cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ocular Infection of Mice with Influenza A (H7) Viruses: a Site of Primary Replication and Spread to the Respiratory Tract

Avian H7 influenza viruses have been responsible for poultry outbreaks worldwide and have resulted in numerous cases of human infection in recent years. The high rate of conjunctivitis associated with avian H7 subtype virus infections may represent a portal of entry for avian influenza viruses and highlights the need to better understand the apparent ocular tropism observed in humans. To study this, mice were inoculated by the ocular route with viruses of multiple subtypes and degrees of virulence. We found that in contrast to human (H3N2 and H1N1) viruses, H7N7 viruses isolated from The Netherlands in 2003 and H7N3 viruses isolated from British Columbia, Canada, in 2004, two subtypes that were highly virulent for poultry, replicated to a significant titer in the mouse eye. Remarkably, an H7N7 virus, as well as some avian H5N1 viruses, spread systemically following ocular inoculation, including to the brain, resulting in morbidity and mortality of mice. This correlated with efficient replication of highly pathogenic H7 and H5 subtypes in murine corneal epithelial sheets (ex vivo) and primary human corneal epithelial cells (in vitro). Influenza viruses were labeled to identify the virus attachment site in the mouse cornea. Although we found abundant H7 virus attachment to corneal epithelial tissue, this did not account for the differences in virus replication as multiple subtypes were able to attach to these cells. These findings demonstrate that avian influenza viruses within H7 and H5 subtypes are capable of using the eye as a portal of entry.
Inhalable liposomes of low molecular weight heparin for the treatment of venous thromboembolism

This study tests the feasibility of inhalable pegylated liposomal formulations of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for treatment of two clinical manifestations of vascular thromboembolism: deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Conventional distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DSPE) and long-circulating pegylated (DSPE-PEG-2000 and DSPE-PEG-5000) liposomes were prepared by hydration method. Formulations were evaluated for particle size, entrapment efficiency, stability, pulmonary absorption, anticoagulant, and thrombolytic effects in rats. Pulmonary absorption was monitored by measuring plasma antifactor Xa activity; anticoagulant and thrombolytic effects were studied by measuring reduction in thrombus weight and amount of dissolved radioactive clot in the blood, respectively. Pegylated liposomal were smaller and showed greater drug entrapment efficiency than conventional liposomes. All formulations produced an increase in pulmonary absorption and circulation time of LMWH upon first dosing. Three repeated dosings of conventional liposomes resulted in decreased half-life and bioavailability; no changes in these parameters were observed with pegylated liposomes. PEG-2000 liposomes were effective in reducing thrombus weight when administered every 48 h over 8 days. In terms of thrombolytic effects and dosing frequency, PEG-2000 liposomes administered via the pulmonary route at a dose of 100 U/kg were as effective as 50 U/kg LMWH administered subcutaneously. This paper suggests that inhalable pegylated liposomes of LMWH could be a potential noninvasive approach for DVT and PE treatment.
Elastic Behavior of Polymer‐Impregnated Porous Ceramics

The effect of polymer impregnation on the elastic behavior of porous ceramics was investigated. Large increases in the Young's, shear, and bulk moduli and Poisson's ratio were observed. On the basis of a two-dimensional model containing elliptical inclusions, it was shown that the primary role of the polymer on impregnation is to significantly offset the original reduction in elastic moduli caused by the pore phase. The relative effect of polymer impregnation on elastic behavior increases with increasing pore volume fraction and pore ellipticity. These conclusions are also expected to explain the elastic behavior of polymer-modified cements and concretes.
Natural Selection Reinforces Speciation in a Radiation of Neotropical Rainforest Plants

The importance of reinforcement, that is, natural selection that strengthens reproductive isolation between incipient species, remains controversial. We used two approaches to test for reinforcement in a species radiation of Neotropical gingers in the genus Costus. First, we conducted an intensive study of Costus pulverulentus and Costus scaber, two recently diverged species that co-occur and share hummingbird pollinators. The hummingbird pollinators transfer pollen between these Costus species, but hybrids are rarely found in nature. By performing pollinations between populations of C. pulverulentus and C. scaber from three sites across the species' geographic ranges, we find that pollen-pistil incompatibilities acting prior to fertilization have evolved only between locally sympatric populations, whereas geographically distant populations within the region of sympatry and allopatric populations remain fully interfertile. Second, we conducted a comparative study of isolating mechanisms across the genus. We find lower seed set due to pollen-pistil incompatibility between species pairs that co-occur and experience pollen transfer in nature compared to species pairs that are otherwise isolated, regardless of genetic distance. Taken together, these studies indicate that crossing barriers prevent potentially maladaptive hybridization and effectively reinforce the speciation process. Our results add to mounting evidence for reinforcement from animal studies and show that plant speciation may also involve complex mate recognition systems. Reinforcement may be particularly important in rapidly diverging lineages where ecological factors play a primary role in reproductive isolation, as may often be the case in tropical communities.
X-Ray Diffraction Analysis Techniques to Monitor Composition Fluctuations within the Mineral Group: Apatite

