cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Migration and Gender in China: An Origin‐Destination Linked Approach*

During the past 2 decades, major social and economic transformations have occurred in China. One of the demographic consequences of these changes is the large increase in the migrant population. In the prereform era, the Chinese government strictly controlled and regulated migration through the household registration system (hukou) and other mechanisms. Since the late 1970s, however, the role of household registration has weakened so much that one does not need to obtain local hukou in order to migrate. Migration, especially floating migrant population, is clearly on the rise. Social scientists are quick to take the opportunity to study different aspects of migration. Not surprisingly, with few exceptions, most studies of migration focus on migrant men even though women constitute a high proportion of the migrant population. According to the 1990 China Population Census, migrant women account for 46% of intraprovincial migrants and 42% of interprovincial migrants in China. The most recent data from the 2000 Chinese census show that 52% of migrants are women. Although the subject of female migration is relatively neglected for other countries as well, the Chinese case promises a particularly interesting comparison because of its current hukou system. Originally designed and implemented in the late 1950s, hukou was and continues to be an important institution that is associated with entitlements, such as housing, medical care, and jobs, as well as children’s education. Before 1978, not having hukou meant that migrants would not be able to find jobs and housing, let alone benefits such as medical care and pension. Notwithstanding, since China initiated market reforms in the late 1970s, the function of China’s hukou system has been gradually declining but still plays an important role in the receipt of
Cockayne syndrome: Review of 140 cases

To define diagnostic criteria for Cockayne Syndrome (CS) and to identify in detail the complications of the condition, a comprehensive review of 140 cases of CS was performed. Criteria required for the diagnosis include poor growth and neurologic abnormality; other very common manifestations include sensorineural hearing loss, cataracts, pigmentary retinopathy, cutaneous photosensitivity, and dental caries. The mean age of death in reported cases is 12 3/12 years, though a few affected individuals have lived into their late teens and twenties. Prenatal growth failure, congenital structural eye anomalies, severe neurologic dysfunction from birth, and the presence of cataracts within the first 3 years of life are predictors of severe disease and early death. In contrast with other disorders of chromosome or DNA repair, cancer has never been reported in a classical CS patient, and there appears to be no predisposition to infectious complications. The wide spectrum of symptoms and severity of the disease suggest that biochemical and genetic heterogeneity exist. CS is an uncommon but devastating genetic condition which will be better understood as the biochemical interrelationships between DNA replication and repair, and between growth, homeostasis, and oncogenesis are unraveled.
Chemical probing of RNA with the hydroxyl radical at single-atom resolution

While hydroxyl radical cleavage is widely used to map RNA tertiary structure, lack of mechanistic understanding of strand break formation limits the degree of structural insight that can be obtained from this experiment. Here, we determine how individual ribose hydrogens of sarcin/ricin loop RNA participate in strand cleavage. We find that substituting deuterium for hydrogen at a ribose 5-carbon produces a kinetic isotope effect on cleavage; the major cleavage product is an RNA strand terminated by a 5-aldehyde. We conclude that hydroxyl radical abstracts a 5-hydrogen atom, leading to RNA strand cleavage. We used this approach to obtain structural information for a GUA base triple, a common tertiary structural feature of RNA. Cleavage at U exhibits a large 5 deuterium kinetic isotope effect, a potential signature of a base triple. Others had noted a ribose-phosphate hydrogen bond involving the G 2-OH and the U phosphate of the GUA triple, and suggested that this hydrogen bond contributes to backbone rigidity. Substituting deoxyguanosine for G, to eliminate this hydrogen bond, results in a substantial decrease in cleavage at G and U of the triple. We conclude that this hydrogen bond is a linchpin of backbone structure around the triple.
A conceptual and practical approach to data quality and analysis procedures for high‐frequency soil respiration measurements

Summary 1. Understanding the mechanisms regulating the efflux of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the soil to the atmosphere via soil respiration (SR) is a critical component of understanding terrestrial carbon (C) cycle responses to climate change, but requires high-quality measurements of SR fluxes. Thus, measurements of SR have become one of the primary tools used in terrestrial C cycling research. 2. When developing a sampling strategy for SR measurements, researchers must consider the ultimate use of the data set. A weekly or bi-weekly manual sampling strategy is likely sufficient if the desired outcome is an annual estimate of CO 2 efflux. However, if modelling SR on time scales from minutes to days is the purpose of the study, automated SR measurements are advantageous. 3. Automated SR systems produce large volumes of data that present new challenges for quality assurance and quality control. A relatively efficient protocol to analyse large SR data sets is proposed here. 4. Analysis of two large data sets provides information about systematic sampling uncertainties as well as random measurement errors. These must be taken into account when using automated SR measurements in any data‐model fusion context.
Passionate and Companionate Love in Courting and Young Married Couples

