cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Thermal Processing in Vacuum on the Water Adsorption Characteristics of Carbon Black

Commercially available carbon black contains oxygen complexes on its surface that affect the surface properties of the carbon. Water adsorption on the surface of carbon black is influenced by the amount and type of oxygen complexes present. When carbon black is heated in vacuum at sufficiently high temperatures, removal of the oxygen complexes occurs and the surface of the carbon particles is modified. The amount of water adsorbed by the carbon is dependent on the vacuum heat treatment temperature. As the heat treatment temperature increases, water adsorption on the carbon decreases. Commercially available electrically conductive carbon black adsorbs from 1.25% to 2.50% water when exposed to 50% relative humidity for 24 hours at 25°C. This variation in water adsorption is due to a difference in the amount of oxygen complexes on the surface of the carbon. The carbon with more oxygen complexes adsorbs more water. However, when this carbon black is heat treated at 1200°C for 4 hours in a vacuum of 1 × 10 −5 torr or better, the water adsorbed by the carbon is 0.4% when exposed to 50% relative humidity. Data showing the dependence of water adsorption on vacuum thermal processing are presented and discussed.
The Symphony Of Southeast Texas In 2015: A Regional Orchestra Navigating New Horizons

The Symphony of Southeast Texas (Beaumont, TX) is the only professional symphony orchestra between Houston, TX, and Lake Charles, LA. From 2010- 2014, the organization focused on resolving internal management and financial challenges. Additionally, the orchestra identified 3 major goals: (1) To be an orchestra able to play anything, (2) To be an orchestra reaching 1/3 of the local population each season, and (3) To be an orchestra hosting a music school with a full youth orchestra. As the 2014 -2015 season began, these initiatives created a position full of possibilities for the orchestra’s new executive director. He could now reach beyond simply solving problems within the organization, in order to bring the community of Southeast Texas a new perspective on classical music and the Symphony. This case study, best used in undergraduate or graduate management, marketing, service management, nonprofit management, operations management, or strategy courses, describes the progress of the orchestra and studies the opportunities and challenges still facing the Symphony of Southeast Texas in light of this new era. The information presented in the case study was obtained through interviews with staff and board members of the organization, along with a case study of the orchestra conducted in 2010. The findings were then analyzed to identify trends in opinions among members of the organization and to gather facts about the current management and the future of the Symphony of Southeast Texas. The study finds that the Symphony is well-managed, but must find new, exciting ways to fulfill its mission of reaching the community.
High Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of the CO2−Br2 Weakly Bound Complex

The absorption spectrum of the weakly bound complex CO2−Br2 has been observed by probing the asymmetric stretch of the CO2 moiety near 2349 cm-1. The complex was formed by the supersonic expansion of a mixture of CO2 and bromine vapor with He as a carrier gas. CO2−Br2 was found to have a linear structure with one Br atom close to the center of mass of the system. The isotopic mixture of the second Br provided the splitting of the observed peaks into two. The measured rotational and distortion constants for 79Br and 81Br are B‘ = 0.0148044(26), D‘ = 6.43(17) × 10-8, B‘‘ = 0.0146591(26), D‘‘ = 6.01(16) × 10-8 and B‘ = 0.0146763(27), D‘ = 6.42(18) × 10-8, B‘‘ = 0.0145321(28), D‘‘ = 6.04(19) × 10-8, respectively (in cm-1). The distances from the Br2 bond center to the C atom are 5.116 and 5.083 A for the ground and excited states, respectively, and the force constant of the van der Waals stretching mode is estimated to be 0.004 mdyn/A in both states. The experimental values are compared with the results of ab...
The Dual Role a Buddhist Monk Played in the American South: The Balance between Heritage and Citizenship in the Refugee Community

Buddhist Monks in Vietnam struggle with cultural preservation differently from a monk in the U.S. where the forces of acculturation for new arrivals, often refugees, are extraordinarily overwhelming. The author provides a case study examining how Buddhist leaders engage in cultural preservation and community building in the American South. Fusing ideas of Engaged Buddhism and community building, the author will demonstrate how a Buddhist monk is able to navigate the broader American culture and assist Vietnamese immigrants and refugees to acculturate, while maintaining their own cultural heritage, beliefs and religious traditions; ultimately building a viable and sustainable Buddhist community that contributes greatly to its new host community.
Prevalence of HIV,HCV and Syphilis Infection at Methadone Clinics in Guangning County

Objective To investigate the prevalence of HIV,HCV and syphilis infection at the methadone clinics in Guangning county.Methods The veinal blood samples of 261 patients at the methadone clinics were tested for their HIV,HCV and syphilis antibodies.Results The positive rates of HIV,HCV and syphilis infections among the 261 methadone clinic patients were 1.53%(4/261),45.59%(119/261) and 2.68%(7/261) respectively.The double positive rates of HIV combined with HCV,syphilis combined with HCV were 0.38%(1/261),1.15%(3/261) respectively.Conclusion The prevalence rate of HCV is relatively high at the methadone clinics in Guangning county and there are overlapping infections;pertinent individual intervention measures should be carried out timely.
Eicosanoids in the brain of warm- and cold-acclimated bullfrogs.