Hydrothermal synthesis studies in portions of the system CaO-P2O5-H2O-CO2-F have produced apatites with composition variations. The lattice constants of the apatites have been determined using computer analyses of x-ray powder diffraction data. By this method compositional fluctuations of a phase within a mixture containing several phases can be monitored. Lattice characteristics of hydroxyapatite (molar CaO/P2O5=3.3) synthesized at pressures of 2000 bars and temperatures from 300° to 800°C from bulk compositions over the range 2.0 to 5.0 CaO/P2O5 are discussed.
Benefit-cost analysis of variable pricing projects : Quickride HOT lanes

Researchers identified a potential methodology for obtaining the incremental societal costs and benefits from a variable pricing project and applied that methodology to the QuickRide high occupancy/toll HOT lanes in Texas. This is one of the longest running variable pricing projects in the United States and, as such, it provided useful historical data and trends upon which to estimate future benefits and costs. This analysis found that the incremental societal benefits of QuickRide exceeded incremental societal costs for the time period considered. A companion paper that used the same methodology to examine the benefits and costs of the SR-91 Express Lanes found similar results. However, the differences between the benefits and costs were dramatically different for the two projects, indicative of the relative size of the two projects and the number of travelers impacted. On SR-91, tens of thousands of travelers were impacted on a daily basis where QuickRide's impact was limited to approximately 400 travelers per day. Interestingly, the benefit-cost ratios of the two projects were similar, both between 1.5 and 1.7. DOI: 10.1061/ASCE0733-947X2006132:3183 CE Database subject headings: Benefit cost ratios; Pricing; Tolls; High occupancy vehicles; Texas; Traffic management.
Exploring the Limits of Sub-Word Level Parallelism

Multimedia instruction set extensions has become a prominent feature in desktop microprocessor platforms, promising superior performance on a wide range of floating-point and integer signal processing, multimedia, and scientific applications. Nevertheless, the question remains whether or not these multimedia extensions can be applied to improve the performance of general, integer intensive applications. The answer to this question is important and could be used to direct research and development of compiler algorithms and refinements to multimedia architectures. In this paper, we answer the question of whether integer programs exhibit enough sub-word level parallelism (SLP) to facilitate performance improvements through use of multimedia extensions. Using a highly optimizing compiler and a simulator for an aggressive SLP architecture, we measured available SLP in a range of integer benchmarks. Our measurements show that these applications exhibit significant levels of SLP. Using the most aggressive simulator settings, dynamic instruction count reductions of 17 to 36 percent were observed. However, detailed examination of the data indicates that much of this parallelism is equivalent to instruction-level parallelism (ILP) and could just as easily be exploited by a traditional ILP architecture. Our findings indicate that researchers should focus their efforts on exploiting SLP in floating-point intensive and multimedia applications.
Using the 'Smart Return' to Reduce Tax Evasion

Tax evasion costs government over 400 billion dollars a year. We suggest enforcement efforts can be strengthened by redesigning the tax return to take advantage of social psychology research, and industry experience with data-driven systems. To illustrate the potential of this approach, in this paper we propose three categories of changes that merit testing through pilot studies. The first involves changing the wording on existing returns to increase the psychological cost of evasion and increase the perceived expectation of detection. The second builds appeals to morality in the return itself through the use of a short phrase containing a "self-relevant" noun. The third uses on-line "conversational agents" to ask adaptive questions.
Nonconvex Robust Optimization for Problems with Constraints

We propose a new robust optimization method for problems with objective functions that may be computed via numerical simulations and incorporate constraints that need to be feasible under perturbations. The proposed method iteratively moves along descent directions for the robust problem with nonconvex constraints and terminates at a robust local minimum. We generalize the algorithm further to model parameter uncertainties. We demonstrate the practicability of the method in a test application on a nonconvex problem with a polynomial cost function as well as in a real-world application to the optimization problem of intensity-modulated radiation therapy for cancer treatment. The method significantly improves the robustness for both designs.
Musculoskeletal Signs and Symptoms

Pain or swelling of a single joint merits prompt evaluation to identify patients in need of urgent and aggressive care (1). Although there are many minor and easily managed causes of monarthritis, infectious arthritis with its risk of prolonged morbidity (and even mortality, if untreated) requires that this very serious problem always be considered. The underlying causes of monarthritis are divided into two groups: inflammatory diseases (Table 3A-1) and mechanical or infiltrative disorders (Table 3A-2). Triage into one of these categories is the first step in the differential diagnosis of monarthritis.
Deliberative Democratic Evaluation: Using Stakeholder Input to Address Transportation Casualties