Sociological and social psychological discourse on love posits the existence of two distinct love types : passionate and companionate love. Little research, however, has been conducted to document the presumed theoretical differences between these two varieties of love. The primary purpose of this study was to examine empirically the extent to which passionate and companionate love differ on three major dimensions. Passionate love, to a greater degree than companionate love, was hypothesized (I) to be sexualized, (2) to be associated with intense positive and negative emotional experiences, and (3) to decline with the passage of time. These hypotheses were tested with data collected from a sample of 197 couples representing different stages of the courtship process and transition to marriage. Support was found for the first and third hypotheses; however, little support was found for the second. The degree to which passionate and companionate love were related to satisfaction and commitment were also examined. Passionate and companionate love were associated with satisfaction and commitment, although companionate love was more highly associated than passionate love with satisfaction
Biologically inspired design of hydrogel-capped hair sensors for enhanced underwater flow detection

Using a precision drop-casting method, a bioinspired hydrogel-capped hair sensory system was created, which enhanced the performance of flow detection by about two orders of magnitude and endowed the sensors with threshold sensitivities that rival those of fish.
Life Cycle and Growth of Senita Moths (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): A Lepidopteran with Less Than Four Instars?

Abstract Despite great variation in instar number among Insecta, no Lepidopteran has been observed to have less than four larval instars. I report in this work on the life cycle and growth of the senita moth, Upiga virescens Hulst, which forms an obligate pollinating predispersal seed-eating mutualism with senita cacti (Lophocereus schottii Engelmann) in the Sonoran Desert of North America. From 1996 to 1999, I studied larval growth and life cycle associations of U. virescens with L. schottii in the field by labeling cohorts of eggs laid in flowers and following them through pupation. All life stages of U. virescens were associated with flowers, fruit, or cactus stems of L. schottii. Among the five cohorts studied, larval growth consistently conformed to Dyar’s rule. Only three larval instars were identified among the >500 larvae for which head capsule widths were measured. I discuss and dismiss the feasibility of a fourth undetected instar. I then discuss selection pressures that may have contributed to ...
Cycads of Colombia

I. Abstract There are three genera of cycads in Colombia: Cycas, with two introduced and unnaturalized species; the endemic genus Chigua, with two species; and Zamia, with 16 species, seven of which are endemic. Keys to all species are given, as well as complete descriptions, synonymy, types, exisiccatae, distributional data, and conservation status as used in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Floristically, Zamiaceae is represented in Colombia by four elements: a Choco, southern Cordoba, and northeastern Antioquia element, with the endemic genus, Chigua, and six species of Zamia, Z. amplifolia, Z. disodon, Z. manicata, Z. roezlii, Z. chigua, and Z. obliqua, with the first two endemic to Colombia; a montane element in the northern Cordillera Occidental, with two endemic species, Z. montana and Z. wallisii; a Rio Magdalena Valley element, with Z. muricata, Z. poeppigiana, and the endemic Z. encephalartoides; and an element east of the Andes and principally Amazonian, with four other species, Z. ...
Body mass index (BMI) and physical activity in long-term lymphoma survivors: A pilot study

17511 Background: There is no published data regarding BMI changes in survivors of adult lymphoma. Methods: In October of 2004, we mailed a 23-page survey to 95 randomly selected patients from a population of 2,485 of patients from the Mayo Tumor Registry who had survived lymphoma from 5 to 20 years. 56 completed the survey for a 68% participation rate. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using clinical height and weight in the medical record at the time of diagnosis and self-reported weight in the survey response. Physical activity was self-reported. Based on their pattern of response, patients were categorized into a stage of change of current exercise (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, or maintenance). Mood disturbance (depression, anxiety, and distress) and quality of life (QOL) were self-reported using the CES-D, POMS, STAI, FACT-G, and LASA questionnaires. Scores were transformed to a scale of 0–100 (higher score meaning higher functioning) to allow comparisons with a difference...
Steroidal Saponins in Oat Bran

