cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Approach to Select Energy Benchmarking Parameters for Drinking Water Utilities

Energy efficiency is currently a hot topic on all regional, national, and global stages. Accurate measurements on how energy is being used over a period of time can improve performance of the drinking water utility substantially and reduce energy consumption. Nevertheless, the drinking water industry does not have a specific benchmarking practice to evaluate its energy performance of the system. Therefore, there are no standards to compare energy use between water utilities that have a variety of system characteristics. The goal of this research is to develop quantitative approach to select energy benchmarking parameters of the water system, so the utilities can use those parameters to improve their energy efficiency. In contrast to a typical drinking water utility benchmarking, the energy benchmarking can specifically compare energy efficiency of a utility with other utilities nationwide. The research developed a regression model based on the statistical representation of the energy use and descriptive characteristics of the drinking water utilities data throughout the U.S. The all possible regressions was chosen as parameters selection methodology to identify a subset of most significant parameters, i.e. system characteristics, that can mathematically correspond to energy use across different utilities. As a result, the energy benchmarking would be able to calculate the predicted total energy use of the system from given system characteristics.
Axisymmetric laminar wake behind a slender body of revolution

At the body-diameter Reynolds number 2000, the axisymmetric wake behind a slender streamlined body of revolution remained laminar without any indication of breakup far beyond the five-body-lengths test section. The mean-velocity profiles were measured with close spacings in order to obtain experimental information on the transient process from boundary layer to fully developed wake. A semi-empirical theory was developed to describe the flow-field characteristics.
Pharmacists’ Impact on Improving Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate a diabetes education program that includes a pharmacist as a member of the diabetes management team by assessing the change in hemoglobin A1c (A1C),...
Environmental pH affects transcriptional responses to cadmium toxicity in Escherichia coli K‐12 (MG1655)

It has been widely reported that pH mediates cadmium toxicity to bacteria. We used a tripartite approach to investigate mechanisms by which pH affects cadmium toxicity that included analyses of: (1) growth kinetics, (2) global gene expression, and (3) cadmium speciation. Cadmium extended the lag phase at pH 7, but not at pH 5. DNA microarray analysis revealed that stress response genes including hdeA, otsA , and yjbJ were more highly expressed at pH 5 than at pH 7 after only 5 min of exposure to cadmium, suggesting that acidic pH more rapidly induced genes that confer cadmium resistance. In addition, genes involved in transport and many hypothetical genes were more highly expressed at pH 5 than at pH 7 in the presence of cadmium. Concentrations of two cadmium species, including one previously implicated in the mechanism by which pH mediates cadmium toxicity (CdOH+), increased with pH. Our data demonstrate that transcriptional responses of Escherichia coli to cadmium are substantially affected by pH and suggest that several stress response, transport, and hypothetical genes play roles in the mechanism by which pH mediates cadmium toxicity.
A telerobotics construction set with integrated performance analysis

The Universities Space Automation and Robotics Consortium (USARC) was established to promote research into robotics and telerobotics for remote applications. An important part of the work of the Consortium has been the design and implementation of the Telerobotic Construction Set (TCS), which enables the building of modular telerobotic networks. Online and off-line performance analyses are integrated into TCS using quantitative analytical models. This provides the capabilities of measuring and predicting performance and system work loads quantitatively under different conditions, such as different levels of remote autonomy or different operator interfaces. This paper presents the methodology used in the performance/workload analysis and describes experiments, measuring teleoperation performance under time delay.
Interrater reliability of the bedside shivering assessment scale

BACKGROUND Since its early development, the Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale (BSAS) has had only initial psychometric testing. Before this instrument is incorporated into routine practice, its interrater reliability should be explored in a diverse group of practitioners. METHODS This prospective nonrandomized study used a panel of 5 observers who completed 100 paired assessments. Observers independently scored patients for shivering by using the BSAS. Kappa statistics were determined by using SAS version 9.4 with BSAS scores treated as ordinal data. RESULTS A weighted kappa value of 0.48 from 100 paired observations of 22 patients indicates moderate agreement of the BSAS scores. Most of the BSAS scores were 0 or 1; dichotomizing shivering as little or no shivering versus significant shivering resulted in a kappa of 0.66 (substantial agreement). No relationship was found between timing of assessment or the role of the practitioner and the likelihood of both observers assigning the same BSAS score. CONCLUSION The BSAS has adequate interrater reliability to be considered for use among a diverse group of practitioners.
The K-ABC and Ability Training:

Nine questions that link performance on the K-ABC to classroom teaching and pupil learning were posed. The empirical support relating to each question was examined by reviewing the research conducted with the K-ABC as well as similar batteries (for example, the Das battery). The review indicated that, at this time, limited data exist for a moderate relationship between K-ABC scores and school achievement. An inadequate data base exists to match instruction to K-ABC abilities, to link instruction to the remediation of deficient abilities, and to link remediation of deficient abilities to increased performance on transfer tasks. No data were found that linked K-ABC scores to: new learning, the need to provide special services for processing deficits, selection of appropriate strategies, and generality of processing strategies over time and tasks. In the absence of empirical validation for linking K-ABC scores and altered teaching methods to known and desirable outcomes, educators should treat programs to re...
Recording Earth Strain With Optical Fibers

