cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Analysis of Orthokinetic Flocculation

A stochastic analysis of orthokinetic flocculation has been employed to illustrate one method of computing overdesign factors for continuous flow flocculators. Random inputs and coefficients with known probability distributions were introduced into a model of primary particle flocculation to carry out Monte Carlo simulations. The resulting stochastic outputs were characterized and related to the inputs. It was discovered that both the unsteady-state and steady-state sample responses could be regarded as being normally distributed and essentially unbiased, greatly simplifying the computation of the overdesign factor. Although stochastic analysis cannot reduce the uncertainty involved in flocculation design, it can assist in making design decisions on more quantitative basis.
Skull of Fossil Camelid from American Falls Lake Bed Area of Idaho

Much camel material is present in the Idaho State College museum collection of vertebrate fossils. Since 1939 this material has been collected from various stratigraphic horizons, chiefly within a forty-mile radius of Pocatello. Included in the area of research are the Pleistocene American Falls lake beds as well as the alluvial deposits overlying these beds. Part of our camelid collection came from the gravel pit near American Falls, worked by Dr. J. W. Gidley and Dr. C. L. Gazin (1935). More recently we have opened quarries just above the old town site of American Falls in an area stripped during World War II by the Bureau of Reclamation. From the recent excavations we have collected many jaws, teeth and skeletal parts of camels, ranging in age from juvenile to aged. The camelid skull, I.S.C. No. 1500, with which the present paper deals, is from a lower stratigraphic horizon than that of the American Falls gravel pits. It does not seem to be either Camelops minidokae or Camelops hesternus , the species that previous workers, Hay (1927) and Gazin (1935), have reported from southeastern Idaho. Savage (1951) discusses the status of the genus Camelops . He concludes that the species that should be given zoological usage are Camelops hesternus (Leidy), Camelops huerfanensis (Cragin), Camelops sulcatus (Cope) and Camelops minidokae (Hay). Skull No. 1500 seems to be in the larger size range mentioned by Dr. Savage, viz., the C. hesternus — C. huerfanensis group. The site where I found it in April, 1951, is about 621 yards up the beach of American Falls reservoir from a Bison latifrons skull (Hopkins, Plate I, 1951). Wave action had washed up the skull so that it lay 33 feet out from the base of the cliff with only the teeth and palate …
Serum creatine phosphokinase in 4 generations of a muscular dystrophy family.

The presence in serum of the sarcoplasm enzyme, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), is a convenient biochemical parameter of acute skeletal and cardiac muscle damage. Its use is now recognized in the diagnosis of early myocardial infarction' 22,27 and in the Duchenne type of muscular dystrophy; 8 ' 1 2 ' 1 6 , 1 8 its value is anticipated in the prognosis of preclinical cases of muscular dystrophy;' and it is of variable significance in the detection of its carriers. , 1 0 , 1 3 , 1 9 , 2 1 , 2 4 , 2 5 , 2 8 , 3 0 Its elevation in other states, e.g., infancy, violent exercise, polymyositis, tetanus, and hypothyroidism, 7 is not likely to lessen its diagnostic value in the muscular dystrophies. The serum enzyme in the family described here illustrates the gene defect through 4 generations and exemplifies the several uses of the parameter in this disease. Our attention was called to the family through the mother of an affected son, who was concerned about future cases of the disease in her dystrophy-ridden family. The pedigree consisted of 20 individuals, representing 4 generations (Fig. 1), in which the disease was manifest in 4 males of 3 generations.
Study of residential underfloor air distribution (UFAD) systems using a new modelling approach

Although single/multi-zone thermal models have their own advantages, like simple and fast computations of building energy demand, the accuracy of these models is problematic. The assumption of a un...
Joseph Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, Democracy and the Global System

On the rare occasions when Joseph Schumpeter’s work is invoked by International Relations scholars, they are invariably related to what may be termed his ‘twin-theses’ of world politics, namely, that the phenomenon of modern imperialism is a pathology of pre-capitalist origins and that modern and ‘fully’ capitalist states are essentially pacifist by nature.224 These writings on explicit ‘international’ themes are usually separated from discussions of his general theory of capitalism and liberal development. What drives this chapter, given the central concern with liberal internationalism, is an assessment of Schumpeter’s analysis of capitalism and of its direction; his analysis of democracy and its relationship to capitalism; and, his analysis of the likelihood of the adoption of this form of state by countries other than those few established democracies at the time of writing.
Über die Radioaktivität optischer Geräte mit Bauelementen aus Kaliumbromid

Optical instruments which contain parts of potassium bromide are sources of radiation. A study was made to determine the extent of the effect on radiation detection instrumenta placed near infrared inatruments with potassium bromide prisms. The results showed that a one-meter separation of prism and counter is sufficient for the detector to be unaffected by the radiation. The use of strongly beta absorbing housing for the counter also reduces the radiation effects.
Title IX and Campus Recreation: Guidelines to Increase Gender Equity in Club and Intramural Sport Programs

