cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Families United/Familias Unidas: Development and Implementation of a Family-Based Group Office Visit Model for the Primary Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to describe the development and implementation of a new diabetes prevention intervention that combines the benefits of family support with the group office model. Intensive lifestyle modification can effectively delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, yet health providers are challenged in translating these results to their patients. The group outpatient visit model can provide a means to address prevention issues in a financially sustainable manner.MethodsMaterials from the Diabetes Prevention Program and a previously developed group office visit program were combined to create the Families United/Familias Unidas curriculum. The session content utilized a multiculturally tailored approach designed to help participants decrease portion size, decrease carbohydrate intake, increase physical activity, and increase resiliency. Adults aged 18 to 70 were recruited who had any diabetes risk factors but did not have diabetes. Eligible participants enlisted a support person, aged 14...
Simulation of Dynamic Fracture Using Peridynamics, Finite Element Modeling, and Contact

Peridynamics is a nonlocal extension of classical solid mechanics that allows for the modeling of bodies in which discontinuities occur spontaneously. Because the peridynamic expression for the balance of linear momentum does not contain spatial derivatives and is instead based on an integral equation, it is well suited for modeling phenomena involving spatial discontinuities such as crack formation and fracture. In this study, both peridynamics and classical finite element analysis are applied to simulate material response under dynamic blast loading conditions. A combined approach is utilized in which the portion of the simulation modeled with peridynamics interacts with the finite element portion of the model via a contact algorithm. The peridynamic portion of the analysis utilizes an elastic-plastic constitutive model with linear hardening. The peridynamic interface to the constitutive model is based on the calculation of an approximate deformation gradient, requiring the suppression of possible zero-energy modes. The classical finite element portion of the model utilizes a Johnson-Cook constitutive model. Simulation results are validated by direct comparison to expanding tube experiments. The coupled modeling approach successfully captures material response at the surface of the tube and the emerging fracture pattern.© 2010 ASME
Advocating for Change in Medical Legislation

Advocacy is becoming an increasingly important role for physicians, and there is extraordinary value to becoming effective advocates on behalf of our patients. Until recently, advocacy was not a formal part of medical school or residency curricula. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published an extensive overview of advocacy for the pediatrician.1 This online guide breaks down legislative reform efforts into individual, community, state, and federal levels. We focus here on state and federal legislative advocacy, the practice of taking a position, and initiating actions in a legislative arena so as to deliberately influence policy choices.2 Health law can have a profound impact on a physician’s practice of medicine, and there is a general call for physicians to become advocates for changes in public policy.3 However, there is little in standard medical journals outlining how medical personnel may specifically advocate for changes in laws that affect our daily professional lives. We describe here a recent effort to change the law in Rhode Island regarding HIV testing in pregnancy and use that effort as a launching pad for broader discussions of how involvement in legislative change can be an important and rewarding process for hospitalists. In 2006, a 4-week-old term infant presented to our hospital with a chief complaint of fever and rash. On the second hospital day, after an accidental needle stick, the child’s HIV status was reported as positive. The child made a prolonged and gradual recovery.4 Two salient facts emerged from this case. First, the mother had been offered HIV testing while she was pregnant but had refused. Second, had she accepted testing, there is a strong likelihood that her infant would not have acquired the disease. Limitations in current state law allowed the infection to progress and motivated us to try change …
Localization of GABAA receptor subunits α1, α3, β1, β2/3, γ1, and γ2 in the salamander retina

Electrophysiological studies have demonstrated that gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors type A (GABA(A)) mediate important information processing in the retinas of salamander and other vertebrates. The pharmacology and physiology of GABA(A) receptors depend on their subunit composition. We studied the localization of GABA(A) receptor subunit isoforms alpha(1), alpha(3), beta(1), beta(2/3) (antibody BD-17 and 62-3G1), gamma(1), and gamma(2) in salamander retina with immunocytochemical methods. All three beta-subunit antibodies labeled similarly in the outer retina, especially the inner segments and synaptic terminals of rod photoreceptors (identified with protein kinase C). Somatic labeling was observed in cell bodies of some horizontal cells, bipolar cells, amacrine cells, and cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL). Puncta were present throughout the inner plexiform layer (IPL) for beta(1) and 62-3G1, but not for BD-17. alpha(1)-immunoreactivity (IR) stained a population of presumed OFF rod-dominated bipolar cells, including dendrites, soma, and axon terminals in the distal IPL. A subtype of GABAergic amacrine cell also expressed alpha(1)-IR, with puncta sparsely distributed at the distal and proximal margins of the IPL. Both the OPL and IPL were labeled throughout for alpha(3)-IR, as opposed to the narrow distribution of alpha(1)-IR in the IPL, suggesting that the two alpha-subunits are localized at different synaptic sites. Punctate gamma(1)-IR was observed in the OPL and IPL, whereas gamma(2) was most prominent in cone photoreceptors (identified with calbindin), including the terminal telodendria, in cell bodies of some horizontal cells, amacrine cells, cells in the GCL, and less intensely in the IPL. In addition, several subunits were present in Muller cells. The differential labeling suggests the existence of GABA(A) receptor subtypes with different subunit compositions that mediate multiple GABAergic functions in salamander retina.
The invariance of directional tuning with contrast and coherence.

