cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Accuracy of Nurses Predictions for Clinical Outcomes in the Chronically Critically Ill

Background: Accurately predicting survivorship of patients in the intensive care unit is known to be difficult. Previous research has shown that nurses are more likely to recognize futile medical care than other disciplines. The purpose of this study was to describe the accuracy of nurse’s predictions for survival of patients who are chronically critically ill (CCI). Methods: Using a secondary data analysis from a longitudinal, descriptive study, we evaluated nurses’ predictions for survival at admission and until ICU discharge or patient death. Results: Nurses were able to more accurately predict survival of CCI patients than death and prognostication appeared to improve with prolonged ICU stays. Conclusion: This is the first longitudinal study that focused on nurse prognostication in a chronically critically ill patient population. Future research should explore the relationship between ICU nurse characteristics and the accuracy of survival predictions.
Scalable Syntheses of 4-Substituted Pyridine–Diimines

A concise benchtop and scalable synthesis of pyridine–diimine (PDI) ligand frameworks is presented using inexpensive commercial starting materials as opposed to previous syntheses of these ligands, which have confronted long and tedious routes that employ toxic and often difficult to scale pyrophoric reagents. The streamlined synthesis is derived from the facile delivery of 4-functionalized diacetylpyridines from a Minisci reaction using pyruvic acid, silver nitrate, and persulfate. As the PDI ligand scaffold has been adopted for a range of catalytic applications, the ability to modulate the electronic properties of the ligand with facility may be useful for optimizing a variety of catalytic transformations.
Sagittal Plane Deformity Surgery: Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy (PSO) Complication

Sagittal malalignment has been recognized as a significant driver of morbidity in adult spinal deformity (ASD). Our current understanding of optimal sagittal alignment is built around the concepts of the sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and spinopelvic alignment, notably the relationship between pelvic incidence (PI) and lumbar lordosis (LL). In cases with sagittal deformity, surgeons will often attempt to restore LL such that the difference between PI and LL (PI-LL) is less than 10°. This relationship, however, assumes that surgeons can change LL but that PI is a constant morphologic parameter, i.e., surgeons can template a target LL passed on preoperative PI. In this chapter, however, we present a case where a postoperative change in PI was noted. In this case, a pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) was utilized to correct LL such that it matched the preoperative PI. The patient subsequently experienced a 40° increase in PI and persistent sagittal malalignment despite adequate restoration of LL. We review the literature and explore the possible etiology of PI change in adults and discuss salvage options, such as sacral osteotomies, that might be utilized in these cases. This case emphasizes the importance of preoperative surgical planning and the utilization of pelvic fixation in long instrumentation to the sacrum in adult spinal deformity patients.
Intermolecular Charge Separation in Aggregated Rhodamine Dyes Used in Solar Hydrogen Production

Various modern solar light-harvesting systems, including those used in photovoltaics and solar fuel production, depend on efficient electron transfer from a surface-bound molecular dye to nanoscopic semiconductor particles. However, the productive electron transfer competes with a variety of other relaxation pathways for the dye, and the dominant pathway can change dramatically depending on its environment. A new sulfur-substituted thiorhodamine dye was synthesized having exceptional light-harvesting qualities for solar energy applications and for solar hydrogen production in particular. The dye was created with a thiophene spacer bearing a phosphonate-ester (1-Ester) or phosphonic-acid (1-Acid) allowing for excellent solubility in MeCN or the ability to functionalize metal oxide semiconductor nanoparticles such as TiO2. While 1-Ester is found to be fully monomeric in MeCN, 1-Acid readily forms H-aggregated dimers which, upon photoexcitation, undergo charge separation to an ion pair (IP) in 1.5 ps. For 1-...
Pediatric Advanced Life Support: A Review of the AHA Recommendations

The etiologies of respiratory failure, shock, cardiopulmonary arrest and dysrhythmias in children differ from those in adults. In 1988, the American Heart Association implemented the pediatric advanced life support (PALS) program. Major revisions to the program were made in 1994, with further revisions in 1997. The PALS program teaches a systematic, organized approach for the evaluation and management of acutely ill or injured children. Early identification and treatment of respiratory failure and shock in children improve survival, from a dismal 10 percent to an encouraging 85 percent. Family physicians who care for acutely ill or injured children have a tremendous opportunity to save lives through implementation of the PALS information.
Violence Associated with Somatic Delusions.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) characterizes delusional disorder (DD) by the presence of delusions for longer than one month, without bizarre behavior or functional impairment. According to Kaplan and Saddock, the lifetime prevalence of DD (all subtypes) is about 0.2%. The persecutory subtype of delusional disorder (DD-PS) is the most common and the somatic subtype (DD-SS) is exceedingly rare. We aim to describe two cases of patients with somatic delusions, both presenting as imminently dangerous and threatening. We also discuss one case that resulted from our extensive literature review where somatic delusions were implicated in elevating a mass shooter’s violence risk. Both patients whose cases are presented were involuntarily hospitalized after their doctors called 911 to report that they were being threatened by a weapon. These patients had no established psychiatric diagnoses and were evaluated thoroughly and diagnosed with DD-SS. Both perceived that their physicians were indifferent to their needs and cited their frustration as the trigger for planning attacks on the doctors. Unlike PS, SS is not traditionally described as increasing danger or risk of violence, and thorough risk assessments are not usually performed in DD-SS. We demonstrate that formal psychiatric violence risk assessments remain a useful tool to methodically stratify and effectively address risk, even in patients we do not typically expect to demonstrate premeditated violence.
A robotic teaching session: separating tool from technique to emphasize a cognitive focused teaching environment

