Experiments using reaggregate thymic organ cultures revealed the presence of such precursors among Aire− MECs expressing low levels of major histocompatibility complex class II and CD80. The kinetics of BrdU decay showed the Aire+ population to have a high turnover. Aire did not have a direct impact on the division of MECs in vitro or in vivo but, rather, induced their apoptosis. We argue that these properties strongly favor a “terminal differentiation” model for Aire function in MECs, placing strict temporal limits on the operation of any individual Aire+ MEC in central tolerance induction. We further speculate that the speedy apoptosis of Aire-expressing MECs may be a mechanism to promote cross-presentation of the array of peripheral-tissue antigens they produce.
Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus: Somatosensory–Auditory Interactions in Tinnitus

In normal individuals, phantom auditory sensations like tinnitus can develop during head, neck, and jaw muscle contractions (Levine et al., 2003). In more than two thirds of people with chronic tinnitus, active and passive manipulations of these regions, such as jaw clenching or tensing the neck muscles, can alter the loudness, pitch, and location of the tinnitus (Pinchoff et al., 1998; Levine, 1999), and tinnitus can occur after somatosensory insults (Rubinstein et al., 1990). These observations led to the definition of a “somatic tinnitus” syndrome (Levine et al., 2003) in which an imbalance of bimodal somatosensory–auditory integration was hypothesized as its underlying cause (Levine, 1999; Shore et al., 2007). After noise-induced tinnitus, somatic tinnitus is the second most common type of tinnitus (Eggermont, 2005).
Complementation of diverse HIV-1 Env defects through cooperative subunit interactions: a general property of the functional trimer

The HIV-1 Env glycoprotein mediates virus entry by catalyzing direct fusion between the virion membrane and the target cell plasma membrane. Env is composed of two subunits: gp120, which binds to CD4 and the coreceptor, and gp41, which is triggered upon coreceptor binding to promote the membrane fusion reaction. Env on the surface of infected cells is a trimer consisting of three gp120/gp41 homo-dimeric protomers. An emerging question concerns cooperative interactions between the protomers in the trimer, and possible implications for Env function. We extended studies on cooperative subunit interactions within the HIV-1 Env trimer, using analysis of functional complementation between coexpressed inactive variants harboring different functional deficiencies. In assays of Env-mediated cell fusion, complementation was observed between variants with a wide range of defects in both the gp120 and gp41 subunits. The former included gp120 subunits mutated in the CD4 binding site or incapable of coreceptor interaction due either to mismatched specificity or V3 loop mutation. Defective gp41 variants included point mutations at different residues within the fusion peptide or heptad repeat regions, as well as constructs with modifications or deletions of the membrane proximal tryptophan-rich region or the transmembrane domain. Complementation required the defective variants to be coexpressed in the same cell. The observed complementation activities were highly dependent on the assay system. The most robust activities were obtained with a vaccinia virus-based expression and reporter gene activation assay for cell fusion. In an alternative system involving Env expression from integrated provirus, complementation was detected in cell fusion assays, but not in virus particle entry assays. Our results indicate that Env function does not require every subunit in the trimer to be competent for all essential activities. Through cross-talk between subunits, the functional determinants on one defective protomer can cooperatively interact to trigger the functional determinants on an adjacent protomer(s) harboring a different defect, leading to fusion. Cooperative subunit interaction is a general feature of the Env trimer, based on complementation activities observed for a highly diverse range of functional defects.
Regulation of Phenazine Biosynthesis

Microbiologists have historically been struck by both the beautiful pigmentation of phenazine-producing cultures and the high degree of variability in phenazine production among isolates, conditions, and even repeat experiments. Motivated by an interest in controlling phenazine biosynthesis, they have identified many of the factors that affect the regulation of this process. Phenazine production is controlled by complex regulatory networks. The variability of phenazine production can be explained in part by the effects of environmental conditions on these networks and by strain-specific differences in these networks. In this chapter, we describe the components of a common regulatory cascade that is represented in many phenazine-producing pseudomonads. Membrane sensor proteins and two component sensors control the activity of downstream regulators such as quorum sensing systems and RNA-binding proteins and small RNAs; these cytoplasmic regulators then control the production of phenazine biosynthetic proteins. We highlight examples from specific strains and cases where the mechanistic links may vary among them. We also discuss environmental parameters that have been shown to affect phenazine biosynthesis and compare their effects in different isolates. Ongoing work will further elaborate the details of the environmental sensing and regulatory responses that control production of these dramatically colored compounds. New findings have the potential to support enhanced application of phenazine-producing strains in agriculture, where they promote crop health, and the treatment of infections in which phenazines contribute to bacterial pathogenicity.
An inulin and doxorubicin conjugate for improving cancer therapy