The responses of motion mechanisms depend not only on the direction of a stimulus, but also on its contrast, coherence and speed. We examined how contrast, coherence and directional selectivity interact by measuring directional tuning psychophysically across a wide range of coherence and contrast levels. We fit data with a simple model that estimated directional tuning bandwidth using contrast and coherence gain parameters that were based on neurophysiological estimates. This model estimated a bandwidth of ∼90° for directionally selective mechanisms. Bandwidth was invariant across a wide range of contrasts and coherences, as predicted by models of contrast normalization.
Harm: Omission, Preemption, Freedom

CCA is an attractive account of harm. It has many virtues and many advantages over its competitors. But I won’t explore those features here. Ben Bradley gives a nice summary of them, though he ultimately rejects CCA (2012: 396–7, 401). In this paper, I’ll reply to two objections to CCA that haven’t been adequately addressed in the literature. Some critics think that certain omission and preemption cases raise obviously fatal problems for it. I’ll argue that they’re wrong. First, a caveat: CCA is about overall harm, which is different from pro tanto harm. I’ll explain this distinction later and use it to show that preemption cases don’t raise obviously fatal problems for CCA. Until then, my discussion will be confined to overall harm and I’ll leave the “overall” implicit.
Effective dehydrated media with surfactants for identification of Candida albicans.

Addition of 1% Tween 80 to commercial dehydrated corn meal or zein agar as well as to homemade corn meal agar greatly enhanced the development of chlamydospores on these media by Candida albicans. Most striking results were obtained with zein agar plus Tween 80, its effectiveness exceeding that of homemade corn meal agar plus Tween. Sodium taurocholate was substituted successfully for Tween 80 as an agent of chlamydospore production but proved inferior for the identification of other species of Candida by morphologic criteria.
Possibility of optical unification in heterotic strings

Recently J. Giedt discussed a mechanism, entitled optical unification, whereby string scale unification is facilitated via exotic matter with intermediate scale mass. This mechanism guarantees that a virtual MSSM unification below the string scale is extrapolated from the running of gauge couplings upward from M_Z^o when an intermediate scale desert is assumed. In this letter we explore the possibility of optical unification within the context of weakly coupled heterotic strings. In particular, we investigate this for models of free fermionic construction containing the NAHE set of basis vectors. This class is of particular interest for optical unification, because it provides a standard hypercharge embedding within SO(10), giving the standard k_Y = 5/3 hypercharge level, which was shown necessary for optical unification. We present a NAHE model for which the set of exotic SU(3)_C triplet/anti-triplet pairs, SU(2)_L doublets, and non-Abelian singlets with hypercharge offers the possibility of optical unification. Whether this model can realize optical unification is conditional upon these exotics not receiving Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) scale masses when a flat direction of scalar vacuum expectation values is non-perturbatively chosen to cancel the FI D-term, xi, generated by the anomalous U(1)-breaking Green-Schwarz-Dine-Seiberg-Wittten mechanism. A study of perturbative flat directions and their phenomenological implications for this model is underway. This paper is a product of the NFS Research Experiences for Undergraduates and the NSF High School Summer Science Research programs at Baylor University.
Fatigue Failure in Nylon Reinforced Tires

Abstract The principal mechanism leading to fatigue failure of nylon cord tires is progressive loss of cord strength from filament ruptures that occur at an angle of approximately 25 degrees to the fiber axis. Flexing causes cords to become weaker until residual strength is less than tensile forces in the tire, at which time the remaining filaments break with a blunt-ended tensile rupture. Individual cords in tires have stress environments determined by such factors as cord spacing, uniformity, and stiffness of the immediate flexing region, which appear to influence significantly their fatiguing rate. It is probable that these factors also operate in laboratory in-rubber fatigue tests, so that a high degree of precision in sample preparation and loading conditions is essential for such tests to give reproducible data. Measurement of cord strength loss was found to be a valid and useful means for following the progress of fatigue when it was recognized that cords under opposite sidewalls of tires lost stre...
Laser Accelerators

Laser accel erators may be conveniently characterized, by their mode of operation, into media, far-field, and near-field accelerators. The first category -- media accelerators -- include the Inverse Cherenkov Effect Accelerator, the Plasma Focus Accelerator, and the Beat Wave Accelerator (BWA). The second category -- far-field accelerators -- include the Two-Wave Device and the Inverse Free Electron Accelerator (IFEL). The third category -- near-field accelerators -- includes conventional linacs scaled to small dimensions, dielectric sheets, small holes in dielectric cylinders, and gratings. Attention i s devoted to an example from each category; namely (1) the BWA, (2) the IFEL, and (3) the linac scaled to small dimensions (about 30 GHz) and powered by a free electron laser (FEL). Finally, special attention is given to grating accelerators.
Isolation of Mono Lake virus (family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus, Kemerovo serogroup) from Argas cooleyi (Acari: Argasidae) collected in Colorado.