The issue of citizen and stakeholder engagement is a topic of growing importance in the academic literature. Although there has been an effort to examine this phenomenon in the arena of highway transportation, little attention has been given to how stakeholder engagement can be applied to the maritime transportation industry. By employing a deliberative democratic model of participation drawn from the evaluation literature, the authors report on efforts to engage maritime industry stakeholders on the Ohio River in policy implementation discussions. They find that, in addition to the benefits of deliberation noted elsewhere in the literature, such engagement can result in the identification of workable, low-cost solutions to seemingly expensive infrastructure issues.
Neue Entwicklungen in elektronischen Rechenmethoden und automatischer Kontrolle in Produktionsprozessen

Im Zusammenhang mit dem Bestreben, Produktionsprozesse vollautomatisch zu steuern und zu uberwachen, wurden in den letzten Jahren mehrere neue Gerate und Verfahren entwickelt, von denen im folgenden zwei typische Beispiele naher behandelt werden: die elektronischen Analog-Rechenmaschinen und Anlagen mit digitalen Voltmetern.
Phase Doppler interferometry measurements in water sprays produced by residential fire sprinklers

Abstract A phase Doppler interferometry (PDI) system was used to characterize the water sprays produced by four residential fire sprinklers. Four pendent sprinklers with K-factors ranging from 7.2×10−5 m3 s−1 kPa−0.5 (3.0 gal min−1 psig−0.5) to 1.35×10−4 m3 s−1 kPa−0.5 (5.6 gal min−1 psig−0.5) were investigated. The measurements include characteristic size (arithmetic mean diameter, volume mean diameter, Sauter mean diameter), mean velocity (axial and radial components), and liquid volume flux. The effect of water pressure on drop size was also investigated. The mean drop size (flux-averaged volume diameter, D 30 ) was found to be proportional to P−1/3 over the range 93 kPa⩽P⩽200 kPa.
Integrative viral molecular epidemiology: hepatitis C virus modeling

Traditional molecular epidemiology of viral infections is based onidentifying genetic markers to assist in epidemiological investigation. The limitationsof early molecular technologies led to preponderance of analyticalmethodology focused on the viral agent itself. Computational analysis was almostexclusively used for phylogenetic inference. Embracing the approachesand achievements of the traditional molecular epidemiology, integrative molecularepidemiology of viral infections expands into a comprehensive analysisof all factors involved into defining outcomes of exposure of a person(s) to viralinfections. The major emphasis of this scientific discipline is on the developmentof predictive models that can be used in different clinical and publichealth settings. The current paper briefly reviews a few examples that illustratea new trend in integrative molecular epidemiology striving to quantitatively defineviral properties and parameters using primary structure of viral genomes.
Photoluminescence studies of p-type GaN:Mg co-doped with oxygen

The low temperature photoluminescence (PL) of Mg-doped GaN co-doped with oxygen is investigated. Two PL bands are observed at low temperature at 2.5 and 2.8 eV in the p-type oxygen co-doped samples. Both the 2.5 eV and 2.8 eV bands are attributed to donor-acceptor (DA) transitions involving deep donors of different origin and a shallow MgGa acceptor. The integrated intensity of the 2.8 eV band in p-type GaN decreases as the oxygen partial pressure is increased. The decrease is attributed to reduced compensation by deep native donors. The two bands are not formed in n-type (n > 1019 cm−3) GaN:Mg over-doped with oxygen indicating that the deep donors responsible for these transitions have high formation energies in n-type material.
The Effect of Mycorrhiza on the Growth of Maize

Mycorrhizal maize grew much larger than nonmycorrhizal maize in phosphorus deficient soils. Nonmycorrhizal plants exhibited phosphorus deficiency symptoms. Mycorrhizal plants contained a higher con...
Antioxidant supplements do not improve mortality and may cause harm.

In randomized controlled trials of primary and secondary prevention, vitamins A and E, and beta-carotene supplementation increased mortality. Vitamin C and selenium supplementation had no significant effect on mortality.
Auditory awakening thresholds in sleepy and alert individuals

Twenty-seven healthy men and women with regular sleep-wake habits (and no habitual napping) participated in a study to determine the relation between auditory awakening thresholds (AAT) and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) scores. Subjects were free of any sleep complaints and were screened polysomnographically. Nine subjects had a screening MSLT of ≤5 minutes (sleepy group), and 18 subjects had an MSLT of ≥10 minutes. Subjects were assigned to three groups : a sleepy group, alert group and an alert sleep-deprived group. Subjects underwent 2 nights of AAT testing with at least 5 days in between each study night. AATs were determined at 0100, 0300, 0500 and 0730 hours. There were a total of 209 available AAT determinations, with a comparable number of trials across the groups. Because 68% of AAT determinations were done out of stage 2 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the thrust of the analysis was based on the results of this stage of sleep. The AATs were averaged across the two experimental nights. Trials I and 2 (first half of the night) and 3 and 4 (second half of the night) were averaged for each subject. There was no main effect of group on AATs. However, there was a significant main effect of time and a significant group by time interaction. The former indicated an overall decline in AATs across the night. More importantly, the three groups had comparable AAT levels during the first half of the night. Sleepy and alert-deprived subjects, however, failed to show a decline in AATs, whereas the alert group showed a significant decline in the second half of the night. This differential rate of decline in AATs is suggested to be related to the differences in sleep homeostasis among alert and sleepy individuals.
Growth patterns of Angus, Hereford and shorthorn cattle. I. Comparison of inbred and noninbred lines, changes in patterns over time and effects of level of inbreeding and reproductive performance.