Optical fibers are well suited to measure Earth strain because they can be stretched over long distances to average strain over a large interval. This is important to reduce disturbances to the measurement from very local effects. We have installed optical fibers ranging in length from a few 10 s of meters to 2 km in vertical boreholes on land and in an icesheet, and horizontally along the sea floor. Due to the high sensitivity of optical fibers to temperature change, an environment of stable temperature is important-this is often available in boreholes or on the sea floor. Longevity of fiber cables and the means to protect the glass fibers from environmental effects and the rigors of deployment are critical issues. Our experiences cover a broad range of success in this regard, with some deployments lasting for more than four years and others failing immediately.
Primary fibrinolysis during supraceliac aortic clamping

Abstract Purpose: An increased incidence of bleeding complications has been observed after supraceliac aortic clamping (SCC). This study was performed to identify possible hemostatic abnormalities that contribute to this problem. Methods: A prospective cohort study over a 3-month period was performed by comparing hemostatic parameters in 10 consecutive patients who required elective SCC with those of eight concurrent randomly selected control subjects who required infrarenal clamping (IRC) for abdominal aortic reconstruction. Measures of coagulation, fibrinolysis, platelet function, temperature, hemodilution, and hepatic function were performed at selected times before, during, and after operation. Results: Aneurysm size, fibrinogen, D-dimers, prothrombin, partial thromboplastin time, platelet counts, bleeding times, hemodilution, and temperature were comparable in both groups. Patients in the SCC group, however, consistently developed a primary fibrinolytic state within 20 minutes after supraceliac clamping, reflected by significantly decreased euglobulin clot lysis times (ECLT; p p p p p p Conclusions SCC rapidly induces a primary fibrinolytic state manifested by increased circulating t-PA, reduced α2-antiplasmin, and increased fibrinolytic activator–to–inhibitor ratios. These effects may be a result of hepatic hypoperfusion caused by SCC leading to insufficient clearance of t-PA. Antifibrinolytic agents may be of benefit if bleeding develops after aortic procedures that require supraceliac clamping. (J Vasc Surg 1997;25:244-54.)
The Pinal Schist, southeast Arizona, USA: contraction of a Palaeoproterozoic rift basin

The Palaeoproterozoic Pinal Schist of southeast Arizona comprises mainly greenschist facies turbiditic metasedimentary rocks with associated volcanic rocks. The deformation history of the Pinal Schist includes foliation and elongation-lineation development within sedimentary protoliths during early basin contraction, followed by gentle warping of the metamorphosed sediments into upright, regional-scale horizontal folds with 10 km wavelengths. Continued contraction caused development of shear zones approximately parallel to anticlinal axial surfaces, and syn-kinematic granitic rocks intruded into anticlinal cores. Such shear zones occur throughout southeast Arizona in the turbiditic rocks of the Pinal Schist as well as in rocks of more continental character associated with the Tonto Basin Supergroup in the Mazatzal Mountains. It is proposed that shear zone distribution in both the Pinal Schist and the adjacent Tonto Basin Supergroup, reflects control by a pre-existing rift margin. The Pinal Schist and Tonto Basin Supergroup therefore represent distal and proximal rift-margin facies, respectively. Reactivation of early extensional faults as reverse shear zones during margin contraction controls shear zone distribution in southeast Arizona with deformation character changing from ductile to brittle with shallowing crustal level. This model explains shear zone and lithological distribution and deformational style in southeast Arizona, and it also implies a continuum of sediment deposition and deformation throughout this part of the Mazatzal orogeny.
An approach to the correction of distance-dependent defocus in electron microscopic reconstruction

As electron microscopy advances toward imaging larger specimens at higher resolutions, the effect of variable defocus in image formation becomes more pronounced. This variation in defocus along the direction of electron propagation results in each layer within the specimen (perpendicular to the direction of the electron beam) being blurred by a slightly different contrast transfer function (CTF). Using distance-dependent properties of the 3D Fourier coefficients of the projection data (in the case of 2D projections collected about a single axis of rotation perpendicular to the direction of electron travel), each coefficient can be corrected using a CTF which incorporates the appropriate defocus. This paper presents a simulation of image formation with variable blur, together with a Fourier-based correction of the blur in a distance-dependent fashion.
Effect of Dietary Salt on the Performance of Laying Hens

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of dietary salt level on the laying performance of egg-type hens. The results show that when producing hens are fed a diet containing no added salt there was a rapid decline in egg production and a marked decrease in feed intake and body weight. Subsequent feeding of a salt-adequate diet resulted in a rapid resumption of egg production to a level higher than that of the control hens and to a significant improvement in shell and interior quality. There was no evidence in either experiment of any adverse effects due to the feeding of low-salt diets for periods of four to six weeks.
Performance of the MODIS semi-analytical ocean color algorithm for chlorophyll-a