Ten virus strains were isolated from Argas cooleyi Kohls and Hoogstraal 1960 collected in 1975 and 1976 from cliff swallow ( Hirundo pyrrhonota Vieillot) nests in Colorado. Serologic tests with these viruses showed close antigenic relationships between them and Mono Lake virus, isolated only from a closely related tick in California. These tests also suggest that the isolates from Colorado ticks are essentially identical to Sixgun City virus, isolated only from Argas cooleyi in Texas and Colorado.
Effect of Crop Seed Water Content on the Rate of Seed Damage by Red Imported Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Red imported fire ants, Solenopis invicta Buren, are known to feed upon planted field crop seed; however, the relationship with varying levels of seed water content is not known. If red imported fire ants are feeding on planted seed during periods of slow seed germination, and if the seed are more palatable or otherwise more easily damaged at elevated water contents, the risk of crop-stand loss is increased. In this study, 5 types of field crop seeds—wheat, Triticum aestivum L.; corn, Zea mays L.; grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.; and soybean, Glycine max L.—were exposed to red imported fire ants under laboratory conditions to measure damage caused by feeding. The seeds were dry and on moistened filter paper for maximum rate of germination, and at 20, 40, and 60% water contents for various parts of the study. Moistened seed suffered 2–90 times more damage in 48 h than comparable dry seed. When commercial sorghum seed was tested at 4 initial water contents, seed damage increased ≈22 times over damage to dry seed. A model was developed to predict the feeding damage to commercial sorghum seed as a function of elapsed time and seed water content. The risk of feeding damage relative to germination increased up to as much as 20 times when the initial water content was 60% compared with dry seed, except for corn damage. which was relatively insensitive to water content. We conclude from laboratory studies that crop-stand losses are likely to be most severe for wheat and grain sorghum when moistened seed are exposed to feeding by red imported fire ants.
A socio-marketing analysis of the concept of cute and its consumer culture implications

Cute has become the favored language of (the predominantly female) popular consumer culture. This paper examines the roots of “cute” and its evolution with reference to its relevance to marketers. ...
Plant Resistance Studies with Diuraphis noxia (Homoptera: Aphididae), a New United States Wheat Pest

Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko , a new United States aphid pest of small grains, was detected in the southern Great Plains in 1986. Our research objective was to obtain information about potential hosts and sources of resistance to this new pest in United States cereals and forage grasses and to determine whether greenbug-resistant germ plasm would be useful in a plant resistance program. When components of resistance of 10 small-grain seedling entries were compared, highest levels of antibiosis, antixenosis, and tolerance to D. noxia were found in ‘Nora’ oats, followed by ‘Elbon’ rye. In a replicated flat test comparing seedling reactions of 20 small-grain entries, greatest levels of resistance were again found in oat and rye entries, with moderate levels found in the wheat entries ‘Payne’, CI 17959, and CI 17882. However, it appears that current greenbug-resistant wheat and barley lines do not have sufficient D. noxia resistance to be useful in a plant resistance program. A test of other cereal grains and grasses showed that corn, sorghum, pearl millet, ‘Kentucky 31’ fescue, and bermudagrass sustained little damage, whereas Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass were moderately damaged. Some reproduction was observed on sorghum, but not on corn. D. noxia can be reared on pearl millet for short durations.
Assessment of Noninvasive Regional Brain Oximetry in Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome and Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome.

Background:Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) leads to small- and large-vessel circulatory dysfunction. While aggressive lowering of elevated blood pressure is the usual treatment ...
Do We Still Need Reference Services in the Age of Google and Wikipedia

ABSTRACTWith the continuing development of web resources and Internet search utilities, the role of reference services is changing in the modern library. Traditional ready reference is in decline, but the need for broad-based research support will continue for the foreseeable future. As librarians adapt to the evolving research environment, libraries are experimenting with alternative models of reference services. Far-reaching calls to adopt one model or abandon another, such as the traditional reference desk, are off target given that each library must adapt to its own local situation and determine how best to serve its constituents.
Study on Integrated Emissivity of Compound Temperature Sensor

