cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Practical guide to designing safer ionic liquids for cellulose dissolution using a tiered computational framework

The theoretical promise of ionic liquids (ILs) as ‘green’ designer solvents that can be tuned to facilitate key steps of lignocellulosic biomass processing has not been fully realized due to the sheer number of possible cation–anion combinations and concerns about toxicity of this class of chemicals. Although computational methods are being applied to identify ILs with specific functions, such as dissolution of cellulose, they are not used to iteratively design new ionic liquids with the goal of simultaneously optimizing multiple criteria, such as performance and environmental safety. Here we describe a tiered computational approach to develop new ILs based on mixed quantum and molecular mechanics simulations, which, combined with analysis of physicochemical properties of ILs can be used to guide structural modifications to design both better performing task-specific and safer IL analogs. The increase in computing requirements of the proposed approach over structure-based statistical models is relatively modest; yet, our approach is more robust than these models, and far less costly than highly-accurate but very demanding large-scale molecular simulations.
Point-of-care ultrasound assessment of the abdominal aorta by physician assistant students: a pilot study.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) decreases time to diagnosis and improves mortality of those diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysms and dissections. While medical students have demonstrated an ability to obtain adequate POCUS images of the abdominal aorta (AA), physician assistant (PA) student studies are lacking. This pilot study aims to evaluate the ability of PA students to acquire AA POCUS images. PA students, instructors, and models voluntarily participated. Student participants received online material to review several weeks before the study. During the study, students performed 4 precepted practice scans of the AA, and their fifth scan was recorded for review by three ultrasound fellowship trained Emergency Medicine physicians. Images were graded on proper identification and measurement of the AA, as well as interpretability of images. A total of 20 PA students participated. Ninety-five percent were able to obtain interpretable transverse images of the distal aorta and longitudinal views of the aorta, and 65% were able to obtain interpretable transverse images of the proximal and mid aorta. In the most rigorous evaluation of student-obtained AA POCUS images to date, we found that PA students were able to obtain adequate AA images. PA students were able to image the distal and longitudinal aorta in the transverse plane where the majority of AAAs are found to a very high degree. Results demonstrate PA students’ ability to learn POCUS and encourage PA education to take steps to incorporate POCUS education and development of competency standards for PA graduates.
Immigration Enforcement Policies and the Mental Health of US Citizens: Findings from a Comparative Analysis.

We examined the differential impact of having a family member, friend, or co-worker/community member detained or deported on the mental health of US citizens. In 2019, a sample of 3446 adult participants of White, Black, and Latinx racial/ethnic descent were recruited to complete an online questionnaire. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 to screen for anxiety, depression, and psychological distress. Analyses were restricted to US citizens (n = 3282). Multivariable logistic and linear regressions were conducted to examine the mental health of US citizens who reported personally knowing a migrant who has been detained or deported and by their relationship to the migrant, overall and among Latinxs only. Among US citizens, 32% reported personally knowing someone who has been detained or deported. In multivariable analyses, US citizens who personally knew a detained or deported migrant were more likely to report anxiety, depression, and greater psychological distress. Associations were more pronounced among those who reported having a family member detained or deported. US-citizen Latinxs with social ties to migrants who have been detained or deported were especially more likely to report poor mental health than White and Latinx participants who did not personally know a migrant who has been detained or deported. It is critical that policy makers consider the potential mental health harms on migrants and its own citizens when designing policies targeting migrant communities.
INDUCED ROTATION IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL SIMULATIONS OF CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE: IMPLICATIONS FOR PULSAR SPINS

It has been suggested that the observed rotation periods of radio pulsars might be induced by a non-axisymmetric spiral-mode instability in the turbulent region behind the stalled supernova bounce shock, even if the progenitor core was not initially rotating. In this paper, using the three-dimensional Adaptive Mesh Refinement code CASTRO with a realistic progenitor and equation of state and a simple neutrino heating and cooling scheme, we present a numerical study of the evolution in three dimensions of the rotational profile of a supernova core from collapse, through bounce and shock stagnation, to delayed explosion. By the end of our simulation (~420 ms after core bounce), we do not witness significant spin-up of the proto-neutron star core left behind. However, we do see the development before the explosion of strong differential rotation in the turbulent gain region between the core and stalled shock. Shells in this region acquire high spin rates that reach ~150 Hz, but this region contains too little mass and angular momentum to translate, even if left behind, into rapid rotation for the full neutron star. We also find that much of the induced angular momentum is likely to be ejected in the explosion, and moreover that even if the optimal amount of induced angular momentum is retained in the core, the resulting spin period is likely to be quite modest. Nevertheless, induced periods of seconds are possible.
A case of AL amyloidosis presenting with refractory ventricular fibrillation