Most robotic curriculum requires simulation on a console prior to operative exposure. This practice does not permit experiencing the physical collisions with the robotic tools, which occurs during surgery. We designed and evaluated an innovative curriculum to address cognitive components and trouble-shoot robotic collisions when the surgeon lacks haptic feedback. We adapted our previous curriculum, designed to teach and document proficiency of robotic docking and instrument exchange, to include robotic collisions. Participants received a 10-min, didactic presentation describing finger grips, internal and external collisions, and instruction on how to trouble-shoot each type. Residents worked in pairs, one at the console and the other at bedside, to complete two simulation exercises. Participants manipulated the robot to determine how best to resolve the situations. Residents completed retrospective post-course surveys and instructors completed a final survey. For comparison, non-participants, PGY-matched surgical trainees, also completed a survey. All participants demonstrated proficiency in docking and instrument exchange. Compared to pre-session, post-session knowledge and confidence improved in five domains reflecting session objectives (p < 0.05). Participants could list and troubleshoot collisions more than the non-participant matched peers (p < 0.05). Instructors supported the additional collision components, but noted learners needed more time. Two of three non-participants expressed interest in a teaching session to address these components. Collisions occur using robotic technology and rarely get addressed in surgical training. We describe an opportunity for surgeons to trouble-shoot robotic collisions in a safe, simulated environment. This easily transferable curriculum represents one of the first industry-independent robotic teaching sessions for surgical trainees.
A mixed methods study of satisfaction with justice and desire for revenge in survivors of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City's World Trade Center.

Objective This study used mixed methods to investigate satisfaction with justice and desire for revenge in a sample of employees from New York City agencies affected by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Methods A volunteer sample of 196 employees of eight affected agencies provided a short essay about what justice means to them in relation to the 9/11 attacks, followed by 20 quantitative questions covering personal experiences and perceptions of 9/11-related justice. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed for bivariate comparisons of quantitative items and qualitative thematic codes. Mixed methods analysis was used to inspect the associations of the content of all text coded for themes with quantitative categories within and across domains. Results Only the revenge domain showed a significant association between the quantitative category and the qualitative theme. The quantitative revenge category was positively associated with the qualitative justice through safety theme. Examination of qualitative content provided insights into the relationships with quantitative constructs. Conclusion Qualitative and mixed methods research on justice and revenge in mass casualty settings add new findings to the existing literature and have the potential to contribute to the interpretation and potential expansion of topic areas assessed by quantitative scales.
Neurological Exam and Neurophysiologic Evaluation for the Pain Patient

The neurological evaluation plays an integral role in the evaluation and management of the pain patient. The conceptual approach is to identify the pathology and the underlying etiology, which then guides treatment and prognosis. The neurological exam is at the core of this evaluation, and experienced providers can diagnose diseases of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Nerve conduction study (NCS) and electromyography (EMG) are useful neurodiagnostic tools that enable the clinician to more precisely localize the pathology through detailed assessments of individual peripheral nerves and muscles. Not only can NCS/EMG aid in localization, it provides further information regarding the chronicity of disease and the possible mechanisms of injury. There are multiple etiologies that result in spine pain and many more disease mimics; the neurological exam and NCS/EMG aid the pain physician in obtaining the correct diagnosis.
A Multi-sensor Fusion Scheme for Broken Rotor Bar and Air-gap Eccentricity Detection of Induction Machines

A new multi-sensor fusion scheme for induction motor broken rotor bar fault and dynamic air gap eccentricity fault detection is proposed in this paper to refine the sensor selecting process and improve the correlation of data. Instead of combining the signatures for the same fault, the proposed scheme combines the characteristic frequencies from different sensor related to the same abnormal phenomenon such rotor asymmetry and speed ripples. An experimental validation is performed on a 7.5 horsepower induction motor. The data for unbalanced load condition is also gathered, and it can be separated from similar condition. The experimental results validated the new fusion scheme and proved that with the proposed scheme, higher sensitivity and specificity can be achieved.
Winter Is Coming: Conserving Body Protein in Female Reindeer, Caribou, and Muskoxen