Integrated emissivity of compound temperature sensor is not equal to unit, because of the non-isothermalness and non-airtightness of actual blackbody cavity. Calculation formulas for non-isothermal integrated emissivity are presented. The effect factors caused by structure, temperature distribution, material emissivity, distance between aperture and detector, and surrounding temperature are analysed, which lay a foundation for optimization design and higher accuracy.
Study on System Readiness Assessment in Naval Armament Technology System-of-Systems

System readiness assessment is an effective method to reduce risk in advanced technology research of armament. With demand analysis of readiness assessment in naval armament technology, both domestic and foreign research status are reviewed. Based on model algorithmic analysis, the definition of system readiness level is established, which is adaptive to our equipment development. The study in this paper provides beneficial reference to popularization and application of system readiness assessment.
Study on Noise Characteristics of Vehicle Catalytic Converters

This article conducts an experiment test and simulation researches on one section of vehicle catalytic converters.Using white noise test method to obtain its transmission loss and realizing simulation analysis of its sound characteristics based on GT-Power software.Experimental results show that catalytic converters have obvious silencer band and pass-by noise.The top sound attenuation reaches 20 dB.The transmission plot of single-pipe model which has the same porosity with the converter is close to the experimental plot,however,with lower attenuation.The porosity,number and diameter of pipes in the carrier have important influence on transmission loss.Double bed converter has higher TL than single bed.TL of double level converters also increases a lot than single level,which improves sound attenuation obviously.
The antiprogestin RU486 delays the midcycle gonadotropin surge and ovulation in gonadotropin-releasing hormone-induced cycles

Objective To investigate whether the antiprogestin RU486 acts primarily on the hypothalamus to delay the midcycle gonadotropin surge and thus gain insight into the site(s) of action of P in the control of ovulation. Design Prospective, crossover, single-blinded clinical study. Setting Outpatient clinic in an academic research environment. Patients Women with hypothalamic amenorrhea. Interventions RU486 or a placebo was given orally at a low dose of 1 mg/d for 5 days, starting when the dominant follicle reached 14 to 16 mm, to women with hypothalamic amenorrhea undergoing ovulation induction with GnRH pulses of unvarying frequency and dose. Blood samples and ovarian ultrasounds were obtained daily in the late follicular phase and every 3 to 4 days in the remainder of the cycle. Main Outcome Measures Follicular diameter and plasma levels of LH, FSH, E2, and P. Results RU486 consistently delayed the timing of the midcycle gonadotropin surge and ovulation. Gonadotropin and steroid levels were suppressed during RU486 treatment, but follicular growth progressed normally in most patients. conclusions RU486 does not act primarily on the hypothalamus to delay ovulation. Rather, this compound appears to antagonize P at the pituitary level to suppress gonadotropin and steroid hormone secretion. P may thus act on the pituitary, independent of any hypothalamic effects, to regulate the timing of the midcycle gonadotropin surge and ovulation.
Management of Lupus Nephritis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by frequent renal involvement in approximately 50 % of patients. Lupus nephritis (LN) remains the most important predictor of morbidity and mortality for patients with SLE. A recent international inception cohort reported 80 % of patients develop LN within the first 2 years of disease; thus, it is imperative to screen SLE patients frequently early in disease and at routine clinical visits thereafter. Patients with proteinuria, active urinary sediment, or decreased effective glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) without other explanation should undergo a kidney biopsy to determine the histologic class and chronicity of LN to guide therapy. In general, we advocate initial treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis with intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide according to the Euro-Lupus regimen. After initial treatment with cyclophosphamide, we transition patients to maintenance immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine for at least 3 to 5 years. Recent maintenance trials in LN report an increased proportion of patients achieving complete remission and fewer renal flares with this approach. Failure to attain a complete remission and renal flares are highly associated with progression to ESKD. Recently, repeat biopsy studies report substantial discordance between clinical measures of complete remission with up to 30 % of patients showing continued histologic activity despite these features. We advocate that patients undergo repeat renal biopsy to ensure complete histological remission prior to discontinuing immunosuppressive therapy. In recent LN trials, only 50 % of patients achieve complete or partial remission at 6 months. Patients with lupus nephritis should preferentially be enrolled in clinical trials as newer agents are needed to increase the proportion of patients responding to therapy. Patients also benefit greatly from more frequent monitoring and additional clinical support in trials. While recent clinical trials have not been successful including epratuzumab, tabalumab, and abatacept, promising new agents are in early phase trials.
Cereblon RING finger E3-ubiquitin ligase receptor is a novel regulator of T-cell activation and homeostasis