A 66-year-old male with recent diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction was referred to our institution for management of cardiogenic/vasodilatory shock. During his evaluation, he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest from refractory ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) despite normal electrolytes and no evidence of prior ventricular arrhythmias. He was placed on rescue peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (VA-ECMO) for 4 days and was decannulated without end-organ damage. Continued workup revealed Mayo stage IV immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis. Unfortunately, he developed acute cerebellar hemorrhage several days later. Autopsy findings were consistent with AL amyloidosis, with extensive cardiac fibrosis and amyloid deposition in the myocardium and vasculature. While the most common cause of cardiac death in patients with amyloidosis is severe bradycardia and pulseless electrical activity, sustained ventricular arrhythmias have been reported. The use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is highly debated in this population given the lack of survival benefit. Our patient also developed refractory VT/VF arrest, and ICD shocks would not have rescued him while causing significant distress. Emergent VA-ECMO cannulation allowed us to make a diagnosis, yet this intervention cannot be routinely recommended given the limited survival of patients with AL amyloidosis.
The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced endometrial cancer.

Abstract The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to review the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval cytoreductive surgery in patients presenting with advanced, unresectable endometrial cancer at two large cancer centers. Patients with advanced endometrial cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2008 and 2015 were identified from an institutional database. Clinical and surgical variables were analyzed and time to recurrence and death was calculated and compared between surgical groups. Thirty-three patients were identified (mean age 64.8 (range 42–86 years)). Overall, 28% of patients had endometrioid histology, 48% serous, 4% clear cell, 4% carcinosarcoma, 12% mixed and 4% other. Ineligibility for primary surgery was due to unresectable disease (85%), comorbidities (6%) and unknown reasons (9%). All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 91% of patients receiving carboplatin and paclitaxel. On reimaging, 12% of patients had progressed, 76% had a partial response and 3% had a complete response to chemotherapy. 76% of patients underwent interval surgery, with cytoreduction to no visible residual disease achieved in 52%. Overall, 91% of patients recurred and 85% died during follow-up. Patients undergoing surgery after chemotherapy had significantly longer progression-free survival (11.53 vs. 4.99 months, p = 0.0096) and overall survival (24.13 vs. 7.04 months, p = 0.0042) when compared to patients who did not have surgery. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a feasible treatment option to allow for interval cytoreductive surgery in patients with advanced endometrial cancer not amenable to primary debulking. Patients who undergo surgery after chemotherapy have significantly improved progression free and overall survival.
The Collaborative Scholarship Intensive: A Research-Intensive Course to Improve Faculty Scholarship.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Learning to balance the clinical, educational, and scholarly elements of an academic career is challenging for faculty. To increase research output amongst family medicine faculty with limited to no publications, we developed the Collaborative Scholarship Intensive (CSI) to provide participants with intensive instruction in research methodology coupled with structured writing support and protected time for writing. METHODS The CSI was developed by the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health as a six-session faculty development program that enrolled 23 participants in its first three classes. RESULTS Findings reveal that faculty participants significantly improved their pre- to postcourse self-ratings of 12 research competencies, and significantly increased their scholarly output. CONCLUSIONS Our CSI faculty development program successfully engaged clinical faculty in a collaborative research program. Our results suggest that a program focused on intensive instruction in research methodology coupled with structured writing support and protected writing time may be a model for faculty development in other academic departments.
Systemic Therapy for Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

Metastatic uveal melanoma (UM) is a notoriously difficult to treat malignancy with limited therapeutic options. While the ability to identify patients at high risk of recurrence based on gene-expression profiling has allowed those patients to undergo more frequent surveillance, the lack of effective adjuvant therapies has not prevented recurrences, and earlier identification of metastases has not translated into higher response rates. Chemotherapy has had very limited efficacy, even when delivered intrahepatically. Immunotherapy and targeted agents, which have revolutionized the care of patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma, have had limited and disappointing success in UM. This chapter will discuss some of the data on various agents in the treatment of patients with advanced disease, outline some of the resistance mechanisms at play, and outline some possible attractive approaches in the future.
Catharine Beecher and the Mechanical Body: Physiology, Evangelism, and American Social Reform from the Antebellum Period to the Gilded Age