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) semi-analytical (SA) algorithm calculates the spectral absorption properties of surface waters, splitting them into those associated with phytoplankton, aph(λ), colored dissolved organic matter or gelbstoff, ag(λ), and water, aw(λ). The phytoplankton absorption coefficient, aph(675), is then used to derive the concentration of chlorophyll-a, Chlor_a_3. The SA algorithm is designed to respond to variable ratios of aph(λ) to ag(λ) and to wide ranges in the chlorophyll-specific phytoplankton absorption coefficient, a*ph(λ), for a given chlorophyll-a level. In this paper, the SA algorithm is expanded to include environments consistent with strong upwelling zones and high latitudes. Spatial and temporal differences in MODIS Terra chlorophyll-a retrievals are examined between Chlor_a_3 and an empirical algorithm, Chlor_a_2, developed to mimic the performance of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) OC-4 chlorophyll-a algorithm. The greatest differences observed are for upwelling regions and for southern high-latitude waters during austral spring where Chlor_a_2 values are on average about half of field and Chlor_a_3 values due to lower chlorophyll-specific phytoplankton absorption coefficients typical of this region. Preliminary match-up results indicate strong linearity and good agreement between in situ chlorophyll-a concentrations and MODIS-derived Chlor_a_3 compared to Chlor_a_2.
A study of the recursive filter for computing scalar eddy covariances

Values of turbulent fluxes in the atmospheric surface layer obtained with block averaging and with recursive filtering showed consistent differences during a 4-day experiment conducted over grassland in central Kansas. Analysis of the direct and indirect impacts of recursive filtering on the calculated fluxes showed that flux values can be affected significantly by mismatched filtering in different channels, unsuitable filter initialization, a poor choice of coordinate rotation technique, or a combination of these.
From Data to Storytelling Agents

The ability to craft, tell, and understand stories is important for virtual agents that wish to communicate with human users and simulate human capabilities. We provide an overview of an end-to-end storytelling system named Scheherazade, which learns domain-specific narrative knowledge from crowdsourced stories, generates stories and discourses, and presents stories in natural language with diverse personal styles and sentiments. Extending previous work, this paper addresses discourse planning and text generation. Discourse planning selectively omits events using typicality of events derived from graph structures. Text generation considers language features computed directly from large-scale data sets such as the Google N-Gram Corpus and Project Gutenberg books. Learning from these data sets instills virtual agents with linguistic and social behavioral knowledge.
Implications of dietary α-linolenic acid in bone health

Recent evidence implies the benefit of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in bone health. Although eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, present in fish oil, have been extensively researched, much less is known about the influence of α-linolenic acid (ALA; present in flaxseeds), a metabolic precursor of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, on bone. Our objective was to evaluate the published literature and distinguish between the individual effects of flaxseed oil and flax lignans on bone to elucidate the exact role of ALA in skeletal biology. The search was conducted in several databases resulting in 129 articles of which 30 were eligible for inclusion in this review. The studies showed that consumption of whole flaxseeds did not lead to a marked improvement of osteoporotic bones in humans and animals. However, when combined with estrogen therapy, flaxseed supplementation offered an extra benefit to bone in animal models. Similar results were found in studies conducted with flaxseed oil (predominantly ALA), but the favorable role of flaxseed oil was more obvious in various pathologic conditions (kidney disease, obesity with insulin resistance), resulting in improved bone properties. In contrast, despite a marginal estrogenic effect, the consumption of flax lignans resulted in little benefit to bone and the effect was limited to early life of females only in animal models. Based on the available studies, it could be concluded that supplementation with flaxseeds may contribute to some improvement in osteoporotic bone properties but the bone-protective effect may be attributed to ALA, not to the lignan fraction of flaxseeds.
Schizophrenia Course, Long-Term Outcome, Recovery, and Prognosis

Our 26-year longitudinal study and other longitudinal studies confirm older views that outcome for schizophrenia, while showing some variation for different schizophrenia patients, is still significantly poorer than that for other psychiatric disorders, with the exception of the dementias. Our research leads us to propose that risk factors, either stress related or those related to vulnerability to psychosis, account for the episodic course of periods of recovery followed by periods of recurrence that is experienced by most schizophrenia patients. These risk factors interact with personality, temperament, and cognitive traits that, while not causing psychosis, influence its course. It is these interactions that account for the heterogeneous outcome trajectories of different subgroups of people with this condition. Our research and that of others has focused on the contributions of these risk factors, such as vulnerability to trait anxiety, poor developmental achievements before the illness, personality tr...
Verifying Data Integrity in Peer-to-Peer Media Streaming ∗

We study data integrity verification in peer-to-peer media streaming for content distribution. Challenges include the timing constraint of streaming as well as the untrustworthiness of peers. We show the inadequacy of existing data integrity verification protocols, and propose Block-Oriented Probabilistic verification (BOPV), an efficient protocol utilizing message digest and probabilistic verification. We then propose Tree-based Forward Digest Protocol (TFDP) to further reduce the communication overhead. A comprehensive comparison is presented by comparing the performance of existing protocols and our protocols, with respect to overhead, security assurance level, and packet loss tolerance. Finally, experimental results are presented to evaluate the performance of our protocols.
Mismatch repair defects in human carcinogenesis