Leukotrienes play important roles in numerous biological systems including the nervous system. They are synthesized from arachidonic acid, a 20-carbon fatty acid component of cell membrane phospholipids. Peptide leukotrienes (LT)C4, LTD4, and LTE4, have been identified as the slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis (SRS-A) and are mediators of asthma in mammals (Samuelsson et al., 1980). While LTC4 shows high affinity binding in rat whole brain, LTB4 LTD4 and LTE4 show very weak or no binding (Schalling et al., 1986). LTC4 and LTD4 induced prolonged excitation of Purkinje neurons in rat cerebellum (Palmer et al., 1980). LTC4 is a potent agent for stimulating the dose-dependant release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin from rat pituitary cells and may also participate in a negative feed-back system for luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) (Hulting et al., 1985). LTC4 binding sites in brain tissue have been characterized in guinea pig (Cheng T Schalling et al., 1986), and mouse (Goffinet &Nguyen, 1987). Immunohistochemical localization of LTC4 binding in rat brain identifies only the preoptic, hypothalamic and median eminence regions (Hulting et al., 1985).
Energy Dissipation in Ex Vivo Porcine Liver During Electrosurgery

This paper explores energy dissipation in ex vivo liver tissue during radiofrequency current excitation with application in electrosurgery. Tissue surface temperature for monopolar electrode configuration is measured using infrared thermometry. The experimental results are fitted to a finite-element model for transient heat transfer taking into account energy storage and conduction in order to extract information about “apparent” specific heat, which encompasses storage and phase change. The average apparent specific heat determined for low temperatures is in agreement with published data. However, at temperatures approaching the boiling point of water, apparent specific heat increases by a factor of five, indicating that vaporization plays an important role in the energy dissipation through latent heat loss.
Courts in New Democracies

The remainder of this book will apply the concepts developed thus far to real-world cases of the establishment of judicial review. This chapter begins the inquiry by taking a wide perspective, briefly considering the history of a few well-known courts and their strategic interactions with other branches of government. The three subsequent chapters look deeply at three particular cases of the establishment and expansion of judicial review in Asia. Judicial review has spread around the globe in three waves. The first wave was that of the United States and the constitutions of its various constituent states. Although judicial review was adopted in a couple of European polities thereafter, particularly after Kelsen's reconceptualization of constitutional review in the early twentieth century, it was not until a second wave of constitution writing after World War II that the practice spread broadly. The third wave of judicial review has been the recent adoption of judicial review in the postcommunist world and other new democracies. In discussing cases from these three waves, we will examine successful cases as well as an instance where judicial review failed to contribute to democratic development and consolidation, namely postcommunist Russia. For each, we will consider the extent of political diffusion as the environmental condition supporting judicial review. My argument is that, other things being equal, the insurance theory of design and the diffusion theory of judicial power will explain the behavior of courts and politicians.
Synthesis of asymmetrical dibenzothiophene sulfonate esters

Abstract Asymmetrical dibenzothiophene sulfonate esters are key intermediates in the production of site specific dibenzothiophene-S-oxide (DBTO) analogs and are potentially efficacious in the production of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The synthesis of these asymmetrical DBTs requires a less direct, yet efficient, pathway utilizing Suzuki coupling to add primary alkyl, secondary alkyl, aromatic, and vinylic substituents to the DBT sulfonate ester. The coupling reactions produce a small library of asymmetrical dibenzothiophene sulfonate esters ranging from low to good yield.
Vertical field HMSM photodetector

We have previously fabricated /spl delta/-doped heterostructure metal-semiconductor-metal (HMSM) photodetectors with a time response below the 10 ps level, which were much faster than devices of equivalent dimensions. Simulation results on static and dynamic aspects of device behavior indicate the improved performance is partially due to the /spl delta/-doping layer which transforms the lateral electric field to a vertical orientation. A direct result is that, by following the vertical field, photogenerated electrons reach contacts via the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) layer in a much shorter time, thus enhancing the transit time dependent dynamic performance.
Balance Trees Reveal Microbial Niche Differentiation