C (CBBN) is a RING-domain containing protein that likely functions as a substrate receptor for the DDB1/Cul4/ CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase (UbL) complex. Recently, CRBN was shown to be a target of the immunomodulatory (IMiD) drug thalidomide. Although known for inducing severe teratogenicity in the 1950s, this drug class is now used extensively for anticancer immunotherapy. CRBN is expressed in the hematopoietic compartment, but currently has no known function in immune regulation. Ubiquitin ligases including C-Cbl, cbl-b, GRAIL, and ITCH underlie T-cell homeostatic regulation and protect against autoimmunity. To understand the role of CRBN in T-cell function, we studied a mouse with a germline deletion of exon 3 and 4 of this gene. First, crbn-/mice are viable, fertile and normal in appearance without limb malformations. In the T-cell compartment, splenic and peripheral blood lymphocytes are increased at 3 months of age. The expanded population of splenic T-cells was also evident by immunohistochemical staining. Mature differentiated cell lineages such as CD4 and CD8 single positive (SP) thymocytes, SP peripheral T-cells and naive and memory T-cells are similar to wild-type littermates with no apparent spontaneous autoimmune features at 3 months. Similar to IMiD responses, the mature T-cells from crbn-/mice showed superior activation after T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. Proximal TCR signaling events including pZAP70 and pLck, cytokine production and survival are increased in knockout mice relative to wild-type littermates. In summary, our findings demonstrate a novel role for CRBN, the molecular target of thalidomide and other members of the IMiD-family, in T-cell activation.
Headache and Chiari Type I Malformation

Headache was the presenting symptom in 5 of 6 patients with Chiari type malformation, reported from the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Trondheim University Hospital, Norway.
Temperature Fluctuations in Greenland and the Arctic

Abstract Greenland ice cores have generated a huge amount of climatic data. Ancient temperatures, measured using oxygen isotopes in the ice, can be accurately dated from annual dust layers in the ice dating back 100,000 years. The δ18O data clearly show remarkable swings in climate. In the past 500 years, Greenland temperatures have fluctuated back and forth between warming and cooling about 40 times, with changes every 25–30 years. Among the more prominent climate changes recorded in the ice cores are 8500 years of Holocene temperatures that were 2–5°F warmer than present; a 8200-year cold period in the early Holocene; the Minoan Warm Period (∼3300 years ago); the Roman Warm Period (250 BC to 400 AD); the Dark Ages Cold Period (∼400–900 AD); the Medieval Warm Period (900–1300 AD); the Little Ice Age (1300 AD to the 20th century); the Wolf Minimum Cold Period (∼1280–1350 AD); the Sporer Cold Period (1460–1550 AD); the Maunder Minimum Cold Period (1645–1710); the Dalton Cold Period (1790–1820); the 1880–1915 Cold Period; the 1915–1945 Warm Period; the 1945–1977 Cold Period; and the 1978–2000 Warm Period. Comparisons of the intensity and magnitude of past warming and cooling climate changes show that the global warming experienced during the past century pales into insignificance when compared to the magnitude of profound climate reversals over the past 25,000 years. At least three warming events were 20–24 times the magnitude of warming over the past century, and four were 6–9 times the magnitude of warming over the past century. The magnitude of the only modern warming that might possibly have been caused by CO2 (1978–2000) is insignificant compared to the earlier periods of warming. Arctic temperatures have fluctuated repeatedly in step with Greenland and global climate changes. Historic records at many weather stations in the Arctic show that temperatures were higher in the 1930s and 1940s than during recent warming (1980–2000). Sea ice extent has expanded and contracted with temperature fluctuations and has sharply increased over the past several years.
Imaging in Systemic Vasculitis

Vasculitis is a heterogeneous and complex group of diseases associated with inflammation of the vessel wall. It can affect both arteries and veins; however seen mostly in arteries. Vasculitis is further divided into small, medium and large vessel vasculitis based on the arteries involved. In this chapter, we provide a detailed discussion on the use of various diagnostic modalities often employed in the diagnosis and treatment of acute as well as chronic vasculitis and their sequelae.
Rapid full-wave phase aberration correction method for transcranial high-intensity focused ultrasound therapies

