cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A note on long-term variations of the African easterly jet

The African easterly jet (AEJ) is analysed at 600 hPa in August for the period 1948–2003. In most years, the jet reveals strong zonal asymmetries. In many cases a double-core pattern is evident, such that a western (AEJ/w) and eastern (AEJ/e) component of the jet can be distinguished. The inter-annual variations of intensity and latitude of the two components demonstrate markedly different behaviour. Intensity and latitude are negatively correlated for the AEJ/e while uncorrelated for AEJ/w. The latitude of the AEJ/w is also relatively invariant, while from year-to-year the latitude of the AEJ/e varies by some ten degrees. On inter-decadal to multi-decadal timescales, a decrease (increase) in mean intensity of the AEJ/w (AEJ/e) is apparent in the mid-1970s, coincident with onset of the long dry period in the Sahel. The composite analysis of the wettest and driest 5-year periods suggests that in the wet years the dominant core is the western one, while the eastern one is dominant in the dry years. Our explanation for the existence of the two cores and their disparate behaviour involves an inertial instability mechanism that controls the lower and mid-tropospheric winds in the eastern portion of the AEJ (i.e. in the central and eastern Sahel). Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Effects of hydrostatic pressure on the compressive behavior of thick laminated 45 ° and 90 ° unidirectional graphite-fiber/epoxy-matrix composites

Abstract Compression tests superposed on hydrostatic pressure have been conducted on thick graphite-fiber/epoxy-matrix, composites. The composites are laminated from about 100 plies with fibers that are continuous and unidirectionally oriented in the 45 ° and 90 ° directions with respect to the principal direction of compressive stress. The results show that the compressive stress/strain curves undergo extensive changes and the changes depend on the intensity of pressure and fiber orientation. The compressive stress/strain curves obtained at atmospheric pressure show a linear elastic region, followed by a non-linear region, exhibiting yielding and then fracture for both the 45 ° and the 90 ° composites. The 45 ° composites show consistently higher elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength, and fracture strain at all pressures than the 90 ° composites. The elastic moduli of both types of composite increase bilinearly with pressure with a break at 2 kbar, just as in the 0 ° composites. The yield and fracture strengths of both types increase linearly with pressure. The primary mode of initiation of fracture of 45 ° composites appears to be multiple delamination crack openings. As multiple delamination cracks propagate along the length of the samples, shear fracture of the matrix between the fibers along the fiber direction intercepts them at different depths, showing multiple levels of fracture planes at 45 °. The fracture mode of 90 ° composites is shear at an angle of 30 ° with respect to the direction of compressive load, once delamination crack opening at one or two sites is initiated. With increasing pressure, the angle of shear increases and reaches approximately 45 ° at 4 kbar. The experimental data for the 45 ° and 90 ° composites are compared with those of the 0 ° composites.
Comparison of the activity of fluoroquinolones against Mycobacterium avium in cell-free systems and a human monocyte in-vitro infection model.

Mycobacterium avium frequently causes disseminated infection in advanced AIDS. Some quinolones including ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin have anti-A/. avium activity in cell-free systems in vitro. Acidic conditions within macrophages and variable intracellular drug penetration and compartmentalization may, however, alter the susceptibility of M. avium to these antimicrobial agents in human tissues. We, therefore, tested the activities of 47 quinolones against M. avium in a human monocyte infection model using ciprofloxacin susceptible (MIC = 0.25 mg/L) and resistant (MIC = 4 mg/L) patient isolates. Monocytes from healthy subjects were infected with M. avium and cultured with or without antimicrobials for 8 days. Some quinolones had poor activity against M. avium in the monocyte culture system despite low MICs ( 32 mg/L showed some inhibition of M. avium growth within monocytes at 4 mg/L. Six quinolones synthesized based on structure-act ivity analysis were more active than ciprofloxacin. These data underscore the importance of evaluating drug activity of new antimicrobial agents against intracellular pathogens in a macrophage model as well as in cell-free systems.
Lymphoma versus pseudolymphoma of the skin: Gene rearrangement study of 21 cases with clinicopathologic correlation

Background: Diagnosis of cutaneous lymphoma in the absence of systemic lymphoma may be difficult. Reactive lymphoid lesions can mimic lymphoma clinically and histologically and have been designated pseudolymphomas. Objective: Our purpose was to analyze lymphoid gene rearrangements in cutaneous lymphoproliferative lesions and to correlate these findings with the histologic, immunophenotypic, and clinical profile. Methods: We examined 21 cases of lymphoproliferative lesions that developed in skin and performed molecular rearrangement analysis of T-cell receptor and immunoglobulin genes. We examined identical tissues by histologic and immunophenotypic criteria and conducted follow-up clinical evaluation of all patients. Results: Clonal rearrangements of immunoglobulin (seven cases) or T-cell receptor (two cases) gene were detected in 9 of 21 patients. No specific histologic or immunophenotypic feature was consistently associated with a clonal lymphoid gene rearrangement. Systemic lymphoma developed in one patient in whom a clonal rearrangement within the immunoglobulin gene was identified. Conclusion: Gene rearrangement analysis may be helpful in differentiating primary cutaneous lymphoma from pseudolymphoma. The chronic clinical course of patients with clonal lymphoid gene rearrangements supports a lack of correlation between clonality and biologic aggressiveness.
In A Word

