cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of prey availability, facultative plant feeding, and plant defenses on a generalist insect predator

This study examined the effects of feeding interval, access to host plants (thus, a source of sap), and plant defenses on the predatory insect, Podisus maculiventris Say (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). The experiment consisted of a 2 × 2 design with two feeding intervals (1 day or 5 days) and predators living on either tomato plants or plastic plants. Females fed every day had greater body weights and egg hatch rates than females fed every five days. Females on tomato plants lived longer than females on plastic plants. However, access to plants did not alleviate the effects of low prey level on predator weight or reproductive output. In a second experiment, third instar nymphs were placed on either tomato plants or plastic plants for four days to examine the effects of tomato trichome defenses on these predators. Nymphs on tomato plants experienced 50% mortality compared to 15% mortality for nymphs on plastic plants. Some nymphs living on tomato plants were trapped by the hairy trichomes of the plant; others had gummed up legs from the exudates of the plants’ glandular trichomes, which inhibited their movement and ability to feed on prey. Although predators appeared to benefit from feeding on tomato plants, their ability to live on the plants was negatively affected by the defensive features of the plants. The potential effects of trichome defenses on predator survival and population dynamics must be considered when evaluating the benefits of plants on insect predator life histories and efficacy as biological control agents.
Electrochemical and flow characterization of a direct methanol fuel cell

Abstract Two-phase phenomena, i.e. bubble flow in the anode and water flooding in the cathode, are critical to design of high-performance direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). A 5 cm 2 transparent DMFC has been developed to visualize these phenomena in situ. Two types of membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) based on Nafion ® 112 were used to investigate effects of backing pore structure and wettability on cell polarization characteristics and two-phase flow dynamics. One employed carbon paper backing material and the other carbon cloth. Experiments were performed under conditions of various methanol feed concentrations. The transparent fuel cell was shown to reach a peak power of 93 mW/cm 2 at 0.3 V, using Toray carbon-paper based MEA under 2 M methanol solution preheated at 85 °C. For the hydrophobic carbon paper backing, it was observed that CO 2 bubbles nucleate at certain locations and form large and discrete bubble slugs in the channel. For the hydrophilic carbon cloth backing, it was shown that bubbles are produced more uniformly and of smaller size. It is thus shown that the anode backing layer of uniform pore size and more hydrophilicity is preferred for gas management in the anode. Flow visualization of water flooding on the cathode side of DMFC has also been carried out. It is shown that liquid droplets appear more easily on the surface of carbon paper due to its reduced hydrophobicity at elevated temperature. For the single-side ELAT carbon cloth, liquid droplets tend to form in the corner between the current collecting rib and GDL since ELAT is highly hydrophobic and the rib (stainless steel) surface is hydrophilic.
Design of a LQR controller of reduced inputs for multiple spacecraft formation flying

Regarding multiple spacecraft formation flying, the observation is made that control thrust need only be applied coplanar to the local horizon to achieve complete controllability of a two-satellite formation. Without the need for zenith-nadir (radial) thrust, simplifications and reduction of the weight of the propulsion system may be accomplished. The authors focus on the validation of this radial-excluding control system on its own merits, and in comparison to a related system which does provide thrust parallel to the orbital radius. Simulations are performed using commercial ODE solvers to propagate the Keplerian dynamics of a controlled satellite, relative to an uncontrolled, leader satellite. The conclusion is drawn that, despite the exclusion of the radial thrust axis, the remaining control thrust available still provides enough control to design a gain matrix of adequate performance using linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) techniques.
Identification of allergen‐specific IgE antibodies in the sera of African asthmatics

Summary Of eighty African asthmatics, sixty-three had significant levels of specific IgE against the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. By contrast, grass-specific IgE was found in six patients and mould-specific IgE in none. Sixty-three patients also had symptoms predominantly during the rainy season. Positive skin tests against D. pteronyssinus correlated well with the presence of mite-specific IgE, as did the size of these skin test weals with the amount of specific IgE. For grass pollen and moulds there was no such relationship. There was no correlation between a history of sensitivity to house dust and either skin tests or specific IgE against D. pteronyssinus. The results support previous findings that it is allergy to house dust mite and not to grass pollens or moulds which is important in producing the seasonal symptoms in our patients.
Accident frequencies in environmental justice assessment and land use studies

Environmental justice advocates in the US and internationally have argued that hazardous materials industries are a source of significant community disruption and environmental hazard. Few of these studies, however, have examined firms' accident frequencies or how accidents are distributed across metropolitan regions. This research argues that accident frequencies differ significantly among firms, and they are an important part of understanding industries and their distribution within metropolitan regions. The accident records of the risk management plan (RMP) facilities in southern California provide an illustration for the discussion. Statistical tests demonstrate that previous accident counts correlate with future counts. The research heightens the usability of the existing accident record for local governments in the US.
Globalizing space and Earth science - the International Heliophysical Year Education and Outreach Programme