Mismatch repair defects are carcinogenic. This conclusion comes some 80 years after the original description of a type of familial colorectal cancer in which mismatch repair defects are involved, and from decades of dedicated basic science research into fundamental mechanisms cells use to repair their DNA. Mismatch repair (MMR) was described first in bacteria, later in yeast and finally in higher eukaryotes. In bacteria, one of its roles is the rapid repair of replicative errors thereby providing the genome with a 100-1000-fold level of protection against mutation. It also guards the genome by preventing recombination between non-homologous regions of DNA. The information gained from bacteria suddenly became relevant to human neoplasia in 1993 when the RER phenotype of microsatellite instability was discovered in human cancers and was rapidly shown to be due to defects in mismatch repair. Evidence supporting the role of MMR defects in carcinogenesis comes from a variety of independent sources including: (i) theoretical considerations of the requirement for a mutator phenotype as a step in multistage carcinogenesis; (ii) discovering that MMR defects cause a 'mutator phenotype' destabilizing endogenous expressed genes including those integral to carcinogenesis; (iii) finding MMR defects in the germline of HNPCC kindred members; (iv) finding that such defects behave as classic tumor suppressor genes in both familial and sporadic colorectal cancers; (v) discovering that MMR 'knockout' mice have an increased incidence of tumors; and (vi) discovering that genetic complementation of MMR defective cells stabilizes the MMR deficiency-associated microsatellite instability. Models of carcinogenesis now must integrate the concepts of a MMR defect induced mutator phenotype (Loeb) with the concepts of multistep colon carcinogenesis (Fearon and Vogelstein) and clonal heterogeneity/selection (Nowell).
Effect of Papain Injection on Mineral Concentration in Tissues of Roosters and Hens

A study was made of the effect of injected papain on the concentration of calcium, iron, copper, zinc and selenium in tissues of roosters and laying hens. Half the males and females were injected intravenously with a papain solution and the other half with 0.9% sodium chloride. The roosters and half the laying hens were injected one-hour ante-mortem and the others injected 24 hours ante-mortem. The laying hens had less Zn, Fe, Cu and Ca in the skeletal muscle than the roosters, and less Fe and Cu, but equivalent amounts of Ca and Zn, in the kidneys. In the roosters the kidney contained approximately five times as much Se as the muscle. The liver contained equivalent concentrations of Se in the roosters and laying hens. Papain had no effect on the concentration of any of the elements in the tissues. There was no significant difference in the concentration of the minerals between one-hour and 24-hour ante-mortem injections of the papain in the laying hens.
Global Multi-Threaded Instruction Scheduling

The microprocessor industry has moved toward chip multiprocessor (CMP) designs as a means of utilizing the increasing transistor counts in the face of physical and micro-architectural limitations. Despite this move, CMPs do not directly improve the performance of single-threaded codes, a characteristic of most applications. In order to support parallelization of general-purpose applications, computer architects have proposed CMPs with lightweight scalar communication mechanisms (R. Rangan et al., 2004), (K. Sankaralingam, et al., 2003), (M.B. Taylor et al., 2005). Despite such support, most existing compiler multi-threading techniques have generally demonstrated little effectiveness in extracting parallelism from non-scientific applications (W. Lee et al., 1998), (W. Lee et al., 2002), (K. Rich and M. Farrens, 2004). The main reason for this is that such techniques are mostly restricted to extracting parallelism within straight-line regions of code. In this paper, we first propose a framework that enables global multi-threaded instruction scheduling in general. We then describe GREMIO, a scheduler built using this framework. GREMIO operates at a global scope, at the procedure level, and uses control dependence analysis to extract non-speculative thread-level parallelism from sequential codes. Using a fully automatic compiler implementation of GREMIO and a validated processor model, this paper demonstrates gains for a dual-core CMP model running a variety of codes. Our experiments demonstrate the advantage of exploiting global scheduling for multithreaded architectures, and present gains in a detailed comparison with the decoupled software pipelining (DSWP) multi-threading technique (G. Ottoni et al., 2005). Furthermore, our experiments show that adding GREMIO to a compiler with DSWP improves the average speedup from 16.5% to 32.8% for important benchmark functions when utilizing two cores, indicating the importance of this technique in making compilers extract threads effectively.
Central nervous system infections masquerading as cerebrovascular accidents: Case series and review of literature