Saponins are one type of widespread defense compound in the plant kingdom and have been exploited for the production of lead compounds with diverse pharmacological properties in drug discovery. Oats contain two unique steroidal saponins, avenacoside A, 1, and avenacoside B, 2. However, the chemical composition, the levels of these saponins in commercial oat products, and their health effects are still largely unknown. In this study, we directly purified 5 steroidal saponins (1-5) from a methanol extract of oat bran, characterized their structures by analyzing their MS and NMR spectra, and also tentatively identified 11 steroidal saponins (6-16) on the basis of their tandem mass spectra (MS(n), n = 2-3). Among the five purified saponins, 5 is a new compound and 4 is purified from oats for the first time. Using HPLC-MS techniques, a complete profile of oat steroidal saponins was determined, and the contents of the two primary steroidal saponins, 1 and 2, were quantitated in 15 different commercial oat products. The total levels of these two saponins vary from 49.6 to 443.0 mg/kg, and oat bran or oatmeal has higher levels of these two saponins than cold oat cereal. Furthermore, our results on the inhibitory effects of 1 and 2 against the growth of human colon cancer cells HCT-116 and HT-29 showed that both had weak activity, with 2 being more active than 1.
A regression based hourly day ahead solar irradiance forecasting model by labview using cloud cover data

This paper applies a regression based numerical method for photovoltaic power output hourly forecast. The method uses a historical data composed of irradiance, azimuth, zenith angle and time of day information. In every run of the forecast program, publicly available cloud cover forecast data for the following day is obtained, and by using a numerical regression based method a function is fit. Then by using the publicly available temperature forecast data, forecasted irradiance data, and computed solar position (zenith, azimuth) data, both power output and temperature module output of PV array is computed. Numerical forecast results show that, they are in accordance with the actual data.
Secondary Surgery Following Failed Forearm Reconstruction

It is not uncommon for longitudinal forearm instability to be recognized quite late after the injury. Frequently, this injury is not appreciated until there have already been changes at both the wrist (ulnar carpal abutment) and the elbow (radiocapitellar abutment). These late cases frequently require an ulnar shortening osteotomy, as well as radial head prosthesis and/or reconstruction of the interosseous ligament. If continued problems result and there are degenerative changes or chronic pain at the radial capitellar joint, a radiocapitellar prosthesis can be considered. The final treatment for some patients may require creation of a one-bone forearm. This prevents any further longitudinal instability of the forearm; however, it obviously results in loss of forearm rotation. These injuries are best treated early and aggressively, as later reconstructive options will usually result in decreased function of the extremity. This chapter goes through the different reconstructive options that are available to the reoperative surgeon.
CFD-Simulations in the Early Product Development

Abstract A growing range of products shifts the product development in focus. Especially the early design phase defines the costs and quality. Thus, to ensure the quality of the products, different concepts are designed and evaluated. A tool for the evaluation of the different designs is simulation due to being fast and cost efficient. But simulation in the early phase still remains a problem. This results of the basic and fast changing concepts, which take too much effort to be converted into a simulation model. To get around these circumstances, we propose a method for an online modelling in the design process. Instead of defining the simulation model at once, the method modificates the simulation model during simulation run time. Furthermore, the functionality is shown in a CFD simulation using the meshless Smoothing Hydrodynamics method. Using the GPU to achieve real-time simulation, the method allows a WYSIWYG design-simulation development helping to raise the quality of products.
Investigation on knowledge of AIDS,syphilis and hepatitis C among floating population in Yingshang county

Objective To understand the knowledge of AIDS,syphilis and hepatitis C among floating population,and provide evidence for comprehensive prevention and control strategies.Methods A total of 405 migrant construction workers were selected and all the works were asked to complete self-administrated questionnaire.Results The participants' awareness rate of HIV/AIDS was 88.40%,and the rate tended to decrease with the age increasing.Awareness rate of HIV/AIDS among workers with high school education was significantly higher than that with middle school education or low,and the rate among Anhui workers was significantly higher than that among other province workers.Awareness rate of methadone replacement therapy was 27.65%,and this rate was lower than awareness rate of AIDS/HIV and voluntary blood donation.Awareness rate of syphilis and hepatitis C among high education level workers were higher than that among low education level workers.Conclusion The main factors affecting awareness rate of AIDS,syphilis and hepatitis C incluole age,education level and household register.Education for floating population should be strengthened.
What Is a Rational Health Care System

Health care system is a complicated system; therefore it's also complex and systematic work to reform a health care system. The health care system is composed of the following four subsystems that are tightly inter-related: health financing, health service provision, health resource generation and health regulation. A reasonable health care system should focus on people's health, and finance and deliver health care services equitably and efficiently. The CIA model, namely capacity, incentive and accountability should be applied in the establishment of a new effective health care system.
Pollen used to produce allergen extracts

