cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Value of Public Health Funding in Preventing Hospital Bloodstream Infections in the United States

Objectives. To estimate the association of 1 activity of the Prevention and Public Health Fund with hospital bloodstream infections and calculate the return on investment (ROI).Methods. The activity was funded for 1 year (2013). A difference-in-differences specification evaluated hospital standardized infection ratios (SIRs) before funding allocation (years 2011 and 2012) and after funding allocation (years 2013 and 2014) in the 15 US states that received the funding compared with hospital SIRs in states that did not receive the funding. We estimated the association of the funded public health activity with SIRs for bloodstream infections. We calculated the ROI by dividing cost offsets from infections averted by the amount invested.Results. The funding was associated with a 33% (P < .05) reduction in SIRs and an ROI of $1.10 to $11.20 per $1 invested in the year of funding allocation (2013). In 2014, after the funding stopped, significant reductions were no longer evident.Conclusions. This activity was as...
Uncertainty sampling based active learning with diversity constraint by sparse selection

Uncertainty based active learning has been well studied for selecting informative samples to improve the performance of the classifier. One of the simplest strategy is that we always select samples with top largest uncertainties for a query. However, the selected samples may be very similar to each other, which results in little information added to update the classifier. In other words, we should avoid selecting similar samples for training the classifier. This paper addresses this problem by proposing a novel method using uncertainty based active learning algorithm with diversity constraint by sparse selection. First, uncertainty scores of unlabeled samples are obtained based on the previously trained support vector machine (SVM) classifiers. Then the sample selection is represented as a sparse modeling problem and optimal samples up to the pre-defined batch size are selected for a query. Besides that, two approximated approaches are proposed to solve the sparse problem via greedy search and quadratic programming (QP), respectively. After selection, the SVM classifiers are re-trained with new labeled data and the performance is tested on the testing dataset. We conduct several experiments on three image datasets for image classification task. The experimental results show the proposed method outperforms other four different methods and achieves promising performance.
High-frequency thermal-fluidic characterization of dynamic microchannel flow boiling instabilities: Part 2 – Impact of operating conditions on instability type and severity

Abstract Dynamic instabilities during flow boiling in a uniformly heated microchannel are investigated. The focus of this Part 2 of the study is on the effect of operating conditions on the instability type and the resulting time-periodic hydrodynamic and thermal oscillations, which have been established after the initial boiling incipience event. Part 1 of this study investigated the rapid-bubble-growth instability at the onset of boiling in the same experimental facility. Fluid is driven through the single 500 μm-diameter glass microchannel by maintaining a constant pressure difference between a pressurized upstream reservoir and a reservoir downstream that is open to the ambient, so as to resemble the hydrodynamic boundary conditions of an individual channel in a parallel-channel heat sink. Simultaneous high-frequency measurement of pressure drop, mass flux, and wall temperature is synchronized to high-speed flow visualizations enabling transient characterization of the thermal-fluidic behavior. The effect of flow inertia, inlet liquid subcooling, and heat flux on the hydrodynamic and thermal oscillations and time-averaged performance is assessed. Two predominant dynamic instabilities are observed: a time-periodic series of rapid-bubble-growth instabilities, and the pressure drop instability. A spectral analysis of the time-periodic data is performed to determine the characteristic oscillation frequencies. The heat flux, ratio of flow inertia to upstream compressibility, and degree of inlet liquid subcooling significantly affect the thermal-fluidic characteristics. High inlet liquid subcoolings and low heat fluxes result in time-periodic transitions between single-phase flow and flow boiling that cause large-amplitude wall temperature oscillations due to a time-periodic series of rapid-bubble-growth instabilities. Low inlet liquid subcoolings result in small-amplitude thermal-fluidic oscillations and the pressure drop instability. Low flow inertia exacerbates the pressure drop instability and results in large-amplitude thermal-fluidic oscillations whereas high flow inertia reduces their severity.
The Transgender Rights Imaginary