The International Heliophysical Year (IHY) in 2007 & 2008 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) and, following its tradition of international research collaboration, will focus on the cross-disciplinary studies of universal processes in the heliosphere. The main goal of the IHY Education and Outreach Programme is to create more global access to exemplary resources in space and Earth science education and public outreach. By taking advantage of the IHY organization with representatives in every nation and in the partnership with the United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI), we aim to promote new international partnerships. Our goal is to assist in increasing the visibility and accessibility of exemplary programmes and in the identification of formal or informal educational products that would be beneficial to improve space and Earth science knowledge in a given country; leaving a legacy of enhanced global access to resources and of world-wide connectivity between those engaged in education and public outreach efforts that are related to IHY science. Here we describe how to participate in the IHY Education and Outreach Programme and the benefits in doing so. Emphasis will be given to the role played by developing countries; not only in selecting useful resources and helping in their translation and adaptation, but also in providing different approaches and techniques in teaching.
Tornado outbreaks associated with landfalling hurricanes in the North Atlantic Basin: 1954–2004

Tornadoes are a notable potential hazard associated with landfalling hurricanes. The purpose of this paper is to discriminate hurricanes that produce numerous tornadoes (tornado outbreaks) from those that do not (nonoutbreaks). The data consists of all hurricane landfalls that affected the United States from the North Atlantic basin from 1954 to 2004 and the United States tornado record over the same period. Because of the more than twofold increase in the number of reported tornadoes over these 51 years, a simple least-squares linear regression (“the expected number of tornadoes”) was fit to the annual number of tornado reports to represent a baseline for comparison.
Transnational histories of sexualities in Asia.

Your wives who receive a royal salary have recounted vociferously to others that you don't care for your children or them and that you have fallen head over heels in love with your dancers and performers. His Majesty is aware of this and understands that [you] have pref erences like those of the Lord of Peking (Daoguang), who loves the Chinese opera and some times frequents male prostitutes, sometimes female. If His Majesty had forbidden this and admonished you for engaging in these unsavory practices, the matter would have become too scandalous and publicly humiliated the royal family.1
Compound Poisson Disorder Problem

In the compound Poisson disorder problem, arrival rate and/or jump distribution of some compound Poisson process changes suddenly at some unknown and unobservable time. The problem is to detect the change (or disorder) time as quickly as possible. A sudden regime shift may require some countermeasures be taken promptly, and a quickest detection rule can help with those efforts. We describe complete solution of the compound Poisson disorder problem with several standard Bayesian risk measures. Solution methods are feasible for numerical implementation and are illustrated by examples.
Vocal learning in Grey parrots: A brief review of perception, production, and cross-species comparisons.

This chapter briefly reviews what is known—and what remains to be understood—about Grey parrot vocal learning. I review Greys’ physical capacities—issues of auditory perception and production—then discuss how these capacities are used in vocal learning and can be recruited for referential communication with humans. I discuss cross-species comparisons where applicable and conclude with a description of recent research that integrates issues of reference, production and perception.
Synchronous acousto-optic tuning of free-space external-cavity lasers

Mechanically tuned external-cavity lasers in which the cavity and the mode filter are tuned synchronously are well known and commercially available. The synchronicity allows phase-continuous tuning to be obtained. Acousto-optic tuning has potential advantages in terms of speed, stability, and precision, but a method for synchronous tuning is required. We propose such a method and describe its experimental verification.
Culture and Continuing Bonds: A Prospective Comparison of Bereavement in the United States and the People's Republic of China

There has been an increased interest and debate regarding the adaptiveness of continuing bonds with the deceased. The authors used data from a cross-cultural study of 61 participants from the United States (US) and 58 participants from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who completed measures of continuing bonds and adjustment at 4 and 18 months of bereavement. Higher levels of continuing bonds in the PRC at 4 months were related to better adjustment at 18 months. In contrast, results in the US showed that higher levels of continuing bonds were related to poorer adjustment at 18 months. The data suggest that culture should be addressed in the development of effective grief therapies, especially when considering continuing bonds with the deceased.
Bioassay-driven analysis of chewing tobacco extracts