Advances in sequencing technologies have enabled novel insights into microbial niche differentiation, from analyzing environmental samples to understanding human diseases and informing dietary studies. However, identifying the microbial taxa that differentiate these samples can be challenging. These issues stem from the compositional nature of 16S rRNA gene data (or, more generally, taxon or functional gene data); the changes in the relative abundance of one taxon influence the apparent abundances of the others. Here we acknowledge that inferring properties of individual bacteria is a difficult problem and instead introduce the concept of balances to infer meaningful properties of subcommunities, rather than properties of individual species. We show that balances can yield insights about niche differentiation across multiple microbial environments, including soil environments and lung sputum. These techniques have the potential to reshape how we carry out future ecological analyses aimed at revealing differences in relative taxonomic abundances across different samples. IMPORTANCE By explicitly accounting for the compositional nature of 16S rRNA gene data through the concept of balances, balance trees yield novel biological insights into niche differentiation. The software to perform this analysis is available under an open-source license and can be obtained at https://github.com/biocore/gneiss. Author Video: An author video summary of this article is available.
Displaced in Place

This article examines housing insecurity within manufactured housing—the single largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the United States, home to about 18 million low-income residents. A large portion of manufactured housing is installed in mobile home parks, which can legally close at any time, displacing entire communities. Based on two years living within and being evicted from closing mobile home parks in two states, this comparative ethnography of mass eviction juxtaposes sites of distinctive state practices for managing the forced relocation of park residents. I analyze the experience of eviction in Florida, a site of explicit intervention and “model” legislation for mobile home park closures, in light of the experience in Texas, where the state has adopted a hands-off approach. I describe the paradoxical effects of Florida’s protective, yet market-oriented, state housing interventions, which produced both a cottage industry of mobile home relocation services and a more protracted, per...
Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus HER2-targeting on breast conservation rates: Surgical results from CALGB 40601 (Alliance).

501 Background: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy improves breast conserving therapy (BCT) rates, but the magnitude of this benefit is unknown in operable breast cancer. We sought to quantify this benefit in CALGB 40601, a phase III trial of paclitaxel (T) + HER2 blockade with either trastuzumab (TH), lapatinib (TL), or both (THL), by requiring the treating breast surgeon to determine BCT eligibility before and after neoadjuvant therapy and examining surgical results. Methods: Eligible patients (pts) had operable, newly diagnosed, noninflammatory stage II-III HER2+ breast cancer randomized to receive TH, TL or THL. Prior to, and again after neoadjuvant therapy, the treating breast surgeon determined whether the patient was a BCT candidate based on clinical and radiographic criteria, but the subsequent breast cancer operation was at the discretion of the surgeon and patient. Two endpoints examined were: (1) the conversion rate from BCT-ineligible to BCT-eligible and (2) the rate of successful BCT as determined ...
Parameter-free automated extraction of neuronal signals from calcium imaging data

The use of in vivo calcium imaging has granted researchers the unprecedented ability to study large populations of neurons in real time, enabling direct observation of how the brain processes information. Such data offers great potential, however for current analysis techniques, successful extraction of the true neuronal signals is intimately tied to the proper selection of multiple user-defined parameters, which must be tuned for each video sequence. To overcome such issues, we propose a novel parameter-free independent component analysis (ICA)-based method, ICA with signal reconstruction and ordering (ICA+SRO), to automatically extract neuronal signals from calcium imaging sequences. The power of ICA+SRO is demonstrated on a real calcium imaging sequence. We compare the results of ICA+SRO with those from the popular principal component analysis-ICA based technique and show significant improvement. The results demonstrate the simplicity of a parameter-free method and its power in extracting neuronal signals from calcium imaging sequences.
Modeling Chip/Package Power Distribution

The power bus that interconnects the switching and non-switching functions on the chip is a major source of coupling between widely separated circuits. Switching return currents take the path of least impedance which is often an on-chip path through the power rails. The presence of on-chip decoupling capacitance distributed on the bus can lessen the amount of bus fluctuation due to these switching currents. The simple discussion that follows assumes that the bus is routed on a metal level but busses are often routed or strapped by salicided polysilicon, silicon, or diffused areas as well. Figure 8.1 shows one rail of a power bus in a random or tree power grid structure. There are two switching functions and two non-switching or quiet circuit functions. There is a single chip pad for the supply rail for both switching and non-switching functions. There is on-chip resistive bus drop which provides coupling between switching and non switching functions in addition to the inductive power bounce due to the package inductance connected to the chip power pad. The additional on-chip resistive coupling, which can be substantial, makes this approach usually undesirable. Sometimes additional bus resistance can be beneficial in specific area where it tends to damp RLC ringing of the power bus. The tree power bus scheme usually requires minimum metal area for the bus but must be hand crafted for each design. There is at least one automatic power supply bus routing tool available that routes the bus based on analog signal integrity constraints.[8.13] Figure 8.1
System Integration and Experiments

A portable wireless brain–machine interface (BMI) system is highly valuable in neuroscience research, especially for experiments in freely behaving animals, which are not feasible using conventional medical instrumentation. A successful BMI system is much more than a simple collection of individual circuit blocks. There are many practical issues and challenges that need to be carefully addressed. This chapter presents the design of a general–purpose wireless sensor-brain–machine interface system: the PennBMBI. In addition to bench testing, two animal experiments using the system are presented in detail. The first experiment studies perception augmentation through modulated electrical stimulation of certain regions in the somatosensory cortex. In this experiment, rats navigate a watermaze using only brain stimulation to inform their location relative to a hidden platform. The second experiment studies hippocampal gamma-slow oscillation coupling in macaques. Bidirectional stimulation and recording were conducted in freely behaving macaques during sedation, awake, and sleep. Implementation and experimental results are presented and discussed in detail.
Do Connections with Buy-Side Analysts Inform Sell-Side Analyst Research?