Mature weight (A) and rate of maturing (K) were estimated for 283 Angus, 140 Hereford and 280 Shorthorn cows utilizing the asymptotic regression equation Yt=A(1-Be-Kt). The Yt was weight of the individual at age t; and B was an estimate related to early life weight changes and provided for a Y-intercept (A-B). Each breed consisted of four inbred and two noninbred lines. Regression of estimated growth curve parameters on levels of inbreeding of the individuals and of their dams and effects of early reproductive performance (EREPRO) were studied as sources of variation in addition to line differences and trends in line values over years. Considered jointly with inbreeding of the dam and with EREPRO, inbreeding of the individual was negatively related (P less than .01) to estimates of A in the three breeds and unrelated (P greater than .10) to estimates of K. Each 1% increase in inbreeding of the individual was associated with about 2 kg decrease in estimated mature weight. An increase in inbreeding of the dam of an individual was negatively related to estimates of K in Angus (P less than .01) and Shorthorns (P less than .05). Inbreeding of dams was positively related to estimates of A in the three breeds, but only in Shorthorns could the relationship be declared significant. Estimates of A were about 46 kg heavier and estimates of K about .010 less for each year an individual failed to produce a calf during her first three opportunities. In general, A values declined in all three breeds during the study. Significant changes were observed in all Hereford analyses and after inbreeding was included in the Angus analysis, while inclusion of inbreeding in the Shorthorn analysis caused the change to become unimportant. The K values increased in all three breeds during the study; however, the change could be declared significant only in Herefords.
Perioperative apnea in the preterm infant

Summary Former preterm infants less than 44 weeks postconceptual age are at increased risk for developing postoperative apnea and PB. When surgery cannot be deferred until the infant is developmentally more mature, certain measures should be taken to minimize the risk of ventilatory dysfunction. First, all infants should be admitted to the hospital and monitored for apnea and bradycardia for at least 12 hours after surgery. Outpatient surgery is not advisable for infants less than 44 weeks postconceptual age. Second, we recommend the use of IV caffeine base of 10 mg/kg in all infants at risk for postoperative apnea following general anesthesia. Preliminary results of a small number of patients indicate that spinal anesthesia without sedation is associated with less apnea than is general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia with ketamine sedation, and this option warrants further consideration. Infants with anemia of prematurity, generally a benign condition, are at increased risk for developing postoperative apnea. Therefore, it is preferable to delay elective surgery and supplement the feeds with iron until the Hct is above 30%. When surgery cannot be deferred, anemic infants must be observed and monitored carefully in the postoperative period.
Fragility assessment of high-rise reinforced concrete buildings considering the effects of shear wall contributions

Summary The effect of shear wall configurations on seismic responses of high-rise RC buildings is investigated in this paper using fragility analysis method. Four lower high-rise RC buildings that have the same plan dimensions and height but are different in configurations in lateral force resisting systems, were firstly designed following the standard code procedure. To consider uncertainties in earthquake motions, 16 real ground motion pairs were selected and scaled, then applied orthogonally to the four RC building models during the Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Fragility relationships were therefore derived based on the IDA results for the three limit states including slight damage, moderate damage and collapse to show the probabilistic comparison of seismic responses among the four buildings in both x and y-directions. It was observed that generally adding shear walls will improve buildings' seismic performance at all limit states. However, shear wall configuration also plays a significant role in seismic behavior of the lower high-rise regular RC buildings' and internal shear walls are generally more effective than external shear walls in improving building's seismic resistance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differences in sex distribution, anatomic location and MR imaging appearance of pediatric compared to adult chordomas