Non-invasive high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can be used to treat a variety of disorders, including those in the brain. However, the differences in acoustic properties between the skull and the surrounding soft tissue cause aberrations in the path of the ultrasonic beam, hindering or preventing treatment. We present a method for correcting these aberrations that is fast, full-wave, and allows for corrections at multiple treatment locations. The method is simulation-based: an acoustic model is built based on high-resolution CT scans, and simulations are performed using the hybrid angular spectrum (HAS) method to determine the phases needed for correction. Computation of corrections for clinically applicable resolutions can be achieved in approximately 15 min. Experimental results with a plastic model designed to mimic the aberrations caused by the skull show that the method can recover 95 % of the peak pressure obtained using hydrophone-based time-reversal methods. Testing using an ex vivo human skull flap resulted in recovering up to 70 % of the peak pressure at the focus and 61 % when steering (representing, respectively, a 1.52- and 1.19-fold increase in the peak pressure over the uncorrected case). Additionally, combining the phase correction method with rapid HAS simulations allows evaluation of such treatment metrics as the effect of misregistration on resulting pressure levels. The method presented here is able to rapidly compute phases required to improve ultrasound focusing through the skull at multiple treatment locations. Combining phase correction with rapid simulation techniques allows for evaluation of various treatment metrics such as the effect of steering on pressure levels. Since the method computes 3D pressure patterns, it may also be suitable for predicting off-focus hot spots during treatments—a primary concern for transcranial HIFU. Additionally, the plastic-skull method presented here may be a useful tool in evaluating the effectiveness of phase correction methods.
Optimized pressure pulse-decay method for laboratory estimation of gas permeability of sorptive reservoirs: Part 1 – Background and numerical analysis

Analysis of transient fluid flow in porous media has several applications in geophysics/geotechnics and engineering. An in-depth evaluation of fluid flow behavior is critical in order to improve the understanding, and development of, laboratory measurement techniques in geo-mechanics, particularly permeability estimation. Given that considerable errors may be yielded in the derived permeabilities of sorptive rocks when using the conventional pressure-pulse decay method (PDM), this paper proposes a new experimental design, an optimized PDM, by creating dual pressure pulses to avoid the pressure disturbance due to compressive storage, ad-/de-sorption and thermal effect during the course of measurement. In this paper, the first of a two-part series, a mathematical model established for the conventional PDM was modified to closely represent the new experimental design, thereby extending the transient technique for permeability measurement of unconventional reservoir rocks, particularly ones with large sorption potential. Considering the complexity of analytical solutions of mathematical models, a comprehensive numerical investigation was established and a detailed comparison was carried out between the conventional and optimized PDMs. The results showed how the profiles of the decay curves change in space and time domain, and how pressure responses are influenced by various parameters in the experimental design for PDM. Combining the new design with numerical simulation results in an optimized technique for fast and accurate permeability measurement of sorptive rocks. In particular, Brace et al.’s solution, the most acknowledged and commonly-used permeability calculation method, was extended for permeability estimation of sorptive rocks. In Part 2, the experimental work under best-replicated in situ stress/strain conditions using the optimized method along with the numerical pressure response results obtained from computer simulation is presented. The results verified the practicality of the optimized PDM and the validity of Brace et al.’s solution for permeability measurement of sorptive rocks.
Why the Problem Persists

The U.S. Forest Service task differs markedly from that encountered when the agency was established at the turn of the twentieth century and the mineral leasing laws were enacted in 1920. Professionally trained foresters now have resource-allocation responsibilities that defy their technical expertise and that are more overt than at any time in the past. These foresters are charged with meeting many contradictory objectives. Their decisions must be made in the face of uncertainty about potential outcomes. They are required to make decisions in “the public interest” yet no single public interest exists. Although the decision-making process is designed to make scientifically defensible decisions, the decisions to be made are inherently subjective; objectively correct answers simply do not exist.
Adjunctive ablation strategies improve the efficacy of pulmonary vein isolation in non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) has suboptimal outcomes in patients with non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Adjunctive strategies employed to ablate non-PV triggers have shown...
What can a spontaneous reporting system teach about side-effects of anti-inflammatory drugs?

The launch of a new anti-inflammatory drug (or any drug, for that matter) is preceded by appropriate defined testing in most industrialized nations. Although the requirements for demonstrating efficacy and safety vary from country to country, they can usually be satisfied by including from a few hundred to 3000 patients in pre-approval testing. In countries without the requisite infrastructure, drugs may be licensed without local testing, accepting data generated elsewhere. These limited studies give considerable insight into the proper use of the drugs in question. They also identify the major frequent untoward events that accompany administration of the drugs, and permit segregation — because of the relatively controlled conditions — of those events causally related from those that are casual interlopers. Generally, it is left to post-marketing studies to delve deeper into specific side-effect liabilities. If, in pre-approval studies, serious side-effects or fatalities occur, and if these can be related to the drug, then approval is placed in jeopardy, depending on the severity of the condition to be treated, the benefits expected and the risks found acceptable. For non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) the benefit-risk ratio acceptable is more rigorous than for compounds thought capable of altering the disease progression to crippling or death. This assumes that NSAIDs provide no discernable benefits other than pain relief and inflammation suppression, an arguable proposition.
Chemical segregation and microstructural evolution of fiber laser welded low carbon sheet steel

This study provides fundamental data for phase transformation prediction during the rapid solidification of laser beam welded low carbon sheet steels. Findings can strengthen modeling efforts by providing kinetic and thermodynamic data based on real-world observations.
Vitreous pathobiology and pharmacologic vitreolysis