Abstract Objective To review the use of pollen for the production of allergen extracts to diagnose and treat allergic diseases, examine the associated regulations, and highlight candidate areas for improvement. Data Sources A PubMed search was performed using focused keywords combined with a review of regulatory documents and industry guidelines. Study Selections The information obtained through literature, documents, and industry was scrutinized and used with personal experience and expertise to write this article. Results Both genetic and environmental factors affect the allergenic composition of pollen because it is a biologically active pharmaceutical ingredient obtained from nature. The potential effect of airborne contaminants in pollen requires major attention but can be properly addressed through careful collection practices, combined with a proper interpretation of the data on purity obtained for each pollen lot. The regulations associated with pollen used to manufacture allergen extracts in the United States and Europe and the numbers of pollen allergen extracts commercially available in both areas of the world differ. A critical parameter to select the appropriate extracts for diagnosis and allergen immunotherapy is to understand the phenomenon of cross-reactivity among pollen families, genera, and species. Conclusion Physicians should be aware of the factors responsible for the qualitative and quantitative composition of pollen allergen extracts and the associated regulations to produce suitable extracts to diagnose and treat allergic diseases. Collaboration and cooperation among allergen manufacturing companies and regulatory agencies are necessary.
Timolol kinetics in chronic renal insufficiency

A single-dose kinetic study of oral timolol, 20 mg, was undertaken in 3 groups of volunteers with varying degrees of renal function--(1) 10 normal subjects (N); (2) 9 patients with moderate chronic renal insufficiency (MCRI; C cr, 20 to 50 ml/min); (3) 4 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)--to assess the need for dosage modification as renal function diminishes. There were borderline statistical differences in absorption between groups. The mean peak concentration (C max) was 84.3 +/- 44.8 ng/ml at 0.8 +/- 0.4 hr for N and 87.1 +/- 22.8 ng/ml at 1.7 +/- 1.2 hr (p, NS) for MCRI. N and MCRI mean half-lives (5.2 +/- 2.6 hr and 4.0 +/- 1.2 hr) were not statistically different. Salivary levels correlated with plasma levels in 3 N and 1 MCRI patient. Group differences in blood pressure and pulse response to timolol seems to reflect differences present at baseline with percent change from baseline identical for the two groups except at 12 to 24 hr. Administration of timolol on an interdialysis day revealed similar kinetic and physiologic response in the normal and the MCRI group. During dialysis, timolol, 20 mg, induced significant hypotension and bradycardia.
Inhibiting Proinflammatory NF-κB Signaling Using Cell-Penetrating NEMO Binding Domain Peptides

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) is an inducible transcription factor that regulates the expression of many genes involved in normal immune and inflammatory responses. NF-kappaB activation is normally a rapid and transient response to pro-inflammatory stimuli however dysregulated constitutively active NF-kappaB signaling leads to chronic inflammation and provides a cell survival signal in many types of cancer. NF-kappaB signaling is therefore an important target for the development of novel anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer drugs. We previously identified and characterized a cell-permeable peptide that blocks NF-kappaB signaling by disrupting the critical upstream IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex. We describe in this chapter three separate methods to determine the effects of this NEMO-binding domain (NBD) peptide on pro-inflammatory NF-kappaB signaling in response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF).
Christodemocratic Theory Is Based on Ten Core Assumptions

This chapter defines and dissects each core assumption of Christodemocracy. For comparative purposes, it matches each assumption to a corresponding assumption in liberal democratic thought. The comparison sets the stage for subsequent discourse analysis of CR rhetorical materials.
The IFRS Adoption Reform through the Lens of Neoinstitutionalism: The Case of the Russian Federation

Abstract This study examines the impact of IFRS adoption and concurrent regulatory reforms on the reporting quality of Russian public firms. Unlike much of the prior literature focusing on the economic and legal explanations of the IFRS adoption, we build on the neo-institutional theory of DiMaggio and Powell (1983, 1991). We show that changes in reporting quality, as measured by value relevance of information and the degree of conditional conservatism, are a function of the type of isomorphic pressure within a country. We find that firms that experienced coercive, mimetic, and normative societal pressures—those that both adopted IFRS and were affected by other regulatory reforms—experienced significant improvements in reporting quality. We do not find such evidence for firms that experienced only coercive pressure—those that were affected by changes in regulations but were exempt from the IFRS reporting requirement. Overall, the study sheds light on complexity of the interplay between external pressures and a wide array of internal pressures on public firms to adopt IFRS. Notably, the study's unique research settings allows us to achieve a better identification strategy, compared to prior IFRS studies that attempted to disentangle the IFRS adoption and regulations/enforcement effects. Our findings indicate that the incremental “IFRS adoption” effect on reporting quality was significantly positive, whereas the individual “regulations” effect was non-detectable.
Bayesian Approach to Establishing Assay Limits

A Bayesian method to establishing assay limits of detection and quantitation is proposed. It allows prior knowledge to be incorporated into the analysis of the limits. The posterior distributions of the limits in x (concentration) can be approximated well with the help of a simple simulation procedure. This allows good estimates of mean, variance, and other characteristics of those distributions to be computed. The approach is Illustrated by an example with 2 made-up data sets.
Pharmacokinetics of Intrauterine Ciprofloxacin in the Mare and Establishment of Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations for Equine Uterine Bacterial Isolates