Chemotherapy is one of the primary treatment mechanisms for treating cancer. Current chemotherapy is systemically delivered and causes significant side effects; therefore the development of new chemotherapeutic agents or enhancing the effectiveness of current chemotherapeutic could prove vital to patients and cancer care. The purpose of this research was to develop a new conjugate composed of doxorubicin (chemotherapeutic) and inulin (polysaccharide chain) and evaluate its potential as a new therapeutic agent for cancer treatment. The synergistic effect of inulin conjugated to doxorubicin has allowed the same cytotoxic response to be maintained or improved at lower doses as compared to doxorubicin. Supporting results include cytotoxicity profiles, calf thymus DNA binding studies, confocal microscopy, and transport studies.
The effect of SMSI (strong metal-support interaction) behavior on CO adsorption and hydrogenation on Pd catalysts: I. IR spectra of adsorbed CO prior to and during reaction conditions

An infrared cell was designed and operated as a differential, plug-flow reactor so that ir spectra and kinetic data could be obtained simultaneously under well-defined, steady-state conditions. In agreement with results from other reactor systems, turnover frequencies varied over two orders of magnitude from the most active catalysts, TiO2-supported Pd in the SMSI state, to the least active, PdSiO2. Infrared spectra of CO adsorbed on PdTiO2 and PdSiO2-Al2O3 were recorded for the first time, and spectra for PdAl2O3 and PdSiO2 were also obtained. The effects of temperature and hydrogen on the spectra were studied, and spectra were obtained under reaction conditions for five different catalysts. In the absence of H2, a high-frequency band above 2080 cm−1 and a broader, dominant low-frequency band below 2000 cm−1 were present on all catalysts. Hydrogen had little influence on the CO spectra on the typical Pd catalysts, but it markedly reduced the CO band intensities on the PdTiO2 catalysts, even at 300 K. The effect was most pronounced for the PdTiO2 (SMSI) catalyst, and under reaction conditions no CO bands were detected whereas all other Pd catalysts had observable ir bands. Primarily for this reason, no obvious correlation was found between observed ir-active CO species and specific activity. However, these results strongly indicate that only a small fraction of the Pd surface atoms constitute active sites, and the large surface concentrations of CO detected by ir are not directly involved in the rate-determining step for methanation.
Steroid regulated programmed cell death during Drosophila metamorphosis

During insect metamorphosis, pulses of the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone) direct the destruction of obsolete larval tissues and their replacement by tissues and structures that form the adult fly. We show here that larval midgut and salivary gland histolysis are stage-specific steroid-triggered programmed cell death responses. Dying larval midgut and salivary gland cell nuclei become permeable to the vital dye acridine orange and their DNA undergoes fragmentation, indicative of apoptosis. Furthermore, the histolysis of these tissues can be inhibited by ectopic expression of the baculovirus anti-apoptotic protein p35, implicating a role for caspases in the death response. Coordinate stage-specific induction of the Drosophila death genes reaper (rpr) and head involution defective (hid) immediately precedes the destruction of the larval midgut and salivary gland. In addition, the diap2 anti-cell death gene is repressed in larval salivary glands as rpr and hid are induced, suggesting that the death of this tissue is under both positive and negative regulation. Finally, diap2 is repressed by ecdysone in cultured salivary glands under the same conditions that induce rpr expression and trigger programmed cell death. These studies indicate that ecdysone directs the death of larval tissues via the precise stage- and tissue-specific regulation of key death effector genes.
Redistributing Rewards To Revitalize Racing