There are words that we use very comfortably, words like power, law, democracy, and sovereignty. All of these words resonate, probably because they invoke a common heritage, culture, aspiration or even mythology. All of these words are certainly familiar, which suggests that we know what they mean. But the meanings of most if not all of these words are uncertain and contested. Equality, like other resonant words, does not have a single definition. But not having a single definition is vastly different from saying that these resonant words cannot or do not have a precise meaning, one that varies from context to context. My purpose in writing this essay, therefore, is to explore very briefly what can and does happen when we do not think carefully about the words we use so comfortably. My central argument is that precision in the words we use matters, because using these resonant words has real life repercussions that the user either may not intend or for which she may ultimately be held accountable. The essay therefore examines equality in two contexts, specifically, in the context of the American civil rights movement and the same-sex marriage movement, to illustrate the adverse consequences that can arise from the unguarded use of resonant words. Notwithstanding these possible pitfalls, the essay closes on a cautiously optimistic note. If we are intentional and conscious about the resonant words we use and how we use them, at worst, we may be able to avoid some unintended consequences or at least decide for ourselves up front if we want to bear the costs associated with their use. At best, we may be able to frame (or help frame) the debate(s) over issues that concern us all.
Phase aberration correction using ultrasound radiation force and vibrometry optimization

We describe a phase aberration correction method that uses dynamic ultrasound radiation force to harmonically vibrate an object using amplitude modulated continuous wave ultrasound. The phase of each element of an annular array transducer is adjusted to maximize the radiation force and obtain optimal focus of the ultrasound beam. The maximization of the radiation force is performed by monitoring the velocity of scatterers in the focus region. We present theory that shows focal optimization with radiation force has a well-behaved cost function. Experimental validation is shown by correction of manual defocusing of an annular array as well as correcting for a lens-shaped aberrator placed near the transducer. A Doppler laser vibrometer and a pulse-echo Doppler ultrasound method were used to monitor the velocity of a sphere used as a target for the transducer. By maximizing the radiation force-induced vibration of scatterers in the focal region, the resolution of the ultrasound beam can be recovered after aberration defocusing.
Shared Perceptions Morality Is Embedded in Social Contexts

Morality helps make social life possible, but social life is embedded in many social contexts. Research on morality has generally neglected this and instead has emphasized people's general beliefs. We therefore investigated the extent to which different moral principles are perceived as embedded in social contexts. We conducted two studies investigating how diverse social contexts influence beliefs about the operative moral principles in distinct group types. Study 1 examined these perceptions using a within-subjects design, whereas Study 2 utilized a between-subjects design. We found a high degree of consensus among raters concerning the operative moral principles in groups, and each group type was characterized by a qualitatively distinct pattern of applicable moral principles. Political orientation, a focus of past research on morality, had a small influence on beliefs about operative moral principles. The implications of these findings for our understanding of morality and its functional role in groups are discussed.
Review of "Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your Academic Library" by Barbara M. Jones

Barbara M. Jones provides a very logically constructed presentation of the current issues surrounding intellectual freedom in academic libraries in her book Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your ...
Thermogenesis in Muscle

Skeletal muscles are most often examined at the cellular level in relationship to their primary role in force generation. Throughout the animal kingdom, regardless of phylogeny, muscle generates heat. Exercise, shivering, and nonshivering thermogenesis provide excess heat in muscle that affords adaptive significance to a wide variety of organisms. Although there is reasonable concordance on the mechanisms involved in muscle as a force­ generating cell, the physiological mechanisms for thermogenesis, biological significance, and evolutionary role of muscle as a heat-producing cell are not as clearly defined. Heat liberation resulting from contractile activity is well understood, actively studied, and has been carefully measured by muscle energeticists. Heat production during periods of nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) is not as well defined, and its existence is controversial in many species, despite compelling evidence for NST from fish, birds, and mam­ mals . Investigators interested in the role of heat production in skeletal muscle primarily focus on the relationship between heat liberation during the contraction-relaxation cycle ( 1 , 77, 90, 1 10, 1 28). Discussions of heat production independent of contractile activity usually focus on mammals where extensive reviews exist (44, 46, 47 , 83, 86, 95) . Despite major efforts to understand how muscle contributes to basal metabolic rate (BMR) and to cold-induced thermogenesis in endotherms, the mechanistic basis of such activity remains poorly defined. The fundamental mechanisms for heat generation without contractile activity have not been elucidated. This review examines skeletal muscle in light of its secondary role as a furnace and
Drug-eluting stent restenosis: a need for new technology?