From the mid-nineteenth century to the Gilded Age, Catharine Beecher and other American social reformers combined natural theology and evangelism to instruct their audiences how to lead healthy, virtuous, and happy lives. Worried about the consequences of urbanization, industrialization, unstable sexual and gender roles, and immigration, these “Christian physiologists” provided prescriptive scientific advice for hygiene and personal conduct based on the traditional norms of white, middle-class, Protestant domesticity. According to Beecher and her counterparts, the biosocial reproduction of ideal American households promised to reverse the degeneration of men and women across the country and to ensure the long-term vitality of their children. Using evidence from Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and other nineteenth-century writers, I investigate the methods and aims of Christian physiology along with its relationships to natural theology, Darwinian feminism, and other reform movements. I also analyze how Beecher and her successors employed concepts including the machine, the tissue, the cell, and the germ to justify their conclusions about the optimal structure and functions of American society. Overall, I demonstrate how these actors leveraged the body and the family as mechanisms to produce healthy parents, children, and communities for an ailing nation.
Ethnic diversity and the interaction of social prejudice and aggression

Social prejudice manifested by members of different ethnic groups toward each other has been the object of extensive study by psychologists and sociologists. There has also been extensive inquiry into the phenomenon of human aggression. However, there has been little in the way of systematic theory and research relating social prejudice and aggression, beyond the admittedly limited scapegoat or displaced aggression hypothesis. The links between social prejudice and human violence clearly warrant more attention. While the relations between different ethnic groups can be amicable, these relations have also been characterized by conflict and violence. Indeed, it can be argued that violence between ethnic groups constitutes the major social problem confronting contemporary society.
Responses of Nematodes to Ungulate Herbivory on Bluebunch Wheatgrass and Idaho Fescue in Yellowstone National Park

The effects of ungulate grazing on the Northern winter range of Yellowstone National Park has recently received considerable attention. Early interest in this topic centered around the question to cull or not to cull elk in the Park. However, as the concepts of "maintaining ecological processes" (Houston 1982) and "ecosystem management" (Keiter 1991) have gained acceptance in Park management, understanding the dynamics and interactions of a broader array of herbivores inhabiting the Park will become increasingly important. In 1990, we studied the responses of Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) and bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) and their associated nematode communities to ungulate herbivory.
Some Problems of Church and State in the Weimar Constitution

BECAUSE the United States was a comparatively new nation when its constitution was drafted, it could in many areas-among which church and state is one of the most important-embark upon a revolutionary political and social experiment without having to clear away the debris left by previous builders. The compromises crystalized in the Weimar constitution, on the other hand, represented but one stage in a lengthy process of interaction which had already molded both church and state. Consequently, although both the Weimar and the Philadelphia documents were products of a political revolution, any examination of the historical background of the 1919 provisions should serve not only to make the compromises they contained more explicable, but simultaneously to demonstrate why the two situations cannot be equated.' The delicate structures which embody institutional compromises, unlike Scottish castles, rarely survive trans-Atlantic voyages. In Germany, the institutional role of religion and churches was inextricably connected with the rise of the nation-state itself. During the Middle Ages, for example, because the territorial magnates who controlled vast tracts of land under the nominal authority of the Holy Roman Emperor in fact represented competing centers of secular authority, the Emperor was forced to turn to church officials for the performance of imperial administrative tasks. This tradition, deriving from the time of the Carolingian Renaissance in the ninth century, resulted in so close a relationship between church and state that Papal efforts to reform the German church in the eleventh century-aimed at the achievement of institutional independence-inevitably led to open conflict with the Emperors. The ensuing Papal victory was complete, the ruling Hohenstaufen line having been literally exterminated by 1268, and the resultant weakening of the central authority played a significant role in permitting centrifugal elements to prevent the unification of Germany until well into the nineteenth century. The heritage of open conflict between church and state, furthermore, was to play an important role in German history in the period immediately following unification.
Abstract 14886: The Association Between Acculturation and Hypertension Prevalence among South Asian Immigrants in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study

Introduction: South Asians are the second fastest growing ethnic minority group in the US. Despite a modest body mass index, South Asians have a high and early prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, including high blood pressure (BP). The majority of South Asians are immigrants, thus behavior and lifestyle changes may play a role in the development of elevated BP. This paper examines the hypothesis that greater acculturation is associated with hypertension (HTN) in US South Asians. Methods: We examined baseline data (2010 to 2013) of 906 subjects (54% male; mean age 55 ± 9 years) in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living In America study. HTN was defined by: systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg, diastolic BP≥ 90 mmHg, and/or use of hypertensive medication. Acculturation was defined by 4 proxy variables and 1 summary score: place of birth, English language proficiency, length of US residency, traditional South Asian beliefs scale, and a summary score of all 4 variables ranging from 0 to 6 (higher score=more acculturated). Multiple logistic regression was used to study the associations between measures of acculturation and HTN, adjusted for sex, age group and education. Interaction with adjustment variables and significant main effects were examined. Likelihood ratio tests were used for statistical significance. Results: The cohort’s overall prevalence of HTN was 41%. We did not find significant associations between HTN and any acculturation measures except English language proficiency, which was associated with lower odds of HTN (OR=0.70; 95% CI: 0.52-0.95; p=0.02). There were evidence of interactions between English proficiency and age (p=0.08), and English proficiency and education (p=0.09): the odds of HTN were lower in older adults who were proficient in English compared to younger adults who were not (OR=0.69; 95% CI: 0.49-0.98; p=0.038) and in South Asians who were English-proficient and had higher education compared to non-fluent speakers who were less educated (OR=0.55; 95% CI: 0.35-0.87; p=0.011). Conclusion: English language proficiency was associated with lower adjusted odds of HTN in older and more highly educated South Asians. The mechanisms through which language and CVD risk factors are linked deserve further exploration.
Monotonicity in Practical Reasoning