Chordomas are rare malignancies that primarily affect adults, but also rarely affect pediatric patients. We compared the imaging appearance, demographic and anatomic distributions of adult and pediatric chordomas in a large cohort. We performed a retrospective review of medical records of 220 subjects with histologically confirmed chordomas of the axial skeleton and pre-treatment magnetic resonance imaging studies. Age, sex, type of chordoma (conventional, chondroid or dedifferentiated), the anatomic location of the chordoma, as well as whether the lesion was primarily extra-osseous were recorded. Pediatric subjects were less than 21 years at the time of diagnosis. Binomial two-sample tests of proportions and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare proportions between the pediatric and adult subjects. Fifty six pediatric subjects (58.9 % female) and 164 adult subjects (42.1 % female) were identified. The proportion of female subjects with chordomas was significantly higher in the pediatric cohort compared to the adult cohort (P = 0.04). Most chordomas occur in Caucasians, however African-Americans were more represented in the pediatric cohort than in the adult cohort (P = 0.01). 69.6 % (39/56) of the pediatric chordomas involved the clivus/skull base and cervical spine compared to 29.3 % (48/164) of the adult chordomas (P = 1.99 × 10−7). Only 1.8 % (1/56) of the pediatric chordomas was in the sacrococcygeal region compared to 36.0 % (59/164) of the adult chordomas (P = 2.55 × 10−8). In cases where pre-treatment imaging was available, 93.8 % (16/17) of pediatric chordomas were predominantly extra-osseous compared to 76.7 % (46/60) of adult chordomas (P = 0.17). Pediatric chordomas more often affect females and occur most frequently at the craniocervical junction with decrease in incidence distally in the spine, whereas adult chordomas most frequently involve the craniocervical and sacrococcygeal regions.
Number of Unfavorable Intermediate-Risk Factors Predicts Pathologic Upstaging and Prostate Cancer-Specific Mortality Following Radical Prostatectomy: Results From the SEARCH Database.

BACKGROUND To validate and further improve the stratification of intermediate risk prostate cancer into favorable and unfavorable subgroups for patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The SEARCH database was queried for IR patients undergoing radical prostatectomy without adjuvant radiotherapy. UIR disease was defined any patient with at least one unfavorable risk factor (URF), including primary Gleason pattern 4, 50% of more biopsy cores containing cancer, or multiple National Comprehensive Cancer Network IR factors. RESULTS One thousand five hundred eighty-six patients with IR prostate cancer comprised the study cohort. Median follow-up was 62 months. Patients classified as UIR were significantly more likely to have pathologic high-risk features, such as Gleason score 8 − 10, pT3–4 disease, or lymph node metastases, than FIR patients (P < 0.001). Furthermore, UIR patients had significantly higher rates of PSA-relapse (PSA, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.89, P < 0.001) and distant metastasis (DM, HR = 2.92, P = 0.001), but no difference in prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) or all-cause mortality in multivariable analysis. On secondary analysis, patients with ≥2 URF had significantly worse PSA-RFS, DM, and PCSM than those with 0 or 1 URF. Moreover, 40% of patients with ≥2 URF had high-risk pathologic features. CONCLUSIONS Patients with UIR prostate cancer are at increased risk of PSA relapse, DM, and pathologic upstaging following prostatectomy. However, increased risk of PCSM was only detected in those with ≥2 URF. This suggests that further refinement of the UIR subgroup may improve risk stratification. Prostate Prostate 77:154–163, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Training emergency physicians in sex- and gender-based medicine: assessing attitudes of program directors and residency graduates.

Background Sex and gender influence disease presentation, treatment, healthcare access, and long-term outcomes. It is uncertain to what extent sex- and gender-based medicine (SGBM) content has been integrated into emergency medicine (EM) residency curricula. We aimed to determine if SGBM is being taught in EM residency training, if EM residency program directors (PDs) declare SGBM a curriculum priority, and if recent graduates (RGs) of EM residency programs declare SGBM as relevant to their practice.
Fast fingerprinting for file-system forensics

An important method used to speed up forensic file-system analysis is white-listing of files: Well-known files are detected using signatures (message digests) or similar methods, and omitted from further analysis initially, in order to better focus the initial analysis on files likely to be more important. Typical examples of such well-known files include files used by operating systems, popular applications, and software libraries. This paper presents methods for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of such signature-based white-listing during file-system forensics. One concern for effectiveness is the resilience of the white-listing method to an adversary who has complete knowledge of the method and who may make small, inconsequential changes to a large number of well-known files on a target file-system in order to overload the analysis and thereby practically defeat it. Another concern is the ability to detect near-matches in addition to exact matches. Efficiency refers to primarily the rate at which a target file system may be processed during analysis; preparation-time, or indexing, efficiency is a lesser concern as that computation may be performed during non-critical times. Our work builds on techniques such as locality-sensitive hashing to yield an effective filter for further analysis tools.
An Evaluation of Factors Associated With Pathogenic PRSS1 , SPINK1 , CTFR , and/or CTRC Genetic Variants in Patients With Idiopathic Pancreatitis

An Evaluation of Factors Associated With Pathogenic PRSS1 , SPINK1 , CTFR , and/or CTRC Genetic Variants in Patients With Idiopathic Pancreatitis
Dynamic Simulation Study for Boil-off Gas Minimization at Liquefied Natural Gas Exporting Terminals

The boil-off gas (BOG) generation at LNG (liquefied natural gas) exporting terminals is significant and should be minimized and/or recycled efficiently and effectively. In this work, the study of BOG generation, minimization, and recovery has been performed for a typical LNG plant with C3MR (propane precooled mixed refrigerant) process, storage facility, loading facility, and LNG ship with four moss-type spherical tanks. Plant-wide dynamic simulations are employed to quantify dynamic BOG generations during loading and holding mode, under various LNG temperatures at LNG exporting terminals. On the basis of multiple case studies, optimum LNG temperatures under different LNG subcooling and BOG recovery strategies have been identified for the sake of total energy consumptions. This study provides valuable information about the effect of LNG subcooling temperature on BOG generation, which would help in operating LNG plants at optimum conditions and economically minimize BOG generation and recovering BOG at LNG...
The securitisation dilemma: legitimacy in securitisation studies

The literature on securitisation provides surprisingly little clarification on the meaning of legitimacy and how it operates in the securitisation process. Scholars repeatedly employ the term, but ...
Fifty Assessment Instruments Commonly Used with Blind and Partially Seeing Individuals.