In this 35th year of percutaneous coronary intervention, restenosis after stent implantation remains a significant limitation, resulting in increased costs and morbidity, reduced quality of life, and in some patients, a need for surgical coronary revascularization. Drug-eluting stents (DES) proved
The gyrofrequency of a charged particle in a constant electromagnetic field. II.—The general result

The gyration angle and gyrofrequency for a charged particle in constant electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary orientation are derived directly from the Lorentz group. This is a new result and is entirely distinct from what is usually taken to be the relativistic gyrofrequency. Our expression agrees with the standard form only for parallel fields. The relativistic interaction between the linear and rotational components of the motion generates terms in the Lorentz group which are akin to the Thomas precession correction and are not ordinarily computable in the standard treatments. This derivation is made possible by utilizing the Clifford algebra of differential forms of Kahler and the author.
Advanced technology in interventional cardiology: A roadmap for the future of precision coronary interventions

Several specific new technologies [high-resolution CT coronary imaging with fractional flow reserve (CTCA-FFR), virtual reality (VR), vascular robotic systems (VRS), and three-dimensional printing] are poised to improve the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease and at the same time the safety of the physicians who care for them. This article focuses on the potential clinical impact each of these modalities will have, as well as speculating on synergies that use of them together may achieve.
Quasi phase matching achieved in LiTaO3 thin films grown on sapphire by rf magnetron sputtering

We have achieved quasi phase matching in a LiTaO3 thin film planar waveguide grown on sapphire using proton exchange to periodically deaden the nonlinearity of the crystal.
Synthesis of R2 Fe14 B Single Crystals

Single crystals of R2 Fe14 B weighing 5 to 15 g were grown from a liquid melt by tri-arc and levitation Czochralski methods. The arc method was used for the growth of smaller size crystals from 5 to 7 g, and the levitation method was used for the growth of larger sizes, from 10 to 15 g. Crystals of (R1)2 –x(R2)xFe14 B could also be grown with isomorphous replacement of rare earth atoms. The starting alloy composition for the crystal growth process was chosen based on solidification microstructure. In this paper we discuss the solidification microstructure, isomorphous replacement, seeding and their interactions with the crystal growth processes and crystal quality.
Protecting Mother's Work: From Production to Reproduction in Postwar West Germany

In early 1953, Ursula Mayer learned that her boss, Heinrich Putzkaul, wanted to fire her. His reasons were legion. He charged that Mayer had abused her position of authority as manager ofthe movie theater that he owned. She had transformed her small apartment in the theater part of her wages in kind into a "love nest" in which she entertained young men both after work hours and even during screenings. The small dachshund that she had purchased, ostensibly to keep her company during solitary evenings, not only yapped audibly during performances but also, according to Putzkaul, "left his tracks in the projection room, in the connecting office, and in the theater itself." Since the projectionist refused to clean up after the dog, Putzkaul had been forced to undertake this task himself. These were only the latest incidents in the alleged history of Mayer's insubordination. Her record of conflicts with her employer dated back at least to the previous year when, during the carnival days before Lent, she had used the theater's sound system to play dance music and had cavorted around the stage. Her boss could take it no longer; he needed her apartment immediately for her
Women Are Complex Creatures

It has been long known that women with ischemic heart disease have a high burden of comorbidities including advanced age, diabetes, hypertension, previous stroke, and renal insufficiency. Their coronary arteries are generally smaller, tortuous, more calcified, and prone to dissection, and
Research on Location Strategy of Transmission Line Pollution On-Line Monitoring Device

The pollution of transmission lines is a major factor affecting safety operation of transmission lines. Along with the increasingly serious environmental pollution, pollution flashover accident caused by the pollution happens occasionally. However, the distribution method of on-line monitoring devices still relies on empirical mode and doesn't take the actual demand into consideration objectively and comprehensively. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process(Fuzzy AHP) is used to study the location method of monitoring devices deeply and a new level architecture whose core is the device body,line parameters, environmental conditions and pollution status is proposed. First, the fuzzy judgment matrix and weights of impact factors are determined according to the situation in the region. Then, the impact factors of all the candidate location points are scored and compared by the experts and finally determine the optimal installation location. The proposed method is applied to the Foshan Grid to make an actual calculation of the candidate location points. The application verifies the feasibility of the method.
Analysis on the prevalence and related factors of hypertension among residents in Qilihe district of Lanzhou