Northern ungulates undergo pregnancy in winter when food supplies are low. Consequently, females employ a capital breeding strategy that relies upon maternal body stores of energy and protein for fetal growth. We studied captive female reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus; n = 6; 118 kg), caribou (R. t. granti; n = 6; 97 kg), and muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus; n = 8; 205 kg) in late winter (February to April) to track body protein use in late pregnancy when feeding is often interrupted by snow storms and when wild animals begin movements to spring and summer ranges where they give birth. We used high and low protein rations (14-16% and 8% protein) as complete diets for Rangifer and high protein ration as a supplement (500g/day) to hay (7.3% protein; δ15N = 1.1‰) for Ovibos. Animals were fasted for 2 days to evaluate isotopic responses to an acute deficit of energy and protein on each diet in a sequence from δ15N 1.6‰, to 6.9‰ to 3.2‰ over 58 days. Dietary shifts in δ15N were reflected in plant fibers in the feces (fecal fiber) but not in blood cells (Rangifer 6.5 ± 0.3‰; Ovibos 5.2 ± 0.1‰). Serum proteins were higher in δ15N than blood cells whereas serum amino acids were lower in δ15N than blood cells and more responsive to changes in dietary δ15N indicated by fecal fiber. Fasting did not affect δ15N of serum proteins or serum amino acids. Values for δ15N in urea were strongly affected by both shifts in diet and by fasting, which indicated that excretory urea N was derived from cellular proteins and isotopically heavy proteins released from organs into the serum. Inter-organ exchanges of transport proteins may minimize oxidation of stored amino acids and conserve body protein stores for fetal growth and milk production in Rangifer and Ovibos. A capital breeding strategy in these long-lived, iteroparous herbivores relies upon routing of body proteins to simultaneously sustain both maternal function and maternal investment through common metabolic pathways that conserve lean body mass for survival.
CCL2/CCR2 system in neuroepithelial radial glia progenitor cells: involvement in stimulatory, sexually dimorphic effects of maternal ethanol on embryonic development of hypothalamic peptide neurons

Clinical and animal studies show that alcohol consumption during pregnancy produces lasting behavioral disturbances in offspring, including increased alcohol drinking, which are linked to inflammation in the brain and disturbances in neurochemical systems that promote these behaviors. These include the neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), which is mostly expressed in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Maternal ethanol administration at low-to-moderate doses, while stimulating MCH neurons without affecting apoptosis or gliogenesis, increases in LH the density of neurons expressing the inflammatory chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) and its receptor CCR2 and their colocalization with MCH. These neural effects associated with behavioral changes are reproduced by maternal CCL2 administration, reversed by a CCR2 antagonist, and consistently stronger in females than males. The present study investigates in the embryo the developmental origins of this CCL2/CCR2-mediated stimulatory effect of maternal ethanol exposure on MCH neurons. Pregnant rats from embryonic day 10 (E10) to E15 during peak neurogenesis were orally administered ethanol at a moderate dose (2 g/kg/day) or peripherally injected with CCL2 or CCR2 antagonist to test this neuroimmune system’s role in ethanol’s actions. Using real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence histochemistry, in situ hybridization, and confocal microscopy, we examined in embryos at E19 the CCL2/CCR2 system and MCH neurons in relation to radial glia progenitor cells in the hypothalamic neuroepithelium where neurons are born and radial glia processes projecting laterally through the medial hypothalamus that provide scaffolds for neuronal migration into LH. We demonstrate that maternal ethanol increases radial glia cell density and their processes while stimulating the CCL2/CCR2 system and these effects are mimicked by maternal administration of CCL2 and blocked by a CCR2 antagonist. While stimulating CCL2 colocalization with radial glia and neurons but not microglia, ethanol increases MCH neuronal number near radial glia cells and making contact along their processes projecting into LH. Further tests identify the CCL2/CCR2 system in NEP as a primary source of ethanol’s sexually dimorphic actions. These findings provide new evidence for how an inflammatory chemokine pathway functions within neuroprogenitor cells to mediate ethanol’s long-lasting, stimulatory effects on peptide neurons linked to adolescent drinking behavior.
Dechlorination of 1,2‐dichloroethane catalyzed by Pt–Cu/C: unraveling the role of each metal