Abstract Infectious endometritis can have a significant adverse impact on fertility of broodmares. Unfortunately, some Gram-negative bacteria cultured from the equine uterus are resistant to common antimicrobial agents (e.g., aminoglycosides). Fluoroquinolones could be an alternative for resistant Gram-negative bacteria; however, the commercial formulation of enrofloxacin has been reported to cause severe ulcerative hemorrhagic endometritis in mares following intrauterine infusion. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in the uterine lumen, endometrial tissue, and blood plasma following intrauterine infusion. Mares (n = 10) were evaluated by ultrasound and infused with 600 mg of undiluated ciprofloxacin (10 mg/mL) when in estrus. Intraluminal fluid samples and peripheral blood samples were collected at 10 minutes, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours postinfusion. Uterine biopsy samples were collected at 2 and 24 hours after infusion in three additional mares. Concentration of ciprofloxacin in endometrial tissue and the uterine lumen was 7,433.3 ± 4,027.1 μg/g and 2,487.1 ± 99.8 μg/mL, respectively, 2 hours after intrauterine infusion and 65.4 ± 31.5 μg/g and 91.2 ± 51.3 μg/mL, respectively, 24 hours after treatment (mean ±standard error of the mean). In contrast, the average plasma ciprofloxacin concentration was only 0.0723 ± 0.0749 μg/mL over the observation period. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and MIC 90 were determined for common bacterial species associated with equine endometritis. Ciprofloxacin concentrations remained above MIC 90 for Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the uterine lumen and endometrial tissue. Ciprofloxacin may be an appropriate option for treatment of infectious endometritis associated with susceptible bacterial organisms in the mare.
Dehalococcoides and general bacterial ecology of differentially trichloroethene dechlorinating flow-through columns.

The diversity of Dehalococcoides mccartyi (Dhc) and/or other organohalide respiring or associated microorganisms in parallel, partial, or complete trichloroethene (TCE) dehalogenating systems has not been well described. The composition of Dhc populations and the associated bacterial community that developed over 7.5 years in the top layer (0–10 cm) of eight TCE-fed columns were examined using pyrosequencing. Columns biostimulated with one of three carbon sources, along with non-stimulated controls, developed into complete (ethene production, whey amended), partial (cis-dichloroethene (DCE) and VC, an emulsified oil with nonionic surfactant), limited (<5 % cis-DCE and 95 % TCE, an emulsified oil), and non- (controls) TCE dehalogenating systems. Bioaugmentation of one column of each treatment with Bachman Road enrichment culture did not change Dhc populations nor the eventual degree of TCE dehalogenation. Pyrosequencing revealed high diversity among Dhc strains. There were 13 OTUs that were represented by more than 1000 sequences each. Cornell group-related populations dominated in complete TCE dehalogenating columns, while Pinellas group related Dhc dominated in all other treatments. General microbial communities varied with biostimulation, and three distinct microbial communities were established: one each for whey, oils, and control treatments. Bacterial genera, including Dehalobacter, Desulfitobacterium, Sulfurospirillum, Desulfuromonas, and Geobacter, all capable of partial TCE dehalogenation, were abundant in the limited and partial TCE dehalogenating systems. Dhc strain diversity was wider than previously reported and their composition within the community varied significantly depending on the nature of the carbon source applied and/or changes in the Dhc associated partners that fostered different biogeochemical conditions across the columns.
The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention

The charter for the United Nations articulates a contradiction. While Article 2 states that “Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters whic...
tRNA Modification Detection Using Graphene Nanopores: A Simulation Study

There are over 100 enzyme-catalyzed modifications on transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules. The levels and identity of wobble uridine (U) modifications are affected by environmental conditions and diseased states, making wobble U detection a potential biomarker for exposures and pathological conditions. The current detection of RNA modifications requires working with nucleosides in bulk samples. Nanopore detection technology uses a single-molecule approach that has the potential to detect tRNA modifications. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach, we have performed all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies of a five-layered graphene nanopore by localizing canonical and modified uridine nucleosides. We found that in a 1 M KCl solution with applied positive and negative biases not exceeding 2 V, nanopores can distinguish U from 5-carbonylmethyluridine (cm5U), 5-methoxycarbonylmethyluridine (mcm5U), 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-2-thiouridine (mcm5s2U), and 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-2'-O-methyluridine (mcm5Um) based on changes in the resistance of the nanopore. Specifically, we observed that in nanopores with dimensions less than 3 nm diameter, a localized mcm5Um and mcm5U modifications could be clearly distinguished from the canonical uridine, while the other modifications showed a modest yet detectable decrease in their respective nanopore conductance. We have compared the results between nanopores of various sizes to aid in the design, optimization, and fabrication of graphene nanopores devices for tRNA modification detection.
Is Two-level Cervical Disc Replacement More Cost-effective Than Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion at 7 Years?