Title IX legislation seeks to prevent sex discrimination in club and intramural recreational activities; yet guidance to encourage compliance with the law is limited. Hence the purpose of this inve...
Toward Optimal Design of the Generalized Shiryaev -- Roberts Procedure for Quickest Change-Point Detection under Exponential Observations

We consider the basic quickest change-point detection problem with optimality understood in Pollak's minimax sense. The topic of interest is optimal design of the emerging Generalized Shiryaev-Roberts (GSR) detection procedure. To optimize the GSR procedure, we exploit the fact that the GSR procedure provides a lower bound on Pollak's minimax Supremum (conditional) Average Detection Delay (SADD). Specifically, we propose to optimize the GSR procedure by choosing its head start and detection threshold so as to bring the lower bound as far up as is possible within the set tolerable Average Run Length (ARL) to false alarm level. We then follow through with this idea and carry out a case study where, in a specific exponential scenario, we solve the respective lower bound-vs-ARL tradeoff numerically, and tabulate the obtained optimal head start, detection threshold, and the maximized lower bound. The study is extensive in that it considers changes of diverse magnitudes and a wide range of levels of the ARL to false alarm, the latter are computed exactly. The study aids gain further insight into the GSR procedure as well as into the still-unsolved question of what minimizes Pollak's SADD for a given level of the ARL to false alarm. Also, the tabulated optimal head start-detection-threshold pairs might help an engineer to properly set up the GSR procedure.
Early assessment of burn severity in human tissue ex vivo with multi-wavelength spatial frequency domain imaging.

Abstract Early knowledge about burn severity and depth can lead to improved outcome for patients. In this study, we investigated the change in optical properties in ex vivo human skin following thermal burn injuries. Human skin removed during body contouring procedures was subjected to thermal burn injury for either 10 or 60 s. Multi-wavelength spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) measurements were performed on each sample and the optical properties (absorption and scattering parameters) were obtained at each wavelength. Multi-wavelength fitting was used to quantify absorption and scattering parameters, and these parameters were compared to histologic assessments of burn depth related to burn severity. Our results indicated substantial changes in optical scattering parameters and these changes correlated well with the burn severity and depth, and fit closely with previously reported studies using porcine in vivo models. This study provides the characterization of thermal burn injury on human skin ex vivo by using the optical method of SFDI with high sensitivity and specificity. This preclinical human model system without live animals could have uses in testing the imaging parameters of other skin injuries, including from caustic agents.
Concerns and the Seriousness of Emotion

Some philosophers have claimed that emotions are states of mind where an object is taken seriously. Seriousness, as this paper understands it, involves both a phenomenological change in attention and non-indifference towards an object. The paper investigates how contemporary theories of emotion can explain the seriousness of emotion. After rejecting explanations based on feeling, desire, and concern, the paper argues that the seriousness of an emotion can be explained as the manifestation of a concern in an outwardly directed feeling. Given the lack of competing explanations, seriousness probably must be explained this way. This argument shows how emotional feelings constitutively depend on desires, and why desires are essential ingredients to emotion.
A novel tracking strategy for single tracking location shear wave elasticity imaging

Single tracking location shear wave elasticity imaging (STL-SWEI) follows shear waves either at a fixed point in space or at equidistant points from push beam pairs. The former method uses directional filtering to reduce reflection artifacts, the latter approach provides more accurate shear wave speed (SWS) estimates. To exploit the advantages of both tracking strategies, we propose to use compounded plane wave (CPW) imaging to perform STL-SWEI. This will reduce both reflection artifacts and the variance incurred when estimating SWS in suboptimal imaging conditions.
Acute Management of Schizophrenia