Objective Hypertension has become a public health problem all over the world.The purpose of this article is to find out the epidemic characteristics and related risk factors of hypertension,and to work out the control and prevention strategy. Methods Cluster random sampling was used to select residents in Qilihe district for physical examination and the questionnaire survey.Epidata and SPSS 19.0 software were used to analyze the collected data. Results The incidence of hypertension in 2012 was 21.42%,with 20.89%for male samples and 21.83%for female samples.Multi-factor unconditioned Logistic regression analysis showed that age,BMI,education levels,overweight,obesity and diabetes are major risk factors for hypertension. Conclusions The incidence of hypertension among residents in Qilihe district was high.Therefore,we should pay more attention to let residents know more about hypertension in order to control the prevalence of this disease.
Who Would Pay for State Alcohol Tax Increases in the United States

INTRODUCTION: Despite strong evidence that increasing alcohol taxes reduces alcohol-related harm, state alcohol taxes have declined in real terms during the past 3 decades. Opponents of tax increases argue that they are unfair to "responsible" drinkers and those who are financially disadvantaged. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of hypothetical state alcohol tax increases on the cost of alcohol for adults in the United States on the basis of alcohol consumption and sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: The increased net cost of alcohol (ie, product plus tax) from a series of hypothetical state alcohol tax increases was modeled for all 50 states using data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, IMPACT Databank, and the Alcohol Policy Information System. Costs were assessed by drinking pattern (excessive vs nonexcessive) and by sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Among states, excessive drinkers would pay 4.8 to 6.8 times as much as nonexcessive drinkers on a per capita basis and would pay at least 72% of aggregate costs. For nonexcessive drinkers, the annual cost from even the largest hypothetical tax increase ($0.25 per drink) would average less than $10.00. Drinkers with higher household incomes and non-Hispanic white drinkers would pay higher per capita costs than people with lower incomes and racial/ethnic minorities. CONCLUSION: State-specific tax increases would cost more for excessive drinkers, those with higher incomes, and non-Hispanic whites. Costs to nonexcessive drinkers would be modest. FINDINGS are relevant to developing evidence-based public health practice for a leading preventable cause of death. Language: en
Effect of Tensile Stress on Hall Coefficients of Nickel-Base Superalloys

This paper reports on Hall Effect measurements on nickel-base superalloys and their stress dependency. The work is motivated by the desire to develop a nondestructive method of characterizing the near-surface protective residual stress in metals. Our approach is based on the assumption that the Hall coefficient deviates under the stress. It is anticipated that stress measurements based on the Hall Effect are less contaminated by cold work and other effects than conductivity-based measurements such as eddy current. The paper focuses on the two superalloys, Inconel 718 and Inconel 600. The challenge is that Hall coefficients are small in metals, and the stress-induced changes are even smaller. To measure the small effect, the lock-in technique was used, with AC injected current and AC magnetic field. It was found that the Hall coefficients indeed vary proportionally to the stress. The proportionality coefficients are significantly larger than what are estimated from the volumetric effect in a free carrier gas model. The temperature and injected current dependences of the Hall coefficients were also measured, while no dependence on the magnetic flux density was observed.
OpenEdge: A dynamic and secure open service edge network

High performance edge networks, such as fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), are increasingly being deployed by municipalities and communities to support advanced services and applications. The complexity of operating these networks often means that their full potential is not being reached and they are relegated to being fast access pipes to the Internet. In this paper, we present our work on OpenEdge, a dynamic and secure open service edge network architecture. OpenEdge provides a control architecture that automates the configuration of the edge network in a cloud-like manner to simplify the introduction of new network services and applications.
Alcohol abuse and other factors associated with risky sexual behaviors among adolescent students from the poorest areas in Costa Rica

We applied the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction to analyze factors associated with risky sexual behaviors for adolescent students living in the poorest segments in Costa Rica. We used data from a school-based knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors survey from the poorest districts of Costa Rica, collected for Salud Mesoamerica Initiative. We analyzed responses of 919 male and female students (12–19 years old) to determine factors associated with sexual intercourse and condom use. One of every four students reported being sexually active. Students that reported being sexually active were more likely to consume excessive alcohol (OR 3.04 [95 % CI 1.94–4.79]). While 88.0 % [95 % CI 73.5–95.1] of sexually active adolescents said they would use a condom the next time they have sex, only 53.1 % [95 % CI 39.3–66.5] reported condom use the last time. Non-condom-users felt purchasing condoms was uncomfortable (OR 0.34 [95 % CI 0.12–0.93]). Poor adolescents in Costa Rica begin sexual activities early and undertake behaviors that increase their risk for unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. We found the urgent need to address alcohol abuse, and recognize gender differences in youth health programs.
Light shift measurements in a cesium fountain without the use of mechanical shutters