Study design Cost-effectiveness analysis. Objective To investigate 7-years cost-effectiveness of two-level cervical disc replacement (CDR) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Summary of background data CDR and ACDF are both effective treatment strategies for managing degenerative conditions of the cervical spine. CDR has been shown to be a more-cost effective intervention in the short term, but the long-term cost-effectiveness has not been established. Methods We analyzed 7-years follow-up data from the two-level Medtronic Prestige LP investigational device exemption study. Short-form 36 (SF-36) data were converted into health utility scores using the SF-6D algorithm. Costs were based on direct costs from the payer perspective, and effectiveness was measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was set to $50,000/QALY. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted via Monte Carlo simulation. Results Two-level CDR had a 7-year cost of $176,654.19, generated 4.65 QALYs, and had a cost-effectiveness ratio of $37,993.53/QALY. Two-level ACDF had a 7-year cost of $158,373.48, generated 4.44 QALYs, and had a cost-effectiveness ratio of $35,635.72. CDR was associated with an incremental cost of $18,280.71 and an incremental effectiveness of 0.21 QALYs, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $89,021.04, above the WTP threshold. Our Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated CDR would be chosen 46% of the time based on 10,000 simulations. Conclusion Two-level CDR and ACDF are both cost-effective procedures at 7-year follow up for treating degenerative conditions of the cervical spine. Based on an ICER of $89,021.04/QALY, we cannot conclude which treatment is the more cost-effective option at 7-years. CDR would be chosen 46% of the time based on 10,000 iterations of our Monte Carlo probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Level of evidence 3.
The Critique of “Mental Illness”: Conceptual and/or Ethical Crisis?:

Thomas Szasz’ critique of the concept of mental illness centers on the claims that (a) mental illness is diagnosed on the basis of objective medical criteria, and (b) mental illness is something wh...
Surface‐Plasmon‐Assisted Photoelectrochemical Reduction of CO2 and NO3− on Nanostructured Silver Electrodes

Author(s): Kim, Y; Creel, EB; Corson, ER; McCloskey, BD; Urban, JJ; Kostecki, R | Abstract: Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) typically suffers from low selectivity and poor reaction rates that necessitate high overpotentials, which impede its possible application for CO2 capture, sequestration, or carbon-based fuel production. New strategies to address these issues include the utilization of photoexcited charge carriers to overcome activation barriers for reactions that produce desirable products. This study demonstrates surface-plasmon-enhanced photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2 and nitrate (NO3−) on silver nanostructured electrodes. The observed photocurrent likely originates from a resonant charge transfer between the photogenerated plasmonic hot electrons and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (MO) acceptor energy levels of adsorbed CO2, NO3−, or their reductive intermediates. The observed differences in the resonant effects at the Ag electrode with respect to electrode potential and photon energy for CO2 versus NO3− reduction suggest that plasmonic hot-carriers interact selectively with specific MO acceptor energy levels of adsorbed surface species such as CO2, NO3−, or their reductive intermediates. This unique plasmon-assisted charge generation and transfer mechanism can be used to increase yield, efficiency, and selectivity of various photoelectrochemical processes.
Bactericide hydrogel prevents orthopedic implant infections

A hydrogel formulation adheres to exposed tissue and fracture surfaces to deliver antimicrobial enzymes for localized treatment and prevention of orthopedic implant infections.
Inferences about Responsibility and Values: Implication for Academic Motivation

In this chapter, I describe a program of research undertaken to shed new light on achievement patterns of ethnic minority youth from a motivational perspective. The focus of the research is motivational processes in African American youth, although we have broadened our perspective to include multiethnic samples who share some of the same motivational beliefs and school achievement patterns as their African American counterparts. Studies of ethnic minority youth in contemporary America are compatible with the theme of this series on exceptionality, if this construct is broadly defined as being different from the dominant group. Race and ethnicity are among the main dimensions in this society on which people are perceived to differ, and minority groups are often studied to examine the degree to which their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are similar to or different from those of Euro-Americans. It will be argued that some of our society’s normative beliefs about effort and achievement strivings are not endorsed by minority youth, and that understanding motivation in exceptional as well as typical individuals will require new approaches that better accommodate the diversity of experiences and beliefs shared by youth of different ethnic origins.
Mechanism and Control of Mitochondrial Glycine Oxidation