The management of schizophrenia begins with the early recognition of high-risk individuals or those who are experiencing subtle psychotic symptoms prior to a first full episode. Timely and effective interventions at these phases may preclude or attenuate the impact of acute psychosis and favorably alter one’s prognosis. In first-episode/early-onset patients, strategies to optimize medication administration and improve adherence can also improve long-term outcomes. In multiepisode patients with acute exacerbations, insufficient benefit and/or safety and tolerability complications are frequent obstacles to achieving stabilization. Thus, the development of alternate strategies is critically important and being actively pursued. At all phases, the goal is to achieve adequate control of symptoms, allowing patients to move from response to remission to recovery.
Isoniazid-Rifapentine for Latent Tuberculosis Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context Latent tuberculosis infection diagnosis and treatment is a strategic priority for eliminating tuberculosis in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the short-course regimen of 3-month isoniazid-rifapentine administered by directly observed therapy. However, longer-duration regimens remain the most widely prescribed latent tuberculosis infection treatments. Limitation on adoption of 3-month isoniazid-rifapentine in the U.S. might be because of patients’ preference for self-administered therapy, providers’ lack of familiarity with 3-month isoniazid-rifapentine, or lack of resources to support directly observed therapy. This review examines the most recent evidence regarding 3-month isoniazid-rifapentine’s effectiveness, safety, and treatment completion when directly compared with other latent tuberculosis infection regimens primarily comprising 9-month isoniazid treatment. Evidence acquisition Using Community Guide methodology, reviewers identified, evaluated, and summarized available evidence published during January 2006–June 2017. Analysis of the data was completed in 2017. Evidence synthesis The analysis included 15 unique studies. Three-month isoniazid-rifapentine was determined to be equal to other latent tuberculosis infection regimens in effectiveness (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.46, 1.70), and has higher treatment completion (87.5%, 95% CI=83.2%, 91.3%) compared with other latent tuberculosis infection regimens (65.9%, 95% CI=53.5%, 77.3%). Three-month isoniazid-rifapentine was associated with similar risk to other latent tuberculosis infection regimens for adverse events (relative risk=0.59, 95% CI=0.23, 1.52); discontinuing treatment because of adverse events (relative risk=0.48, 95% CI=0.17, 1.34); and death (relative risk=0.79, 95% CI=0.56, 1.11). Conclusions The 3-month isoniazid-rifapentine regimen is as safe and effective as other recommended latent tuberculosis infection regimens and achieves significantly higher treatment completion rates.
Distribution and Water as Related to Food Safety and Food Security

To achieve food security, food has to reach the entire population and involves not only growing or importing food, but also storage, transportation and marketing. The food must processed, warehoused and distributed in a manner that avoids spoilage, avoids losses due to pests and avoids cross contamination with microbial, chemical or physical hazards. Food safety and quality programs designed around the HACCP concept, that incorporates good manufacturing practices helps insure that food is stored and distributed in a manner to avoid safety hazards and minimize losses due to spoilage, pests and cross-contamination. This paper looks most at transportation by trucks, but the principles apply to rail and ship transportation. Warehousing concerns are addressed in the context of good manufacturing practices. Finally we examine the importance of clean water for food processing and food security.
Bradykinin analog induce histamine release from human skin mast cells.

The known abilities of kinins to increase vascular permeability, to cause vasodilatation and pain, and to stimulate arachidonic acid metabolism have led several investigators to suggest that these potent peptides may be important mediators of allergic and inflammatory diseases in humans. In recent years, we have provided the first direct evidence to support this concept by demonstrating that bradykinin and lysylbradykinin are generated in nasal secretions during both the immediate and late responses to allergen challenge (1,2). Kinins also appear to be generated in allergic events in the lower airways, since immunoreactive kinin levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from symptomatic asthmatics, or from asthmatics responding to allergen challenge are significantly elevated compared to levels in lavages from normals (3). In addition, recent studies by Atkins and coworkers (4) suggest that activation of plasma kallikrein, presumably accompanied by kinin generation, occurs during ongoing allergic reactions in the skin.
Schottky Groups and Circles

This chapter discusses schotty groups and circles. Let α 1 , β 1 , … , α g , β g be a set of 2g, g ≥ 2, mutually disjoint Jordan curves on the Riemann sphere S 2 , which comprise the boundary of a 2 g -connected region Ω. If there are g Mobius transformations A 1 , … , A g , which have the property that A i maps α i into β i and A i (Ω) ∩Ω = o, 1 ≤ i ≤ g. Then, the g necessarily loxodromic (this term includes hyperbolic) transformations A i generate what is called a Schottky group of genus g with Ω as a fundamental region. The chapter presents a proof of the theorem ρ0−∩ ρ ≠ ρ, where ρ0-denotes the closure of ρ 0 in V .
A Comparison of the Migratory Strategies of Two Milkweed Bugs, Oncopeltus Fasciatus and Lygaeus Kalmii

Views on the nature of migration and dispersal in insects have changed markedly in the past 25 years. Williams (1957) in the 1940s and 1950s was largely responsible for calling attention to the large number of insect species which migrate. However, he stressed that insect migrations were mass occurrences, often triggered by unfavorable conditions, in which flight was unidirectional and under the control of the individual. Dispersal was considered to be mainly a passive and accidental process in which weak-flying insects were scattered by the wind. In the late 1950s, Rainey (1963) demonstrated that movements of African migratory locusts were correlated with prevailing wind patterns and suggested that the direction of migration in these strong fliers was independent of their orientation and thus also passively determined. This led to the questioning of whether or not there was a valid distinction which could be drawn, on the basis of directionality, between the so-called active migrants and passive dispersants. The problem was further complicated when considering the vertical and horizontal components of orientation and the fact that there was then, as there still is, so little data on the orientation of flying insects (Kennedy 1961). Waloff (1972) has recently presented evidence that locusts do in fact orient their direction of flight down wind, thus pointing to the difficulties in attempting to distinguish among dispersal strategies using orientation as a criterion.
Regioregularity and Molecular Weight Effects in Redox-Active Poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) Electrode Binders