The effect of Pt–Cu/C catalyst composition on the activity and selectivity in the reaction of 1,2‐dichloroethane dechlorination in a H2‐containing atmosphere has been investigated. For monometallic Pt catalysts and those with Cu/Pt atomic ratio ⩽1, the reaction products are almost entirely ethane and monochloroethane. However, increasing the Cu/Pt ratio increases the selectivity towards ethylene. Approximately 90% selectivity towards ethylene is obtained for catalysts with Cu/Pt ratio ⩾9. Monometallic Cu/C produce only ethylene, but the activity is two orders of magnitude lower than that of other catalysts studied. With time on stream during the initial 2–30 h there is a continuous increase in selectivity towards ethylene at the expense of ethane. This behavior was rationalized in terms of equilibration of bimetallic particle surface composition exposed to the reaction mixture.
Digital Fabric Libraries: Managing Digital Assets

The digital transformation of the fashion and apparel industry is ongoing. Some pioneering brands have made progress with partial or company-wide workflow digitization and exploration of 3D virtual garment technology in the recent decade. As product design and development workflow are becoming digitized, advanced digital visualization technologies for material came into the world. This paper brought information on currently available digital material library platforms and fabric scanners and suggested potential spaces for improvements of those technologies to take an essential step toward enhancing the reliability and accuracy of the 3D virtual simulation and gaining full acceptance of the introduced digital material visualization technologies.
Global Warming’s Six Americas: a review and recommendations for climate change communication

Strategic communication requires the identification and understanding of target audiences for tailored communication. The Global Warming’s Six Americas analysis segments the U.S. public into six distinct, but internally consistent audiences, who each respond differently to the issue of climate change. The segments include the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive. The framework was first developed in 2008 and has been tracked twice a year using nationally representative surveys for over a decade. This research has helped advance communication theory and practice and the Six Americas framework has informed the decision making of stakeholders ranging from scientists to government officials, journalists, educators, and advocates. The framework has also been extended to assess specialized audiences (e.g. broadcast meteorologists) and other countries (e.g. India, Australia, and Germany). Future research should further develop and investigate the Six Americas within the United States, while also developing tailored segmentations and related tools for other countries.
Symptomatic pancreatic body endometrial cyst requiring en bloc distal pancreatectomy

Pancreatic endometriosis is an extremely rare condition, with only a few cases described in the literature. Definitive diagnosis is often difficult to elucidate and will almost always require biopsy or surgical resection. We present a case of a female in her early thirties with a well-known history of widespread endometriosis presenting with vague epigastric pain. CT imaging showed an 11 cm well-circumscribed simple-appearing cyst in the lessor sac. Its origin could not be determined preoperatively but it appeared to involve the parenchyma of the body of the pancreas. Due to the associated pain and indeterminate nature, subtotal surgical resection of the extrapancreatic cyst was performed with the intrapancreatic cyst being managed by a cystogastrostomy to the adjacent stomach in a planned pancreas-sparing procedure following intraoperative confirmation it was arising within the pancreas. Pathological evaluation of the resected cyst confirmed it to be an endometrial cyst. The cystogastrostomy anastomosis subsequently obstructed a few weeks postoperatively and symptoms recurred from cyst enlargement. Redo robotic resection with resection of the remnant cyst, cystogastrostomy and en bloc spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy was performed. The patient had an uneventful recovery. She has had no recurrence of cyst or symptoms since. A procedure video is included in the report.
Deep learning-based motion tracking using ultrasound images

PURPOSE Ultrasound (US) imaging is an established imaging modality capable of offering video-rate volumetric images without ionizing radiation. It has the potential for intra-fraction motion tracking in radiation therapy. In this study, a deep learning-based method has been developed to tackle the challenges in motion tracking using US imaging. METHODS We present a Markov-like network, which is implemented via generative adversarial networks, to extract features from sequential US frames (one tracked frame followed by untracked frames) and thereby estimate a set of deformation vector fields (DVFs) through the registration of the tracked frame and the untracked frames. The positions of the landmarks in the untracked frames are finally determined by shifting landmarks in the tracked frame according to the estimated DVFs. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on the testing dataset by calculating the tracking error (TE) between the predicted and ground truth landmarks on each frame. RESULTS The proposed method was evaluated using the MICCAI CLUST 2015 dataset which was collected using seven US scanners with eight types of transducers and the Cardiac Acquisitions for Multi-structure Ultrasound Segmentation (CAMUS) dataset which was acquired using GE Vivid E95 ultrasound scanners. The CLUST dataset contains 63 2D and 22 3D US image sequences respectively from 42 and 18 subjects, and the CAMUS dataset includes 2D US images from 450 patients. On CLUST dataset, our proposed method achieved a mean tracking error of 0.70 ± 0.38 mm for the 2D sequences and 1.71 ± 0.84 mm for the 3D sequences for those public available annotations. And on CAMUS dataset, a mean tracking error of 0.54 ± 1.24 mm for the landmarks in the left atrium was achieved. CONCLUSIONS A novel motion tracking algorithm using US images based on modern deep learning techniques has been demonstrated in this study. The proposed method can offer millimeter-level tumor motion prediction in real time, which has the potential to be adopted into routine tumor motion management in radiation therapy.
Making sense of naturalization: What citizenship means to naturalizing immigrants in Canada and the USA