The glycine oxidation system of plant mitochondria provides an excellent model for a range of problems in biochemistry and molecular biology. Glycine oxidation is the major decarboxylative step in photorespiration and is, therefore, an important reaction in the photosynthetic carbon oxidation cycle. The reaction occurs within the mitochondria, thereby providing a photosynthetic reaction within this organelle. Glycine oxidation produces NADH and competes with citric acid cycle enzymes for available NAD, thus is important in the regulation of “dark” respiration. The enzyme that catalyzes the decarboxylation of glycine is composed of four independent proteins that react sequentially with enzyme-bound reaction intermediates and provides an interesting model for protein - protein interactions.
Aquatic Plants: A General Introduction

Floating-leaved and submersed freshwater hydrophytes may exert profound physical and chemical influences on sediments and the water column within both lentic and lotic ecosystems, and provide both substrate and physical structure important for lake fauna and microbial communities. Hydrophyte life forms can be free-floating or attached. The latter include floating-leaved, caulescent (with leafy stems throughout much of the water column), and short-statured forms comprised of a rosette of basal leaves (e.g., the isoetids) or a thalloid plant body. Nearly all have well developed lacunae within leaves, stems, and underground plant parts; these and other anatomical traits reflect patterns in the availability of resources – including light, dissolved gases and mineral nutrients present through aerial, water column, and sediment profiles – as well as regimes of water movement derived from currents or waves. Most flowering hydrophytes, which are thought to have evolved from terrestrial plants, rely on aerial rather than waterborne pollination, and many exhibit prolific asexual reproduction more often than successful seedling establishment. Freshwater habitats vary widely in trophic status, depth, exposure to waves and currents, pH, and salinity, and tend to be occupied by different assemblages of hydrophyte taxa.
Weakest Link Goal Orientations and Team Expertise: Implications for Team Performance:

Using prior theory and research, we argue that a team member with a low learning goal or a high avoid orientation is detrimental for the expertise–performance relationship in team tasks. Results fr...
Patient reported outcomes in anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor immunotherapy registration trials: FDA analysis of data submitted and future directions

BackgroundPatient-reported outcome measures can be used to capture the patient’s experience with disease and treatment. Immunotherapy agents including the anti-programmed death receptor-1/programme...
Functionally graded metal matrix composite of Haynes 282 and SiC fabricated by laser metal deposition

Abstract In the current study, functionally graded metal matrix composite structure of Haynes 282 (HY282) superalloy reinforced with SiC particles with varying composition, structure and property in a single deposit is successfully fabricated using laser metal deposition (LMD). Due to the high laser energy used it was found that SiC disassociated profusely into Si and C with HY282 causing several reaction products that included a Si-rich supersaturated austenitic γ matrix, γ′ Ni3(Al,Ti,Si), M(Ti,Mo)C, M23(Cr,Mo,Si)C6, M6(Mo,Ti)C, M7(Cr, Mo)C3 carbides, and γ/γ′ lamellar eutectics. Due to the rapid cooling nature of the process, the graded structure consists of non-equilibrium microstructure, several deleterious secondary phases, and heavy segregation behavior that lead to unwanted properties. Hence a heat-treatment cycle was performed on the as-deposited sample to ensure homogenization of the microstructures. The influence of composition variation in each layer on the microstructure, chemistry, and microhardness were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and micro-indentation techniques. The complex phases found in the graded sample in every layer were estimated by calculation of phase diagrams viewpoint to establish the feasibility of using computational thermodynamic simulations to predict the manifestation of the experimentally observed structure.
Next-Term Student Performance Prediction: A Recommender Systems Approach

An enduring issue in higher education is student retention to successful graduation. National statistics indicate that most higher education institutions have four-year degree completion rates around 50%, or just half of their student populations. While there are prediction models which illuminate what factors assist with college student success, interventions that support course selections on a semester-to-semester basis have yet to be deeply understood. To further this goal, we develop a system to predict students' grades in the courses they will enroll in during the next enrollment term by learning patterns from historical transcript data coupled with additional information about students, courses and the instructors teaching them. We explore a variety of classic and state-of-the-art techniques which have proven effective for recommendation tasks in the e-commerce domain. In our experiments, Factorization Machines (FM), Random Forests (RF), and the Personalized Multi-Linear Regression model achieve the lowest prediction error. Application of a novel feature selection technique is key to the predictive success and interpretability of the FM. By comparing feature importance across populations and across models, we uncover strong connections between instructor characteristics and student performance. We also discover key differences between transfer and non-transfer students. Ultimately we find that a hybrid FM-RF method can be used to accurately predict grades for both new and returning students taking both new and existing courses. Application of these techniques holds promise for student degree planning, instructor interventions, and personalized advising, all of which could improve retention and academic performance.
Gulf War Syndrome: The Plight of War Veterans