Classic deductive logic entails that once a conclusion is sustained by a valid argument, the argument can never be invalidated, no matter how many new premises are added. This derived property of deductive reasoning is known as monotonicity. Monotonicity is thought to conflict with the defeasibility of reasoning in natural language, where the discovery of new information often leads us to reject conclusions that we once accepted. This perceived failure of monotonic reasoning to observe the defeasibility of natural-language arguments has led some philosophers to abandon deduction itself (!), often in favor of new, non-monotonic systems of inference known as `default logics'. But these radical logics (e.g., Ray Reiter's default logic) introduce their desired defeasibility at the expense of other, equally important intuitions about natural-language reasoning. And, as a matter of fact, if we recognize that monotonicity is a property of the form of a deductive argument and not its content (i.e., the claims in the premise(s) and conclusion), we can see how the common-sense notion of defeasibility can actually be captured by a purely deductive system.
Cost effectiveness analysis in orthopaedic surgery.

COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS IN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY. Husham Sharifi and Mohammad Diab. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. (Sponsored by Jonathan Grauer, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine.) The purpose of this thesis was to explore the use of cost effectiveness for interventions in orthopaedics. This was done through three cost effectiveness articles that have been published by the author. In each of these articles, similar methodologies were used. Decision models were constructed for cost-effectiveness analyses of competing orthopaedic interventions. Outcome probabilities and effectiveness values were derived from the literature. Effectiveness was expressed in quality adjusted life years gained. Cost data were compiled and verified from either hospital cost data or from Medicare data. Costs and utilities were discounted in accord with the United States Panel on Cost Effectiveness in Health and Medicine. Principal outcome measures were average incremental costs, incremental effectiveness, incremental quality-adjusted life years, and, in the case of one article, net health benefits. In particular the articles compared the following: 1. Core decompression versus conservative management for osteonecrosis of the hip as a way to delay hip replacement; 2. Total knee arthroplasty versus unicompartmental knee arthroplasty; and 3. Periacetabular osteotomy versus total hip arthroplasty for a young adult with developmental dysplasia of the hip. The more cost effective intervention was identified in each case, along with implications of the results for clinical and operative decision-making. Cost effectiveness was found to be a useful tool in orthopaedic surgery under limited circumstances of either scarce data on new interventions or the need to use more resources to achieve greater effectiveness. It also can provide excellent insight into ways to direct future clinical research.
The evolution of specialists in women's health care across the lifespan: Women's health nurse practitioners

Purpose: In this article, we will trace the beginnings of this nurse practitioner specialist, illustrating with the stories of women's health nurse practitioners who were some of the pioneers in developing the role and models of care to meet the unique needs of women across their lifespan. Data sources: Oral history interviews with pioneers in the role who graduated from both certificate and master's programs preparing nurse practitioners informed and shaped the story. Additional data came from the literature on the evolution of advanced practice nurse roles and education and documents from early educational programs and the legal and regulatory literature affecting the roles and practices of advanced practice nurses. Conclusions: Women's health nurse practitioners have evolved to fill an important role in healthcare delivery, caring for women across generations often within the same families. Implications for practice: Women's health nurse practitioners, as do all nurse practitioners, offer a unique approach to care. To paraphrase the words of one participant, I think we address a major healthcare need because if women are educated about themselves and what they need to do to take care of themselves, the result is a better community
Angiotensin II subtype 1 receptor imaging in renal ischemia reperfusion