Immigrant naturalization is both a barometer of inclusiveness and immigrant incorporation and a mechanism of social reproduction of the nation. This article reports on an interview-based study in suburban Toronto and New Jersey that investigated how immigrants explain their decisions to acquire citizenship. It analyzes respondents’ understandings of naturalization in light of different theories of citizenship and different dimensions of the concept. The study contributes to the literature by showing how many American immigrants interviewed while going through the naturalization process resisted framing naturalization as identity-changing, situating it instead as a common-sense move following permanent settlement and belonging. In contrast, Canadian respondents were more likely to characterize naturalization as an active process that tied them to a positively valued nation. While immigrant respondents in both countries were interested in voting and travel benefits of citizenship, only American respondents sought the protection that citizenship would afford in an anti-immigrant policy climate. I discuss how naturalization as a tool of civic integration and political empowerment resonates with immigrants’ own understandings of the process and consider the role played by the institutional contexts around naturalization and immigration more generally.
Cross-Calibration and Longitudinal Quality Control of Hologic Selenia Full-Field Digital Mammography Systems for Volumetric Breast Density Measurements

High breast tissue density has been shown to be one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk in women; though currently there are no calibrated methods to ensure that clinical measures of density are accurate. This inability to make accurate measurements impedes the use of breast tissue density as a cancer risk indicator. An accurate and precise method to measure the volumetric density of breast tissue in a clinical environment has been developed without modifying existing methods. The single x-ray absorptiometry (SXA) approach is validated against known breast fibroglandular density test phantoms and the accuracy and precision of the measure is monitored longitudinally. With cross-calibration and longitudinal quality control using the same test phantoms we show that SXA density measures are comparable between seven Hologic Selenia Full-Field Digital Mammography systems. In the future, we plan to address whether SXA measures can be generalized across different makes and models.
Prefix- and interval-partitioned router-tables [IP routing]

Two schemes - prefix partition and interval partition - are proposed to improve the performance of router-table design. Significant reduction in the time to find the longest matching-prefix, insert a prefix, and delete a prefix is achieved.
NEPA—Substantive Effectiveness Under a Procedural Mandate: Assessment of Oil and Gas EISs in the Mountain West

This paper empirically evaluates whether Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for oil and natural gas field development projects lead to a significant reduction in environmental impacts. Based on our statistical analysis of projects within a four-state region, we conclude that EIS preparation does appear to produce final decisions that are substantially less impactive on the environment when compared to initially proposed projects. Impact reductions occur primarily between the Draft EIS and Final EIS, with minor reductions occurring between the Final EIS and Record of Decision. While reductions may be partially attributable to other legal requirements (such as Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, or Endangered Species Act compliance or intervening economic and technological factors), external factors alone do not adequately explain impact reductions. We also found that the number of alternatives considered within an EIS affects the magnitude of impact reduction. EISs that consider a broader range of alternatives are more effective at reducing environmental impacts.
Rebecca S. Halstead: Steadfast Leadership

Reviews Rebecca Halstead's career history, detailing how, through her personal attributes, skills, experiences, challenges, and organizational practices she developed into a successful leader and commander in the U.S. Army. The case profiles her leadership style and philosophy. It examines her career strategies and rise through the ranks; strategies she used to deal with challenges faced as a woman in the military; how she turned around a troubled military unit; and how she dealt with a difficult boss who threatened her command of a 25,000 person combat mission.Learning Objective: This case explores several issues: leadership, career planning, leading teams, dealing with difficult bosses, human resource management; taking charge; hostile work environments; role of gender in work environments.
The Informational Role of the EPA SO2 Permit Auction

We consider the ex ante informational implications of the mandatory surrender feature of a stylized emission permit auction, similar to that in the U.S. EPA SO2 permit scheme, but modeled as a uniform price auction. The theory suggests that generally the auction gives misleading signals concerning the expected price of permits in the post-auction permit market; in the cases where the permit auction is designed to correctly predict the post-auction permit market equilibrium price, the permit auction preempts the permit market, and all trading occurs in the auction. Ex post auction/market experience suggests that the market may have enabled the auction and consequently raises the possibility that the market may have worked in spite of the auction and not because of it.
THEORIZING DIGITAL AND URBAN INEQUALITIES

Contemporary research on disparities in access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) – what is commonly referred to as the digital divide – is limited in terms of its ability to explain the interrelationships between digital and urban inequalities. Drawing upon critical geographical conceptualizations of the relationships between power, place, and scale, and a Bourdieusian conceptualization of technological and social capital, this article proposes a model of the interconnections between urban and digital inequalities from the vantage point of the everyday experiences of economically marginalized urban residents in the United States. On the basis of this model, the author suggests a future research agenda that examines the empowerment or disempowerment of people related to ICTs in relation to their own frameworks for ICT use; how technological capacity is related to technological and social capital embedded in particular places; and how technical capacity is developed across mult...
Cell adhesion and spreading factor. Similarity to cold insoluble globulin in human serum