The thoroughbred horseracing industry is mired in a situation where many of the owners of the typical unheralded racehorsethe staple of everyday horseracingare experiencing a severe financial strain as a result of an inadequate purse structure. As owners abandon the industry, an undersupply of racehorses is limiting racing opportunities and producing uncompetitive races with few entrants at many racetracks, negatively impacting industry revenue. There is a growing fear that the entire horseracing industry may be irreparably damaged if owners of these unspectacular but useful racehorses are not retained. The model developed here reveals that there exists a self-sustaining level of overall purses for a particular racemeet that can be supported by patron wagering. The proposed plan for distributing this aggregate level of purses embodies a minimum subsistence reward that ensures that owners of better horses of even the lowest quality can rain viable. The purse distribution scheme also offers the owners of higher quality horses the opportunity to earn greater returns on their racehorse investments, providing a strong incentive for owners to upgrade their racing stock. Stemming racehorse undersupply while raising racing quality is critical to enhancing patron support and industry revenue.
Probabilistic User-Level Opinion Detection on Online Social Networks

The mass popularity of online social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, makes them an interesting and important platform for exchange of ideas and opinions. Accurately capturing the opinions of users from their self-generated data is crucial for understanding these opinion flow processes. We propose a supervised model that uses a combination of hashtags and n-grams as features to identify the opinions of Twitter users on a topic, from their publicly available tweets. We use it to detect opinions on two current topics: U.S. Politics and Obamacare. Our approach requires no manual labeling of features, and is able to identify user opinion with a very high accuracy over a randomly chosen set of users tweeting on each topic.
The Need to Alleviate the Human Rights Implications of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the last few years, large agricultural investment ventures in Sub-Saharan Africa have brought their own opportunities and risks. On the one hand, large-scale land investments can offer opportunities for development, given their potential for creating infrastructures and employment, transfer of capital and technology as well as improving food security in the region. On the other hand, uncontrolled agricultural investment ventures primarily undermine the rights related to rural livelihood such as the right to property, development, and the right to self-determination as well as having adverse impacts on the environment. Though there is no easy way out of the paradox related to international agricultural investment ventures, there are a number of things to be done to alleviate the problem. At the international level, international human rights groups and organizations need to highlight the importance of access to land as a human right, work on the coming into effect of an international agreement that stipulates standards and obligations with respect to international agricultural investment ventures, as well as exposing illicit land dealings and making an effort to promote the rights of indigenous groups that have been threatened by ‘land grab’ activities. At the national level, the most important steps that need to be undertaken to minimize the impact of land grab activities include improving good governance, ensuring the security of rural communities to land entitlement, payment of appropriate compensation, and allowing freedom of association at local the level.
International Inequality in the Age of Globalization: Japanese Economic Ascent and the Restructuring of the Capitalist World-Economy

This paper shows how Japanese ?rms and the Japanese state constructed a development model based on the steel industry as a generative sector that drove Japans economic ascent in the world-historical context of U.S. hegemony. We make three arguments in this paper. First, there is a new model of capital accumulation that does create new forms of social inequality by redistributing costs and bene?ts in very di?erent ways than earlier models. Second, Japanese ?rms and the Japanese state created this new model of capital accumulation and social inequality via mechanisms including joint ventures, long term contracts, and other forms of international trade and investment, not U.S.-based transnational corporations, as is usually assumed. Third, world-systems theory reconstructed through the lens of the new historical materialism explains this restructuring of the capitalist world-economy as the outcome of Japans economic ascent over the last ?fty years. Further, we argue that this new model of capital accumulation has had similar impacts on redistributing the costs and bene?ts of development between core and peripheral regions of the capitalist world-economy in a wide range of global industries. These strategies created a tightly linked set of technological and organizational innovations to overcome the natural and social obstacles to Japanese development, dramatically increase Japans international economic competitiveness by lowering production costs in all sectors of the economy, turn Japan into the worlds largest exporter of manufactured products, restructure a range of global industries, and recreate the world-system hierarchy in support of Japanese development. In particular, organizational inno-vations in the use of long term contracts and joint ventures in raw materials industries to foster global excess capacity and lower rents to resource extracting ?rms and states reallocated the costs of providing the material building blocks of Japanese development to the states and ?rms of its new raw materials periphery. This competitive advantage drove Japanese capital accumulation and economic ascent, and simultaneously drove underdevelopment in Japans periphery. These Japanese innovations became key elements of globalization as U.S. and European transnational corporations and states sought to compete with Japan. Joint ventures, long-term contracts, and other forms of inter?rm cooperation have replaced vertically integrated foreign direct investment, the earlier U.S. model of capital accumulation and international economic linkage, as the model for global industries.
Effectiveness of Nebulized N-Acetylcysteine Solution in Children with Acute Bronchiolitis