346 Objectives The renal angiotensin system (RAS) mediates important mechanisms of ischemic nephropathy including inflammation, fibrosis and tubular injury. Aim of this study was to investigate the angiotensin II subtype 1 receptor (AT1R) as a potential molecular imaging biomarker of renal injury in animal models of acute ischemia, chronic ischemia and ischemia reperfusion. Methods Domestic pigs (Sus domestica) were divided into 4 groups: control (n=6), one week after acute renal artery occlusion / reperfusion (n=5), chronic renal artery stenosis (n=7), chronic renal artery stenosis treated with a stent (n=5). Renal artery stenosis was diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography. Renal perfusion was assessed using the first minute accumulation of [C-11]KR31173 (area under curve) and was validated with O-15 water PET. AT1R binding was quantified with the retention of [C 11]KR31173 and was validated with in vitro autoradiography. Data were displayed as [median (interquartile range)]. Results One week after acute ischemia reperfusion AT1R binding [0.15(0.15-0.18)] was similar to control [0.19(0.13-0.25)]. AT1R binding was increased in chronic stenosis both without [0.23(0.17-0.30)] and with [0.32(0.23-0.41)] stenting. Overall, decreased renal perfusion correlated with increased in vivo AT1R binding (r=-0.626, p Conclusions Reduced renal perfusion results in increased AT1R binding which does not return to normal after stent treatment indicating activation of the RAS for an extended period of time. Positive correlation between in vivo and in vitro binding parameters supports the use of [C 11]KR31173/PET for investigation of the AT1R in renal ischemia and reperfusion. Research Support Supported by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant RO1 DK50183
Comments on the hydrogen fuel cell as a competitive energy source

There probably has never been a time in the history of energy technology when the issues of energy have been so widely diverse, so widely debated, and for which the future is so uncertain. The hydrogen fuel cell as an electrical energy source is one of many contenders for a place in the sun in our future energy mix. While no one is wise enough to predict accurately how the future energy mix is going to evolve, it is at least possible to raise some of the technical and economic issues that must be faced if the fuel cell is going to be a competitive future electrical energy source of significant impact. How things will actually turn out will probably depend as much or more on geopolitics, environmental considerations, and the structures of economic power as it will on technical considerations alone. The author presents his view of the various factors that will come into play in the determination of a decidedly uncertain energy future.
Chemical/Biological Agent Stand-Off Detection

The U.S. Army Chemical Research, Development and Engineering Center (CRDEC) is currently engaged in an extensive multi-year exploratory development program to exploit laser radar for Chemical/Biological (CB) Stand-Off Detection. At present, the only near term capability for the detection of chemical agents at a distance is the use of passive infrared sensors. These sensors can detect only chemical vapors. Active (laser) infrared (IR) systems employing Differential Scattering and Absorption Lidar (DISC/DIAL) are being developed for the detection of chemical agents in all physical forms: vapor, aerosols, and rains, as well as liquid surface contamination. In addition, an ultraviolet (UV) system employing laser induced fluorescence is being developed for the detection of biological agent clouds consisting of pathogens and toxins. The principles of operation of these systems and the history of their development will be briefly discussed. The IR and UV breadboard systems have recently participated in an extensive field test employing battlefield concentration of simulants and interferents with excellent results. These data will be discussed along with the necessary development efforts required to adapt the DISC/DIAL technology to Army and other service needs.
Inviscid evolution of large amplitude filaments in a uniform gravity field

The inviscid evolution of localized density stratifications under the influence of a uniform gravity field in a homogeneous, ambient background is studied. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible, and the stratification, or filament, is assumed to be initially isotropic and at rest. It is shown that the center of mass energy can be related to the center of mass position in a form analogous to that of a solid object in a gravity field g by introducing an effective gravity field geff, which is less than g due to energy that goes into the background and into non-center of mass motion of the filament. During the early stages of the evolution, geff is constant in time and can be determined from the solution of a 1D differential equation that depends on the initial, radially varying density profile of the filament. For small amplitude filaments such that ρ0 ≪ 1, where ρ0 is the relative amplitude of the filament to the background, the early stage geff scales linearly with ρ0, but as ρ0→∞, geff→g and is thus i...
Skin structure and vascularization in the Antarctic notothenioid fish Gymnodraco acuticeps.

The scaleless notothenioid Gymnodraco acuticeps is a bottom dweller beneath the sea ice of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Gymnodraco experience unusual environmental conditions, including highly oxygenated subzero water. Skin morphology is evaluated with reference to its potential as a barrier to ice propagation and as a surface for cutaneous respiration. Light and electron microscopy and histochemistry reveal skin structure that is generally similar to that of other teleosts. In the epidermis, epithelial cells are arranged in nine to fifteen layers, and two types of mucous cells are also present. Large mucous cells are most common on external epidermal surfaces, whereas small cells are more frequent on internal epithelial surfaces. Epithelial cell junctions have extensive areas of desmosomes as well as interdigitations of the cell membranes, especially in the basal and midepidermis. The dermis consists of an exceptionally dense stratum compactum. The skin is thicker than that of Bovichtus, a scaleless temperate notothenioid from New Zealand. Mean skin thicknesses at sites on the trunk are 371-711 μm. With the exception of fins that contact the substrate, epidermal thickness between rays of most fins is 70-118 μm. The epithelial surfaces of the oral and branchial cavities are 27-50 μm thick. An unusual type of connective tissue is present beneath the epidermis of the pelvic fin. It contains abundant ground substance and is similar to mucous connective tissue of the mammalian umbilical cord. Perfusions of a microvascular filling agent reveal a moderately developed cutaneous vasculature. These vessels have the dimensions of capillaries (mean external diameter 11 μm). They are confined to the dermis and are more prominent on the head than on the trunk. The skin is secondary to the gills as a respiratory surface in Gymnodraco.
A GLR Control Chart for Monitoring the Process Mean with Sequential Sampling