Abstract Data are presented which indicate that the serum factor required for cell adhesion and spreading is very similar to cold insoluble globulin. Clotting of plasma under conditions that remove cold insoluble globulin also remove the adhesion and spreading factor. The activity of the adhesion and spreading factor co-chromatographs with cold insoluble globulin antigenicity on DEAE-cellulose and the mobilities of adhesion and spreading factor and cold insoluble globulin are the same in disc gel electrophoresis. Finally, antibody which is directed against cold insoluble globulin cross-reacts with a single component in the adhesion and spreading factor and inhibits its activity. The close similarity of the cell adhesion and spreading factor with cold insoluble globulin suggests that, in vivo, cold insoluble globulin which is adsorbed to collagen or part of a fibrin clot may constitute the normal substratum for fibroblast adhesion and migration.
Asset Pricing and Earnings Fluctuations in a Dynamic Corporate Economy

We give a new predictive mathematical model for macroeconomics, which deals specifically with asset prices and earnings fluctuations, in the presence of a dynamic economy involving mergers, acquisitions, and hostile takeovers. Consider a model economy with a large number of corporations $C_1, C_2, ..., C_n$ of different sizes. We ascribe a degree of randomness to the event that any particular pair of corporations $C_i, C_j$ might undergo a merger, with probability matrix $p_{ij}$. Previous random-graph models set $p_{ij}$ equal to a constant, while in a real-world economy, $p_{ij}$ is a complicated function of a large number of variables. We combine techniques of artificial intelligence and statistical physics to define a general class of mathematical models which, after being trained with past market data, give numerical predictions for certain quantities of interest including asset prices, earnings fluctuations, and merger/acquisition likelihood. These new models might reasonably be called ``cluster-size models.'' They partially capture the complicated dependence of $p_{ij}$ on economic factors, and generate usable predictions.
Medicine Circles Defeating Tuberculosis in Southern California

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two medicine circles existed in Indian country: one Native and one Euro-American. Traditional doctors among First Nations peoples approached disease in spiritual ways and also used herbal medicine to treat their patients. First Nations people tried to treat infectious diseases brought by newcomers through plant medicine, ritual, and ceremony. Generally unsuccessful, First Nations people and doctors of California learned from practitioners of Western medicine to care for tubercular patients, to avoid the bacteria, and to remove active tubercular patients to sanatoria. Native agency and Western medical practices intersected and worked successfully from 1928-48 to reduce cases and deaths caused by tuberculosis.
Progression to Traditional Cigarette Smoking After Electronic Cigarette Use Among US Adolescents and Young Adults

Importance Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may help smokers reduce the use of traditional combustible cigarettes. However, adolescents and young adults who have never smoked traditional cigarettes are now using e-cigarettes, and these individuals may be at risk for subsequent progression to traditional cigarette smoking. Objective To determine whether baseline use of e-cigarettes among nonsmoking and nonsusceptible adolescents and young adults is associated with subsequent progression along an established trajectory to traditional cigarette smoking. Design, setting, and participants In this longitudinal cohort study, a national US sample of 694 participants aged 16 to 26 years who were never cigarette smokers and were attitudinally nonsusceptible to smoking cigarettes completed baseline surveys from October 1, 2012, to May 1, 2014, regarding smoking in 2012-2013. They were reassessed 1 year later. Analysis was conducted from July 1, 2014, to March 1, 2015. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the independent association between baseline e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking, controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, maternal educational level, sensation-seeking tendency, parental cigarette smoking, and cigarette smoking among friends. Sensitivity analyses were performed, with varying approaches to missing data and recanting. Exposures Use of e-cigarettes at baseline. Main outcomes and measures Progression to cigarette smoking, defined using 3 specific states along a trajectory: nonsusceptible nonsmokers, susceptible nonsmokers, and smokers. Individuals who could not rule out smoking in the future were defined as susceptible. Results Among the 694 respondents, 374 (53.9%) were female and 531 (76.5%) were non-Hispanic white. At baseline, 16 participants (2.3%) used e-cigarettes. Over the 1-year follow-up, 11 of 16 e-cigarette users and 128 of 678 of those who had not used e-cigarettes (18.9%) progressed toward cigarette smoking. In the primary fully adjusted models, baseline e-cigarette use was independently associated with progression to smoking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 8.3; 95% CI, 1.2-58.6) and to susceptibility among nonsmokers (AOR, 8.5; 95% CI, 1.3-57.2). Sensitivity analyses showed consistent results in the level of significance and slightly larger magnitude of AORs. Conclusions and relevance In this national sample of US adolescents and young adults, use of e-cigarettes at baseline was associated with progression to traditional cigarette smoking. These findings support regulations to limit sales and decrease the appeal of e-cigarettes to adolescents and young adults.
Software testbed for developing and evaluating integrated autonomous systems