We present measurements confirming operation of a cesium fountain frequency standard with light shift below 10/sup -15/ (and with evidence suggesting it is several orders of magnitude below this level) but without the use of mechanical shutters. Suppression of the light shift is realized using a master-slave laser configuration by reducing the overall optical power delivered to the physics package as well as spoiling the injection of the slave, causing it to lase far off resonance (1-2 nm) as proposed by the authors several years ago (Klipstein, 2002). In the absence of any mitigation, this (AC Stark) shift, due to near-resonant laser light reaching the atoms during their microwave interrogation period, is the largest shift in such frequency standards (2 /spl times/ 10/sup -11/ for our fountain). Mechanical shutters provided adequate light attenuation but have been prone to failure.
Automated Surveillance from a Mobile Robot

In this paper, we propose to augment an existing video surveillance system with a mobile robot. This robot acts as a collaborator with a human who together monitor an environment to both look for objects that are out of the ordinary as well as to to describe people found near these objects. To find anomalies, our robot must first build a dictionary describing the things that are normally seen while navigating through each environment. We use a computational cognitive model, ACT-R/E to learn which dictionary elements are normal for each environment. Finally, the robot makes note of people seen in the environment and builds a human understandable description of each individual. When an anomaly is seen, the robot can then report people recently seen, as they may be potential witnesses or people of interest. Our system operates in real-time, and we demonstrate operation on several examples.
Dynamic characteristics research on single phase permanent magnet swing angle torque motor of high voltage vacuum circuit breaker

In order to enhance the operation performance of middle-voltage vacuum circuit breaker, the single phase permanent magnet swing torque motor is presented according to the 40.5kV indoor vacuum circuit breaker. In the aspect of theoretical analysis, the motion characteristics and load characteristics of transmission system are studied and given the structure design and parameters of permanent magnet motor, as the electrical load, magnetic load, pole and air-gap and so on. The matching performance are designed and accomplished between the prototype and vacuum circuit breaker, which designed testing system. The current, angle and stroke characteristics of contact are researched under the rated operational voltage. The stroke of contact are analyzed under the different operating voltage and capacitance capacity, which studied the stability of motion properties for motor based on the same operating conditions in the opening and closing operation. The results show that the average opening speed is 2.68m/s, average closing speed is 2.09m/s, which satisfy with the operating requirements of circuit breaker. In the different operating voltage, the average closing or opening speed are increase with the voltage. In the different capacity, the average closing or opening speed are increase with the capacity. This provides a basis for the medium voltage vacuum circuit breaker, porcelain column and tank circuit breaker by employing the motor driving actuator.
A framework for optimizing file transfers between mobile devices and the cloud

An exponential growth of data traffic that originates on mobile devices and a shift toward cloud computing necessitate finding new approaches to optimize file transfers. Whereas compression utilities can improve effective throughput of file transfers between mobile devices and the cloud, finding the best-performing utility for a given file transfer is a challenging task. In this paper we introduce a framework for optimizing file transfers that relies on agents running on both mobile devices and the cloud. The agents are responsible to select an effective transfer mode by considering characteristics of files to be transferred, network conditions, and mobile device performance. The framework is implemented and experimentally evaluated for file uploads and downloads initiated from a smartphone, while varying WLAN network conditions. The results of the evaluation show that the framework effectively increases upload throughputs in range from 1.46 to 2.38 times relative to uncompressed uploads and from 1.02 to 2.97 times relative to default compressed uploads. Similarly, it improves download throughputs in range of 1.47 to 2.5 times relative to uncompressed downloads and up to 1.2 times relative to default compressed downloads.
Comparing fully convolutional networks, random forest, support vector machine, and patch-based deep convolutional neural networks for object-based wetland mapping using images from small unmanned aircraft system

Deep learning networks have shown great success in several computer vision applications, but its implementation in natural land cover mapping in the context of object-based image analysis (OBIA) is...
Unsupervised temporal commonality discovery

Unsupervised discovery of commonalities in images has recently attracted much interest due to the need to find correspondences in large amounts of visual data. A natural extension, and a relatively unexplored problem, is how to discover common semantic temporal patterns in videos. That is, given two or more videos, find the subsequences that contain similar visual content in an unsupervised manner. We call this problem Temporal Commonality Discovery (TCD). The naive exhaustive search approach to solve the TCD problem has a computational complexity quadratic with the length of each sequence, making it impractical for regular-length sequences. This paper proposes an efficient branch and bound (B&B) algorithm to tackle the TCD problem. We derive tight bounds for classical distances between temporal bag of words of two segments, including l1, intersection and χ2. Using these bounds the B&B algorithm can efficiently find the global optimal solution. Our algorithm is general, and it can be applied to any feature that has been quantified into histograms. Experiments on finding common facial actions in video and human actions in motion capture data demonstrate the benefits of our approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that addresses unsupervised discovery of common events in videos.
CONFIRMATION OF A VANISHINGLY SMALL RING-CURRENT MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ICOSAHEDRAL C60