Abstract Introduction Central nervous system (CNS) infections can have various presentations including Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) which may go unrecognized as a presentation of infection. We describe three cases of different CNS infections complicated by CVA. Presentation Case 1 describes a 27-year-old man, presenting with symptoms consistent with a transient ischemic attack found to have racemose neurocysticercosis. Case 2 describes a 55-year-old man with low grade fevers for 4 weeks accompanied by visual and gait disturbances and delayed speech diagnosed with multiple small left thalamocapsular and superior cerebellar infarcts secondary to cryptococcal meningitis. The third case describes a man with pneumococcal meningitis complicated by cerebellar infarcts. Discussion CNS vascular compromise secondary to infections may be due to vasculitis, an immune-mediated parainfectious process causing vasospasm or thrombosis, or a hypercoagulable state with endothelial dysfunction. Patients with CVAs are at risk for aspiration pneumonia, urinary tract infections (especially catheter related) and other nosocomial infections and their clinical presentation may be very similar to CNS infections. Conclusion The cases described demonstrate that CNS infections need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of CVAs presenting with fevers. The signs and symptoms of non-CNS infections associated with CVAs may be clinically indistinguishable from those of CNS infections. The outcomes of untreated CNS infections are extremely poor. It is thus imperative to have a high index of suspicion for CNS infection when evaluating CVAs with fevers or other signs of infection.
Regulation of oxysterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7B1) in the rat

Cholesterol metabolized to 7α-hydroxylated bile acids is a principle pathway of cholesterol degradation. Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) is the initial and rate-determining enzyme in the “classic pathway” of bile acid synthesis. An “alternative” pathway of bile acid synthesis begins with 27-hydroxylation of cholesterol by 27-hydroxylase (CYP27), followed by 7α-hydroxylation by oxysterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7B1). The aim of the current study was to investigate the regulation of CYP7B1 by bile acids, cholesterol, and thyroid hormone in a previously well-studied in vivo model of bile acid synthesis, and to compare its regulation to that of CYP7A1. Three study groups were examined. In the first, male Sprague-Dawley rats with intact enterohepatic circulations were fed normal chow (controls), cholestyramine (CT), cholic acid (CA), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), or cholesterol (Chol). In the second group, taurocholate (TCA) was continuously intraduodenally infused for 48 hours to chronic biliary diverted rats. In a third set of studies, squalestatin, an inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis, was intravenously infused for 48 hours. In a fourth set of studies, the diurnal variation in CYP7B1 was compared to that of CYP7A1. At the end of each study livers were harvested, and CYP7B1 and CYP7A1 activities and mRNA levels were determined. Complete biliary diversion significantly increased the specific activity (SA) of both CYP7B1 (↑ 212%; P <.002) and CYP7A1 (↑ 212%; P <.007). Intraduodenal infusion of TCA to rats with biliary diversion decreased SA of both CYP7B1 (↓ 29%; P <.001) and CYP7A1 (↓ 46%; P <.01). The addition of CA, CDCA, or DCA to rat chow led to downregulation of CYP7B1 SAs by 42% (P <.003), 51% (P <.009), and 47% (P <.003), and CYP7A1 SAs by 32% ± 6% (P <.003), 73% ± 9% (P <.002), and 60% ± 13% (P <.004), respectively. CT feeding upregulated both CYP7B1 (↑ 136%; P <.004) and CYP7A1 (↑ 216%; P <.001) SAs. While Chol feeding significantly upregulated CYP7A1 SA, no significant increase in CYP7B1 SA was found. Conversely, as previously shown in vitro, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis significantly suppressed both CYP7A1 and CYP7B1 activity and mRNA levels. Both CYP7B1 and CYP7A1 underwent diurnal variation, with peak and trough values for CYP7B1 lagging approximately 6 hours behind CYP7A1. We conclude that, in the rat, like CYP7A1, CYP7B1 demonstrates diurnal rhythm and is regulated by bile acids and cholesterol. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Market Microstructure: An Examination of the Effects on Intraday Event Studies*

. This paper examines the implications for intraday event studies of market microstructure factors. It shows how market microstructure factors affect the price process and consequent issues that may arise when event studies are performed over successively shorter time intervals. These issues are examined empirically to determine the most effective way to deal with them. The issues examined are how to deal with time intervals with no trading, the choice of abnormal returns measurement, and the choice of statistical tests to determine if there is a significant price change, the increase in power of the statistical tests that can be attained from examining intraday rather than daily intervals. In conclusion, the best methods to detect price reactions at the intraday level are not the same as those that are currently standard practice for detecting price changes at the daily level. Additionally, intraday event studies are shown to detect significantly smaller price changes than is possible by performing daily event studies; this conclusion depends on the price reaction occurring within the time interval examined. Resume. L'auteure examine queues sont les consequences des facteurs relatifs a la microstructure du marche sur les etudes evenementielles effectuees a l'interieur d'une meme journee. Elle decrit comment ces facteurs influent sur le processus d'etablissement des prix et les questions que peut soulever la realisation d'etudes evenementielles a intervalles successifs plus courts. Ces questions, qu'elle examine sous l'angle empirique afin de determiner la facon la plus efficace de les resoudre, sont les suivantes: le traitement des intervalles de temps pendant lesquels le marche est inactif, le choix de la mesure des rendements anormaux, le choix des tests statistiques visant a determiner si une variation de prix est significative, et la puissance accrue des tests statistiques lorsque les etudes evenementielles sont decoupees par intervalles horaires plutot que quotidiens. En conclusion, les methodes les plus efficaces pour detecter les variations de prix a l'interieur d'une meme journee ne sont pas les memes que celles qui sont couramment utilisees pour detecter les variations de prix a intervalle quotidien. Il est, en outre, etabli que les etudes evenementielles effectuees a l'interieur d'une meme journee permettent de detecter des variations de prix beaucoup plus faibles que ne le permettent les etudes evenementielles effectuees a intervalle quotidien; cette conclusion depend du comportement des prix a l'interieur de l'intervalle de temps examine.
A Distribution-Independent Bound on the Level of Confidence in the Result of a Measurement.