We hypothesize that connections with buy-side analysts provide a sell-side analyst with private information generated by the buy-side that enhances the quality of sell-side research. We proxy for these connections with the number of stocks at the intersection of stocks held in the portfolios of institutional investors and followed by the sell-side analyst. The larger this intersection, the more opportunities the sell-side analyst has to interact with institutional investors. We proxy for the research quality of the sell-side analyst with her earnings forecast accuracy. We find that such connections enhance the accuracy of earnings forecasts, but up to a point of diminishing returns. Additional tests rule out reverse causality and omitted variables as explanations for the association, and strengthen the inference that connections between sell- and buy-side analysts increase the flow of information and improve the quality of sell-side research output.
Using halogens (Cl, Br, I) to understand the hydrogeochemical evolution of drought-derived saline porewater beneath a prairie wetland

Abstract Numerous closed-basin prairie wetlands throughout the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America maintain moderate surface pond salinities (total dissolved solids [TDS] from 1 to 10 g L− 1) under semiarid climate by accumulation of gypsum and saline lenses of sulfate-rich porewater (TDS > 10 g L− 1) in wetland sediments during droughts. In order to understand the hydrogeochemical origin and composition of these saline porewaters, we made a detailed geochemical survey of Cl−, SO42 −, Br, and I in the porewater, pondwater, and upland groundwater of a typical closed-basin prairie wetland (P1 in the Cottonwood Lake study area, North Dakota). Concentrations of Cl− ranged up to 5.9 mM in the saline porewaters, and was strongly correlated with SO42 − and Br (Pearson's r > 0.7, p
On the Impact of Process Parameters to the Grinding Limit in High Shear Wet Milling

Knowledge of the impact of process parameters on the minimum achievable (critical) particle size below which breakage is no longer observed for high shear rotor stator wet milling (HSWM) operations is vital to design and optimize milling processes of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The grinding limit is a result of a balance between material properties and the energy imparted to particles during the milling processes. In turn, the energy imparted to particles depends on rotation rate, generator geometry, mill configuration, flow rate, etc. In this communication, a master curve was constructed by normalizing critical particle size curves obtained at different cumulative breakage energies, using a shift factor that can be determined with minimal experimentation.
Matched Learning for Optimizing Individualized Treatment Strategies Using Electronic Health Records

Current guidelines for treatment decision making largely rely on data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying average treatment effects. They may be inadequate to make individualized trea...
The Peculiar Preferences of Sports Fans: Toward a Preference-Based Motivation for the Uncertainty of Outcome Hypothesis:

The uncertainty of outcome hypothesis (UOH) informs economic models of fan attendance decisions, team revenue generation, and league outcomes. Despite this importance, little attention has been pai...
Delta-Tocotrienol Modulates Glutamine Dependence by Inhibiting ASCT2 and LAT1 Transporters in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells: A Metabolomic Approach

The growth and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) primarily depends on glutamine. Both glutamine and essential amino acids (EAAs) have been reported to upregulate mTOR in NSCLC, which is a bioenergetics sensor involved in the regulation of cell growth, cell survival, and protein synthesis. Seen as novel concepts in cancer development, ASCT2 and LAT transporters allow glutamine and EAAs to enter proliferating tumors as well as send a regulatory signal to mTOR. Blocking or downregulating these glutamine transporters in order to inhibit glutamine uptake would be an excellent therapeutic target for treatment of NSCLC. This study aimed to validate the metabolic dysregulation of glutamine and its derivatives in NSCLC using cellular 1H-NMR metabolomic approach while exploring the mechanism of delta-tocotrienol (δT) on glutamine transporters, and mTOR pathway. Cellular metabolomics analysis showed significant inhibition in the uptake of glutamine, its derivatives glutamate and glutathione, and some EAAs in both cell lines with δT treatment. Inhibition of glutamine transporters (ASCT2 and LAT1) and mTOR pathway proteins (P-mTOR and p-4EBP1) was evident in Western blot analysis in a dose-dependent manner. Our findings suggest that δT inhibits glutamine transporters, thus inhibiting glutamine uptake into proliferating cells, which results in the inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis via downregulation of the mTOR pathway.
The Influence of Transformational Leadership on Employees’ Affective Organizational Commitment in Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Moderated Mediation Model:

Transformational leadership has a great impact on employees’ psychological attachment to their organizations. This study examines how and under what condition transformational leadership translates...
Uveal Melanoma: Metastases

Although there are effective treatments for primary uveal melanoma, the prognosis for metastatic disease is poor. There is no curative therapy for metastatic uveal melanoma, but options include local interventions such as surgical resection, chemoembolization, radioembolization, radiofrequency ablation, or systemic therapy including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
The Synthesis of Protein Polymer Conjugates using the Human Regulatory Protein Galectin-3

Galectin-3 (gal3) is a human lectin protein that is known to interact with extracellular matrix proteins by regulating functions in both healthy and cancerous cells. The goal of this project is to conjugate polymers to gal3 to better study and control its functions in vitro. We hypothesize that a covalently attached polymer will sterically modulate gal3 function. In the project, we created two protein variants with polymer-reactive handles. The first construct is similar to wild-type gal3 with a cysteine in place of the 6th serine (S6C) which was created by site-directed mutagenesis (SDM). Maleimide-terminated polyethylene oxide (PEO, 5000 g/mol) was then attached to this mutant via thiol-Michael addition at the cysteine site. Attachment of polymer to the unstructured N-terminal domain (NTD) may increase the binding of the protein by sterically pulling the NTD away from the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). In addition, the NTD, which is implicated in undesired self-association, was removed for the second construct. The gal3 CRD only construct is shown to have a higher solubility in solution and an increased ligand-binding affinity. Ultimately, the two unique constructs will help us understand the structural role of the NTD in gal3 ligand-binding and self-association.
Habitat use of the Rocky Mountain water shrew in the White Mountains, Arizona

The population of Rocky Mountain water shrew Sorex navigator occurring in the White Mountains, Arizona, is isolated, genetically divergent, and of conservation concern. However, little is known abo...
Synthetic lectins for selective binding of glycoproteins in water

Although synthetic mimics of lectins can be extremely useful in biological and biomedical research, molecular recognition of carbohydrates has been hampered by their strong solvation in water and subtle structural differences among analogues. Molecularly imprinted nanoparticle receptors were prepared with glycans directly cleaved from glycoproteins. Functionalized with boroxole groups in the binding sites, these water-soluble synthetic lectins bound the parent glycoproteins selectively in water with an association constant of Ka = 104-105 M-1. The strong binding enabled the receptors to protect the targeted glycans from enzymatic cleavage. When clicked onto magnetic nanoparticles, the receptors enabled facile isolation of glycoproteins from a mixture.
Joint Operation Optimization of the Interdependent Water and Electricity Networks

With the rapid deployment of smart technologies and the growing complexity in our modern society, there is a huge demand for coordination in day-to-day operation of the critical infrastructure networks. The coordination between water and electricity networks particularly stands out and is urgently demanding as (i) water system is one of the most energy-intensive critical infrastructure, and (ii) water unavailability, if experienced, swiftly translates into a health, safety, and national security concern. This paper proposes a comprehensive day-ahead optimization framework for joint operation of the interdependent power and water systems. Different from the conventional paradigms where the power and water systems are independently and individually operated by their respective operators, the proposed optimization framework integrates the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) models in power grids with innovative models of the water distribution systems. The nonlinear hydraulic operating constraints in the proposed optimization models are linearized, resulting into a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model formulation. The proposed framework is applied to three 15-node water distribution systems, operated within the IEEE 9-bus test system. The simulation results demonstrate a significant cost saving that will be achieved when the proposed approach is applied for joint operation of power and water networks.
CO Binding at a Four-Coordinate Cobaltous Porphyrin Site in a Metal-Organic Framework: Structural, EPR, and Gas Adsorption Analysis.

The variable-temperature CO binding at a four-coordinate cobaltous porphyrin complex within a metal–organic framework is investigated using a combined array of infrared, X-ray diffraction, EPR, and CO adsorption analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments provide the first crystallographically characterized example of a noniron first-row transition metal porphyrin carbonyl adduct. Variable-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy supports the structural observation and reveals conversion of the dicarbonyl complex to a monocarbonyl species as temperature is increased. Finally, CO adsorption analysis data enable quantification of the Co–CO interaction, providing a binding enthalpy of hads = −29(2) kJ/mol. This value is nearly twice that observed for O2 binding in the same compound and is attributed to a stronger σ interaction for Co and CO vs O2. These results demonstrate the ability of MOFs to enable a thorough investigation of CO binding in metalloporphyrins.
Intraperitoneal local anesthetic agents in the management of postoperative pain

Abstract The instillation of local anesthetic into the peritoneal cavity at the time of various types of laparoscopic surgery has been found to improve postoperative pain as quantified by decreased time to discharge, decreased pain severity scores, and decreased amounts of rescue narcotic. No significant safety issues have been identified with the practice of intraperitoneal instillation of local anesthetic. Dosage, placement location and timing of local anesthetic administration has been evaluated in a variety of settings, for different procedures and prior to and after dissection. Although more research is needed to standardize the practice of intraperitoneal local anesthetic use, it has been demonstrated as helpful as an adjunct in managing the pain associated with laparoscopic surgery and should be considered for all patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.
Violence in Stone: Confederate Monuments and Lynchings in the US South