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of nebulized mucolytic therapy (N-acetylcysteine) in treatment of children with acute bronchiolitis. Study design Prospective randomized, controlled study. Place and duration of study Paediatric Medical Unit of the Children's Hospital and the Institute of Child Health, Lahore, from November 2011 to April 2012. Methodology All the patients aged 2 months to 24 months, with the diagnosis of acute viral bronchiolitis were enrolled in the study. A predesigned proforma was completed after taking parental consent. All eligible patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: group-1 received N-acetylcysteine in nebulized form, and group-2 received salbutamol as a nebulized aerosol. Both groups were then compared regarding their clinical improvement and duration of stay in the hospital. The data obtained was analyzed on the statistical software SPSS version 16. Descriptive statistics were obtained by frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test was applied to find p-value. Results A total of 100 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 3 months. On the first day of treatment, the mean clinical severity score at baseline were 5.38 ± 2.62 in group-1 and 4.68 ± 2.2 in group-2. At day 3 and 5, it was 2.9 ± 1.48 and 3.30 ± 1.77 in group-1 and 0.88 ± 1.08 and 1.90 ± 1.32 in group-2 respectively. The clinical severity score after N-acetylcysteine inhalation therapy was better in group-1 on the third but more so on fifth day after hospital admission. The mean duration of hospitalization was 4.67 ± 2.2 days for the whole population and it differed between the 2 groups: 4.36 ± 1.66 days in group-1 versus 4.98 ± 2.6 days in group-2. Conclusion On the basis of improvement in clinical severity score and early discharge from the hospital, N-acetylcysteine was found to be an effective therapy in acute bronchiolitis.
A note on the horopter

By assuming the fixity (but not the symmetry) of corresponding points on the two retinae, it is possible to derive the equation of any horopter when one is known. In particular when, as experiment shows, one horopter is linear, then all horopters must be conics. These have the form given by Ogle, but whereas Ogle leaves one parameter undetermined at each fixation, on our assumption the only arbitrary parameter is determined by the position of the linear horopter.
Genetics and Epigenetics of Fetal Hemoglobin Control

Expression of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, α2γ2) greatly ameliorates the severity of the major hemoglobin disorders, sickle cell disease (SCD), and the β-thalassemias. Efforts to reactivate HbF in adults with these disorders have relied on empirical observations or therapeutic modalities that are indirect. A major goal for the field is the development of targeted reactivation of HbF through relief of γ-globin gene silencing. The regulatory factors that participate in the switch from HbF to HbA in ontogeny and in γ-gene silencing in the adult have been elusive, therefore precluding mechanism-based reactivation of HbF. Recent findings, largely derived from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have transformed the current understanding of globin switching. This presentation will review recent evidence supporting direct involvement of the zinc-finger repressor protein BCL11A in both developmental switching of globins and HbF silencing in the adult. These studies include the impact of naturally occurring genetic variation at the BCL11A locus on HbF levels, proof-of-principle experiments in genetically engineered mice suggesting that interference with BCL11A action alone may be sufficient to provide therapeutic elevation of HbF, and the nature of protein partners of BCL11A that may mediate some aspects of BCL11A function. Recent findings on the manner in which genetic variation within the BCL11A locus influences BCL11A expression provide special insight into quantitative aspects of HbF regulation and raise the possibility of new strategies to cripple BCL11A. The opportunities and challenges for the development of mechanism-based reactivation of HbF will be discussed in the context of ongoing efforts to exploit small molecule and genetic approaches. The tools are in hand to translate an improved understanding of globin gene regulation for the benefit of patients with the major hemoglobin disorders. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Inhibition of RNA synthesis in mouse macrophages and lymphocytes by benzene and its metabolites.

Chronic exposure of laboratory animals and man to benzene leads to progressive degeneration of bone marrow resulting in aplastic anemia and leukemia (Snyder et al., 1977; Cronkite et al., 1984). The mechanism by which benzene produces myelotoxicity is unknown; substantial evidence indicates that toxicity results from its metabolism to one or more compounds (Snyder et al., 1982) which accumulate in bone marrow (Andrews et al., 1977); these have been shown to be phenol, catechol, and hydro-quinone (Rickert et al., 1979) which can further oxidize to p-benzoquinone.
Symptomatic diffuse esophageal spasm. Manometric follow-up and response to cholinergic stimulation and cholinesterase inhibition.