The modern regulatory project of sex classification is currently in crisis. Contestations over the legal meaning of “sex” — manifested not only in the incommensurate outcomes of different cases but in inconsistent rulings in the same case as it moves through the judiciary from lower to appellate courts — are stark illustrations of the clashes taking place in multiple social arenas over the inability of a birth sex determination to secure a person’s gender. In the face of this epistemic classification crisis, just what stance should transgender rights advocates adopt in challenging state definitions of sex and gender that classify people based on the sex assigned at birth? Should the state base legal sex assignment on reassigned sex rather than the sex assigned at birth, or on gender identity rather than “biological” sex? Should the state’s ability to police the relationship between one’s body and one’s gender be challenged? What role should medical discourse and expert knowledge play in furthering the cause of transgender rights? How should we negotiate the tensions between an identity politics movement that seeks primarily to amend the definitions of the binary sex classification scheme and the larger goal of disestablishing sex as a meaningful legal category which distributes rights and resources unequally? I argue that the very different goals of working to dismantle gender as a coherent legal concept and working to expand gender to include trans people should not be seen as an either–or proposition. In thinking about how to frame the goals of rights claims made on behalf of transgender people, I suggest that transgender rights advocates can learn much from the work done by Critical Race Theorists. I argue that it is a mistake to see the goals of defending gender as a coherent legal category and “disestablishing” as a zero-sum calculus. The fact that organic “common sense” notions about gender underlie both negative and positive outcomes in many transgender rights cases reveals that the social and legal imagination of the meaning of gender is already being expanded.Instead, I suggest the solution is not to try find the “one perfect theory” that would make sense of all these contradictory state constructions of sex, gender, and the relationship between them. Instead, we should, as a movement, be celebrating the incoherencies between them even as we continue to pursue rights claims in the here and now by invoking context-specific useful constructions of gender definition. This essay is part of a larger book project, The United States of Gender, (forthcoming from NYU) that investigates state constructions of legal sex.
Safety Measures and Protection against Ultraviolet Exposure

There are potential biologic hazards associated with exposure to essentially every spectral region of the continuum of electromagnetic radiation. Exposure to microwave radiation is associated with heating of tissues, and possibly cataract formation and deleterious effects upon the central nervous system. Infrared energy may also cause destructive heating of the skin and eyes and cataract formation (“glass blower’s cataract”). Near infrared radiation and visible light focused on the retina may produce retinal burns. The shorter wavelengths of the visible light spectrum produce retinal damage at much lower irradiances than the longer visible and near-infrared wavelengths.1 The biologic effects and hazards of ultraviolet radiation on the skin and eyes of humans have been well recorded in the literature. Ionizing radiation (X rays and gamma rays) can cause tissue destruction and mutagenesis and can penetrate deeply into the body.
Common reactions to transfusions.

Abstract A blood transfusion is a special kind of transplantation, with the transfer of living tissue from one person to another. Reactions can occur with as little as 10 to 15 ml of incompatible blood. The onset of a reaction may be misleading or delayed, and its detection requires astute assessment. Responsibility for recognition of a transfusion reaction lies with the transfusionist, who is often a nurse. The following types of response can occur: hemolytic reactions, transfusion-induced graft-versus-host disease, hemoglobinuria, purpura, fever, circulatory overload, thrombophlebitis, urticaria, hyperkalemia, asymptomatic hemoglobinuria, pulmonary edema, and allergic and anaphylactic reactions. Critical care nurses need to be aware of the dangers of blood and blood product transfusions and to be prepared to react quickly.
A Unique Nasopharynx Brachytherapy Technique

To deliver a curative dose of radiation therapy to the nasopharynx using either external beam radiotherapy or conventional brachytherapy, it is often necessary to expose a large volume of normal tissue. Tolerance of normal tissue also limits the dose of radiation given for salvage therapy in failed nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A unique brachytherapy technique with associated treatment planning is presented as an alternative method of treatment. This technique combines a single linear cesium-137 source inserted in the nasopharynx via a modified cuffed endotracheal tube, in conjunction with a plaque of iridium-192 ribbons applied in the form of a modified upper denture appliance. This method allows additional treatment to the primary area while neither exposing more normal tissue than necessary nor exceeding tolerance doses to surrounding structures.
Effects of Organic Compounds on Dissolution of the Phosphate Minerals Chlorapatite, Whitlockite, Merrillite, and Fluorapatite: Implications for Interpreting Past Signatures of Organic Compounds in Rocks, Soils and Sediments

Abstract Phosphate is an essential nutrient for life on Earth, present in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and phospholipid membranes. Phosphorus d...
Talent Development in Emerging Economies Through Learning and Development Capacity Building

The ProblemIt has been argued correctly that of all the resources that nations are endowed with including physical resources such as land, gas, oil, mineral resources, and financial resources, the ...
‘Tuning’ communication among four trophic levels of the root biome to facilitate biological control