For each of the 50 most commonly used assessment instruments, gives the age/grade for which it is designed, the time required to take the test, a brief description, and name and address of publisher.
Nutrition and cancer education at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Abstract Background. The status of nutrition education at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center since the 1980s is discussed. Methods. A needs assessment with emphasis on nutrition education activities in the medical school curriculum led to the successful application for a NCI R25 Cancer Education Grant in 1988. Results. A nutrition elective, Nutrition and Cancer, for health professions students and a section of the Biochemistry course, Principles of Nutrition, were generated. These have persisted to the present despite the scheduled expiration of the R25 grant. Conclusion. Topic‐directed NCI Cancer Education Grants can stimulate and facilitate successful approaches to defined cancer education needs. The resulting activities can, and should, persist after the expiration of such grants.
Cardiac motion-corrected quantitative dynamic Rb-82 PET imaging

123 Objectives In the context of dynamic cardiac imaging, gating information is not routinely utilized. Our goal is to introduce gated motion correction within dynamic Rb-82 reconstruction and to evaluate its effect on the quantitative estimation of tracer transport between blood and myocardial tissue. Methods Making use of the list-mode acquisition capability along with gating information, we propose to first estimate motion from reconstructed single-frame, multi-gated images obtained by binning the acquired data, starting after initial blood uptake (i.e. from ~0.5min to 2min). Next, starting from time of injection, for each dynamic frame, the gated data would be combined within a 4D EM reconstruction algorithm that incorporates the estimated motion. To validate, stress time activity curves of blood pool, myocardium, and other organs, as extracted from Rb-82 PET images of 5 normal patients, were averaged and smoothed, and used to simulate a 5D NCAT phantom with both gates (8 gates) and dynamic frames (10 frames*12 sec). Analytical simulation was performed to simulate gated, dynamic noise-free PET data, which were scaled to clinical count levels before 30 Poisson noise fluctuations were created. Image reconstruction was performed, without and with motion correction for each dynamic frame. Kinetic rate constants were extracted from the noise-free and noisy reconstructed images using a two-compartment model, and compared between the conventional and proposed methods. Results With gate-motion-corrected (4D) reconstruction for each dynamic frame, the estimated K1 values in each of the five regions (anterior, septal, inferior, lateral, and apex) were shown to be significantly increased relative to no motion-correction in both noise-free and noisy cases (p Conclusions Incorporation of cardiac motion correction within dynamic Rb-82 PET imaging was shown to improve the accuracy of estimated K1 values compared to no motion correction
Comparison of privacy-protecting analytic and data-sharing methods: A simulation study.

PURPOSE Privacy-protecting analytic and data-sharing methods that minimize the disclosure risk of sensitive information are increasingly important due to the growing interest in utilizing data across multiple sources. We conducted a simulation study to examine how avoiding sharing individual-level data in a distributed data network can affect analytic results. METHODS The base scenario had four sites of varying sizes with 5% outcome incidence, 50% treatment prevalence, and seven confounders. We varied treatment prevalence, outcome incidence, treatment effect, site size, number of sites, and covariate distribution. Confounding adjustment was conducted using propensity score or disease risk score. We compared analyses of three types of aggregate-level data requested from sites: risk-set, summary-table, or effect-estimate data (meta-analysis) with benchmark results of analysis of pooled individual-level data. We assessed bias and precision of hazard ratio estimates as well as the accuracy of standard error estimates. RESULTS All the aggregate-level data-sharing approaches, regardless of confounding adjustment methods, successfully approximated pooled individual-level data analysis in most simulation scenarios. Meta-analysis showed minor bias when using inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) in infrequent exposure (5%), rare outcome (0.01%), and small site (5,000 patients) settings. SE estimates became less accurate for IPTW risk-set approach with less frequent exposure and for propensity score-matching meta-analysis approach with rare outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we found that we can avoid sharing individual-level data and obtain valid results in many settings, although care must be taken with meta-analysis approach in infrequent exposure and rare outcome scenarios, particularly when confounding adjustment is performed with IPTW.
Epigenetic changes in T cells in response to immune checkpoint blockade.