Uniform criteria for defining symptomatic diffuse esophageal spasm (SDES) are lacking. Records of patients undergoing esophageal motility studies over a 3-year perod were reviewed. Those patients who fulfilled a predefined set of arbitrary criteria for SDES returned for repeat motility study. Manometric abnormalities seen on initial examination remained unchanged on follow-up evaluation. In addition, response in SDES to two pharmacological agents—a cholinergic agonist and a cholinesterase inhibitor — was evaluated and compared to that seen in normal subjects and in subjects with heartburn. Patients with SDES responded similarly to both agents, and their responses were significantly greater than those seen in controls or in subjects with heartburn. The results suggest that SDES is a relatively homogeneous entity, with respect to both maintaining stability of manometric abnormalities and response to two different pharmacological agents. The future evaluation of similarly defined patients may lead to ascertaining more clearly the underlying pathophysiology of this "syndrome."
Infrared Views of the Solar System from Space

Abstract Since 1983, a series of telescopes operating in the thermal infrared have been launched into Earth orbit and now heliocentric orbit. The images and other data returned have resulted in the discovery of new phenomena in the solar system and a new perspective on the processes within it. This chapter discusses some observations on comets, asteroids, the interplanetary complex and the processes giving rise to it.
Origin of Overpotential-Dependent Surface Dipole at CeO2–x/Gas Interface During Electrochemical Oxygen Insertion Reactions

Ion insertion at the interfaces of batteries, fuel cells, and catalysts constitutes an important class of technologically relevant, charge-transfer reactions. However, the molecular nature of charge separation at the adsorbate/solid interface remains elusive. It has been hypothesized that electrostatic dipoles at the adsorbate/solid interface could result from adsorption-induced charge redistribution, preferential segregation of charged point defects in the solid, and/or intrinsic dipoles of adsorbates. Using operando ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we elucidate the coupling between electrostatics and adsorbate chemistry on the surface of CeO2–x, an excellent electrocatalyst and a model system for studying oxygen-ion insertion reactions. Three adsorbate chemistries were studied—OH–/CeO2–x (polar adsorbate), CO32–/CeO2–x (nonpolar adsorbate), and Ar/CeO2–x (no adsorbate)—under several hundred mTorr of gas pressure relevant to electrochemical H2/CO oxidation and H2O/CO2 reduction. By inte...
Crystal structure and DNA binding activity of a PadR family transcription regulator from hypervirulent Clostridium difficile R20291.

Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming obligate anaerobe that can remain viable for extended periods, even in the presence of antibiotics, which contributes to the persistence of this bacterium as a human pathogen during host-to-host transmission and in hospital environments. We examined the structure and function of a gene product with the locus tag CDR20291_0991 (cdPadR1) as part of our broader goal aimed at elucidating transcription regulatory mechanisms involved in virulence and antibiotic resistance of the recently emergent hypervirulent C. difficile strain R20291. cdPadR1 is genomically positioned near genes that are involved in stress response and virulence. In addition, it was previously reported that cdPadR1 and a homologue from the historical C. difficile strain 630 (CD630_1154) were differentially expressed when exposed to stressors, including antibiotics. The crystal structure of cdPadR1 was determined to 1.9 A resolution, which revealed that it belongs to the PadR-s2 subfamily of PadR transcriptional regulators. cdPadR1 binds its own promoter and other promoter regions from within the C. difficile R20291 genome. DNA binding experiments demonstrated that cdPadR1 binds a region comprised of inverted repeats and an AT-rich core with the predicted specific binding motif, GTACTAT(N2)ATTATA(N)AGTA, within its own promoter that is also present in 200 other regions in the C. difficile R20291 genome. Mutation of the highly conserved W in α4 of the effector binding/oligomerization domain, which is predicted to be involved in multi-drug recognition and dimerization in other PadR-s2 proteins, resulted in alterations of cdPadR1 binding to the predicted binding motif, potentially due to loss of higher order oligomerization. Our results indicate that cdPadR1 binds a region within its own promoter consisting of the binding motif GTACTAT(N2)ATTATA(N)AGTA and seems to associate non-specifically with longer DNA fragments in vitro, which may facilitate promoter and motif searching. This suggests that cdPadR1 acts as a transcriptional auto-regulator, binding specific sites within its own promoter, and is part of a broad gene regulatory network involved, in part, with environmental stress response, antibiotic resistance and virulence.
Sustainability index development for manufacturing industry