To implement fault tolerant autonomy in future space systems, it will be necessary to integrate planning, adaptive control, and state estimation subsystems. However, integrating these subsystems is difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone. This paper describes Intelliface/ADAPT, a software testbed that helps researchers develop and test alternative strategies for integrating planning, execution, and diagnosis subsystems more quickly and easily. The testbed's architecture, graphical data displays, and implementations of the integrated subsystems support easy plug and play of alternate components to support research and development in fault-tolerant control of autonomous vehicles and operations support systems. Intelliface/ADAPT controls NASA's Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT), which comprises batteries, electrical loads (fans, pumps, and lights), relays, circuit breakers, invertors, and sensors. During plan execution, an experimentor can inject faults into the ADAPT testbed by tripping circuit breakers, changing fan speed settings, and closing valves to restrict fluid flow. The diagnostic subsystem, based on NASA's Hybrid Diagnosis Engine (HyDE), detects and isolates these faults to determine the new state of the plant, ADAPT. Intelliface/ADAPT then updates its model of the ADAPT system's resources and determines whether the current plan can be executed using the reduced resources. If not, the planning subsystem generates a new plan that reschedules tasks, reconfigures ADAPT, and reassigns the use of ADAPT resources as needed to work around the fault. The resource model, planning domain model, and planning goals are expressed using NASA's Action Notation Modeling Language (ANML). Parts of the ANML model are generated automatically, and other parts are constructed by hand using the Planning Model Integrated Development Environment, a visual Eclipse-based IDE that accelerates ANML model development. Because native ANML planners are currently under development and not yet sufficiently capable, the ANML model is translated into the New Domain Definition Language (NDDL) and sent to NASA's EUROPA planning system for plan generation. The adaptive controller executes the new plan, using augmented, hierarchical finite state machines to select and sequence actions based on the state of the ADAPT system. Real-time sensor data, commands, and plans are displayed in information-dense arrays of timelines and graphs that zoom and scroll in unison. A dynamic schematic display uses color to show the real-time fault state and utilization of the system components and resources. An execution manager coordinates the activities of the other subsystems. The subsystems are integrated using the Internet Communications Engine (ICE), an object-oriented toolkit for building distributed applications.
Liganded vitamin D receptor displays anti-hypertrophic activity in the murine heart.

Abstract Vitamin D and its analogs have been suggested to have palliative effects in the cardiovascular system. We have examined the effects of co-administration of the vitamin D receptor agonist, paricalcitol, on the hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis produced by chronic angiotensin II (AII) infusion. Administration of AII (800 ng/kg/min) over a 14-day period resulted in increased blood pressure, myocyte hypertrophy, activation of the hypertrophic fetal gene program (atrial natriuretic peptide, B-type natriuretic peptide and alpha skeletal actin gene expression), increased expression of the pro-hypertrophic modulatory calcineurin inhibitor protein 1 (MCIP 1), and increased fibrosis with augmented procollagen 1 and 3 gene expression. In each case co-administration of paricalcitol (300 ng/kg intraperitoneally every 48 h) at least partially reversed the AII-dependent effect. These studies demonstrate that the liganded vitamin D receptor possesses potent anti-hypertrophic activity in this non-renin-dependent model of cardiac hypertrophy. The anti-hypertrophic activity appears to be at least partially intrinsic to the cardiac myocyte and may involve suppression of the MCIP 1 protein. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Vitamin D Workshop’.
THE UPTAKE OF TRITIATED THYMIDINE BY NEWLY TRANSPLANTED EHRLICH ASCITES TUMOR CELLS.

Abstract When large numbers of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells were transplanted into the peritoneal cavity of mice, they were found capable of taking up tritiated thymidine within one minute after transplantation. There were only a few necrotic cells after transfer, and the percentage of cells labeled by tritiated thymidine remained constant up to 30 hr after inoculation. These findings indicated that cell death was negligible and that Ehrlich cells transplanted into new hosts continued to synthesize DNA without an appreciable lag. A temporary depression of the mitotic index and a slight delay in the appearance of labeled mitoses suggested a lengthening of that phase of the cell cycle immediately preceding mitosis. However, the length of the DNA synthesis phase did not differ from the values found in previous experiments with tumors in various stages of growth. The percentage of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells labeled by a single injection of tritiated thymidine decreased after the first few days of tumor growth, but it promptly increased again when these cells from tumors in advanced stages of growth were transplanted into new hosts.
Glycated albumin by affinity chromatography and radioimmunoassay in the management of diabetes mellitus