The aims were to develop a method to simulate extraction of toxic components into human saliva, to identify these components through bioassay-driven analyses using the Microtox® test, and to quantify the toxic compounds. Chewing tobacco extractions into artificial saliva simulated oral chewing conditions. The Microtox bioassay-directed subfractionation scheme identified acutely toxic components in chewing tobacco extracts. GC-MS identified and quantified the toxic components. The subfractionation (pH 7 extraction, pH 2 extraction, then pH 10 extraction using organic solvents) scheme was shown to be comparable to biological digestive sequences and to simulate nicotine bioavailability. The low toxicity of artificial saliva allowed development of a sensitive bioassay. Nicotine was the major acutely toxic agent detected. Classification by Draize ocular irritative categories showed that leached nicotine concentrations were mildly to moderately irritating. Thus, the Microtox test can be used to detect irritative compounds and subfractions, and can be potentially applied to saliva biological monitoring in humans.
Church’s thesis meets the N-body problem

Abstract “Church’s thesis” is at the foundation of computer science. We point out that with any particular set of physical laws, Church’s thesis need not merely be postulated, in fact it may be decidable. Trying to do so is valuable. In Newton’s laws of physics with point masses, we outline a proof that Church’s thesis is false; physics is unsimulable. But with certain more realistic laws of motion, incorporating some relativistic effects, the extended Church’s thesis is true. Along the way we prove a useful theorem: a wide class of ordinary differential equations may be integrated with “polynomial slowdown”. Warning: we cannot give careful definitions and caveats in this abstract–you must read the full text—and interpreting our results is not trivial.
Context influences conscious appraisal of cross situational statistical learning.

Previous research in cross-situational statistical learning has established that people can track statistical information across streams in order to map nonce words to their referent objects (Yu & Smith, 2007). Under some circumstances, learners are able to acquire multiple mappings for a single object (e.g., Yurovsky & Yu, 2008). Here we explore whether having a contextual cue associated with a new mapping may facilitate this process, or the conscious awareness of learning. Using a cross-situational statistical learning paradigm, in which learners could form both 1:1 and 2:1 word-object mappings over two phases of learning, we collected confidence ratings during familiarization and provided a retrospective test to gauge learning. In Condition 1, there were no contextual cues to indicate a change in mappings (baseline). Conditions 2 and 3 added contextual cues (a change in speaker voice or explicit instructions respectively) to the second familiarization phase to determine their effects on the trajectory of learning. While contextual cues did not facilitate acquisition of 2:1 mappings as assessed by retrospective measures, confidence ratings for these mappings were significantly higher in contextual cue conditions compared to the baseline condition with no cues. These results suggest that contextual cues corresponding to changes in the input may influence the conscious awareness of learning.
Suppression of GSK-3β activation by M-cadherin protects myoblasts against mitochondria-associated apoptosis during myogenic differentiation

Apoptosis occurs concurrently with differentiation of muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) before they fuse to form myotubes. Dysregulated apoptosis in MPCs contributes to the low regeneration capability in aged muscle and decreases the survival rate of donor cells in stem cell-based therapies for muscular dystrophies. This study investigated the role of the M-cadherin/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway in regulating apoptosis during differentiation of MPCs. Disruption of M-cadherin-dependent cell–cell adhesion by M-cadherin RNA interference in confluent C2C12 myoblasts sensitized the cells to mitochondria-associated intrinsic apoptosis induced by cell confluence or serum starvation. Further investigation of this pathway revealed that M-cadherin-mediated signaling suppressed GSK-3β activation by enhancing the PI3K/AKT-dependent inhibitory phosphorylation of Ser9 in GSK-3β. Overexpression of wild-type GSK-3β in confluent C2C12 myoblasts exacerbated the apoptosis, whereas chemical inhibition of GSK-3β using TDZD-8, or forced expression of constitutively active Akt (myrAkt), or a kinase-deficient GSK-3β mutant [GSK-3β(K85R)], attenuated apoptosis and rescued the impaired myogenic differentiation that is caused by M-cadherin RNA interference. These data suggest that M-cadherin-mediated signaling prevents acceleration of mitochondria-associated intrinsic apoptosis in MPCs by suppressing GSK-3β activation during myogenic differentiation.
Association of the HLA-DR2/DR4 phenotype with skin test responses to bovine dermal collagen: a potential interaction of two MHC alleles in regulating an immune response.