Abstract Manufacturing industries are adopting new techniques and philosophies to address the acute shortage of non-renewable energy. Many of these manufacturing industries are focusing on achieving sustainability in every possible stage of their production, from raw material to the recycling of waste. Thus, the significance of using renewable energy, properly handling waste, and progressively conserving the environment is increasing day by day. In this research, the definition of sustainability is quite specific: being productive while making little to no impact on non-replenishable resources. The objective of the research is to determine the sustainability index of manufacturing plants. Since the topic has a broad scope, this research is limited to small and medium scale industries, which have common sets of operation and defined process plans. Besides, the focus is on non-hazardous waste and the indicators of the index are selected with respect to energy efficiency, workers’ health and safety and waste reduction potential. An interactive model has been developed to determine the sustainability index based on user responses. Based on the sustainable index, the model is able to provide suggestions to improve sustainability as well as carbon footprint reduction. The research has used datasets from various projects of the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) at West Virginia University to build the knowledge database. The interactive model is validated by case studies from the IAC. The outcome of this research is a model that can assist industry to identify their shortcomings in achieving sustainability, determine the carbon footprint reduction potential, and compare the sustainability index as a benchmark measure.
Real-time detection of pre-atherosclerotic lesions in New Zealand White rabbits

Real-time detection of pre-atherosclerotic lesions remains an unmet clinical challenge. We demonstrated the application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors in an eccentric stenotic model in which convective heat transfer peaked in the throat of the stenosis, and decreased downstream in the zone of flow reversal. We hereby provided new insights into changes in convective heat transfer in the regions of non-obstructive, albeit inflammatory, atherosclerotic lesions in the New Zealand White rabbits fed on hypercholesterolemic diet (HD, n=3). The instantaneous temperature fluctuations altered the resistance of the MEMS sensing elements from which convective heat transfer was sensed as changes in voltages. The presence of pre-atherosclerotic lesions in the distal aortic arch significantly increased the changes in output voltage (V ave = 0.24 V) compared to that of lesion free rabbit aorta fed on normal standard diet (V ave = 0.0058V) (ND, n=3). The sensors further detected differential V ave in the thoracic aorta (HD: V ave =0.723V versus ND: V ave =:0.131 V), but similar V ave values in the abdominal aortas in the absence of atheromas (HD: V ave =0.144V versus ND: V ave =:0.143V). V ave values were also similar in distal aortic arch, thoracic and abdominal aortas in the rabbits fed on ND. Thus, MEMS thermal sensors provided a new strategy to detect pre-atherosclerotic lesions.
An introduction to using Bayesian linear regression with clinical data

Statistical training psychology focuses on frequentist methods. Bayesian methods are an alternative to standard frequentist methods. This article provides researchers with an introduction to fundamental ideas in Bayesian modeling. We use data from an electroencephalogram (EEG) and anxiety study to illustrate Bayesian models. Specifically, the models examine the relationship between error-related negativity (ERN), a particular event-related potential, and trait anxiety. Methodological topics covered include: how to set up a regression model in a Bayesian framework, specifying priors, examining convergence of the model, visualizing and interpreting posterior distributions, interval estimates, expected and predicted values, and model comparison tools. We also discuss situations where Bayesian methods can outperform frequentist methods as well has how to specify more complicated regression models. Finally, we conclude with recommendations about reporting guidelines for those using Bayesian methods in their own research. We provide data and R code for replicating our analyses.
Evaluating Riparian Restoration Success: Long-Term Responses of the Breeding Bird Community in California’s Lower Putah Creek Watershed