Abstract : The Bienayme-Chebyshev Inequality provides a quantitative bound on the level of confidence of a measurement with known combined standard uncertainty and assumed coverage factor. The result is independent of the detailed nature of the probability distribution that characterizes knowledge of the measurand.
Long-Term Outcomes of Iris-sutured Posterior Chamber Intraocular Lenses in Children.

Purpose To report the long-term outcomes and complications of iris-sutured posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PCIOLs) in the pediatric population. Design Retrospective interventional case study. Methods This study involved 12 consecutive pediatric patients (17 eyes) who underwent placement of foldable iris-sutured PCIOLs between September 2004 and September 2007. Outcome measures included change in visual acuity and complications. Results Of the 17 eyes were reviewed, 6 (35%) had hereditary or idiopathic ectopia lentis, 5 (29%) had Marfan syndrome, 2 (12%) were aphakic after pars plana vitrectomy and 4 (24%) were aphakic after surgical intervention for trauma. Average follow-up was 4.69 ± 3.21 years and mean age of surgery was 7.21 ± 3.78 years. Seven eyes suffered dislocation of the PCIOL an average of 12.11 ± 11.97 months after surgery, with 2 patients undergoing dislocation a second time. There was a higher rate of dislocation in patients with a history of ectopia lentis due to Marfan syndrome, idiopathic causes, or hereditary causes than in patients being treated for aphakia resulting from other causes (71% vs 29%). Mean visual acuity improved in 12 of 17 patients (71%), from 0.80 ± 0.6 logMAR preoperatively to 0.35 ± 0.5 logMAR at most recent visit, P = .009. One eye of a Marfan patient sustained a retinal detachment 8 months after dislocation of the PCIOL, and 1 patient experienced iris capture of the PCIOL after surgery. Conclusions Iris-sutured intraocular lenses have been used as an alternative to transsclerally sutured intraocular lenses to correct aphakia in pediatric patients. Dislocation of the intraocular lenses can occur frequently, however. The procedure should be considered with caution in pediatric patients.
Skin Histocompatibility between Syntopic Pattern Classes C and D of Parthenogenetic Cnemidophorus tesselatus in New Mexico

At Conchas Lake State Park, San Miguel County, New Mexico, four allozymic variants of parthenogenetic Cnemidophorus tesselatus pattern class C and three allozymic variants of C. tesselatus D are syntopic with one gonochoristic and two parthenogenetic congeners. Our study of 14 individuals revealed that C. tesselatus C and D from this site are histoincompatible with both their maternal, Cnemidophorus tigris marmoratus, and paternal, Cnemidophorus gularis septemvittatus, progenitors. Evidence of skin histocompatibility between these combinations of C. tesselatus pattern class C and D lizards supports the hypothesis of a single hybrid origin for representatives of this species at the study site.
Negotiating Critical Analysis and Collective Belonging: Jewish American Students Write the History of Israel

American Jews, particularly those who are highly engaged in Jewish communal life, learn many stories about Israel’s past. They learn the story of Israel as the culmination of a heroic two thousand year struggle and about the waves of immigrants who came to the Holy Land with nothing and made the desert bloom. But when these stories are subjected to critical scrutiny, they may fail to hold up. This study analyzed 438 short narratives of the history of Israel written by Jewish American high school students attending Jewish day schools. Their responses suggested that many students are aware of the tensions between various historical accounts and adopt different strategies to negotiate between critical historical analysis and Jewish collective belonging. Although there were no differences in the content of the accounts by students’ religious denomination or prior study of Israel’s history, students adopted different approaches to negotiating critical analysis and collective belonging. Some students told stories of Jewish heritage without taking into account other possible perspectives. Some students engaged with challenges to their inherited stories but only to dispute them. Finally, some students managed to synthesize multiple narratives together while still using a Jewish perspective to frame their account. This last strategy suggests that students can be historically sophisticated without abandoning a commitment to their heritage.
New species of Cyclanthaceae from southern Central America and northern South America

Four new species of Asplundia and one of Dicranopygium are described and illustrat- ed. Asplundia allenii is endemic to Panama, D. ta- tica is endemic to Costa Rica, A. brunneistigma is known from Costa Rica and Panama, A. ceci from Costa Rica to northern Colombia, and A. albicarpa from Costa Rica to Ecuador. Asplundia stenophylla, described originally from Costa Rica from sterile material and now known from Costa Rica to Ec- uador, is here provided with a full description in- cluding staminate and pistillate flowers, as well as fruits.
Real-Time Profiling of Solid-State Nanopores During Solution-Phase Nanofabrication.