Simultaneous electron- and ion-conducting polymeric binders for battery electrodes offer a multifunctional alternative to commonly used poly(vinylidene fluoride). One example is poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (P3HT-b-PEO), which conducts electrons and ions in the P3HT and PEO domains, respectively. Notably, P3HT stores charge by doping and dedoping, which further adds to the overall capacity of the battery electrode. Conjugated P3HT has been extensively studied for various solid state applications (e.g., photovoltaic cells, field-effect transistors, and light-emitting diodes), where the performance is strongly affected by regioregularity and molecular weight. However, in electrochemical systems such as in batteries, the effects of regioregularity and molecular weight on the charge storage performance are not understood for P3HT-b-PEO. Here, by comparing different P3HT-b-PEO block copolymers of varying P3HT regioregularity (86–97%) and molecular weight (8–19 kg mol–1), we demonstrate a s...
The Circulation of Climate Change Denial Online: Rhetorical and Networking Strategies on Facebook

This study uses a topical, rhetorical approach to analyze how climate change denial circulates online through the 25 most popular posts on the Watts Up With That and the Global Warming Policy Forum...
Variety and programed instruction or what can’t be programed?

I have attempted first to define programed instruction primarily in terms of a process by which self-instructional materials are developed. Using that definition, I have tried to deal with the problem “What can be programed?” by citing several kinds of answers : in terms of traditional content categorizing, on the basis of specifiability of the outcomes desired, and in terms of the traditional rote-versus-concept dichotomy. This essay attempts to break away from stereotyped answers to the question posed at the outset and to produce new questions rather than present old answers.
Nicotine or expectancies? Using the balanced-placebo design to test immediate outcomes of vaping.

Abstract Introduction Electronic (e-)cigarette use has increased in popularity, especially among those attempting to quit smoking. Previous studies evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of e-cigarettes have suggested that non-pharmacologic factors, such as expectancies about nicotine effects, may influence the experienced effects of e-cigarettes. Method The independent and synergistic influences of drug and expectancies were parsed using a balanced-placebo design, whereby 128 participants (52 dual users) were provided an e-cigarette that either contained nicotine or non-nicotine solution, while told that it did or did not contain nicotine. We hypothesized main effects of nicotine content on physiological, objective outcomes (attention, appetite, aversion, respiratory tract sensations), and main effects of the instructions on more subjective, psychosocial outcomes (affect, reward, satisfaction). Sex was included as a moderator. Results Results showed that nicotine increased sustained attention, and more so among females. Nicotine delivery was associated with aversion among females, but not males. Among those who were both told and did not receive nicotine, higher enjoyment of respiratory tract sensations was reported. Nicotine with complementary instructions produced the highest reward ratings; additionally, nicotine was rewarding to males but not females. Discussion Findings demonstrated that both nicotine content and non-pharmacologic factors impact acute outcome effects of e-cigarettes, with moderation by sex in some cases. Results are relevant to the interpretation of clinical trials of e-cigarettes and suggest a more nuanced view of reinforcement pathways.
Innovative Financing Solutions for Community Support in the Context of Land Investments

Communities affected by agricultural, forestry, and other resource investments urgently need increased funding for legal and technical support. Without support, communities risk losing access to critical land and resources, suffering human rights violations, or missing opportunities to benefit from investments. A lack of community support can also lead to conflict and challenges that are damaging for companies and host governments. Donors and support providers have found ways to finance support for communities, but such efforts can only extend so far. Promising new opportunities exist for filling the financing gap, yet they will require sustained efforts by a range of actors. This report presents a call to action to help communities secure the support they so crucially need.
Optimal M-Switch Surveillance Policies for Liver Cancer in Hepatitis C-Infected Population

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and the fastest-growing cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Most HCC cases are attributed to chronic hepatitis C virus infection, which affects nearly 3 million Americans and 170 million globally. Although surveillance for HCC in hepatitis C patients can improve survival, the optimal surveillance policies remain unknown. In this study, we develop a mixed-integer programming (MIP)-based framework to systematically analyze a rich set of policies and determine the optimal HCC surveillance policies with the maximum societal net benefit. Our MIP-based framework captures two problem features that make dynamic programming-based formulation computationally intractable. In particular, our proposed framework allows to (1) explicitly formulate M-switch policies that are practical for implementation, and (2) tailor surveillance policies for each subpopulation by stratifying surveillance intervals based on the observable disease states. We theoretically analyze the HCC surveillance problem, characterize when the surveillance policies should be adapted to populations with different disease progression rates, and quantify the trade-off between decreasing HCC incidence and increasing treatment outcomes. We carefully parameterize our model using clinical trial data, a previously validated simulation model, and published clinical studies. Our numerical analyses lead to three main results with important policy implications. First, we find that, in addition to cirrhotic patients, expanding surveillance to patients in earlier stage of hepatitis C infection improves the cost-effectiveness of HCC surveillance. Second, compared with the one-size-fits-all type routine policies, we find that it is cost-effective to stratify surveillance strategies based on the stage of hepatitis C infection with less frequent cancer surveillance in earlier stages of infection. Lastly, we find that a little flexibility in the policy structure as captured by M-switch policies is sufficient to capture almost as much benefit as complex fully dynamic policies.
Pulmonary blastoma: A clinicopathologic study of three cases.

e19140 Background: Pulmonary blastoma (PB) is a rare biphasic neoplasm representing 0.2-0.5% of pulmonary malignancies. Presentation ranges from asymptomatic to symptoms of advanced pulmonary tumor...
Phosphorus excretion by mares post-lactation.