Abstract We examined the HLA-DR characteristics of a population of 30 healthy collagen responders. Each had previously exhibited a localized hypersensitivity response to an intradermal challenge with a bovine collagen implant. A one-tailed binomial test revealed a significant increase in the alloantigen DR2 ( p p p
EFFECTS OF JURY DELIBERATION ON THE VERDICTS AND SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS OF SIMULATED JURORS: VIDMAR REVISITED

Summary.-Jury deliberation was added to a partial replication of Vidmar (1972). Simulated jurors chose verdicts and indicated their perceptions of the defendant and victim, both before and after deliberation in six-person juries. Vidmar's results were confirmed-significantly more not guilty verdicts were found when subjects were required to choose between guilty of first-degree murder or not guilty than when the choice was between second-degree murder and not guilty. Social perceptions were consistent with the verdicts they chose. Deliberation enhanced the effect of type of decision alternative on distribution of the verdicts. Jurors were also significantly more lenient after deliberation. Implications for research with simulated jurors are discussed. As research on jurisprudence increases and as the results of this research are used by the judicial system in making decisions, it becomes increasingly important that the conclusions drawn have as much validity as possible. Studying actual legal processes would be one way of ensuring validity. However, since it is often difficult, if not impossible, to gather such data, it is important that simulations serve as good models of these legal processes (see Bermant, et al., 1974). Vidmar (1972) examined the effect of type of decisions and number of alternatives on the attribution of responsibility and social perceptions of simulated jurors. His results showed chat as severity of the least severe guilty alternative increased, the number of not guilty verdicts also increased. In addition, he found that simulated jurors' postdecision social perceptions were consistent with the verdicts they had chosen. Many studies have been done to test the effect of other variables on the behavior of mock jurors (Hester & Smith, 1973; Sue, et al., 1973; Hendrick & Shaffer, 1975; DeJong, et al., 1976). In none of these studies did the simulated jurors participate in a deliberation process. If they had, would the results of the research be different? Deliberation, which usually indudes exposure to different viewpoints, peer pressure, and interpersonal conflict, could affect mock jurors' behavior considerably. There is evidence from the field of social psychology supporting the notion that individuals in groups behave differently from individuals alone (Asch, 1952; Kogan & Wallach, 1964). It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the deliberation process might have a significant effect on simulated jurors' behavior. If so, research using mock jurors who have not deliberated may be seriously questioned.
Convergence Analysis of an Adaptive Algorithm With Output Power Constraints

This brief presents a convergence analysis and simulation for a new algorithm intended for use in systems with an output power constraint. For example, in an active noise control system that generates an antinoise output to destructively cancel the noise source, we impose the additional requirement of limiting the maximum output power level to prevent system overdrive. The result is a computationally efficient algorithm that allows an explicit power level to be set.
On the Causes and Consequences of Abnormal Glucagon Secretion in Human Diabetes Mellitus

Abnormal glucagon secretion in human diabetes may result in part from a defect of the intrinsic A cell glucoreceptor and in part from insulin lack and may exacerbate the metabolic consequences of insulin lack in terms of fasting hyperglycemia, postprandial hyperglycemia, and the development of diabetic ketoacidosis. Insulin alone cannot completely normalize A cell function in human diabetes nor restore normal glucose homeostasis. Suppression of glucagon secretion by an agent such as somatostatin may be useful as an adjunct to insulin in the management of diabetes mellitus.
Query consolidation: interpreting queries sent to independent heterogenous databases

This dissertation introduces the problem of query consolidation, which seeks to interpret a set of disparate queries submitted to independent databases with a single “global” query. The problem has multiple applications, from improving virtual database design, to aiding users in information retrieval, to protecting against inference of sensitive data from a seemingly innocuous set of apparently unrelated queries. The problem exhibits attractive duality with the much-researched problem of query decomposition, which has been addressed intensively in the context of multidatabase environments: How to decompose a query submitted to a virtual database into a set of local queries that are evaluated in individual databases. The new problem is set in the architecture of a canonical multidatabase system, using it in the “reverse” direction. The reversal is built on the assumption of conjunctive queries and source descriptions. A rational and efficient query decomposition strategy is also assumed, and this decomposition is reversed to arrive at the original query by analyzing the decomposed components. The process incorporates several steps where a number of solutions must be considered, due to the fact that query decomposition is not injective. Initially, the problem of finding the most likely join plan between component queries is investigated. This is accomplished by leveraging the referential constraints available in the underlying multidatabase, or by approximating these constraints from the data when not available. This approximation is done using the information theoretic concept of conditional entropy. Furthermore, the most likely join plans are enhanced by the expansion of their projections and adding precision to their selection constraints by estimating the selection constraints that would be applied to these consolidations offline. Additionally, the extraction of a set of queries related to the same retrieval task from an ongoing sequence of incoming queries is investigated. A conditional random field model is trained to segment and label incoming query sequences. Finally, the candidate consolidations are re-encapsulated with a genetic programming approach to find simpler intentional descriptions that are extensionally equivalent to discover the original intent of the query. The dissertation explains and discusses all of the above operations and validates the methods developed with experimentation on synthesized and real-world data. The results are highly encouraging and verify that the accuracy, time performance, and scalability of the methods would make it possible to exploit query consolidation in production environments.
Relationship of trimester-specific smoking patterns and risk of preterm birth.