We describe a method for simply characterizing the size and shape of a nanopore during solution-based fabrication and surface modification, using only low-overhead approaches native to conventional nanopore measurements. Solution-based nanopore fabrication methods are democratizing nanopore science by supplanting the traditional use of charged-particle microscopes for fabrication, but nanopore profiling has customarily depended on microscopic examination. Our approach exploits the dependence of nanopore conductance in solution on nanopore size, shape, and surface chemistry in order to characterize nanopores. Measurements of the changing nanopore conductance during formation by etching or deposition can be analyzed using our method to characterize the nascent nanopore size and shape, beyond the typical cylindrical approximation, in real-time. Our approach thus accords with ongoing efforts to broaden the accessibility of nanopore science from fabrication through use: it is compatible with conventional instr...
Trip to Mexico

The market women in Oaxaca were delighted with our kids, Zach, Liam, and Petie, ages ten, eight, and six. At just about every outdoor market, friendly vendors in large aprons complimented our kids—“How precious!” “Look at the blue eyes!” “They’re right out of Hollywood!”—and compared them to the blocks on a marimba, “small, medium, and large.”
Family Environment and Functioning

Caregivers play an important role in the implementation of health behaviors in the home and providing an environment in which healthy habits can be developed. Caregivers of children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a neurodevelopmental disorder are more likely to have increased stress and sleep issues which can negatively impact their parenting. This negative impact on parenting can have detrimental effects on the youth’s BMI and health behaviors. Healthcare providers will need to assess caregiver’s barriers to implementation of health behavior changes so that adequate supports can be provided to the caregiver increasing the successful implementation of health behavior goals.
Serverless Programming (Function as a Service)

In this tutorial, we will present serverless computing, survey existing serverless platforms from industry, academia, and open source projects, identify key characteristics and use cases, and describe technical challenges and open problems. Our tutorial will involve a hands-on experience of using the serverless technologies available from different cloud providers (e.g. IBM, Amazon, Google and Microsoft). We expect our users to have basic knowledge of programming and basic knowledge of cloud computing.
Generation of statistically representative synthetic three-dimensional microstructures

Abstract This study provides a general framework for the creation of three-dimensional microstructures for anisotropic two-phase materials with complex morphologies. The ability to create synthetic microstructures that are statistically representative of real materials is dependent on the ability of the generation algorithm to meet the assigned statistics. Hence, the fidelity of the synthetic microstructure depends on the efficiency of the generation process. The generated microstructures were statistically evaluated with respect to the target distribution for grain size, shape, orientation and phase volume fraction. This serves a dual purpose of validation of the packing algorithm and quantification of the 3D microstructures.
Premiums for Voting Rights in the 2013–2016 Time Period

Premiums for voting rights of common stock would logically exist in recognition of the fact that a voting privilege conveys a specific benefit compared to shares that either have no vote or that ha...
Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Vascular Patient Amputation Rates in Arkansas.

Background The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010 and enacted in 2013 which improved insurance coverage across America due to increasing Medicaid eligibility as well as changes to individual insurance markets. In Arkansas, this was implemented by a Medicaid expansion waiver which allowed patients to purchase insurance with funds provided by the government to subsidize premiums through the marketplace. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Arkansas patients with peripheral arterial disease. Methods A pre-post research design using the Arkansas Hospital Discharge Dataset was used to study the impact of the ACA on limb amputation, distal bypass, discharge disposition, and total costs for patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease/atherosclerosis. The data were obtained for the years 2007 through 2009 (pre-ACA), 2011 through 2013 (post-ACA), and 2014 through 2015 (post-Arkansas expansion). Bivariate analysis, analysis of variance, and regression analyses were performed to analyze the data. Results A total of 10,923 patients were identified. Uninsured patients (“self-pay”) decreased from 7% pre-ACA to 3.4% post-Arkansas expansion (P Conclusions Patients with private insurance have a decreased chance of amputation and increased odds of having a bypass when compared with patients who were of the self-pay category. The increase in private insurance coverage in our patient population could improve the rate of amputation in the vascular population in Arkansas by increasing early interventions for peripheral vascular disease.
Ralph Kingston on the Bourgeoisie and Bureaucracy in France, 1789–1848: A Review Essay

Ralph Kingston, in Bureaucrats and Bourgeois Society, argues that government employees constituted the core of the French bourgeoisie in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The book lends support to the Marxist interpretation of the Revolution, not as a breakthrough of a capitalist bourgeoisie, but as a conflict originating in a social structure whose economic surplus was appropriated politically. This review posits that the peasants’ subsistence strategies constrained the economic evolution of the country and led well-to-do families to invest in shares of governmental authority and careers in the civil service rather than in private enterprises. The slow economic growth and pursuit of state offices represent underlying continuities between the Old Regime and the nineteenth century. The notable changes resulted from the popular uprisings of 1789–93 and the rationalisation of the state apparatus during the revolutionary decade.
Narrowing the Liberation Agenda: Women, Corporal Punishment, and Scandal in Namibia’s Struggle for Independence