Restoration of river processes and riparian vegetation is a high priority, particularly in the western United States, where it provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife along with many other environmental and economic benefits, yet few studies have quantified long-term responses of wildlife. We evaluated responses of the breeding bird community to restoration and management of the lower Putah Creek watershed in the Central Valley of California following the establishment of the Putah Creek Accord in 2000, an historic agreement designed to improve ecosystem structure and function and protect the livelihoods of farmers and residents along the lower creek. We surveyed the breeding bird community at 14 sites distributed over 38 km of the creek between 1999 and 2012, and we detected significant increases in the abundance of 27 breeding bird species as well as increases in the size and diversity of the entire breeding bird community, which could not be accounted for by broader regional trends or the influence of local nest box installation. Further, changes in the watershed favored riparian and woodland-associated species over synanthropic species. However, in comparison with Central Valley Joint Venture density objectives for seven riparian focal bird species, there is still considerable room for improvement, particularly at sites farthest downstream. Overall, our results echo shifts in the Putah Creek fish community and provide evidence that the Putah Creek Accord and subsequent management actions have contributed to a long-term improvement in riparian ecosystem condition for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms.
Confirmation and refinement of the heterozygous deletion of the small leucine-rich proteoglycans associated with posterior amorphous corneal dystrophy.

ABSTRACTPurpose: To present the clinical and cytogenetic features of a previously unreported family with posterior amorphous corneal dystrophy (PACD) associated with a heterozygous deletion of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SRLP) genes on chromosome 12.Methods: Clinical characterization was performed using slit lamp biomicroscopic and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Genomic DNA was collected from affected and unaffected family members, and a cytogenomic array was used to identify copy number variations (CNV) present in the PACD locus.Results: Three members of a Guatemalan family presented with clinical characteristics consistent with PACD: bilateral posterior stromal lamellar opacification, decreased corneal curvature, and iridocorneal adhesions. OCT imaging demonstrated decreased corneal thickness and hyperreflectivity of the posterior third of the corneal stroma. CNV analysis confirmed the presumed clinical diagnosis of PACD by revealing a 0.304 Mb heterozygous deletion in the PACD loc...
The length of copied consonants in geminates, total assimilation, and ambisyllables

Lamkang is an under-documented endangered Kuki-Chin language of the Northeast India spoken in 40 villages spread across Manipur’s Chandel district with under 10,000 Lamkang-Naga speakers (Ethnologue 2014). In Lamkang, doubled consonants have three different sources: (1) gemination when stems are followed by enclitics of the shape V; (2) total assimilation of enclitics to stem codas; (3) ambisyllables in prefixes of the shape CV (where V is an epenthetic vowel). We examine the acoustic properties of the doubled consonants in these three morphological environments to show that the length of the closures reflect the morphological derivational history. The paper investigates a method for measuring doubled consonant length: We measure from peak intensity of vowels on either side of the consonant closure, rather than the length of the closure. Orthographic practice reflects these differences as doubled consonants in the prefixes are shorter than the phonologically derived consonants with enclitics. Copied conso...
Pairing off: a bottom-up approach to the human gut microbiome.

The human gut microbiome has been implicated in a variety of health outcomes, and extensive research has aimed to understand its composition and function, primarily via metagenomic analyses. An examination of how the microbiome develops and interacts through interspecies competition and cooperation has been lacking so far. In their recent work, Venturelli et al (2018) build a synthetic gut community and accurately predict its dynamics with a simple network of pairwise interactions.
High-temperature superelasticity of Ni50.6Ti24.4Hf25.0 shape memory alloy

Changes in transformation temperatures and high-temperature mechanical behavior of the new Ni50.6Ti34.4Hf25.0 alloy were determined after selected aging treatments. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to compare the homogenized, solution-treated and aged specimens for a wide combination of aging temperatures and times. Isothermal deformation experiments were conducted measuring reversible transformation strains with digital image correlation. Extraordinary superelasticity was found at test temperatures up to 300 °C for the specimen aged at 500 °C for 4 h.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Antimicrobial Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

In recent years, research and the use of nanomaterials has attracted much interest due to their small size (1–100 nm) and novel structures that exhibit significantly improved physical, chemical, and biological properties compared to their bulk or molecular precursors. In this context, a new branch of multidisciplinary science integrating engineering with biology, chemistry and physics has emerged as nanosciences or nanotechnology, due to their existence and potential applications in a wide variety of fields such as electronics, ceramics, catalysis, magnetic data storage, structural components, food, cosmetics, biological and medical [1–3]. Metal oxides, in particular the transition metal oxides, have profound applications in various fields due to their excellent optical, magnetic, electrical and chemical properties. As the size decreases from the micrometer to the nanometer range, the materials exhibit enhanced diffusivity, increased mechanical strength and chemical reactivity, higher specific heat and electrical resistivity, and enhanced biological properties. This is in part because as particles become smaller, the proportion of atom found at the surface increases relative to the proportion inside its volume, which means that composite materials containing nanoparticles can be more reactive and have enhanced chemical properties. Nanostructure metal oxides are more interesting in that they can be synthesized with a very high surface-to-volume ratio and with unusual morphologies that contain numerous edge/corner and other reactive surface sites, which can be easily functionalized with different groups for the desired applications. An increasing use of nanomaterials has been reported in biological- and medical-related applications such as imaging, sensing, target drug delivery, fighting human pathogens, healthcare products, cosmetics, and food preservative agents due to better safety and stability compared to bulk precursors or their organic counterparts.
Calibrating the Strength Ratio and the Failure Envelope for DEM Modeling of Quasi-Brittle Materials