Background In 2011, the US national rate of smoking early in pregnancy was 11.5%. Unfortunately, our home state of Ohio had a rate twice as high at 23%. Smoking in pregnancy remains one of the most important modifiable risk factors for pregnancy complications, specifically preterm birth. Objective The objective of the study was to quantify the preterm birth risk to various trimester-specific smoking behaviors. Study Design The study was a population-based, retrospective cohort study of singleton non-anomalous live births, using Ohio birth records 2006 to 2012. Preterm birth rates were compared between non-smokers and women who smoked in the preconception period only, those who quit smoking after the 1st and 2nd trimesters, and those who smoked throughout pregnancy. Multivariate logistic regression quantified the risk of smoking with cessation at various times in pregnancy and preterm birth risk, adjusted for maternal race, education, age, Medicaid use, marital status, and parity. A stratified analysis was performed on the basis of preterm birth subtype: spontaneous preterm birth versus indicated preterm birth. We also performed an additional analysis stratifying for maternal race using the 2 largest categories of race (non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black). Results Of the 913,757 birth records analyzed, nearly 25% of the women reported some smoking behavior on the birth certificate data. Of smokers, less than half quit during pregnancy (38.8% vs 61.2% smoked throughout pregnancy). Early quitters had a similar preterm birth rate compared with non-smokers. Women who smoked through the 1st trimester only did not have a significant increase in their overall preterm birth odds ratio Conclusion Smoking throughout pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. However, quitting early in pregnancy negates this risk. Widespread programs aimed at smoking cessation early in pregnancy could have a significant impact on reducing the rate of preterm birth nationally.
IEEE ICHI Healthcare Data Analytics Challenge

There are several publicly accessible patient forums where patients can post questions related to their health conditions. The objective of this study was to develop a query-retrieval system that can mine such forums and identify existing questions most similar to the provided question. This pilot study based on a bag-of-words model with latent semantic analysis and cosine similarity suggests that text similarity-based mining holds promise for identification of diabetes-related questions from patient forums and informing self-care management. Further studies involving advance natural language processing tools can be used to reduce false positives and uncover semantically related questions.
The need to do it all: Exploring the ways in which Treatment Foster Parents enact their complex role.

Abstract Treatment foster care (TFC) is an appealing approach for treating youth with emotional and behavioral disorders because it combines the potential for intensive interventions with opportunities for growth and development in a family-based setting. To accomplish this, TFC requires treatment foster parents to simultaneously play roles of both substitute caregiver/parent and front-line professional. This requires that treatment foster parents excel at both the behaviorally focused elements of an interventionist while simultaneously enacting the more relationally-based aspects of a parent. To date there has been little in the literature to explore the extent to which practicing treatment foster parents actually utilize both behavioral and relational approaches in their work with youth. This paper uses baseline data from a randomized trial ( n = 247) to explore eight potential approaches that treatment foster parents might use (including: monitoring/supervision, approaches to discipline, consistency of responses to behaviors, time together, adult-child conflict, positive affect towards the child, perspective taking/empathy building, and communication) as well as a measure of their own assessment of their role. Results show that treatment foster parents recognize the complexities of their role, and most view themselves more as parents than as treatment providers. Substantial variation was evident on all examined dimensions of the treatment parent role (except supervision/monitoring). Variations in treatment parent approaches were most significantly related to child's age and their own view of their role. The paper concludes with discussion of implications and directions for future research.
(18)F-FDG-PET/CT for systemic staging of newly diagnosed triple-negative breast cancer.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend 18F-FDG-PET/CT, in addition to standard staging procedures, for systemic staging of newly diagnosed stage III breast cancer patients. However, factors in addition to stage may influence PET/CT utility. As breast cancers that are negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor (triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC) are more aggressive and metastasize earlier than other breast cancers, we hypothesized that receptor expression may be one such factor. This study assesses 18F-FDG-PET/CT for systemic staging of newly diagnosed TNBC. In this Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective study, our Healthcare Information System was screened for patients with TNBC who underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT in 2007–2013 prior to systemic or radiation therapy. Initial stage was determined from mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and/or surgery, if performed prior to 18F-FDG-PET/CT. 18F-FDG-PET/CT was evaluated to identify unsuspected extra-axillary regional nodal and distant metastases, as well as unsuspected synchronous malignancies. Kaplan Meier survival estimates were calculated for initial stage IIB patients stratified by whether or not stage 4 disease was detected by 18F-FDG-PET/CT. A total of 232 patients with TNBC met inclusion criteria. 18F-FDG-PET/CT revealed unsuspected distant metastases in 30 (13 %): 0/23 initial stage I, 4/82 (5 %) stage IIA, 13/87 (15 %) stage IIB, 4/23 (17 %) stage IIIA, 8/14 (57 %) stage IIIB, and 1/3 (33 %) stage IIIC. Twenty-six of 30 patients upstaged to IV by 18F-FDG-PET/CT were confirmed by pathology, with the remaining four patients confirmed by follow-up imaging. In addition, seven unsuspected synchronous malignancies were identified in six patients. Initial stage 2B patients who were upstaged to 4 by 18F-FDG-PET/CT had significantly shorter survival compared to initial stage 2B patients who were not (3-year Kaplan Meier estimate 0.33, 95 % CI 0.13-0.55 versus 0.97, CI 0.76-0.93, p < .0001). F-FDG-PET/CT revealed distant metastases in 15 % of patients with stage IIB TNBC. Stage IIB patients upstaged to 4 by 18F-FDG-PET/CT had significantly shorter survival than those who were not, consistent with 18F-FDG-PET/CT detecting an increased burden of disease. This study provides further evidence that populations of patients with stage IIB breast cancer, such as TNBC, should be considered for systemic staging with 18F-FDG-PET/CT at the time of initial diagnosis.
Research on DRFM's Phase Correcting Technique