A sensitive and specific assay for glycated albumin (GALB) has been developed. Ten μL of serum is fractionated by affinity chromatography on a boranateagarose column and quantitated by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Assay linearity is 15.6–1,000 ng of albumin. Dose-response curves prepared from both glycated albumin and albumin standard are superimposable in the range of 31–500 ng, equivalent to 0.1–15% of GALB assuming total albumin concentration to be 50 g/L. Recovery was 93 ± 3%. Sensitivity is 16 ng. Precision (CV) is 14.3% with patient sample duplicates (n = 57) and 15.6% when assaying controls (n = 21). Our reference interval (RI) for GALB is 0.43–1.19% of total albumin. GALB levels are significantly elevated (p < 0.0001) in random samples from 37 diabetics. GALB correlates positively with both glycated hemoglobin (GHB) (r = 0.901) and serum glucose concentration (r = 0.706). In 10 diabetic patients followed serially with fasting and postprandial glucoses, GALB, and GHB, GALB was more sensitive than GHB in reflecting short-term changes in glycemic control. Our data demonstrate the value of GALB measurements when the assessment of glycemic control over a short period of time is important, such as in monitoring the results of changing therapy.
Teachers' Self-Monitoring of Praise vs Praise Instructions: Effects on Teachers' and Students' Behavior

This study investigated the relative effects of praise vs teachers' self-monitoring of praise on both teachers' and students' behavior. Although further applied research is needed, the results suggest that teachers' self-monitoring may enhance the effectiveness of teachers' contingent praise on the display of appropriate behavior by students. This enhancement may be dependent upon an optimal level and consistent rate of teachers' praise.
Formulation of coupled lateral--rotational foundation--soil interaction of building structures

Abstract In this paper an analysis is made of the combined lateral and rocking motion of the foundation of an N-mass structure coupled to a two-dimensional elastic half-space the free-field motion of which simulates an earthquake. The appropriate Lamb problem is solved in terms of integrals convergent in the Cauchy sense and three pairs of Volterra integral equations are derived: one pair neglecting base-mass effects and the other two pairs including them. The Lamb solution appears to be insufficiently smooth to permit the required differentiations of some integrals in two of the pairs of integral equations because of numerical divergence. The integrals known to diverge do not appear in the formulation of the equations which neglect base mass effects. Possible methods of solution are suggested.
Theoretical interpretation of the experimental electronic structure of lens shaped, self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots

We adopt an atomistic pseudopotential description of the electronic structure of self-assembled, lens-shaped InAs quantum dots within the ``linear combination of bulk bands'' method. We present a detailed comparison with experiment, including quantites such as the single-particle electron and hole energy level spacings, the excitonic band gap, the electron-electron, hole-hole, and electron-hole Coulomb energies and the optical polarization anisotropy. We find a generally good agreement, which is improved even further for a dot composition where some Ga has diffused into the dots.
On “parallel” illumination in the transmission electron microscope

Abstract It has been generally assumed that, in a transmission electron microscope, there exists some combination of lens excitations that will yield almost parallel illumination over a large area of the sample. This assumption is incorrect, when the objective is an immersion lens, due to the beam rotation in the magnetic field. The lack of parallelism is outside the control of the operator and is proportional to the diameter of the illuminated area. It has been measured, in a typical case, as 0.4 mrad/μm, a value that agrees well with calculation. This effect is large and needs to be taken into account when using techniques where parallel illumination is desired.
Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia

Kim, Ungtae and Jagath J. Kaluarachchi, 2009. Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 45(6):1361-1378. Abstract: Climate change affects water resources availability of international river basins that are vulnerable to runoff variability of upstream countries especially with increasing water demands. The upper Blue Nile River Basin is a good example because its downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, depend solely on Nile waters for their economic development. In this study, the impacts of climate change on both hydrology and water resources operations were analyzed using the outcomes of six different general circulation models (GCMs) for the 2050s. The outcomes of these six GCMs were weighted to provide average future changes. Hydrologic sensitivity, flow statistics, a drought index, and water resources assessment indices (reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability) were used as quantitative indicators. The changes in outflows from the two proposed dams (Karadobi and Border) to downstream countries were also assessed. Given the uncertainty of different GCMs, the simulation results of the weighted scenario suggested mild increases in hydrologic variables (precipitation, temperature, potential evapotranspiration, and runoff) across the study area. The weighted scenario also showed that low-flow statistics and the reliability of streamflows are increased and severe drought events are decreased mainly due to increased precipitation. Joint dam operation performed better than single dam operation in terms of both hydropower generation and mean annual storage without affecting the runoff volume to downstream countries, but enhancing flow characteristics and the robustness of streamflows. This study provides useful information to decision makers for the planning and management of future water resources of the study area and downstream countries.