Across the equine literature, estimates of true P digestibility range from -23% to 79%. This large range cannot be explained by differences in P intake or phytate-P intake alone. However, differences in endogenous P secretion into the GI tract may explain the variation. In horses, excess absorbed P is not excreted in the urine but is re-secreted into the GI tract, increasing faecal P and leading to estimates of low P digestibility. Thus, accurate estimates of P digestibility can only be obtained if absorbed P is retained in the horse. The objective of this study was to examine P digestibility in post-lactational mares and control mares that were fed similar amounts of P. It was hypothesized that post-lactational mares would have greater P retention and higher apparent P digestibility than control mares. Prior to the study, four lactating and four non-lactating mares were fed a diet that provided 100% of the control mares' P requirement, but only 55% of the lactating mares' P requirement. During the study, both groups were fed P at the rate recommended for non-lactating mares. Post-lactational mares did not retain more P than control mares but tended to excrete more P than control mares (p = .082), presumably due to differences in endogenous P secretion into the GI tract. Metabolic changes occurring during mammary gland involution may have contributed to the increase in P excretion. However, faecal P excretion exceeded P intake in both groups (p = .08) and both groups lost weight during the study. Tissue mobilization during weight loss may have influenced P secretion into the GI tract.
FastFeatGen: Faster parallel feature extraction from genome sequences and efficient prediction of DNA N6-methyladenine sites

N6-methyladenine is widely found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It is responsible for many biological processes including prokaryotic defense system and human diseases. So, it is important to know its correct location in genome which may play a significant role in different biological functions. Few computational tools exist to serve this purpose but they are computationally expensive and still there is scope to improve accuracy. An informative feature extraction pipeline from genome sequences is the heart of these tools as well as for many other bioinformatics tools. But it becomes reasonably expensive for sequential approaches when the size of data is large. Hence, a scalable parallel approach is highly desirable. In this paper, we have developed a new tool, called FastFeatGen, emphasizing both developing a parallel feature extraction technique and improving accuracy using machine learning methods. We have implemented our feature extraction approach using shared memory parallelism which achieves around 10x speed over the sequential one. Then we have employed an exploratory feature selection technique which helps to find more relevant features that can be fed to machine learning methods. We have employed Extra-Tree Classifier (ETC) in FastFeatGen and performed experiments on rice and mouse genomes. Our experimental results achieve accuracy of 85.57% and 96.64%, respectively, which are better or competitive to current state-of-the-art methods. Our shared memory based tool can also serve queries much faster than sequential technique. All source codes and datasets are available at https://github.com/khaled-rahman/FastFeatGen.
Joint Structural Break Detection and Parameter Estimation in High-Dimensional Nonstationary VAR Models

Assuming stationarity is unrealistic in many time series applications. A more realistic alternative is to assume piecewise stationarity, where the model can change at potentially many change points...
Yield and botanical composition of four dryland pastures at Ashley Dene Research Farm over 8 years

Dry matter yield and botanical composition of four grazed dryland pasture types were compared over 8 years in summer-dry conditions at Ashley Dene, Canterbury, New Zealand. The experiment was sown in March 2013 to evaluate cocksfoot (CF)- or meadow fescue/ryegrass hybrid (RG)-based pastures established with either subterranean (Sub) or subterranean and balansa (S+B) clovers. Plantain was included in all pasture types. Perennial ryegrass established poorly on the low soil moisture holding capacity Lismore soil and in Year 2 was re-broadcast into the RG pastures. Despite this, plantain was the main sown species in RG pastures beyond Year 3. Total spring yield was greatest in Year 5 at 6720 kg DM/ha and varied with spring rainfall. Cocksfoot-based pastures had 60% of sown species present in the spring of Year 8, compared with 28% in RG-based pastures. Balansa clover was only present up to Year 5 after a managed seeding event in the first spring. White clover did not persist in the dryland environment past Year 2. Sub clover yield depended on the time and amount of autumn rainfall but contributed up to 45% of the spring yield. Cocksfoot-sub clover pastures appear to be most resilient in this summer-dry environment with variable spring rainfall.
Managers’ Segment Financial Reporting Choice: When Aggregated Segment-Level Earnings Differ from Firm-Level Earnings