Abstract Plants can facilitate attraction of herbivore predators and parasites with herbivore-induced volatiles (HIPVs). However, a central unknown of manipulating a natural environment is how the interactive effects of multiple plant stressors impacts belowground multi-trophic interactions. Agricultural systems, while disturbed, are useful model systems for investigating the effects of multiple stressors on plants and their related interactions because of the redundancy of pests and pathogens and thus, the predictability of the species occurring in these environments. Chemical communication among plants and animals belowground remains behind analogous current understanding of terrestrial systems both fundamentally, and from an applied perspective. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) infect and kill insects with the aid of symbiotic bacteria and can serve a biological control function in agro-ecosystems. EPNs are known to respond to herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that act as attractant cues increasing nematodes numbers in response to herbivory and concurrently increasing mortality of root pests. Microcosm and semi-field investigations have shown evidence that small scale numerical increases of EPN can be artificially caused by targeted applications or increases in HIPV production near the location of herbivore feeding. Community scale field experiments will be necessary to fully describe plant-herbivore-EPN interactions that also include other players such as plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) and nematophagous fungi (NF), which may have unintended, negative consequences on plant production and natural enemy numerical response, respectively. Drawing upon the existing body of information on multi-trophic belowground communication, we propose development of a method to strategically and dynamically manipulate systems in a manner analogous to ‘tuning an audio mixer’ with hypothetical ‘knobs’ that could be adjusted by the user for human benefit. We suggest that biological control could be artificially up-regulated or down regulated by the action of a pest management practitioner using external forces such as HIPVs to regulate predator-prey interactions with the ultimate goal of sustainable plant production.
Methylprednisolone may be associated with improved lung compliance in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Introduction Methylprednisolone has been used for acute respiratory distress syndrome with variable results. Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use in acute respiratory distress syndrome has increased. Occasionally, both are used. We hypothesized that methylprednisolone could improve lung compliance and ease weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients in our veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation unit treated with methylprednisolone over a 20 month period. Methylprednisolone was initiated for inability to wean off veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Dynamic compliance (Cdyn) was calculated at cannulation, methylprednisolone initiation, and decannulation. Demographics, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-specific data, and ventilator data were collected. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to test for differences in dynamic compliance. Results A total of 12 veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients received methylprednisolone. Mean age was 50 (±15) years. Seven had influenza. Methylprednisolone was started on median Day 16 (interquartile range: 11-22) of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In total, 10 patients had veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation decannulation on median Day 12 (7-22) after methylprednisolone initiation. Two patients died before decannulation. The 10 decannulated patients had initial median dynamic compliance (mL × cm H2O-1) of 12 (7-23), then 16 (10-24) at methylprednisolone initiation, and then 44 (34-60) at decannulation. Dynamic compliance was higher at decannulation than methylprednisolone initiation (p = 0.002), and unchanged from cannulation to methylprednisolone initiation for all patients (p = 0.97). A total of 10 patients had significant infections. None had significant gastrointestinal bleed or wound healing issues. Conclusion Methylprednisolone may be associated with improved compliance in acute respiratory distress syndrome allowing for decannulation from veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. High rates of infection are associated with methylprednisolone use in veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Further studies are required to identify appropriate patient selection for methylprednisolone use in patients on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Spinal cord neural network interactions: implications for sympathetic control of the porcine heart.

In an in vivo pig model, we demonstrate using novel high-resolution neural electrode arrays that increased intrasegmental network coherence within the thoracic spinal cord contributes to myocardial...
Understanding the synergistic effect of physicochemical properties of nanoparticles and their cellular entry pathways

Gaining precise control over the cellular entry pathway of nanomaterials is key in achieving cytosolic delivery, accessing subcellular environments, and regulating toxicity. However, this precise control requires a fundamental understanding of the behavior of nanomaterials at the bio-nano interface. Herein, we report a computational study investigating the synergistic effect of several key physicochemical properties of nanomaterials on their cellular entry pathways. By examining interactions between monolayer-protected nanoparticles and model cell membranes in a three-dimensional parameter space of size, surface charge/pKa, and ligand chemistry, we observed four different types of nanoparticle translocation for cellular entry which are: outer wrapping, free translocation, inner attach, and embedment. Nanoparticle size, surface charge/pKa, and ligand chemistry each play a unique role in determining the outcome of translocation. Specifically, membrane local curvature induced by nanoparticles upon contact is critical for initiating the translocation process. A generalized paradigm is proposed to describe the fundamental mechanisms underlying the bio-nano interface.
A finite element model for seismic response analysis of vertically-damped rocking-columns

Abstract This paper investigates finite-element modeling of a vertically damped free-standing rocking column. The paper first derives the nonlinear equation of motion for the coupled system and then compares the analytical solution with finite-element model. Finite-element model is being produced using open source framework named OpenSees. The rocking surface is modeled using zero-length fiber cross-section element and the dampers are modeled with two node link elements. In order to simulate energy dissipation during the rocking motion Hilber-Hughes-Taylor numerical dissipative time step integration is being adopted. The paper also compares two types of hysteretic and viscous damping devices and it shows that the viscous damping behavior is favorable when it is used along with a rocking block. The results of analytical model of a rigid block with viscous dampers in MATLAB is then compared with OpenSees model and the paper concludes that the finite-element model compares satisfactory with the analytical model.
REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFESPAN MODEL FOR ERI DEVELOPMENT

A critique of the ERI Lifespan model is offered. The ERI Lifespan Model appears to place undue weight on factors inherited rather than socialized. It also appears to lean toward a political frame o...
Epidemiology and Mycology of Candidaemia in non-oncological medical intensive care unit patients in a tertiary center in the United States: Overall analysis and comparison between non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cases.