The 2001 National Survey of Veterans, conducted ten years after the end of the Gulf War, provides invaluable information on the longtime chronic health effects of the war. Using the semi-parametric generalized additive model to control for different age distributions in our study subpopulations, we find that it is not the Gulf War deployment or combat per se, but the exposure to toxic chemicals that is the root cause of the myriad of health problems faced by many Gulf War veterans. The simultaneous presence of multiple ailments for these veterans, known as Gulf War syndrome, is also confirmed. Our study provides important additional evidence on the complexity in identifying the genuine health problems faced by the Gulf War veterans that came from widely varying socioeconomic backgrounds. The methodology developed in this paper can be used to identify the presence of, not one but, multiple morbidities due to the simultaneous presence of a number of health problems in other war veterans.
The framing effect of the media in the regulation of GMOs: a case study of Russia

Despite the rapid adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in agriculture, countries like Russia, have developed restrictive procedures for their approval (i.e. mandatory labeling). The co...
Atlantic Financial Entanglements

These words by the German poet Christian Johann Heinrich Heine encapsulated the new financial connections of the Atlantic world during the nineteenth century. When Spain and Portugal opened the Atlantic world with their voyages of exploration and colonization, the conquistadors searched for wealth and brought masses of gold and silver from the colonies to the mother country. In the course of the colonial period, wealth tended to flow to Europe and states were reluctant to allow specie to accumulate in the Americas, even prohibiting bullion to go back into the colonies. Nevertheless, the early modern Atlantic world contained a web of financial connections. The financial ties that bound the various parts of the Atlantic region together continued after independence and into the nineteenth century.
Industrial-grade anti-reflection coatings with extreme scratch resistance

Anti-reflection coatings are widely used throughout the field of optical technology such as in corrective eyeglasses, camera lenses, and microscope optics, to improve the transmittance and reduce the reflectance of glass and other transparent materials. To date, these coatings have suffered from relatively poor scratch resistance and high scratch visibility compared to standard glasses. This has limited their use in applications requiring high mechanical durability such as on the chemically strengthened glasses widely used in modern touch screen devices. Here extremely scratch-resistant anti-reflection coatings are fabricated using industrially scalable reactive sputtering processes. These coatings provide a combination of surface reflectance below 0.7%, low color shifts, nanoindentation hardness as high as 18 GPa, and levels of scratch resistance which dramatically exceed commercial chemically strengthened glasses. An interdisciplinary opto-mechanical design approach has enabled a significant paradigm shift in the use of high-precision optical coatings for mechanically demanding applications. As a direct outcome of the work reported in this Letter, similar coating designs have been successfully deployed on millions of consumer electronics devices with very robust field performance.
Branching Regulation in Olefin Polymerization via Lewis Acid Triggered Isomerization of Monomers

We present a new strategy to regulate branching in chain-walking olefin polymerization by triggering a rapid isomerization of 1-alkene monomers into internal olefins by adding a Lewis acid. Polymerization of internal alkenes proceeds via chain-walking to give polymers with much higher branching than 1-alkene analogues. The utility of this approach is exemplified by synthesis of well-defined block copolymers with distinct branching characteristics per block by addition of Lewis acid midway through a reaction. We propose a novel mechanism whereby Lewis acid undergoes a counterion swap with the complex which favors isomerization as well as forming adducts with ancillary ligands, freeing coordination sites for internal alkene coordination polymerization.
Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from the Extracts of Fruit Peel of Citrus tangerina, Citrus sinensis, and Citrus limon for Antibacterial Activities.

Wide application of nanoparticles motivates the need for synthesising them. Here, a nontoxic, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method has been established for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using extracts of lemon peel (Citrus limon), green orange peel (Citrus sinensis), and orange peel (Citrus tangerina). The synthesised nanoparticles have been characterised using UV-visible absorptionspectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-visible absorption spectrum of these synthesised silver nanoparticles shows an absorption peak at around 440 nm. TEM images show different shaped particles with various sizes. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles was appraised by a well-diffusion method and it was observed that the green synthesised silver nanoparticles have an effective antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The outcome of this study could be beneficial for nanotechnology-based biomedical applications.
Common Medications and Intracerebral Hemorrhage: The ARIC Study

Background Antiplatelets, anticoagulants, and statins are commonly prescribed for various indications. The associations between these medications and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and ...
A pilot study of preoperative nivolumab in high-risk nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma.

323Background: Immunotherapy improves survival in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but has no established role for perioperative use in patients with localized RCC. Neoadjuvant im...