Once regarded as a vestigial organ, vitreous is now considered an important ocular structure, at least with respect to several pathologic conditions of the posterior segment [1, 2]. In the normal state, vitreous is a clear and solid gel (Fig. 1) that is firmly adherent to the retina, especially in youth. This remarkable tissue is, in essence, an extended extracellular matrix, composed largely of water with a very small amount of structural macromolecules.
Absence, play, and the antidetective story: Shelley Jackson’s Half Life

ABSTRACTDrawing from the tradition of the antidetective story, or the postmodern reversal of the classical detective genre, Shelley Jackson’s Half Life provides a Derridean critique of binary oppositions. This essay will illustrate the ways Jackson borrows heavily from both detective stories and Derrida’s theories of the repressed absence at the heart of the sign in order to propose a (non)resolution to binary thinking. Half Life frames itself as a tale of detection, but absence lies at both the heart of the mystery and Jackson’s narrative technique. Rather than collapsing around its central absence into an almost cliched postmodern hopelessness, Half Life urges its readers to solve its central mystery by provoking the expectation of a solution. By refusing to provide that resolution, however, Jackson both defies the idea of a definitive solution and demonstrates that absence can be both fundamental and engaging.
Reactive Mechanosynthesis of Urea Ionic Cocrystal Fertilizer Materials from Abundant Low Solubility Magnesium- and Calcium-Containing Minerals

Urea is a predominantly used nitrogen fertilizer that is unstable in the environment, quickly hydrolyzing and significantly contributing to the global nitrogen cycle disbalance. We demonstrate the application of mechanochemistry to conduct the synthesis of magnesium–urea and calcium–urea ionic cocrystals, including their nitrates, sulfates, and phosphates, in high yields by stoichiometric reactions between abundant low solubility minerals such as oxides, carbonates, and hydroxides and solid urea inorganic acids. The resulting materials possess unique properties inherited from the corresponding inorganic reactants that result in urea stabilization with respect to its deliquescence in moist environments.
Does acute kidney injury affect survival in adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Introduction:Patients who develop severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) despite full medical management may require veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) to support ...
Mundane is the New Radical: The Resurgence of Energy Megaprojects and Implications for the Global South [Opinion]

Energy infrastructure is critical to the future of any rapidly emerging economy. Unprecedented rates of growth in the global south have quickly raised the stakes for finding plentiful, low-cost energy technology options to keep pace with development needs. This demand has been a significant factor but is not the only one driving a global resurgence in the deployment of large energy infrastructure, and in particular, the hydroelectric dam. Nevertheless, the increasing number of dam projects deployed in developing countries over the last two decades that perform poorly regarding their economy, the environment, human rights, inequality and wealth distribution, as well as public support, all illustrate a seeming disconnect between planners, stakeholders, and our technological energy solutions of choice.
Singly and Doubly Asymptotic Computational Boundaries

The class of problems addressed in this symposium involves the numerical computation of wave fields in and/or around a body residing within an unbounded domain. Each of these problems may be regarded as one of the following types: Type 1: The analyst is interested in the fields over a large region surrounding the body, Type 2: The analyst is (a) interested only in the fields in the vicinity of the body, or (b) not interested in the fields outside the body.
Abkommensrechtliche Behandlung des Gewinnanteils bei übereinstimmender transparenter Besteuerung der Personengesellschaft in beiden Vertragsstaaten

Untersucht wird in diesem Kapitel die abkommensrechtliche Behandlung des eigentlichen Gewinnanteils, den ein deutscher Gesellschafter von seiner US-amerikanischen Personengesellschaft bezieht. Die Behandlung der Sondervergutungen (guaranteed payments) erfolgt im folgenden Kapitel.
A Survey of Link Prediction in Social Networks

Link prediction is an important task for analying social networks which also has applications in other domains like, information retrieval, bioinformatics and e-commerce. There exist a variety of techniques for link prediction, ranging from feature-based classification and kernel-based method to matrix factorization and probabilistic graphical models. These methods differ from each other with respect to model complexity, prediction performance, scalability, and generalization ability. In this article, we survey some representative link prediction methods by categorizing them by the type of the models. We largely consider three types of models: first, the traditional (non-Bayesian) models which extract a set of features to train a binary classification model. Second, the probabilistic approaches which model the joint-probability among the entities in a network by Bayesian graphical models. And, finally the linear algebraic approach which computes the similarity between the nodes in a network by rank-reduced similarity matrices. We discuss various existing link prediction models that fall in these broad categories and analyze their strength and weakness. We conclude the survey with a discussion on recent developments and future research direction.
Direct Anterior Approach and Perioperative Fracture With a Single-Taper Wedge Femoral Component.