The epidemiology and mycology of invasive candidiasis in the ICU is well-described in certain types of critically ill patients but not in others. One population that has been scarcely studied is non-neutropenic patients admitted specifically to medical ICUs. Even less is known about the broader category of medical ICU patients without active oncological disease. This group constitutes a very large share of the patients requiring critical care across the globe, especially in the era of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We analysed medical ICU candidaemia episodes that occurred in non-oncological patients in our tertiary academic centre in the United States from May 2014 to October 2020 to determine the incidence and species distribution of the associated isolates. We then separately considered non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cases and compared their characteristics. In the non-COVID-19 group, there were 38 cases for an incidence of 1.1% and rate of 11/1000 admissions. In the COVID-19 group, there were 12 cases for an incidence of 5.1% and rate of 51/1000 admissions. In the entire sample, as well as separately in the non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 groups,Candida albicans accounted for a minority of isolates. Compared to non-COVID-19 patients with candidaemia, COVID-19 patients had lower ICU admission SOFA score but longer ICU length of stay and central venous catheter dwell time at candidaemia detection. This study provides valuable insight into the incidence and species distribution of candidaemia cases occurring in non-oncological critically ill patients and identifies informative differences between non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 patients.
Time to Surgery and Thyroid Cancer Survival in the United States

Longer time to surgery worsens survival in multiple malignancies, including lung, colorectal, and breast cancers, but limited data exist for well-differentiated thyroid cancer. We sought to investigate the impact of time to surgery on overall survival in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. In a retrospective cohort study of the National Cancer Database, we used Cox proportional hazard models to investigate overall survival as a function of time between diagnosis and surgery for adults with papillary thyroid cancer, adjusting for demographic, patient, and cancer-related variables. Time to surgery was investigated both as a continuous variable and as intervals of 0–90 days, 90–180 days, and > 180 days. Subgroup analyses were conducted by T stage. Overall, 103,812 adults with papillary thyroid cancer were included from 2004 to 2016. Median follow-up was 55.2 months (interquartile range 28.4–89.5). Increasing time to surgery was associated with increased mortality: delaying by 91–180 days increased the risk by 30% (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.30, 95% CI 1.19–1.43) and delaying by over 180 days increased the risk by 94% (aHR 1.94, 95% CI 1.68–2.24). Five-year overall survival was 95.7% for 0–90 days, 93.0% for 91–180 days, and 87.9% for over 180 days. On subgroup analysis, increasing delay was associated with worse overall survival for T1, T2, and T3 tumors, but not T4 tumors. Increasing time to surgery in papillary thyroid cancer is associated with reduced overall survival. Further research is necessary to assess the impact of surgical delay on disease-specific survival.
Two-Factor Learning for Launch: How Entrepreneurs Can Increase the Probability of Positive Responses to Their Minimum Viable Products:

Lean startup methodologies are believed to reduce the overall risk and cost for launching new businesses. Many of these methodologies provide processes and tools that aid new entrepreneurs in their...
Heat Exchanger Performance in Pilot Plant Testing of Piperazine with the Advanced Stripper