11549Background: Success of immune checkpoint blockade therapy relies on the increase of effector T cells and decrease of regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment. However, the underlying m...
Talking with terrorists, talking with governments: insurgent perspectives on legitimisation and engagement

It is often claimed that “talking to terrorists legitimises terrorism”. But analysts too often assume that insurgents seek standard forms of liberal-legalistic legitimisation through engagement wit...
Power and Violence in the Russian Revolution: the March Events and Baku Commune of 1918

This article investigates the March Events of 1918: city-wide fighting for control of Baku that involved the Bolshevik party, the Red Guards, and various Armenian and Azerbaijani militias. Besides many of these combatants, thousands of innocent Azerbaijanis and others (Caucasus peoples and Persians) perished in the hostilities. Focusing on the Events as an exercise of power and violence, I argue that the establishment of the Baku Commune (like the later formation of the multi-national Soviet Union) was indivisible from these circumstances of national and sectarian war. Drawing from Azerbaijani sources long-suppressed by the Communist regime, I recount some of the key contexts, mechanics, and legacies of the Events. As an elucidation of the facts, this study sets out to help historians calibrate their interpretations, better weigh the nature of Soviet power, and refine what we usually term “Armenian” or “Azerbaijani” aggression. These peoples were not preternaturally disposed to violence. Suffering was not the exclusive province of either community. Rather, political strategies have drawn them into cycles of violence and bonds of recrimination that have recurred sporadically into the present day.
Trimester specific PM2.5 exposure and fetal growth in Ohio, 2007–2010

Abstract Background Exposure to particulate matter, particularly with aerodynamic diameter Methods Exposure to PM2.5 in each trimester and for each gestational week was determined using data from 57 Environmental Protection Agency network monitoring stations across the state of Ohio. We restricted the data to 224,921 singleton live births, with a gestational age of 20–42 weeks, no genetic disorders or congenital abnormalities, and who had home addresses within a 10 km radius of any PM2.5 monitoring station. We estimated odds ratios of SGA using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and Distributed Lag Models (DLMs), and adjustment for maternal age, race, education, parity, body mass index, insurance type, tobacco use, prenatal care initiation, birth year, season of birth, and sex of the baby. Results Mean PM2.5 levels during the entire pregnancy were 13.03 µg/m3 with a standard deviation of 1.57 µg/m3. Covariates adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of a 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 levels with a 10 km buffer radius for SGA and trimesters modeled separately were 0.94 (0.88, 1.00) for the first trimester, 0.93 (0.86, 1.00) for the second trimester, 1.07 (1.00, 1.15) for the third trimester, and 0.92 (0.81, 1.06) for the entire pregnancy. When a 5 km buffer radius was used, adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for SGA were 0.97 (0.89, 1.05) for the first trimester, 0.96 (0.88, 1.05) for the second trimester, 1.09 (1.02, 1.17) for the third trimester, and 0.99 (0.85, 1.14) for the overall pregnancy, indicating sensitivity to buffer choice. DLMs showed gestational weeks 30–35 to be a particular window of vulnerability. Conclusion Increasing exposure to PM2.5 during the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with a small increase in risk of SGA in this population-based study. Selection of a buffer radius significantly impacted our results in the first trimester, but not in the third trimester.
Steering of an Underactuated Legged Robot through Terrain Contact with an Active Tail

This paper analyzes and implements two novel turning strategies for underactuated legged robots that leverage contact of an active tail against terrain. The first strategy produces a sustained turn with a tail dragging against the ground during forward locomotion. The second strategy produces a rapid point turn by impacting the tail against the ground. LoadRoACH, a 55 g palm-sized legged robot, is developed to carry the active tail payload used in turning experiments. A steady-state turning model predicts the achievable turn speed of the robot on carpet, and open-loop turning experiments characterize the performance of the two tail contact turning strategies. Tail drag turning provides comparable turning maneuverability to differential drive turning gaits on carpet and gravel surfaces. Tail impact turning can produce rapid point turns on carpet, tarp, and gravel, but has a large variability in turn angle and time to recover from the turn. Finally, tail drag and tail impact turning control methods are implemented in an aggressive closed-loop corner steering maneuver.
Revealing the Hydrogenation Performance of RuMo Phosphide for Chemoselective Reduction of Functionalized Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Bimetallic transition metal phosphide catalysts are promising materials for low-temperature, liquid-phase hydrogenation reactions. This work explores the chemoselective hydrogenation ability of RuMoP using various functionalized aromatic hydrocarbons to provide insight into how the functional groups compete for reduction on the surface of RuMoP. Using molecular hydrogen as the reductant, high selectivity (∼99%) to reduction of the substituent is achieved for the hydrogenation of electron withdrawing functionalities such as nitrobenzene, benzaldehyde, and benzophenone with RuMoP to yield aniline, benzyl alcohol, and diphenylmethanol, respectively. In contrast, aromatics with electron donating groups such as phenol, anisole, and toluene, show high ring hydrogenation selectivity (∼99%) to form cyclohexanol, methoxycyclohexane, and methyl cyclohexane, respectively, although the reaction proceeded slowly with RuMoP. Pyridine adsorption was studied via diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy...
How politically liberal should the capabilities approach want to be