This study examines whether the presence of Confederate monuments corresponds to experiences of historical anti-Black violence in the surrounding areas. At stake is not only the current debate around the removal of these monuments, but also broader links between such monuments and latent processes of White supremacy. We utilize three data sets for our analyses: data on Confederate monument locations (O’Connell in Ethn Racial Stud 43(3):1–19, 2019); and two complementary data sets on lynchings (Seguin and Rigby in Socius 5:2378023119841780, 2019; Beck and Tolnay in Confirmed Inventory of Southern Lynch Victims, University of Georgia, 2004). Correlation analyses indicate a positive statistical relationship between the relative presence of Confederate monuments and historical lynchings at the county level—a relationship that increases with adjustments for spatial clustering. These results contribute to ongoing discussions around the removal of Confederate monuments as well as to the use of monuments as forms of oppression. By connecting lynching to Confederate monuments, whose ties to violence have been abstracted away, we understand racial violence not as disorder, but instead as part of a larger order.
Traumatic peripheral nerve injuries in children: epidemiology and socioeconomics.

Object Despite the negative effects of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) on long-term population health, their true prevalence among pediatric trauma patients is under debate. The authors investigated the prevalence of PNIs among children involved in trauma and investigated associations between PNIs and several patient characteristics. Methods The authors performed a retrospective cohort study of pediatric trauma patients who were registered in the National Trauma Data Bank from 2009 through 2011 and who fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. They used regression techniques to investigate the association of demographic and socioeconomic factors with the rate of PNIs among these patients. Results Of the 245,470 study patients, 50,211 were involved in motor vehicle crashes, 3380 in motorcycle crashes, 20,491 in bicycle crashes, 18,262 in pedestrian accidents, 26,294 in other crashes (mainly involving all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles), and 126,832 in falls. The respective prevalence of PNIs was 0.66% for...
Design and simulation of automated container terminal using AGVs

Booming in the world trade, scarcity of land for yard expansion in many ports, and deployment of new massive megaships have magnified the need for finding better ways of performing container terminal operations. High-density Automated Container Terminals (ACTs), with high operation efficiency and requiring less land, can thus become potential candidates. In this paper, an Automated Guided Vehicle based ACT (AGV-ACT) is proposed and designed to meet the future projection made by several ports. A microscopic simulation model is developed and used to simulate the ACT systems for the projected operational scenario. Some performance criteria are defined and used for performance evaluation. The simulation result shows that the proposed ACT system can meet the future demand of ports by requiring less land and providing higher efficiency.
Laying the foundation for the new doctor of pharmacy degree in the United States

In order to understand better the development of the six-year professional doctorate degree in pharmacy, a brief summary of the history of phamacy education in the United States will be provided. In the early 1900's, a two-year diploma from a recognized school of pharmacy was recornmended before a candidate could stand for licensure to practice pharmacy in an individual state. Each state regulates the practice of pharmacy and a state board of pharmacy is responsible for granting a pharmacist the right to practice pharmacy. The board of pharmacy requires a candidate to demonstrate his/her proficiency in pharmacy practice by passing a comprehensive examination in all areas of pharmacy, including the basic pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy practice. In addition, the candidate must have a degree in pharmacy from an accredited college of pharmacy. Most states have reciprocal agreements whereby a pharmacist licensed to practice in one state will be allowed to practice nn another state by showing knowledge of state pharmacy laws in the state to which he/she will be relocating.
Part-Based Representations of Visual Shape and Implications for Visual Cognition

ABSTRACT Human vision organizes object shapes in terms of parts and their spatial relationships. Converging experimental evidence suggests that parts are computed rapidly and early in visual processing. We review theories of how human vision parses shapes. In particular, we discuss the minima rule for finding part boundaries on shapes, geometric factors for creating part cuts, and a theory of part salience. We review empirical evidence that human vision parses shapes into parts, and show that parts-based representations explain various aspects of our visual cognition, including figure-ground assignment, judgments of shape similarity, memory for shapes, visual search for shapes, the perception of transparency, and the allocation of visual attention to objects.
Deconstructing market responses: Improvements to methods supporting strategic decisions

Purpose – The aim is to present, explain and illustrate an improved method for decomposing an event‐based change in market value into its cash flow and risk elements.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is two‐fold. There is an algebraic comparison of the existing and improved decomposition to prove and delineate the benefits of the new method. There is an event study, using 130 firms, contrasting the results of the existing and improved methods.Findings – The new, alternative method of decomposition is easier to use, provides a cleaner delineation of the components, and results in increased statistical significance in tests.Research limitations/implications – Researchers now have access to an improved methodology for decomposing market value changes. Explicit limitations reveal when the new method provides benefits over the current method.Practical implications – Managers considering strategic decisions now have an improved method to understand the main impacts on market value. For example, by deco...
The Ideological Shift on the Russian Radical Right