The performance of four key heat exchangers at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) during 4000 hours of operation is analyzed in this paper. A 0.5 MW integrated absorption-stripping pilot plant using Piperazine with the Advanced StripperTM (PZASTM) was used, with 5 m piperazine (PZ) as the capture solvent. Data from the coal and Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) campaigns were used, with flue gas compositions of 12% and 4% CO2. For the steam heater, data from multiple campaigns at the Separations Research Program (SRP) at the University of Texas J. J. Pickle Research Campus were used. All the exchangers were simulated in Aspen Plus®, and the IndependenceTM model was used to estimate properties not measured on-site. The performance metric used was the number of transfer units (NTU) for the cold, hot, and CO2 exchangers, and the overall heat transfer coefficient for the steam heater. The cold and hot exchangers exhibited similar performance throughout both campaigns, averaging a lean side NTU of 13.4 and 4, respectively. The pressure drop on both sides of both exchangers was correlated with the operating variables, with an added term to represent the flashing of the rich stream in the hot exchanger. Model deviations were under ± 25% for both units. The steam heater at NCCC underperformed in relation to design expectations. When compared to the performance of the steam heater at SRP, the low fluid velocities measured at NCCC suggest pool boiling operation, which is characterized by low thermal performance. The CO2 exchanger performed better than expected, with average NTU of 3.7 and 5.4 on the CO2 and rich sides. The cold, hot, and CO2 exchangers were analyzed for performance loss during the NCCC campaigns. The cold and CO2 exchangers did not show any statistically significant loss of performance during the campaigns, but the performance of the hot exchanger degraded slightly over time, suggesting the presence of fouling or leaking due to corrosion of the SS316L plates by the flashing rich stream.
Exploitation of sulfated glycosaminoglycan status for precision medicine of Triplatin in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer lacking targetable biomarkers. TNBC is known to be most aggressive, and when metastatic is often drug resistant and uncurable. Biomarkers predicting response to therapy improve treatment decisions and allow personalized approaches for TNBC patients. This study explores sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) levels as a predictor of TNBC response to platinum therapy. sGAG levels were quantified in three distinct TNBC tumor models including cell line-derived, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors, and isogenic models deficient in sGAG biosynthesis. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of Triplatin, a sGAG-directed platinum agent, was compared in these models to the clinical platinum agent, carboplatin. We determined that >40% of TNBC PDX tissue microarray samples have high levels of sGAGs. The in vivo accumulation of Triplatin in tumors as well as antitumor efficacy of Triplatin positively correlated with sGAG levels on tumor cells, whereas carboplatin followed the opposite trend. In carboplatin-resistant tumor models expressing high levels of sGAGs, Triplatin decreased primary tumor growth, reduced lung metastases, and inhibited metastatic growth in lungs, liver, and ovaries. sGAG levels served as a predictor of Triplatin sensitivity in TNBC. Triplatin may be particularly beneficial in treating patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors who have evidence of residual disease after standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy. More effective neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment will likely improve clinical outcome of TNBC.
Possible Role of Membrane-Enzyme Interactions in Activation of Pyruvate Carboxylation and Decarboxylation in Mitochondria

Our previous studies showed that β-(±)-2-aminobicyclo-(2.2.1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH), a synthetic and non-metabolizable amino acid, stimulates liver glutaminase in intact mitochondria and isolated hepatocytes (Zaleski et al., 1986a,b). Since the effect on glutaminase, a protein associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane (McGivan et al., 1980), required preservation of mitochondrial integrity, it was proposed that not the enzyme itself but the membrane is a primary target for BCH action. It has, furthermore, been suggested that interactions between glutaminase and the mitochondrial membrane are controlled by mitochondrial metabolism (Zaleski et al., 1986b).
One – Silicate structures

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on silicate structures, which can be considered inorganic polymers based on two basic “monomer” structures: the tetrahedron and the octahedron. Many of the silicates can be pictured as configurations made by the joining of such tetrahedra and octahedra to themselves and to each other in three dimensions. These involve the sharing of corners, edges, and faces in numerous conformations. The possible geometric permutations are further modified by chemical substitutions within the structure, which usually depend on how well a metal ion will fit among close-packed oxygen ions. The fundamental structural unit of industrial silicate minerals is silica tetrahedron. Extended in three dimensions, this structure provides the characteristic hardness and inertness of quartz. The various forms of crystalline silica—most commonly quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite—differ mainly in the relative orientation of adjacent tetrahedra and the shape of voids created within a given plane. Among the industrial minerals, high terahedra density and consequent hardness are also found in chain silicates. Wollastonite is characterized by a repeating, twisted, three-tetrahedra unit, where the chains formed by these silica tetrahedra are connected by calcium in octahedral coordination. Because of this chain structure, wollastonite can occur as acicular crystals in some cases of macroscopic dimensions. Phyllosilicates are characterized in part by an indefinitely extended sheet of rings, with three of the tetrahedral oxygens shared and the fourth (apical) oxygen, in each case pointing in the same direction. Phyllosilicates are often differentiated as dioctahedral or trioctahedral based on octahedral occupancy.
Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders

Tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, are an intriguing group of paroxysmal movement abnormalities that begin in childhood, have a fluctuating course, are capable of causing psychosocial and physical problems, and often improve by early adulthood. These disorders are frequently associated with a variety of comorbid problems whose negative effects may exceed those of tics. Therapy is strictly symptomatic and usually includes educational, behavioral, and a variety of pharmacological therapies. Although there is strong evidence supporting an inherited basis, the precise genetic abnormality remains unknown. A proposed poststreptococcal autoimmune etiology remains controversial. Pathophysiologically, tics appear to arise from an alteration within cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuits, but the definitive site is unknown. Evidence supports an abnormality of synaptic neurotransmission, likely involving the dopaminergic system.
The quantitative validation of non-endoscopic disease activity indices in ulcerative colitis.