Abstract Variable sampling rate (VSR) control charts have been used where the sampling rate changes as a function of the data from the process. In this article we investigate a generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) control chart based on sequential sampling (the SS GLR chart). The objective of process monitoring is assumed to be the effective detection of a wide range of two-sided shifts in the process mean. The performance of the SS GLR chart is evaluated and compared with other control charts. The SS GLR chart has much better performance than that of the fixed sampling rate GLR chart. It is also shown that the overall performance of the SS GLR chart is better than that of the variable sampling interval (VSI) GLR chart and the VSR CUSUM chart. The SS GLR chart has the additional advantage that it requires fewer parameters to be specified than other VSR charts. The optimal parameter choices are given in the article, and regression equations are provided to find the limits for the SS GLR chart.
Adolescent views of diabetes-related parent conflict and support: a focus group analysis.

Abstract Purpose: To increase understanding of adolescent-parent diabetes-related conflicts and supports in the management of type 1 diabetes by means of a focus group research approach. Methods: Twenty-four adolescents (10 boys and 14 girls, age 13–15 years; 97% white) participated in three same-sex focus groups at two diabetes summer camps. The focus group leader used a prepared set of open-ended questions to guide the 90-minute sessions. Sessions were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by a set procedure for qualitative analysis to identify the adolescents' perspectives on parent-adolescent sources of diabetes-related conflict and support. Results: Adolescents reported the following sources of diabetes-related conflict: parental worry and intrusive behaviors; parental lack of understanding and blaming behaviors, and the parents focus on the future vs. the adolescent focus on the present. With regard to diabetes-related support, the teens identified parental understanding of the demands of diabetes and parental provision of reassurance about their child's illness and normative functioning. Conclusions: Adolescents' perceptions of parental worry, lack of understanding, and resulting intrusive and blaming behaviors are major areas of conflict that need to be addressed in the management of type 1 diabetes.
Pyrolysis of amino acids in Pleistocene Mercenaria shells

Abstract The order of increasing stability of amino acids in pyrolysed shells of Mercenaria (174°C–252°C) was serine, threonine, methionine, lysine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, proline, valine, glycine, alanine, glutamic acid. The rates of decomposition were all greater than for the same amino acids alone in dilute aqueous solution.
Particle retention and relation between water transport and oxygen uptake in Chlamys opercularis (L.) (Bivalvia)

Abstract It is shown that the queen scallop Chlamys (Aequipecten) opercularis effectively retains particles down to about 7 µ in diameter. Below this limit the retention efficiency decreases and reaches zero for particles of about 1.6 µ in diameter. This is a markedly lower efficiency than in Mytilus edulis. It is suggested, that the queen scallop compensates for the loss of these particles by a high pumping rate and low metabolic requirements.
Acceleration of Spectral Domain Immitance Approach for Generalized Multilayered Shielded Microstrips Using the Levin’s Transformation

This letter reports on the acceleration of the infinite series summation in the multilayered shielded microstrip with multiple strips by using the spectral domain immitance approach (SDIA) and the Levin’s transformation. This technique does not need the asymptotic expansion for the Green’s functions and the basis functions by recasting the matrix elements into the form that is evaluated by the Levin’s transformation. It greatly saves the work for finding the asymptotic expansion coefficients. Using only the first leading term extraction, the overall acceleration performance is further improved. Convergence properties of SDIA by using this method match with or are even better than other acceleration techniques with high order leading term extraction.
Extending rotation age for carbon sequestration: A cross-protocol comparison of North American forest offsets