In 1987 Elser and Haddon predicted a vanishingly small {pi}-electron contribution to the magnetic susceptibility of the icosahedral C{sub 60} molecule (buckminsterfullerene). This result runs counter to intuition and was subsequently disputed on the basis of ab initio computations. Following the recent discovery of method for preparing (and purifying) large quantities of C{sub 60}, the authors here report measurements of the magnetic susceptibility, {chi}, of a solid sample of pure C{sub 60} by SQUID magnetometry. The obtained mass value, {chi}{sub g} = {minus}0.35 {times} 10{sup {minus}6}, is far below that of graphite or benzene, consistent with the Elser-Haddon picture of accidental cancellation of the diamagnetic and paramagnetic contributions to {chi}. An estimate of the unusually large paramagnetic contribution is in accord with recent measurements of C{sub 60}'s electronic excitations. The C{sub 70} molecule is also measured to have {chi}{sub g} = {minus}(0.59 {plus minus} 0.05) {times} 10{sup {minus}6}.
Privatize It: Outsourcing and Privatization in Higher Education

As costs continue to rise while appropriations to institutions of higher education are declining, colleges and universities are increasingly turning to the private sector as a means to diversify revenue sources, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and maintain quality education. From academic year 2007–2008 to academic year 2008–2009, tuition and fees increased 6.4% at public 4-year institutions (in-state tuition) and 5.9% at private 4-year institutions. Between academic years 1998–1999 and 2008–2009, tuition and fees increased at an average annual rate of 4.2% at public 4-year institutions and 2.4% at private 4-year institutions, after adjusting for inflation. Total state and local appropriations for higher education for academic year 2006–2007 were 2% higher than in 1996–1997, but 4% lower than in 1986–1987 (College Board 2008). These figures demonstrate that tuition and fees are increasing at a faster rate than public appropriations. Given the current situation facing colleges and universities today, there is increasing debate regarding the future of institutions of higher education. More pressure is being placed on institutions regarding fiscal responsibility, accountability, and effectiveness.
Bladder augmentation. Options, outcomes, future.

Remarkable progress has been made in lower urinary tract reconstruction in children. Nowhere is this more valuable than in augmentation cys-toplasty, where there are several available options. This article discusses the current techniques and the benefits and limitations of these procedures. A section on tissue regeneration techniques and the author's current recommendations are included.
Indications for and Use of Flow-directed Catheters for Diagnosis and Treatment

Balloon-tipped flow-directed catheters allow the measurement of pressures in the right-heart chambers and pulmonary artery at the bedside of critically ill patients [5]. The pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) is one of the most useful single parameters from the standpoint of patient management. It is recorded when the inflated balloon impacts into a pulmonary vessel slightly smaller in diameter than the inflated balloon and interrupts the flow to the vessel; pressure is then transmitted backward from the left atrium and pulmonary veins.
The Relationship of Childhood Adversity on Burnout and Depression Among BSN Students.

Abstract Background Research evidence strongly suggests that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) predispose individuals to development of an increased sensitivity to stress and negative physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. Purpose To determine if there was a relationship between the number of ACEs reported by first semester BSN students and their reported level of Burnout and Depression. Methods 211 students enrolled in the first semester of upper division courses of their BSN program completed self-report questionnaires which measured the number of ACEs, the level of Depression and the level of Burnout. Results The number of reported ACEs by participants had a significant relationship on the levels of burnout and severity of depressive symptoms. Female students with a higher number of ACEs were more likely to report higher levels of Burnout A (Emotional Exhaustion) and Burnout B (Depersonalization), and higher depression severity scores compared to males. Conclusion Nursing programs should educate faculty concerning the frequency and range of adverse experiences that students may have had prior to admission to the nursing program, and the possible relationship with Burnout and Depression. Faculty can provide early information on counseling and support services.
Patterns of Opioid Use in the 12 Months Following Geriatric Fragility Fractures: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Abstract Objectives Fractures of the hip, distal radius, and proximal humerus are common in the Medicare population. This study's objective was to characterize patterns and duration of opioid use, including regional variations in use, after both surgical and nonoperative management. Design Population-based cohort study. Setting and participants A cohort of opioid-naive community-dwelling US Medicare beneficiaries who survived a hip, distal radius, or proximal humerus fracture between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2010. Cohort members were required to be opioid-naive for 4 months prior to fracture. Measures We analyzed the proportion of patients with an active opioid prescription in each month following the index fracture, and report continued fills at 12 months postfracture. We also compared opioid prescription use in fractures treated surgically and nonsurgically and characterized state-level variation in opioid prescription use at 3 months postfracture. Results There were 91,749 patients included in the cohort. Hip fracture patients had the highest rate of opioid use at 12 months (6.4%), followed by proximal humerus (5.7%), and distal radius (3.7%). Patients who underwent surgical fixation of proximal humerus and wrist fractures had higher rates of opioid use in each of the first 12 postoperative months compared with those managed nonoperatively. There was significant variation of opioid use at the state level, ranging from 7.6% to 18.2% of fracture patients filling opioid prescriptions 3 months after the index fracture. Conclusions/Implications Opioid-naive patients sustaining fragility fractures of the hip, proximal humerus, or distal radius are at risk to remain on opioid medications 12 months after their index injury, and surgical management of proximal humerus and distal radius fractures increases opioid use in the 12 months after the index fracture. There is significant state-level variation in opiate consumption after index fracture in nonvertebral geriatric fragility fractures. Opportunity exists for targeted quality improvement efforts to reduce the variation in opioid use following common geriatric fragility fractures.
Venous thromboembolic events in patients undergoing craniotomy for tumor resection: incidence, predictors, and review of literature.