Summary Background Ulcerative colitis disease activity indices have not been formally validated. Aim To analise quantitatively the psychometric and performance validity of two non-endoscopic indices for ulcerative colitis, the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index and the Seo Index. Methods In 66 patients with ulcerative colitis, the measurement of disease activity was repeated with the two non-endoscopic indices, St Mark's Index, and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire. Psychometric validity was evaluated by measuring the content, construct, criterion-convergent and criterion-predictive validity on a 0–1 scale. Performance validity was evaluated by measuring the reproducibility and responsiveness on a 0–1 scale. Results The Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index had good to excellent psychometric and performance validity, while the Seo Index had moderate to excellent psychometric validity and moderate to good performance validity. The Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index had weaknesses in content validity and in responsiveness. The Seo Index had weaknesses in content validity, construct validity and responsiveness. Conclusions These two non-endoscopic indices for ulcerative colitis have good psychometric and performance validity, and are now the most rigorously validated disease activity indices for ulcerative colitis. The Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index appears to have better overall validity. Quantitative evaluation identifies weaknesses in disease activity indices, and can lead to better disease activity indices for ulcerative colitis.
How Not to Count the Poor

The World Bank's approach to estimating the extent, distribution and trend of global income poverty is neither meaningful nor reliable. The Bank uses an arbitrary international poverty line that is not adequately anchored in any specification of the real requirements of human beings. Moreover, it employs a concept of purchasing power equivalence that is neither well defined nor appropriate for poverty assessment. These difficulties are inherent in the Bank's "money-metric" approach and cannot be credibly overcome without dispensing with this approach altogether. In addition, the Bank extrapolates incorrectly from limited data and thereby creates an appearance of precision that masks the high probable error of its estimates. It is difficult to judge the nature and extent of the errors in global poverty estimates that these three flaws produce. However, there is reason to believe that the Bank's approach may have led it to understate the extent of global income poverty and to infer without adequate justification that global income poverty has steeply declined in the recent period. A new methodology of global poverty assessment, focused directly on what is needed to achieve elementary human requirements, is feasible and necessary. A practical approach to implementing an alternative is described.
EXAFS and FT-IR Characterization of Mn and Li Promoted Titania-Supported Rh Catalysts for CO Hydrogenation

The effect of Li and Mn promoters on the structure and selectivity of supported Rh catalysts for CO hydrogenation reaction was examined. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray absorption were used to inve...
Computer simulation of flagellar movement X: doublet pair splitting and bend propagation modeled using stochastic dynein kinetics.

Experimental observations on cyclic splitting and bending by a flagellar doublet pair are modeled using forces obtained from a model for dynein mechanochemistry, based on ideas introduced by Andrew Huxley and Terrill Hill and extended previously for modeling flagellar movements. The new feature is elastic attachment of dynein to the A doublet, which allows movement perpendicular to the A doublet and provides adhesive force that can strain attached dyneins. This additional strain influences the kinetics of dynein attachment and detachment. Computations using this dynein model demonstrate that very simple and realistic ideas about dynein mechanochemistry are sufficient for explaining the separation and reattachment seen experimentally with flagellar doublet pairs. Additional simulations were performed after adding a “super-adhesion” elasticity. This elastic component is intended to mimic interdoublet connections, normally present in an intact axoneme, that would prevent visible splitting but allow sufficient separation to cause dynein detachment and cessation of shear force generation. This is the situation envisioned by Lindemann's “geometric clutch” hypothesis for control of dynein function in flagella and cilia. The simulations show abrupt disengagement of the “clutch” at one end of a bend, and abrupt reengagement of the “clutch” at the other end of a bend, ensuring that active sliding is only operating where it will cause bend propagation from base to tip.
Thin film GaN metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors integrated onto silicon

Summary form only given. In this paper, metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector dark current and responsivity results for the growth of GaN on lithium gallate (LiGaO/sub 2/) substrates is reported, as well as the heterogeneous integration of thin film GaN MSM detectors onto host substrates.
Antipsychotic Use in a Diverse Population With Dementia: A Retrospective Review of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Database

A cross-sectional analysis examined medication records in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Database for community-dwelling patients with dementia who visited an Alzheimer's Disease Center between 2008 and 2014. Hispanic participants had a 1.62-fold greater use of antipsychotic medications, which was largely accounted for by a higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms and more severe dementia compared with non-Hispanic whites. These results are consistent with reports of later transition to nursing home care among Hispanic participants. Further studies are needed to clarify ethnic differences in how families and physicians address dementia progression and neuropsychiatric symptoms in community-dwelling patients with dementia.
A CLOSED INTERFACE CRACK IN ANISOTROPIC BIMATERIALS