This paper investigates determinants of managers’ segment financial reporting choices. It focuses on managers’ decisions to report firm-segment reconcilable differences (FSDs) – differences between firm-level and segment-level earnings. On average, the research found that FSDs are significant when the differences are not equal to zero. It also found that firms with more segments, greater analyst following, higher return on assets, and losses are more likely to report FSD≠0. However, larger firms and firms in a more competitive industry are less likely to report FSD≠0. In addition, the research found that firms having more segments, higher return on assets, higher return on equity, and growth are more likely to report aggregated segment-level earnings less than firm-level consolidated earnings (FSD>0). Conversely, firms with greater total accruals, a Big 6 auditor, and losses are less likely to report FSD>0. This study also found that firm-segment reconcilable differences, when they exist, are significant and that these differences are significantly different when comparing FSD 0 under the SFAS No. 131 segment reporting regime. This paper contributes to prior research in several ways. As the first study to examine these reconciliations, it further contributes to the understanding of segment disclosure practices by examining a unique setting in which management has discretion, based on how the firm is managed internally, to report segment information in a manner that may not be consistent with firm-level GAAP reported earnings measurements. Additionally, this analysis of firm-segment reconcilable differences allows for observation of the combined effects of “total” segment aggregation and discretionary segment profit measurement.
Lessons from the family unit in paediatric heart transplantation: can we do better?

Paediatric heart transplantation (PHT) is the gold-standard treatment for children with end-stage heart failure. Despite advances in therapies, PHT affects the quality of life of recipients and their caregivers, regardless of frequent medical complications. In this viewpoint article, we will focus on ways to address the familial and psychosocial effects of PHT. Despite documented psychosocial needs of PHT recipients, fewer than half of programmes have access to psychology services and only 20% have integrated providers.1 The responsibility often falls on the paediatrician and transplant team to garner support for families. To do so effectively, we must define the role of the medical team, follow evidence-based psychosocial screening and intervention approaches, and advocate for adequate services to support families. Psychological concerns have been identified in a substantial proportion of PHT recipients.1 2 A major concern is social functioning, which is exacerbated by negative internalising patterns of behaviour like social withdrawal and fearfulness.2 A substantial number of recipients, around 25%, have been shown to suffer from impaired psychosocial functioning.3 Up to a quarter of PHT recipients suffer from adjustment, anxiety and depressive disorders, and adolescent recipients carry a fivefold higher likelihood of generalised anxiety compared with their healthy counterparts.4 5 Not surprisingly, generalised anxiety correlates with illness-specific anxiety, including fear of poor health outcomes (eg, risk of rejection, need for re-transplantation, other post-transplant complications).5 Psychosocial impairment is not confined to the transplant recipient. High stress levels are prevalent in caregivers, with approximately 40% of …
Effect of drying on the viscoelastic response of a dual-crosslinked PVA hydrogel

Abstract The effect of drying on the viscoelastic, tensile behavior of a dual cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) hydrogel is studied experimentally. This gel contains about 90% water when fully hydrated and is highly stretchable. Using a microbalance with a density kit it is found that as the gel dries its volume shrinks in linear proportion to the mass. The impact of drying on the gel’s mechanical properties is measured in uniaxial tension tests, which include loading–unloading tests at three different stretch rates, a complex loading history test consisting of two different loading segments and a stress-relaxation test. The resulting data show that the gel becomes much stiffer as the gel dries and that drier gels do not fully recover upon unloading. The viscoelastic response from specimens with different hydration levels can be described by a previously developed constitutive model of the gel. The results show that the constitutive model parameters are strongly dependent on hydration level.
RESEARCH ARTICLE: Utilising a simulated clinical rotation elective to prepare pharmacy students for experiential education

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an Introduction to Internal Medicine (ITIM) elective course on student preparedness for experiential education. Methods: A one-credit elective was offered to second and third-year professional students. It was designed to simulate a typical day as a fourth-year student on rotation while utilising a simulated electronic health record. Upon completion of the course, a survey was sent to assess student preparedness for rotational activities. The students’ reported level of preparedness was compared to their preceptors’ assessment of these same survey items. Results: Thirty-six students and their preceptors responded to the survey. Students rated their preparedness highly, with 80% responding as moderately prepared or higher in navigating a patient chart, identifying patients’ problems, presenting a patient, and identifying treatments for common disease states. Preceptors also noted that over 90% of the students were moderately or much better prepared than students who did not complete the elective. Conclusion: Students completing the ITIM elective course demonstrated high levels of preparedness for a variety of rotational activities from patient care to professional communication.
Composite Erosion by Computational Simulation