Russian nationalism has evolved from an anti-Western orientation to a campaign of identification with "white Europe" against a growing influx of "peoples of color" that imperils Russia's unique civilization.
Pilot and Preliminary Studies of Thrombolytic Therapy for Stroke

Thrombolytic therapy was proposed soon after the discovery of thrombolytic agents, because the majority of acute ischemic strokes result from atherothrombosis or thromboembolism of a cerebral or precerebral artery. Since critical event must be the formation of an acute thrombus, the rationale for thrombolytic treatment is to achieve arterial recanalization with a relatively safe agent soon enough to improve patient outcome. Early experiences with thrombolysis, however, were negative, because they were conducted before the advent of cerebral tomographic (CT) scanning. Given the negative experience with thrombolytic therapy for stroke in the 1960s, after CT was available, stepwise, careful progression from safety, to dose-finding, to pilot feasibility studies began. The knowledge obtained from these earlier studies set the stage for larger, randomized clinical trials in the US and Europe by proving feasibility and safety. The studies also led to the beginnings of the rapid, aggressive team approach needed to successfully treat acute ischemic stroke. Furthermore, we learned that at least one-third of ischemic stroke patients reperfuse spontaneously (and obviously too late) within 48 h of stroke onset. The demonstration that tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is clinically effective for acute ischemic stroke was based on many important studies over the past two decades that led to groundbreaking preliminary clinical trials. This chapter highlights and discusses these studies and their historical significance.
Single-blind randomized controlled trial of surfactant vs hypertonic saline irrigation following endoscopic endonasal surgery.

Background Recent discussion has revolved around formulations of irrigation in the postoperative functional endoscopic sinus surgery patient, specifically the efficacy of emulsion based nasal irrigations. Methods Forty adult candidates for endoscopic endonasal surgery with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) were prospectively randomized. The 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and 31-item Rhinosinusitis Outcome Measure (RSOM-31) quality of life assessments, as well as a phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA) smell threshold test were obtained preoperatively and over 3 postoperative visits in a 4-month period. Repeated measures analyses and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess statistical differences. Results Of the 40 patients enrolled, 33, 32, and 26 patients were seen at postoperative visits 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The surfactant (S) and hypertonic saline (HS) irrigation groups both showed significant decreases in scores for both the SNOT-22 and RSOM-31 over time (both p < 0.0001), but no difference was seen between the 2 groups (p = 0.09, p = 0.5). PEA thresholds showed overall improvement in both groups 3 to 4 months after surgery: 62% (8/13) of HS patients and 50% (6/12) of S patients, but did not differ between the groups (p = 0.3). The S group reported significantly more side effects (52% vs 6%, p = 0.002) and had more patients stop the solution (20% vs 0%) and fewer S patients finished the study compared to the HS group. Conclusion There were no significant differences in overall subjective symptoms related to sinonasal disease between S and HS irrigation, but tolerability appeared to be an issue. More patients reported side effects with S irrigation, and 20% receiving S irrigation stopped the solution, compared to none receiving HS irrigation.
Doxazosin in the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy: an update

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a1 - blocker doxazosin for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) compatible with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Fourteen randomized controlled trials enrolled 6261 men, average age 64 years, who had moderately severe LUTS and flow impairment. Compared with baseline measures and placebo effect, doxazosin resulted in a statistically significant improvement in both LUTS and flow. However, when compared with placebo, the average magnitude of symptom improvement (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS] improvement 40 mL or PSA levels >4 ng/mL. Efficacy was comparable with other a1–blockers. Withdrawals from treatment for any cause were comparable to placebo. Dizziness and fatigue occurred more frequently with doxazosin compared to placebo.
Clinical cancer research, DNR orders, and medical economics: a complex interrelationship.

AbstractDespite the dramatic success achieved over the past few years in improving the survival of individuals with cancer, treatment for many patients with advanced malignancies remains far from satisfactory. Unfortunately, centers engaged in clinical cancer research are currently faced with the dilemma of dealing with increasingly complex and expensive experimental treatment regimens at the same time funding for such research and patient care is decreasing. A further complicating factor is the high cost of caring for terminally inpatients in cancer centers, particularly those potentially requiring intensive life support. This paper reviews the problems facing both clinical cancer investigators and hospitals involved with cancer research and proposes several suggestions for dealing with these increasingly complex issues.
Design and analysis of a conformal patch antenna for a wearable breast hyperthermia treatment system