It is known that an interface crack between dissimilar elastic solids exhibits oscillatory behavior if the crack tip is assumed to be open with a sharp transition between bonded interface and traction-free crack surfaces [10]. For interface cracks in isotropic solids, Comninou [ 1-4] showed that the peculiar oscillatory behavior, which predicts interpenetration of the crack faces, can be fully eliminated by introducing a zone of frictionless contact between the crack faces behind the crack tip. The effects of crack face contact can not be neglected under shear and/or compression dominated loading, for in that case the contact zone size could become of the same order as the total length of a crack [3,4]. Gautesen and Dundurs [6] solved exactly the integral equations involved in the Comninou formulation. Wang and Choi [8,9] applied the frictionless contact model to interface cracks between laminated composite materials. Wu [12] attempted to apply the frictionless contact model to general anisotropic interface cracks and found that the oscillatory behavior is still present. In this report, we propose a generalized contact model which completely eliminates the oscillatory behavior for interface cracks under arbitrary anisotropy.
Alignment Of A Four Meter Ritchey-Chretien Telescope

This paper describes the engineering steps taken to obtain best imagery across the field at the R-C focus of a 4m f/2.65 primary in combination with a secondary giving a final f/8 beam. Real life constraints, such as limited initial information, time available for testing, and manpower available, point to the importance of some factors which tend to be overlooked during the early mechanical design and optical manufacturing stages, as well as during the initial assembly of the telescope. Some of these factors are listed so that others may succeed in an operation which most likely will be performed under adverse conditions.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Role of Oxygen Vacancies in Methanol Reaction on Oxidized Mo(110)

The reaction of methanol on oxidized Mo(110) surfaces is investigated using temperature-programmed reaction and a combination of high-resolution electron energy loss and infrared reflectance−absorbance spectroscopies. By varying conditions for preparation of surface oxide layers, we show that changes in reactivity in the presence of MoO species are in fact due to changes in the overall surface oxygen content, rather than to special reactivity at terminal sites, as was previously proposed. On the basis of these investigations, we propose that methanol reaction is promoted at open high-coordination sites. Infrared spectroscopy demonstrates that oxygen from this reaction is deposited in high-coordination sites only, even in the presence of MoO species, consistent with the reaction pathway for methanol on less highly oxidized Mo(110) surfaces.
A Combined FTIR and TPD Study on the Bulk and Surface Dehydroxylation and Decarbonation of Synthetic Goethite

Abstract The thermal dehydroxylation of a goethite–carbonate solid solution was studied with combined Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR)–Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments. The TPD data revealed dehydroxylation peaks involving the intrinsic dehydroxylation of goethite at 560 K and a low temperature peak at 485 K which was shown to be associated to the release of non-stoichiometric water from the goethite bulk and surface. The FTIR and the TPD data of goethite in the absence of adsorbed carbonate species revealed the presence of adventitious carbonate mostly sequestered in the goethite bulk. The release of carbonate was however not only related to the dehydration of goethite but also from the crystallization of hematite at temperatures exceeding 600 K. The relative abundance of surface hydroxyls was shown to change systematically upon goethite dehydroxylation with a preferential stripping of singly-coordinated OH sites followed by a dramatic change in the dominance of the different surface hydroxyls upon the formation of hematite.
Nutrient removal and greenhouse gas emissions in duckweed treatment ponds

Abstract Stormwater treatment ponds provide a variety of functions including sediment retention, organic and nutrient removal, and habitat restoration. The treatment ponds are, however, also a source of greenhouse gases. The objectives of this study were to assess greenhouse gas (CH4, CO2 and N2O) emissions in duckweed treatment ponds (DWPs) treating simulated stormwater and to determine the role of ammonia-oxidizing organisms in nutrient removal and methanogens in greenhouse gas emissions. Two replicated DWPs operated at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 days were able to remove 84% (±4% [standard deviation]) chemical oxygen demand (COD), 79% (±3%) NH 4 + -N, 86% (±2%) NO 3 − -N and 56% (±7%) orthophosphate. CH4 emission rates in the DWPs ranged from 502 to 1900 mg CH4 m−2 d−1 while those of nitrous oxide (N2O) ranged from 0.63 to 4 mg N2O m−2 d−1. The CO2 emission rates ranged from 1700 to 3300 mg CO2 m−2 day−1. Duckweed coverage on water surface along with the continued deposit of duckweed debris in the DWPs and low-nutrient influent water created a low dissolved oxygen environment for the growth of unique ammonia-oxidizing organisms and methanogens. Archaeal and bacterial amoA abundance in the DWPs ranged from (1.5 ± 0.2) × 107 to (1.7 ± 0.2) × 108 copies/g dry soil and from (1.0 ± 0.3) × 103 to (1.5 ± 0.4) × 106 copies/g dry soil, respectively. The 16S rRNA acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens ranged from (5.2 ± 0.2) × 105 to (9.0 ± 0.3) × 106 copies/g dry soil and from (1.0 ± 0.1) × 102 to (5.5 ± 0.4) × 103 copies/g dry soil, respectively. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) appeared to be the dominant nitrifiers and acetoclastic Methanosaeta was the major methanogenic genus. The results suggest that methane is the predominant (>90%) greenhouse gas in the DWPs, where the relatively low stormwater nutrient inputs facilitate the growth of K-strategists such as AOA and Methanosaeta that may be responsible for ammonia removal and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively.
Vapor adsorption artifact in the sampling of organic aerosol: Face velocity effects