Composite degradation is evaluated by computational simulation when the erosion degradation occurs on a ply-by-ply basis and the degrading medium (device) is normal to the ply. The computational simulation is performed by a multi factor interaction model and by a multi scale and multi physics available computer code. The erosion process degrades both the fiber and the matrix simultaneously in the same slice (ply). Both the fiber volume ratio and the matrix volume ratio approach zero while the void volume ratio increases as the ply degrades. The multi factor interaction model simulates the erosion degradation, provided that the exponents and factor ratios are selected judiciously. Results obtained by the computational composite mechanics show that most composite characterization properties degrade monotonically and approach "zero" as the ply degrades completely.
Perifollicular granulomas with IgG4 plasmacytosis: A case report and review of literature

Perifollicular granuloma is a unique histologic feature and whether it is associated with immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is controversial. We report a case of a 38-year-old man who presented with worsening left eye pain, proptosis, tearing, gritty sensation, blurred vision and multiple lymphadenopathy. An axillary lymph node resection showed reactive follicular and interfollicular lymph node hyperplasia, and increased eosinophils and plasma cells (at least 80% of IgG(+) plasma cells were positive for IgG4). A distinct feature was the presence of multifocal, perifollicular histiocytic granulomas, which formed a wreath around the entire follicles. The human herpes virus 8 was not detected by immunohistochemistry. In addition, an extensive panel of special stains, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry was negative for lymphoma, fungal, or mycobacterial infection. The findings were suggestive of IgG4-related sclerosing disease-associated lymphadenopathy. Further laboratory testing showed a significant increase of serum immunoglobulin E (> 23000 IU/mL) and slight increase of total IgG, but normal serum IgG4. Even though perifollicular granuloma is a nonspecific histopathologic feature and can be seen in other diseases, such as nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, IgG4-related lymphadenopathy should be listed in the differential diagnoses of benign reactive lymph nodes, especially when perifollicular granuloma and plasmacytosis coexist.
A 0.8 volt high performance OTA using bulk-driven MOSFETs for low power mixed-signal SOCs

An ultra-low voltage rail-to-rail folded-cascode operational transconductance amplifier (OTA), based on a standard digital 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS process, is described in this paper. A bulk-driven MOSFET technique is employed to facilitate a 0.8 V power supply voltage. The gain of the OTA is increased by using auxiliary gain boosting amplifiers, which enable the OTA to achieve an open loop gain of 68 dB while consuming 94 /spl mu/W, the highest gain achieved to date in bulk-driven amplifiers.
An Assessment of Potential Gamma Ray Enhancement of Embrittlement in ABWR Pressure Vessel Walls

It has recently been proposed that the unequal attenuation of {gamma}-rays and fast neutrons in the water gaps of boiling water reactors may lead to a significant underprediction of the atomic displacement rate at the pressure vessel wall. Since a larger water gap has been incorporated in the design of the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), it was suggested that atomic displacements by {gamma}-rays are 100 times more survivable and therefore more damaging than those created by fast neutrons. An independent assessment of the relative displacements caused by {gamma}-rays and neutrons in the ABWR pressure vessel wall has been performed in this study. Based on recent works of others it does not appear that the use of 100-fold enhancement factors is justified for this application. When the full details of the neutron and gamma transport are addressed, it is found that no significant {gamma}-enhancement of damage will occur in the ABWR pressure vessel wall. While the relative amount of damage caused by neutrons and gammas changes with increasing water gap, the overall advantage of low total displacement damage is not significantly changed by the gamma-induced component.
DS-based uncertain implication rules for inference and fusion applications

Numerous applications rely on implication rules either as models of causal relations among data, or as components of their reasoning and inference systems. Although mature and robust models of implication rules already exist for “perfect” (e.g., boolean) scenarios, there is still a need for improving implication rule models when the data (or system models) are uncertain, ambiguous, vague, or incomplete. Decades of research have produced models for probabilistic and fuzzy systems. However, the work on uncertain implication rules under the Dempster-Shafer (DS) theoretical framework can still be improved. Given that DS theory provides increased robustness against uncertain/incomplete data, and that DS models can easily be converted into probabilistic and fuzzy models, a DS-based implication rule that is consistent with classical logic would definitely improve inference methods when dealing with uncertainty. We introduce a DS-based uncertain implication rule that is consistent with classical logic. This model satisfies reflexivity, contrapositivity, and transitivity properties, and is embedded into an uncertain logic reasoning system that is itself consistent with classical logic. When dealing with “perfect” (i.e., no uncertainty) data, the implication rule model renders the classical implication rule results. Furthermore, we introduce an ambiguity measure to track degeneracy of belief models throughout inference processes. We illustrate the use and behavior of both the uncertain implication rule and the ambiguity measure in a human-robot interaction problem.
Fisher Information Determines Capacity of ε-Secure Steganography

Most practical stegosystems for digital media work by applying a mutually independent embedding operation to each element of the cover. For such stegosystems, the Fisher information w.r.t. the change rate is a perfect security descriptor equivalent to KL divergence between cover and stego images. Under the assumption of Markov covers, we derive a closed-form expression for the Fisher information and show how it can be used for comparing stegosystems and optimizing their performance. In particular, using an analytic cover model fit to experimental data obtained from a large number of natural images, we prove that the ±1 embedding operation is asymptotically optimal among all mutually independent embedding operations that modify cover elements by at most 1.
The origins of open heart surgery at the University of Minnesota 1951 to 1956.