If the output signal of the DRFM is not continuous,the discontinuous wave will destroy the coherence of the jamming signals.That corrupts the effect of jamming.The difference of the phase between beginning and ending of sampled signal is correctly logged,and when the signal outputs,the difference of phase is automatically compensated.This new technique will minimize the phase discontinuous,and simplify the circuits.In the 3bit phase quantization DRFM,the precision of the phase correction beyond π/4.
Common Questions About Pneumonia in Nursing Home Residents

Pneumonia in older adults residing in nursing homes can be challenging to diagnose and treat. Pneumococcal and influenza immunizations decrease the risk of pneumonia and are recommended for all nursing home patients. Older adults with pneumonia may not display classic signs and symptoms of infection, although most have at least one respiratory symptom. Suspicion of pneumonia is heightened if pulse oximetry measurements are low. The diagnosis of pneumonia is confirmed by chest radiography. To determine whether treatment is necessary and where treatment should occur, the patient's overall prognosis should be considered. If treatment is to occur, antibiotics should be administered as soon as possible for a duration of five to eight days; however, treatment may be extended in the absence of clinical resolution or in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Oral antibiotics may be administered in the nursing home, whereas hospitalized patients should initially receive intravenous antibiotics and transition to oral antibiotics after clinical improvement. Antibiotic regimens for patients treated in the nursing home include a respiratory fluoroquinolone, or a beta-lactam antibiotic with a macrolide. Hospitalized patients may receive the same regimens, although several other oral and intravenous options are acceptable. Patients' prognosis can be accurately estimated using the SOAR score (which uses systolic blood pressure, oxygenation, age, and respiratory rate).
Ganglioside biosynthesis. Characterization of uridine diphosphate galactose: GM2 galactosyltransferase in golgi apparatus from rat liver.

An enzyme that transfers galactose from UDP-Gal to ganglioside GM2 (Tay-Sachs ganglioside) was concentrated 50 times in Golgi apparatus from rat liver relative to total homogenates. This enzyme required detergents or phospholipids as dispersing agents. Of the numerous detergents tested, sodium taurocholate and Triton CF-54 were most effective in stimulating the reaction. Cardiolipin alone was more effective than any of the detergents tested in stimulating enzyme activity. The pH optimum for the reaction varied with the nature of the dispersing agent. With sodium taurocholate, Triton CF-54 and cardiolipin, the pH optima were 6.2, 5.9, and 5.6, respectively. The enzyme had a nearly absolute requirement for Mn2+, with maximum activity being attained at a concentration of 15 mM Mn2+. Other divalent or trivalent cations were either less effective than Mn2+ or inhibited the transferase reaction. The Km values calculated for UDP-Gal and GM2 were 1.1 × 10-4 M and 9.9 × 10-5 M, respectively. The enzyme could not be dissociated from Golgi apparatus fractions by treatment with ultrasound, indicating that it is tightly associated with the membrane and not part of the luminal contents. The newly synthesized GM1, the product of the reaction, was incorporated into or became tightly associated with the membranes of the Golgi apparatus.
Constraining sector-specific CO 2 and CH 4 emissions in the United States