In this article, I develop a tension in the capabilities approach between committing to political liberalism and ensuring full capability for all persons. In particular, I argue that the capabiliti...
Information Measurement and Entropy in Information-Knowledge Certainty

This chapter is devoted to discussions on techniques and methods of information measurement relative to entropy in information-knowledge certainty within the conditions of the system of source-destination dualities. It follows the discussion in Chap. 3 of this monograph regarding the nature of general epistemological information (experiential information) about varieties as seen in terms of the principle of opposites and the paradigm of thought required in order to process the epistemological information to abstract knowledge.
Characterizing the soil microbiome and quantifying antibiotic resistance gene dynamics in agricultural soil following swine CAFO manure application

As agriculture industrializes, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are becoming more common. Feces from CAFOs is often used as fertilizer on fields. However, little is known about the effects manure has on the soil microbiome, which is an important aspect of soil health and fertility. In addition, due to the subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics necessary to keep the animals healthy, CAFO manure has elevated levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Using 16s rRNA high-throughput sequencing and qPCR, this study sought to determine the impact of swine CAFO manure application on both the soil microbiome and abundance of select antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile element genes (erm(B), erm(C), sul1, str(B), intI1, IncW repA) in agricultural soil over the fall and spring seasons. We found the manure community to be distinct from the soil community, with a majority of bacteria belonging to Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. The soil samples had more diverse communities dominated by Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and unclassified bacteria. We observed significant differences in the soil microbiome between all time points, except between the spring samples. However, by tracking manure associated taxa, we found the addition of the manure microbiome to be a minor driver of the shift. Of the measured genes, manure application only significantly increased the abundance of erm(B) and erm(C) which remained elevated in the spring. These results suggest bacteria in the manure do not survive well in soil and that ARG dynamics in soil following manure application vary by resistance gene.
Wave characteristics of vertical upward adiabatic annular flow in pipes

Abstract Annular flow exists in many engineering applications, such as refrigerators, oil extraction, nuclear reactors and so on, due to its high heat and mass transfer efficiencies. Annular flow is characterized by liquid film on the wall and gas core at the center of the flow duct. The interface between the gas and liquid is composed of many different waves that play important role in mass, momentum and energy transfers between gas and liquid phases. Here three important parameters regarding wave characteristics, namely, wave velocity, base film thickness and wave height have been studied. For wave velocity, correlation has been proposed by two methods which are derived from liquid interfacial velocity and interfacial shear stress, respectively. For correlations of base film thickness and wave height, they are proposed in similar forms as that of average film thickness previously developed by the authors. These newly proposed correlations are functions of gas and liquid Weber numbers, and are simpler and more straightforward to use as compared to the existing ones. The newly proposed wave velocity, base film thickness and wave height correlations, respectively, have mean absolute percentage errors of 9.56%, 14.6% and 12.1% compared to current databases. They have shown an improved prediction accuracy compared to the other correlations in the literature.
Reoperations for Complications Within 90 Days After Glaucoma Surgery

Objective: To describe reoperations in the operating room for complications encountered within 90 days after glaucoma surgery at a single institution over a 2-year period. Design: Retrospective case series. Subjects: Adult patients who have undergone glaucoma surgery including a tube shunt, trabeculectomy with mitomycin C, trabectome, or transcleral cyclophotocoagulation from June 1, 2015 to August 30, 2017 at a single institution. Methods: These patients were then examined for postoperative complications that required reoperations within the first 90 days including revision of the tube shunt, revision of the trabeculectomy, drainage of the choroidal, or placement of a tube shunt. Main outcome measures: Percentage of reoperations for complications within the first 90 days after glaucoma surgery and surgical indications for these reoperations. Results: A total of 622 glaucoma procedures were performed on 600 eyes in 525 patients over a 2-year period from June 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017 by 4 glaucoma surgeons at a single institution. Of these, 275 (44%) were trabeculectomy with mitomycin C, 253 (41%) were the placement of a tube shunt, 33 (5%) were cyclophotocoagulation, and 61 (10%) were trabectome procedures. Postoperative complications requiring reoperations within 90 days developed in 15 patients (2.4%) overall including 7 patients (2.5%) in the trabeculectomy with mitomycin C group and 8 patients (3.1%) in the tube shunt group. Five patients developed bleb leaks, 3 patients developed serous choroidal effusions, 3 patients had tube exposure, 1 patient had tube retraction, 1 patient had persistent iritis from iris touching the tube, and 1 had encapsulation around the tube. The rate of reoperation for complications was similar between the tube group and the trabeculectomy group (P=0.67, χ test). There were no complications requiring reoperations in 90 days for transcleral cyclophotocoagulation or trabectome. Conclusions: Early postoperative complications requiring reoperations within the first 90 days after glaucoma surgery were low and comparable with previous studies. Common indications for reoperation within 90 days include wound leak and tube shunt-related issues.