As a senior medical student in May 1951, I recall the excitement in the surgery department when Dr Clarence Dennis, who later became Chairman at Downstate University in New York, and his staff were in an operating suite to repair an atrial septal defect in a child by using open heart surgical techniques. They were using a heart–lung machine of the team’s design; later, a second procedure was performed, but neither effort was successful. In September 1952, approximately 1 year before the Minnesota cross-circulation experiments were initiated, Dr F. John Lewis made his mark in the surgical world with the first successful open heart procedure for the direct closure of an atrial septal defect. This was accomplished by reducing a patient’s body temperature 10 degrees below normal. At this temperature, the patient’s circulation could be stopped for up to 15 minutes, which fully protected the brain and was enough time for the direct repair of an atrial septal defect. The patient’s body temperature was reduced by immersion into a tub of ice water contained in a watering tank as used on a horse farm. A horse watering tank seemed an unlikely addition to a modern operating room. Dr C.Walton Lillehei assisted Dr Lewis with his hypothermia operations. The closure of an atrial septal defect was made through the atrial wall. Intraventricular defects required a ventriculotomy. A cold ventricle will fibrillate when incised. Converting the heart back to a normal sinus rhythm after closure of the ventricular incision while cold was difficult, leading Dr Lillehei to seek amethod that would allow a transventricular approach in a warm heart. Dr Norman Shumway, who later became director of the cardiothoracic program at Stanford University, served as the director of Dr Lewis’s laboratory, which was adjacent to that of Dr Lillehei. Dr Lewis later joined the staff at Northwestern University. Camaraderie prevailed throughout the department. Dr Shumway frequently visited Dr Lillehei’s laboratory to keep up to date with our experiments, and we would check into Dr Lewis’s laboratory to follow Dr Shumway’s work with cardiac hypothermia. After completing a military internship in New York, I returned to Minnesota in 1953. My interest was to work
Surfactants and polymers for environmental remediation and control

Recent advances allow surfactants and polymers to be used for the remediation of contaminated groundwater sources by mobilizing contaminants trapped in the soil matrix through reduction in interfacial tension or solubilization within micellar cores (for organics), by binding of metal ions with the charged surfaces of ionic micelles and polyelectrolytes, and by metal ion complexation with ligands solubilized within the micelles or attached to polymer backbones. Similarly, control of end-of-pipe waste can now be attained using surfactants and polymers through the removal of colloid-bound contaminants, as the colloids are separated from the aqueous discharge stream by ultrafiltration.
Studies on Aldose Reductase Inhibitors from Fungi. II. Moniliformin and Small Ring Analogues

AbstractThe fungal metabolite moniliformin and several small ring analogues were evaluated for potential substrate and inhibitory activity in the rat lens aldose reductase (AR) assay. Even though all of these compounds possess carbonyl moieties and structural similarities to AR substrates, none were found to function as substrates over a concentration range of 1.0 mM to 10 μM. All of the compounds did display inhibitory activity with IC50s ranging from 19–110 μM. The most inhibitory compounds were the four-membered ring moniliformin (ICI 19 μM), the five-membered analogue croconic acid (IC50 28 μM) and six-membered derivative tetrahydroxy p-benzoquinone (1C50 23 μM). Modification of moniliformin by methylation (methyl moniliformin) or hydroxylation (squaric acid) resulted in a significant decline in inhibitory activity. All of the compounds evaluated except moniliformin displayed uncompetitive, non-competitive or mixed-type kinetics relative to the substrate (glyceraldehyde) and cofactor (NADPH), kinetic ...
U-25B Magnetohydrodynamic Generator: Comparison of Analysis with Experiment

The performance of the U-25B MHD generator is analyzed with theoretical predictive models developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Modifications and improvements of the computer codes, based on studies of the results obtained in experiments, are outlined and discussed. The theoretical predictions and experimental results are compared and found in good agreement. Sensitivity studies involving a number of input parameters are used to identify those parameters that have a strong impact on generator performance. Nomenclature A = channel cross-sectional area B = magnetic field d = electrode pitch Ex = Hall field Ex = open-circuit Hall field G = mass flow rate I/ = load current If = short-circuit current Aeak = leakage current Jx = axial current density Jy = transverse current density ks = effective wall roughness Ka = electrical conductivity factor = actual conductivity/ideal conductivity p = power output ^gap = electrical resistance between two adjacent frames SR = stoichiometric ratio T = static temperature Tw — wall temperature 7\r = oxidizer preheat temperature /3 = Hall parameter 6 = frame diagonalization angle o = plasma conductivity \l/ = oxygen enrichment = O2 molar concentration in oxidizer = average over the channel cross section