This review paper explores recent efforts to estimate state and national-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions from individual anthropogenic source sectors in the United States. Nearly all state and national climate change regulations in the US target specific source sectors, and detailed monitoring of individual sectors presents a greater challenge than monitoring total emissions. We particularly focus on opportunities to synthesize disparate types of information on emissions, including emissions inventory data and atmospheric greenhouse gas data. 5 We find that inventory estimates of sector-specific CO2 emissions are sufficiently accurate for policy evaluation at national scale but that uncertainties increase at state and local levels. CH4 emissions inventories are highly uncertain for all source sectors at all spatial scales, in part because of the complex, spatially-variable relationships between economic activity and CH4 emissions. In contrast to inventory estimates, top-down estimates use measurements of atmospheric concentrations to infer emissions at the surface; these efforts have had little success identifying CO2 emissions from anthropogenic sources 10 but have successfully identified sector-specific CH4 emissions in several opportunistic cases. We also describe a number of forward-looking opportunities that would aid efforts to estimate sector-specific emissions: fully combine existing top-down datasets, expand intensive aircraft measurement campaigns and measurements of secondary tracers, and improve the economic and demographic data (e.g., activity data) that drive emissions inventories. These steps would better synthesize inventory and top-down data to support sector-specific emissions reduction policies. 15
Illuminating the Gap: Neuronal Cross-Talk within Sensory Ganglia and Persistent Pain

How primary sensory neurons contribute to persistent pain remains unclear. A novel imaging technique introduced here by Kim et al. (2016) in this issue of Neuron to view the activities of large numbers of ganglion neurons simultaneously analyzes the importance of neuronal cross-talk in pain transmission.
Household adjustment to flood risk: a survey of coastal residents in Texas and Florida, United States

Individual households have increasingly borne responsibility for reducing the adverse impacts of flooding on their property. Little observational research has been conducted, however, at the household level to examine the major factors contributing to the selection of a particular household adjustment. This study addresses the issue by evaluating statistically the factors influencing the adoption of various household flood hazard adjustments. The results indicate that respondents with higher-value homes or longer housing tenure are more likely to adopt structural and expensive techniques. In addition, the information source and the Community Rating System (CRS) score for the jurisdiction where the household is located have a significant bearing on household adjustment. In contrast, proximity to risk zones and risk perception yield somewhat mixed results or behave counter to assumptions in the literature. The study findings provide insights that will be of value to governments and decision-makers interested in encouraging homeowners to take protective action given increasing flood risk.
Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion for Stroke Prevention

More than 2.3 million adults in the United States have atrial fibrillation (AF), which exposes them to a 5-fold increased risk of stroke. The left atrial appendage (LAA) appears to be the source of thrombus formation in the vast majority of these patients. Anticoagulation significantly reduces the risk of stroke, but often we encounter patients who have absolute or relative contraindication to anticoagulation. Percutaneous LAA exclusion offers an alternative to anticoagulation to decrease the risk of stroke. Three device systems are currently available in the United States. The WATCHMAN® device is the most studied and approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used in patients with AF unsuitable for anticoagulation who are at a high risk of stroke. The Amulet® device is currently being used as part of the AMPLATZER® Amulet® LAA Occluder trial, which is a non-inferiority randomized trial comparing the Amulet® to the WATCHMAN® device. The third device in use is the LARIAT®, which is an FDA approved snare and pre-tied stich system. It is used to approximate soft tissue which in this case is the LAA. It is a hybrid system and requires both epicardial and endocardial access. The main obstacle to percutaneous LAA closure is procedural related complications, which can be minimized with optimum operator experience.
Physical, Psychological, Social, and Existential Symptoms in Older Homeless-Experienced Adults: An Observational Study of the Hope Home Cohort.

The homeless population in the United States is aging. Aging-associated comorbidities are associated with increased symptoms. To describe the prevalence of symptoms among older homeless-experienced adults, analyze factors associated with moderate–high physical symptom burden, and identify symptom clusters. Cross-sectional analysis within longitudinal cohort study. Using population-based sampling from shelters, meal programs, encampments, and a recycling center in Oakland, CA, we recruited homeless adults aged ≥ 50 for a longitudinal cohort. This study includes participants who participated in the 18-month follow-up visit. We assessed physical symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire–15 (PHQ-15); psychological symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD), and psychiatric section of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI); loneliness using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale; and regret using a six-item regret scale. Two hundred eighty-three participants (75.6% men and 82.3% African-Americans) completed symptoms interviews. Over a third (34.0%) had moderate–high physical symptom burden. The most prevalent physical symptoms were joint pain, fatigue, back pain, and sleep trouble. Over half (57.6%) had psychological symptoms; 39.6% exhibited loneliness and 26.5% had high regret. In a multivariate model, being a woman (AOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.28–5.03), childhood abuse (AOR 1.88, 95% CI 1.00–3.50), cannabis use (AOR 2.59, 95% CI 1.38–4.89), multimorbidity (AOR 2.50, 95% CI 1.36–4.58), anxiety (AOR 4.30, 95% CI 2.24–8.26), hallucinations (AOR 3.77, 95% CI 1.36–10.43), and loneliness (AOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.26–4.28) were associated with moderate–high physical symptom burden. We identified four symptom clusters: minimal overall (n = 129), moderate overall (n = 68), high physical and high psychological (n = 67), and high physical and low psychological (n = 17). Older homeless-experienced adults exhibit a high prevalence of symptoms across multiple dimensions. To reduce suffering, clinicians should recognize the interaction between symptoms and address multiple symptom dimensions.
Liver Biopsy Diagnosis of Cirrhosis