OBJECTIVE The authors sought to investigate the incidence and predictors of venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) after craniotomy for tumor resection, which are not well established, and the efficacy of and risks associated with VTE chemoprophylaxis, which remains controversial. METHODS The authors investigated the incidence of VTEs in a consecutive series of patients presenting to the authors' institution for resection of an intracranial lesion between 2012 and 2017. Information on patient and tumor characteristics was collected and independent predictors of VTEs were determined using stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. Review of the literature was performed by searching MEDLINE using the keywords "venous thromboembolism," "deep venous thrombosis," "pulmonary embolism," "craniotomy," and "brain neoplasms." RESULTS There were 1622 patients included for analysis. A small majority of patients were female (52.6%) and the mean age of the cohort was 52.9 years (SD 15.8 years). A majority of intracranial lesions were intraaxial (59.3%). The incidence of VTEs was 3.0% and the rates of deep venous thromboses and pulmonary emboli were 2.3% and 0.9%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, increasing patient age (unit OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.05; p = 0.018), history of VTE (OR 7.26, 95% CI 3.24-16.27; p < 0.001), presence of motor deficit (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.43-4.88; p = 0.002), postoperative intracranial hemorrhage (OR 4.35, 95% CI 1.51-12.55; p < 0.001), and prolonged intubation or reintubation (OR 3.27, 95% CI 1.28-8.32; p < 0.001) were independently associated with increased odds of a VTE. There were 192 patients who received VTE chemoprophylaxis (11.8%); the mean postoperative day of chemoprophylaxis initiation was 4.6 (SD 3.8). The incidence of VTEs was higher in patients receiving chemoprophylaxis than in patients not receiving chemoprophylaxis (8.3% vs 2.2%; p < 0.001). There were 30 instances of clinically significant postoperative hemorrhage (1.9%), with only 1 hemorrhage occurring after initiation of VTE chemoprophylaxis (0.1%). CONCLUSIONS The study results show the incidence and predictors of VTEs after craniotomy for tumor resection in this patient population. The incidence of VTE within this cohort appears low and comparable to that observed in other institutional series, despite the lack of routine prophylactic anticoagulation in the postoperative setting.
Pressurized Cooldown of Cryogenic Transfer Lines

One of the most serious limitations imposed on the fast transfer of cryogenic liquids is the transient period that exists during line cooldown. When a cryogenic liquid is suddenly admitted to a transfer line that is at ambient temperature, some portion of the cryogenic liquid must vaporize before the line is cool enough to allow steady liquid flow. While the transfer line is cooling, flow into the line will be limited by the ability of the transfer line to vent the cooldown gas. In systems designed to transfer a given quantity of liquid within a fixed period of time, the duration of this transient period, known as line cooldown time, can be a critical design consideration.
Dielectric characterization of bioparticles via electrokinetics: The past, present, and the future

Electrical properties of biological cells are useful to distinguish cells, either in their homogenous or heterogenous populations. They provide insight into the health, geometry, growth, differentiation, function, and physiological state, including death of any biological cell, i.e., phenotype and genotype of a cell. These properties play an important role in designing various microfluidic chip-based diagnostic tools that utilize electric field gradients for cell movement. Reported studies over several decades have revealed that electrorotation, dielectric spectroscopy, and dielectrophoresis are the most common cell characterization techniques to obtain electrical parameters. However, in each of these characterization techniques, several advancements have been reported especially within the last decade. Details of these advances vary from sophisticated methods like grinding electrode materials and mixing them with polymer composites for use as electrorotation electrodes to simple targeted means like using biological cells itself as electrodes. These advances in technologies are very well discussed in this review. Sequentially, a complete description of the characterized electrical properties targeted to specific bioparticles of interest is presented. The main concepts of dielectrophoresis, electrorotation, and impedance cytometry are given alongside the generated spectra including their analyses for both single and multiple cells. Also, various methods of electrode design, spacing, and fabrication are adequately discussed. The materials used for fabricating the electrodes and their advancement over time with respect to the choice of the materials are also substantially addressed. Finally, with the growing trend observed within this time frame, the future direction of bioparticle characterization could be predicted.
Identifying High Comorbidity Index in COPD Hospital Re-Admission