Through carbon offset programs, forest owners can be offered financial incentives to enhance the uptake and storage of carbon on their lands. The amount of carbon that can be claimed by an individual landowner will ultimately depend on multiple factors, including the productivity of the forest, the management history of the stand, and the program in which the landowner is participating. This project presents a modeling framework for forest carbon accounting which is driven by forest yield curves and carbon pool partitioning. Within this model the amount of creditable carbon generated from adjusting the rotation age of multiple forest stands can be estimated for 46 distinct North American forest types. The model also provides a comparison of total creditable carbon generated under three carbon accounting methodologies: the Department of Energy 1605b Registry, the Chicago Climate Exchange, and the Voluntary Carbon Standard. In our evaluation of a 5-year rotation extension across 102 unique modeling scenarios, we find large differences among the carbon accounting schemes. This has implications for both forest landowners and policymakers alike. In particular, methodologies to account for such issues as leakage, permanence, additionality, and baseline establishment, while potentially increasing the overall legitimacy of any forest carbon offset program, can reduce creditable carbon to the forest owner (by up to 70%). Regardless of the protocol used, we also note strong regional differences, with Pacific Northwest forests of fir, spruce, hemlock, alder and maple being the most effective at sequestering carbon on a per area basis.
Theoretical and experimental compressive strength of a glass fiber – vinyl ester pultruded composite

A simple method of compressive strength measurement of a continuously pultruded unidirectional glass-vinyl ester rod is developed. Measured compressive strength was quite high. Compared to a unidirectional composite laminate of the same composition, compressive strength values were doubled. The study shows that glass fiber composites have the potential for high compressive strength. This potential is reached with excellent fiber alignment and suitable matrix characteristics. Results of both laminate and pultruded composites are shown to be consistent with model predictions, with the primary delineating factor being fiber alignment.
Predicted and observed droplet deposition on tsetse flies (Glossina morsitans) following aerosol application from aircraft

A non-toxic formulation containing fluorescent tracer was dispersed as an aerosol over savannah woodland in stable meteorological conditions, with only light wind, shortly after sunrise. Droplet deposition on wild caught tsetse flies (Glossina morsitans) was measured by means of a fluorescent tracer technique and compared with the deposit levels predicted from rotary sampler measurements using droplet collection efficiency data for samplers and flies derived from a laboratory wind tunnel study. Good correlation was found between the predicted and observed dose. An additional comparison, based only on rotary sampler data, between a typical spray (measured v.m.d. 27 μm) and a spray with smaller drop size (measured v.m.d. 21 μm) suggested that the latter might be significantly more effective as a means of control.
Pomeron factorization in general dual models

We demonstrate that in each ghost-free dual model with one minor restriction, there exists a critical dimensionality of space-time in which the pomeron singularity becomes a factorizable Regge pole. In each model when this dimensionality is chosen, the pomeron emerges with twice the intercept and half the slope of the leading secondary (f) trajectory. We explicitly construct the pomeron propagator and the operator coupling the pomeron to the reggeon sector for the general dual model, including the lower-lying negative-G-parity pomeron in the Neveu-Schwarz model. Gauge identities and physical states in the pomeron sector are also investigated. In all of the dual models the pomeron form factors exhibit a generalized f dominance and modified Wu-Yang behavior.
Differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of black and white women.

Alterations in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have been associated with obesity in humans and animals. To explore possible mechanisms responsible for the higher prevalence of obesity and its associated comorbid conditions in the black population, we studied the HPA axis of 18 black and 30 white weight- and age-matched nonobese and obese women. Waist to hip ratio, 24-h urinary free cortisol excretion, plasma cortisol responses to dexamethasone, and plasma ACTH and cortisol responses to 1 micrograms/kg ovine CRH were determined. There were no racial differences in waist to hip ratio, 24-h urinary free cortisol excretion, dexamethasone suppressibility of plasma cortisol, baseline plasma cortisol and ACTH concentrations, or plasma cortisol response to CRH. However, CRH-stimulated plasma ACTH concentrations, measured in an extraction polyclonal RIA, were significantly greater in blacks than in whites at all time points, beginning 5 min after the administration of CRH [area under the curve (AUC), 2463 +/- 288 pmol/L.min in blacks vs. 1185 +/- 78 in whites; P < 0.001]. These differences persisted when ACTH was measured by a 2-site direct immunoradiometric assay measuring the intact ACTH-(1-39) molecule (AUC, 1292 +/- 177 pmol/L.min in blacks vs. 504 +/- 95 in whites; P < 0.002). There was no significant correlation between body mass index and either cortisol or ACTH AUCs for either race, with blacks showing persistently elevated AUC for ACTH compared to whites, regardless of weight. We conclude that there are differences in the HPA axis of black and white women. How these differences may relate to the increased prevalence of obesity in the black population remains to be determined.
Forces and ionic transport between mica surfaces: Implications for pressure solution