Fibrosis in liver disease is the result of an abnormal increase in collagen fibers and other components of the extracellular matrix in response to chronic injury. Progression of chronic liver disease is due to the combined effects of ongoing injury, liver cell death, scarring and regeneration which produce the tissue changes that are termed cirrhosis. Chronic liver diseases progress to cirrhosis through a sequence of morphologic changes that reflect increasing fibrosis and architectural distortion.
Reconceptualizing Inclusive Education Through Multi-Tiered System of Support

Abstract Inclusive education, defined as “full inclusion,” has generated controversy for nearly three decades with special education placement at the heart of the debate. Whole-school application o...
Do Working Men Rebel

Most aid spending by governments seeking to rebuild social and political order is based on an opportunity-cost theory of distracting potential recruits. The logic is that gainfully employed young men are less likely to participate in political violence, implying a positive correlation between unemployment and violence in locations with active insurgencies. We test that prediction in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Philippines, using survey data on unemployment and two newly-available measures of insurgency: (1) attacks against government and allied forces; and (2) violence that kills civilians. Contrary to the opportunity-cost theory, the data emphatically reject a positive correlation between unemployment and attacks against government and allied forces (p<.05%). There is no significant relationship between unemployment and the rate of insurgent attacks that kill civilians. We identify several potential explanations, introducing the notion of insurgent precision to adjudicate between the possibilities that predation on the one hand, and security measures and information costs on the other, account for the negative correlation between unemployment and violence in these three conflicts. † We acknowledge the tremendously helpful comments received at the June 2009 Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation conference on Governance, Development, and Political Violence, and at seminars at UC Berkley, UCLA, UC San Diego, the University of Southern California, and the University of Ottawa.. L. Choon Wang, Josh Martin, Lindsay Heger and Luke N. Condra provided invaluable research assistance. Gordon Dahl, James Fearon, Esteban Klor, Daniele Paserman, Kris Ramsay, and our anonymous reviewers provided critical comments. We acknowledge grant #2007-ST-061-000001 by the United States Department of Homeland Security through the National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events and grant # FA9550-09-1-0314 by the United States Department of Defense through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The opinions, findings, and recommendations in this document are the authors‘ and do not reflect views of the United States Department of Homeland Security or Department of Defense. All mistakes are ours. Replication data are available on the authors‘ websites and at http://jcr.sagepub.com/.
Representations of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, Informal Antiretroviral Medication Use for HIV Prevention, and Diversion on Geosocial Networking Apps among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

The use of geosocial networking applications (e.g., Grindr) among men who have sex with men (MSM) is common. Yet scant research has examined how antiretroviral medications (ARVs)—including informal use—diversion and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are presented inside of the applications. The present study examines this phenomenon. Data are drawn from a qualitative study (N = 39) of the scope and magnitude of the informal market of ARV use for HIV prevention among MSM. Twenty-five participants reported seeing references to ARVs inside the applications. Men described geosocial networking application users’ presentations of ARVs as being related to: PrEP use among HIV-negative MSM, the sale and/or use of illicit drugs (e.g., methamphetamine), informal trade/sale for HIV-prevention, and PrEP use among HIV-positive men. Findings suggest continued desire for and acceptability of PrEP as HIV prevention tool and that geosocial networking apps are being used to facilitate the exchange and informal use of ARVs for HIV-prevention. Geosocial networking applications represent a promising and important platform to educate MSM about safe and effective use of PrEP and the risks related to diversion and informal ARV use.
Last Words in Volume 17:1

Marchand comments with glee on the great steam shovel tearing up the Jersey shale on the site of the new Library (Alexander Library).
Nociceptin Orphanin FQ 1-13 -NH 2

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ(1–13) amide is the smallest fragment of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) that binds to and activates its cognate receptor, ORL1 ( Calo et al ., 1996 ; Dooley and Houghten, 1996 ). ORL1 agonists, such as this peptide, are active on cells in the central nervous and immune systems. Their actions include, but are not limited to, modulation of nociceptive sensitivity, anxiolytic actions, orexogenic actions, bradycardia, and diuresis ( Calo et al., 2000 ). Unlike other opioid agonists, N/OFQ-like agonists do not appear to have addictive potential ( Devine et al., 1996 ).