Abstract The concentration (μgC m−3) of aerosol organic carbon as determined by collection with quartz fiber filters was found to exhibit a significant decrease with increasing filter face velocity. A similar face velocity dependence was found for organic carbon on back-up quartz fiber filters behind either quartz fiber front filters (QQ combination) or Teflon membrane front filters (TQ combination). Additionally, the concentration of organic carbon on the back-up filter in the TQ combination was always greater than on the back-up filter in the QQ combination. The most likely explanation for these observations is the adsorption or organic vapors onto the filter medium itself. The amount of organic carbon adsorbed onto the quartz fiber front filter can be approximated by measuring the amount of organic carbon on a quartz fiber back-up filter behind a Teflon front filter with both filter combinations sampling at the same face velocity. Making the correction in such a manner removes most of the face velocity dependence inthe resultant concentrations. For 24 h sampling in Portland, Oregon, at a face velocity of 40 cm s−1, the correction exceeded 50% for uncorrected organic carbon concentrations of 2 μgC m−3 but decreased to 15% at 16 μgC m−3.
Web tools for rapid experimental visualization prototyping

Quite often a researcher finds themselves looking at spreadsheets of high-dimensional data generated by experimental models and user studies. We can use analysis to challenge or confirm hypothesis, but unexpected results can easily be lost in the shuffle. For this reason, it would be useful to visualize the results so we can explore our data and make new discoveries. Web browsers have become increasingly capable for creating complex, multi-view applications. Javascript is quickly becoming a de facto standard for scripting, online and offline. This work demonstrates the use of web technologies as a powerful tool for rapid visualization prototyping. We have developed two prototypes: One for high-dimensional results of the abELICIT - multi-agent version of the ELICIT platform tasked with collaborating to identify the parameters of a pending attack. Another prototype displays responses to a user study on the effectiveness of multi-layer visualization techniques. We created coordinated multiple views prototypes in the Google Chrome web browser written in Javascript, CSS and HTML. We will discuss the benefits and shortcomings of this approach.
Dynamic scaling for avalanches in disordered systems

Dynamic scaling for fracture or breakdown process in disordered systems is investigated in a two-dimensional random field Ising model (RFIM). We find two evolving stages in the avalanche process in the RFIM. At the short-time regime, a power-law growth of the avalanche size {Delta}s is observed; and at late times, the conventional nucleation and growth process is found. At the critical point of the RFIM, the avalanche size is found to obey the dynamic scaling law {Delta}s{approx}t{sup (d-{beta}/{nu})/z}. From this dynamic scaling relation, the critical strength of the random field D{sub c} and the critical exponents, {beta}, {nu}, and z, are determined. The observed dynamics is explained by a simple nucleation theory of first-order phase transformations.
Therapeutic aspects of aerobic dance participation

An ethnographic analysis of aerobic dance exercise culture was conducted to determine the impact of the culture on the mind‐body connection. After a review of the predominant theories on the relationship between vigorous exercise and elevated mood, aerobic dance participants’ experiences are reported to illustrate how cognitive experience and self‐esteem may be influenced. Interviews revealed that some participants achieved a pleasantly altered state of consciousness and respite from depression and stress. The relationship of the work ethic to achievement of participant satisfaction is underscored.
Perspectives on Pap test follow-up care among rural Appalachian women.

Approximately one- to three-quarters of women notified of abnormal Pap test results do not receive appropriate follow-up care, dramatically elevating their risk for invasive cervical cancer. We explored barriers to and facilitators of follow-up care for women in two counties in Appalachian Kentucky, where invasive cervical cancer incidence and mortality are significantly higher than the national average. In-depth interviews were conducted among 27 Appalachian women and seven local health department personnel. Those who had been told of an atypical Pap test result tended to have one of three reactions: (1) not alarmed and generally did not obtain follow-up care; (2) alarmed and obtained follow-up care; or (3) alarmed, but did not obtain care. Each of these typologies appeared to be shaped by a differing set of three categories of influences: personal factors; procedure/provider/system factors; and ecological/community factors. Recommendations to increase appropriate follow-up care included pursuing researc...
A COAL PYROLYSIS REACTOR SYSTEM WITH FAST ON-LINE COMPOSITION ANALYSIS BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

The development of a coal pyrolysis reactor and a novel gas chromatography method for fast on-line composition analysis of pyrolysis products are presented. The annular fluidized bed reactor system minimizes particle agglomeration during the pyrolysis of plastic coals and the new column switching technique significantly reduces the time required for measuring the composition of low-volatile pyrolysis gases on a conventional gas chromatograph. Data from representative pyrolysis runs are presented and discussed.