To overcome the limitations of currently available clinical hyperthermia systems which are based on rigid waveguide antennas, a wearable microwave hyperthermia system is presented. A light wearable system can improve patient comfort and be located in close proximity to the breast, thereby enhancing energy deposition and reducing power requirements. The objective of this work was to design and assess the feasibility of a conformal patch antenna element of an array system to be integrated into a wearable hyperthermia bra. The feasibility of implementing antennas with silver printed ink technology on flexible substrates was evaluated. A coupled electromagnetic-bioheat transfer solver and a hemispheric heterogeneous numerical breast phantom were used to design and optimize a 915 MHz patch antenna. The optimization goals were device miniaturization, operating bandwidth, enhanced energy deposition pattern in targets, and reduced Efield back radiation. The antenna performance was evaluated for devices incorporating a hemispheric conformal groundplane and a rectangular groundplane configuration. Simulated results indicated a stable -10 dB return loss bandwidth of 88 MHz for both the conformal and rectangular groundplane configurations. Considering applied power levels restricted to 15 W, treatment volumes (T>41 0 C) and depth from the skin surface were 11.32 cm 3 and 27.94 mm, respectively, for the conformal groundplane configuration, and 2.79 cm 3 and 19.72 mm, respectively, for the rectangular groundplane configuration. E-field back-radiation reduced by 85.06% for the conformal groundplane compared to the rectangular groundplane configuration. A prototype antenna with rectangular groundplane was fabricatd and experimentally evaluated. The groundplane was created by printing silver ink (Metalon JS-B25P) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film surface. Experiments revealed stable antenna performance for power levels up to 15.3 W. In conclusion, the proposed patch antenna with conformal groundplane and prined ink technology shows promising performance to be integrated in a clinical array system.
Real-time simulation and animation for dynamic control systems

Real-time digital simulation and graphic animation limited band-width dynamic control systems can significantly enhance the interpretation and understanding of system responses. This paper outlines...
Achieving fast convergence of ab initio free energy perturbation calculations with the adaptive force-matching method

This paper studies the possibility of improving the convergence of ab initio free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations by developing customized force fields with the adaptive force-matching (AFM) method. The ab initio FEP method relies on a molecular mechanics (MM) potential to sample configuration space. If the Boltzmann weight of the MM sampling is close to that of the ab initio method, the efficiency of ab initio FEP will be optimal. The difference in the Boltzmann weights can be quantified by the relative energy difference distribution (REDD). The force field developed through AFM significantly improves the REDD when compared with standard MM models, thus improving the convergence of the ab initio FEP calculation. The static dielectric constant es of ice-Ih was studied with PW-91 through ab initio FEP. With a customized force field developed through AFM, we were able to converge es to 80 ± 4 with 3,600 configurations. A similar ab initio FEP calculation with the TIP4P model would require 220 times more configurations to achieve the same accuracy. Our study indicates that the PW-91 functional underestimates ice-Ih es by about 20%.
Pulmonary Vascular Resistance and Viscosity: The Forgotten Factor

Calculating pulmonary vascular resistance is important in many fields of medicine. Although the influence of hematocrit on calculated resistance has been known for many years, it is rare to find the appropriate corrections in published articles. This review discusses the relationship between viscosity and resistance and shows how the effect of viscosity can be allowed for by calculating hindrance or relative viscosity.
δ- Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase (ALAD) Stability in Human Blood

The determination of 5-aminolevuIinic acid dehydiratase in blood appears to be a useful test for diagnosing the effect of exposure to inorganic lead compounds. When applying this test in epidemiological studies, allowable boundaries concerning the time interval and storage temperature between collection of the blood and the actual enzyme assay become: important design criteria. These have been evaluated and established.
Surgical management of subfoveal neovascularization in children

Abstract Objective To report the authors' clinical experience with submacular surgery for subfoveal membranes in children and to evaluate the histopathologic findings of membranes in children with various etiologies of choroidal neovascularization. Design Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Participants Twelve eyes of 12 consecutive children with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization treated by vitrectomy and excision of the choroidal neovascular complex. Intervention Vitrectomy, excision of the choroidal neovascular complex, and air-fluid exchange. Main outcome measures Visual acuity and recurrence of choroidal neovascular membrane. Results Preoperative visual acuities ranged from 20/60 to 20/800 (median, 20/300). Postoperative visual acuities ranged from 20/25 to 20/400 (median, 20/80) after an average follow-up of 20 months (range, 7–62 months). Ten of 12 eyes improved from immediate preoperative visual acuity, and four eyes developed recurrence of neovascular membranes over a mean follow-up of 18 months. Histopathologic examination of six excised membranes showed that the most common components of the membranes were retinal pigment epithelium, fibrocytes, vascular endothelium, and collagen. Conclusion Selected eyes of children with subfoveal neovascular membranes and no evidence of membrane regression may benefit from submacular surgery. The histopathologic findings were similar to adult choroidal neovascularization not associated with age-related macular degeneration.