Using a surface forces apparatus (SFA), we have studied the interactions between mica surfaces in pure and mixed NaCl and CaCl2 solutions at relevant geological conditions of pressure and electrolyte composition. Our results show that the short-range (0–50 A) colloidal forces, including attractive van der Waals and ion-correlation forces, repulsive electrostatic forces, and oscillatory or monotonically repulsive hydration (surface-induced water structure-dependent) forces are involved in different stages of pressure solution. These forces depend on the type (Na+, Ca2+, and H+) and concentration (6–600 mM) of the cations present in the solution. Equilibrium water film thicknesses were measured as a function of the applied (normal) pressure up to 50 MPa (500 atm) and ranged from 30 to 0 A at pressures above 10 MPa (100 atm). Measurements were also made of the rates of diffusion and exchange of ions into and out of such ultrathin films, and on the nucleation and growth of ionic crystallites on and between the surfaces, which occurred only in the presence of calcium ions. Diffusion of ions into and out of structured water films as thin as one to five water molecules (3 to 15 A) were found to be surprisingly rapid and never less than two orders of magnitude below the diffusion in bulk water. In contrast, the rates of binding and exchange of ions to the surfaces were found to be the rate-limiting steps to adsorption and crystal formation. These findings imply that, for certain systems or conditions, pressure solution rates could be limited by surface reactions rather than by ion diffusion in thin fluid films.
Effects of subject recruitment procedure on heart rate and skin conductance measures.

Abstract This research was designed to determine whether the method employed to recruit subjects influences subsequent autonomic behavior. Skin conductance (SC) and heart rate (HR) measures were recorded from 60 female subjects equally divided among four groups which differed only with respect to the manner in which the subjects were recruited. The four groups employed included a volunteer group, a pay group, a subject-pool group, and a coerced group. Response comparisons were made between groups during a 10 min adaptation period followed by 20,5 sec bursts of 75 db white noise. Tonic levels and specific response magnitudes were scored for both SC and HR responses and, in addition, spontaneous SC activity was evaluated. Differences between the groups were observed in terms of HR and SC basal levels, and SC response magnitudes. The results supported the conclusion that autonomie behavior during a recording session is strongly influenced by subject recruitment procedure.
Exploiting single-file motion in one-dimensional nanoporous materials for hydrocarbon separation

The mobility of fluids adsorbed in nanoporous materials is a strong function of the size, shape, and dimensionality of the porous network. Nowhere is this dependence demonstrated more drastically than by fluids adsorbed in one-dimensional (cylinder-like) nanopores. It has been demonstrated theoretically, computationally, and experimentally that the mobility of a fluid adsorbed in one-dimensional nanopores varies with adsorbate size not only quantitatively (over several orders of magnitude) but also qualitatively.1-4 When the pore size is small enough to prohibit passing of individual fluid molecules in the pore, the ordinary diffusion (where the mean square displacement is proportional to the observation time, and the proportionality constant is the diffusion coefficient) gives way to single-file motion (where the mean square displacement is proportional to the square root of the observation time, and the proportionality constant no longer has units of diffusivity). This difference in qualitative modes of...
Enhancement of Gastrointestinal Absorption of a Quaternary Ammonium Compound by Trichloroacetate

The hypothesis that ion-pair formation and transport across the lipid gastrointestinal barrier is an important mechanism for drug absorption has been examined using a quaternary ammonium compound, isopropamide, as the cationic component and trichloroacetate (TCA) as the anionic component of the ion pair. Studies of the effect of trichloroacetate on the partitioning of isopropamide between water and nonaqueous phases such as chloroform and n-octanol demonstrated that a highly lipid-soluble isopropamide-TCA ion pair can dissolve in such nonaqueous phases. Mydriasis tests in mice demonstrated that both the rate and efficiency of oral absorption of isopropamide are increased when it is administered in combination with 10-fold or 50-fold molar excesses of trichloroacetate in solution. Although the specific mechanism by which absorption is enhanced has not been determined, evidence is presented which clearly indicates that TCA, an anion capable of forming a lipid-soluble ion pair with isopropamide, significantly enhances the pharmacologic response of orally administered isopropamide.
North-South relations and human rights

There are apparent differences between the developed North and the economically weak South. The relations between the North and South are marked by dichotomies and in order to deal with the challenges posed by the South, the North choses control and cooperation. The North uses several instruments including economic assistance to achieve its objectives. One of the new tools that is increasingly taken advantage of is human rights. Although there exists a genuine concern about human rights standards in the South, action on these issues almost always depends on national interest of the states in the North. This paradigm is proved true by the present human rights campaign the United States is undertaking against Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council. The US and its Western allies believe that serious human rights violations have been committed during the last phase of the war in Sri Lanka. Promoting accountability and insisting on an international investigation, the US has successfully presented three resolutions on Sri Lanka since 2012. This paper argues that the US action is motivated primarily by its national interest. At the secondary level the US is interested in curtailing what is called the Sri Lanka model of conflict resolution and promoting reconciliation.