A displacement-softening contact model is formulated for discrete element modeling of quasi-brittle materials such as rocks and concretes. This local contact law modifies from the parallel bond option in the DEM code PFC2D/3D. It is shown that the displacement-softening contact model can yield realistic compressive over tensile strength ratios as large as \({\sim }30\). The high nonlinearity in the failure envelope over the confined extension range, a typical characteristic of rocks, can also be simulated. Calibrations against two well studied rocks, Lac du Bonnet granite and Berea sandstone, are given as examples.
Thermoelectric transport in graphene and 2D layered materials

In early 90s, Hicks and Dresselhaus proposed that low dimensional materials are advantages for thermoelectric applications due to the sharp features in their density-of-states, resulting in a high ...
A systematic and meta-analytic review of the literature on correctional officers: Identifying new avenues for research

Abstract Scholarly interest in the experiences and behaviors of correctional officers has increased over the past several decades. Yet, considerably less is known about those who oversee and manage prison populations relative to other criminal justice professionals. In this study, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of 172 peer-reviewed articles published between 1980 and 2017 that include samples of correctional officers. The goal of this review is to “take stock” of the correctional officer literature in an effort to inform future research, policy, and practice. Specifically, we examine publication trends over the past several decades in addition to examining all outcomes across the included studies. We find that job satisfaction, job stress, and organizational commitment are the most frequently examined outcomes. Next, we examine the most commonly included correlates across each of these outcomes, which include age, female, white, education, experience, supervisor support, and peer support. Findings reveal that organizational factors such as supervisor support and peer support influence each of these outcomes, while demographic characteristics have mixed effects. Recommendations for future research include the need to examine other attitudes and experiences of correctional officers in addition to exploring variation in the effects examined in this review.
Discriminating deception from truth and misinformation: an intent-level approach

Deception detection has been studied for hundreds of years. A particularly challenging problem is to not only identify truth from deception, but also discriminate misinformation, i.e. errors, from ...
Characterizing Interference Mitigation Techniques in Dense 60 GHz mmWave WLANs

Dense deployment of access points in 60 GHz WLANs can provide always-on gigabit connectivity and robustness against blockages to mobile clients. However, this dense deployment can lead to harmful interference between the links, affecting link data rates. In this paper, we attempt to better understand the interference characteristics and effectiveness of interference mitigation techniques using 802.11ad COTS devices and 60 GHz software radio based measurements. We ﬁrst ﬁnd that current 802.11ad COTS devices do not consider interference in sector selection, resulting in high interference and low spatial reuse. We consider three techniques of interference mitigation - channelization, sector selection and receive beamforming. First, our results show that channelization is effective but 60 GHz channels have non-negligible adjacent and non-adjacent channel interference. Second, we show that it is possible to perform interference-aware sector selection to reduce interference but its gains can be limited in indoor environment with reﬂections, and such sector selection should consider fairness in medium access and avoid asymmetric interference. Third, we characterize the efﬁcacy of receive beamforming in combating interference and quantify the related overhead involved in the search for receive sector, especially in presence of blockages. We elaborate on the insights gained through the characterization and point out important outstanding problems through the study.
Ionospheric science in the age of big data

Abstract Ionospheric science is in the middle of a data revolution, and poised to take advantage of modern data science methods that are gaining popularity for scientific applications. This chapter explores the challenges in ionospheric science that can benefit from data science approaches, outlines suitable machine-learning methods, discusses the ways to use these methods to advance scientific inquiry, and the infrastructure needed to facilitate these new endeavors.
Factors associated with clinical trial participation for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

670Background: Clinical trials are critical for the development of new treatment paradigms for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The primary objective of this study was to characterize the factors associ...