Abstract Background Despite growing interest in direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty, perioperative femoral fracture and early aseptic loosening are increasingly recognized complications. Previous research has documented the role of surgeon experience in association with these femoral complications. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between femoral component design and early periprosthetic femoral complications. Methods This was an extension of previous work with an updated patient cohort of 5090 consecutive direct anterior primary total hip arthroplasties at a single institution with a single-taper, wedge femoral stem comprising 4 variants involving length and geometry: group 1, full-length, standard profile; group 2, full-length, reduced distal profile; group 3, short-length, standard profile; and group 4, short-length, reduced distal profile. Records were reviewed retrospectively for the incidence of early postoperative periprosthetic fracture or aseptic loosening and analyzed with regard to patient demographics and femoral stem type. Results There were 42 (0.83%) periprosthetic femur complications observed in the early postoperative period. Increased age (P Conclusion Despite an overall low rate of femoral complications after direct anterior total hip arthroplasty, the risk is increased in elderly patients and females. Furthermore, femoral stem design may portend an elevated risk of these complications.
Water security and the pursuit of food, energy, and earth systems resilience

This article addresses the emergence and interrelation of food, energy, and water security in terms of resource use and the ensuing societal and environmental outcomes. For decades, food security a...
Building Multiple Coordinated Spaces for Effective Immersive Analytics through Distributed Cognition

Multiple Coordinated Views (MCV) has been widely used in visualization. This work explores Multiple Coordinated Spaces (MCS), a 3D version of MCV, in order to integrate various 2D displays in a large physical environment as a unified analysis workspace. Built upon the rich background of distributed and embodied cognition, MCS supports interactive analysis in a connected, distributed set of subspaces. For MCS, we have developed visualization and interactive techniques for coordinating augmented reality devices together with classical WIMP GUIs systems. We also demonstrate the usages of MCS using a multivariate, geo-spatial biodiversity application. The major advantage of MCS is a flexible coordination framework for creating new immersive analytics methods by mixing visualizations from different devices, and mixing physical and virtual operations from different environments.
Team Sport Athletes May Be Less Likely To Suffer Anxiety or Depression than Individual Sport Athletes

The objective of the study was to determine whether 1) the proportion of athletes with mental health diagnoses and 2) athlete motivations for playing differ between team sports and individual sports. We conducted a cross-sectional study of child and adolescent athletes assessed at a sports injury prevention center. We compared self-reported anxiety, depression, and reasons for participating in sports between athletes in individual sports (e.g. gymnastics, running, diving) and team sports (e.g. soccer, football, hockey). In addition, we categorized motivation for participating in sports as 1) for fun, with associated benefits of participation including, motives such as making friends and being part of a team or 2) for goal-oriented reasons with associated benefits of participation including motives such as obtaining scholarship or controlling weight. At the time of this analysis, 756 athletes between the ages of 6 and 18 years had undergone a sports injury prevention evaluation. Most athletes were White (85%) and there was a slight female predominance (56%). Of the total population, 8% reported suffering from anxiety or depression. A higher proportion of individual sport athletes reported anxiety or depression than team sport athletes (13% vs. 7%, p < 0.01). Individual sport athletes were more likely than athletes in team sports to play their sports for goal-oriented reasons, as opposed to for fun (30% vs. 21%, p < 0.05). Individual sport athletes are more likely to report anxiety and depression than team sport athletes. The mental health benefits of participation in organized sports may vary between individual sport athletes and those playing team sports.
Extension Programming in Support of Public Policy for the Management of Aquaculture in Common Water Bodies

Many countries of Asia, including Indonesia, have experienced the problem of hypoxic fish kills among fish in netpens and fish corrals in various publicly-held water bodies. Fish farming in enclosures in public water bodies attractive because of low overhead costs in comparison to farming the identical species in constructed ponds. But aerobic bacterial degradation of feed and fish feces in common waters can lead to oxygen depletion, thus causing fish kills. Mass-balance and ecological carrying capacity models and education through and extension programming can be used to inform policy makers as to the maximum biomass of farmed fish allowable before risking hypoxia. Economic modeling of social costs and lost revenue in fish kills can also be used to inform and refine public policies. Tools for managing aquaculture carrying capacity might include managing demand for permits by increasing fees, holding auctions for fixed numbers of permits, or using a system of capping, developing offset charges for finfish effluents, and trading of rights to discharge. In this system, holders of finfish netpen permits would pay an offset to nearby aquafarmers conducting nutrient extractive forms of aquaculture (e.g. bivalve or seaweed farming), thus making often desired Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems more economically viable. The important work of translating recommendations from environmental and economic modeling into practical public policy and management practice requires a considerable effort in extension programming and ongoing exchange among the scientific, industry, regulatory and policy-making communities.