Introduction: COPD affects 12 million Americans and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The national data on COPD readmission rate is about 20% in the U.S. Patients are usually admitted for acute exacerbation with acute or chronic respiratory failure, albeit many were admitted with other comorbidities rather than COPD acute exacerbation. The purpose of this study was to identify high index comorbidities that contribute to COPD hospital readmissions. Method: Retrospective analysis of a large database on COPD patients who were admitted from 01/01/2013 to 12/31/2015 to a major university health care system in the Southeastern United States was used for this study. Information on patient demographics, medical problems, medications, COPD admissions and readmissions was collected. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used for identifying comorbidities. Results: The common comorbidities identified in patients who were admitted and re-admitted included congestive heart failure (41.5%), diabetes without complications (33.6%), and renal disease (31.4%). Higher hemoglobin and albumin levels were inversely related to 30-day readmission. Conclusion: Patients admitted with COPD exacerbation had co-morbidities which included heart failure, diabetes, renal disease, and other diseases sharing the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory processes. Therefore, we recommend that COPD management should be comprehensive in monitoring chronic inflammatory processes and optimizing management of co-morbidities in addition to the improvement of pulmonary function and lung health.
Sex-based differences in procedural complications associated with atrial fibrillation catheter ablation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Women undergoing atrial fibrillation catheter ablation (AFCA) have higher rates of vascular complications and major bleeding. However, most studies have been underpowered to detect differences in rarer complications such as stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and procedural mortality. METHODS We performed a systematic review of databases (PubMed, World of Science, and Embase) to identify studies published since 2010 reporting AFCA complications by sex. Six complications of interest were (1) vascular/groin complications; (2) pericardial effusion/tamponade; (3) stroke/TIA; (4) permanent phrenic nerve injury; (5) major bleeding; and (6) procedural mortality. For meta-analysis, random effects models were used when heterogeneity between studies was ≥50% (vascular complications and major bleeding) and fixed effects models for other endpoints. RESULTS Of 5716 citations, 19 studies met inclusion criteria, comprising 244,353 patients undergoing AFCA, of whom 33% were women. Women were older (65.3 ± 11.2 vs. 60.4 ± 13.2 years), more likely hypertensive (60.6% vs. 55.5%) and diabetic (18.3% vs. 16.5%), and had higher CHA2 DS2 -VASc scores (3.0 ± 1.8 vs. 1.4 ± 1.4) (p < .0001 for all comparisons). The rates of all six complications were significantly higher in women. However, despite statistically significant differences, the overall incidences of major complications were very low in both sexes: stroke/TIA (women 0.51% vs. men 0.39%) and procedural mortality (women 0.25% vs. men 0.19%). CONCLUSION Women experience significantly higher rates of AFCA complications. However, the incidence of major procedural complications is very low in both sexes. The higher rate of complications in women may be partially attributable to older age and a higher prevalence of comorbidities at the time of ablation. More detailed studies are needed to better define the mechanisms of increased risk in women and to identify strategies for closing the sex gap.
Renal Transplants Due to Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract (CAKUT) Have Better Graft Survival Than Non-CAKUT Controls: Analysis of Over 10,000 Patients.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether graft survival for patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) is impaired compared to non-CAKUT counterparts. METHODS The United States Renal Data System (USRDS) is a national data system that has collected information about end stage renal disease (ESRD) and renal transplantation since 1995. We identified 10,635 first-time renal transplant patients with ESRD attributed to a CAKUT diagnosis transplanted between 1995 and 2018, with follow-up of 7.9 ± 5.8 years. We matched 1:1 with non-CAKUT transplant recipients, using age at transplant, sex, race, year of transplant, and donor-type. We compared renal transplant death-censored graft survival between CAKUT vs non-CAKUT controls, with further stratification for age at transplant and lower urinary tract malformations (LUTM) vs upper urinary tract malformations (UUTM). RESULTS Graft survival was better in CAKUT patients with a 5-year survival of 83.3% vs 79.3% (P CONCLUSION Renal transplant graft survival is better overall in CAKUT patients as opposed to non-CAKUT counterparts. Pediatric LUTM patients have similar graft survival to controls.
Suture Suspension Arthroplasty for Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthritis Reconstruction: 12 to 14-Year Follow-up.

BackgroundMany surgical procedures have been described for the treatment of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis, with significant variation. To date, none has proven to be superior. Th...