Anti-colonial campaigns that use existing patriarchal norms to shame colonial regimes can narrow the liberation agenda for women. Based on court documents and oral histories conducted in Namibia, t...
Going Public: Presidential Impact on Supreme Court Decision-making

This study offers a new approach to understanding the president's agenda and impact. Because the court lacks the ability to implement its decisions, it depends on political actors and the public to...
Basic Mathematical Concepts and Methods

This chapter and the next two have three objectives. First, to introduce the reader to some basic concepts and formulas that will be needed in later chapters. Second, to serve as an introduction to computation and numerical methods and the use of Excel and Matlab procedures. The present chapter is devoted to mathematics and Chap. 3 is an introduction to computation and Chap. 4 will concentrate on probability theory and statistics. Those who are familiar with the material may want to glance through these chapters and move on. A third function of the chapters is to provide a handy reference for readers who, in reading later chapters, might feel a need to refresh their understanding of a concept or to check a formula.
Quantitative Methods and Crime

Crime emerged as a topic of quantitative study in the eighteenth century and scholars today analyze it using methods drawn from all of the social sciences. Crimes are distinctive for their rarity and for their social and geographic concentration. One response to these features is to adjust for them when performing standard statistical analyses. An alternative is to take the features as essential aspects of the phenomenon under study, and give them an important role within models for longitudinal and spatial data.
Glycyrrhizin Use for Multi-Drug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

Purpose Our purpose was to test glycyrrhizin (GLY) effects and ciprofloxacin interactions on multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro and in vivo in a mouse model of keratitis. Methods A Hardy-disk tested antibiotic sensitivity of isolates MDR9 (nonocular) and B1045 (ocular). GLY MIC (both isolates) and ciprofloxacin was determined spectrophotometrically. A live/dead assay using confocal microscopy and plate count, tested GLY effects on bacterial permeabilization/viability. Proteomics profiled bacterial efflux pumps (MDR9 vs. PAO1); RT-PCR comparatively tested GLY effects on their mRNA expression levels. The activity of efflux pumps was tested using ethidium bromide (EB); and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) visualized the effects of GLY treatment of bacteria. A combination of GLY and ciprofloxacin was tested in C57BL/6 mice (begun 18 hours after infection) and disease scored, photographed and MPO and plate counts done. Results MDR9 was resistant to 6/12 and B1045 to 7/12 antibiotics (both to ciprofloxacin). MIC GLY for MDR9 was 40 mg/mL and 15 mg/mL for B1045. Ciprofloxacin MIC (32 μg/mL) was reduced 2-fold to 16 μg/mL when ciprofloxacin and GLY were combined. GLY altered bacterial membrane permeability and reduced viability. Proteomics revealed increased efflux pumps in MDR9 versus PAO1; GLY reduced their mRNA expression levels and EB suggested decreased activity. In C57BL/6 mice, treatment with GLY and ciprofloxacin versus ciprofloxacin, significantly reduced clinical scores, plate count, and MPO. Conclusions GLY decreases MDR by: altering bacterial parameters, including viability and efflux pump activity. In vivo, it increases the effectiveness of ciprofloxacin, reducing ocular disease, plate count, and MPO activity.
Integrated leachate management approach incorporating nutrient recovery and removal.

Abstract This manuscript presents an integrated management scheme for leachate which employed struvite precipitation to recover ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus, aerobic granular sludge process for carbon oxidation (in the form of BOD and sCOD) and single stage anaerobic ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX) for nitrogen management. The influent fed to the integrated treatment scheme was a mixture of anaerobic digester centrate and real leachate in 4:1 ratio. Almost 77% recovery of phosphorus and 25% removal of NH4+-N were accomplished through struvite precipitation at an optimum pH of 9. High pH contributed to free ammonia loss during struvite precipitation experiments. In the aerobic granular sludge reactor overall, BOD5, COD and NH4+-N removal percentages were 74%, 45% and 35% and in the PN/A reactor, overall 35% removal of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) was observed. More than 80% BOD removal was recorded in the granular reactor with soluble COD (sCOD) removal fluctuating between 28 and 57% depending on the operational phase. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene targeting V4 region revealed a dominance of phylum Planctomycetes, in the PN/A reactor system. Presence of Rhodobacteraceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Flavobacteriaceae in the granular biomass confirmed the defined redox zones inside mature granules indicating simultaneous removal of nitrogen (N) and organics in aerobic granular sludge technology. Exposing the synthetically cultured aerobic granules directly to the mixture of leachate and centrate unveiled an alteration in physical characteristics of granules; however, reactor operational data and microbial community analysis ascertain the effectiveness of the treatment scheme treating two urban waste-streams.