cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incentive-Based Primary Care: Cost and Utilization Analysis.

Context: In its fee-for-service funding model for primary care, British Columbia, Canada, introduced incentive payments to general practitioners as pay for performance for providing enhanced, guidelines-based care to patients with chronic conditions. Evaluation of the program was conducted at the health care system level. Objective: To examine the impact of the incentive payments on annual health care costs and hospital utilization patterns in British Columbia. Design: The study used Ministry of Health administrative data for Fiscal Year 2010-2011 for patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and/or hypertension. In each disease group, cost and utilization were compared across patients who did, and did not, receive incentive-based care. Main Outcome Measures: Health care costs (eg, primary care, hospital) and utilization measures (eg, hospital days, readmissions). Results: After controlling for patients’ age, sex, service needs level, and continuity of care (defined as attachment to a general practice), the incentives reduced the net annual health care costs, in Canadian dollars, for patients with hypertension (by approximately Can$308 per patient), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (by Can$496), and congestive heart failure (by Can$96), but not diabetes (incentives cost about Can$148 more per patient). The incentives were also associated with fewer hospital days, fewer admissions and readmissions, and shorter lengths of hospital stays for all 4 groups. Conclusion: Although the available literature on pay for performance shows mixed results, we showed that the funding model used in British Columbia using incentive payments for primary care might reduce health care costs and hospital utilization.
Using Form to Counter Corruption: The Promise of the Public Benefit Corporation

Many observers argue that part of the blame for foreign corrupt practices should be placed on legal form. Their claim is that traditional corporate norms of shareholder wealth maximization help explain why corporate corruption is so prevalent. This essay shifts that argument to examine whether there are characteristics among corporate forms that can boost the efficacy of internal compliance strategies. In doing so, the paper’s primary recommendation is for founders to focus greater attention on an emerging new corporate association — the public benefit corporation — as a promising option for blueprinting sustainable anti-corruption compliance.
Sampling Efficiency of Modified 37-mm Sampling Cassettes Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

ABSTRACTIn the U.S., most industrial hygiene practitioners continue to rely on the closed-face cassette (CFC) to assess worker exposures to hazardous dusts, primarily because ease of use, cost, and familiarity. However, mass concentrations measured with this classic sampler underestimate exposures to larger particles throughout the inhalable particulate mass (IPM) size range (up to aerodynamic diameters of 100 μm). To investigate whether the current 37-mm inlet cap can be redesigned to better meet the IPM sampling criterion, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were developed, and particle sampling efficiencies associated with various modifications to the CFC inlet cap were determined. Simulations of fluid flow (standard k-epsilon turbulent model) and particle transport (laminar trajectories, 1–116 μm) were conducted using sampling flow rates of 10 L min−1 in slow moving air (0.2 m s−1) in the facing-the-wind orientation. Combinations of seven inlet shapes and three inlet diameters were evaluated as ...
An Evaluation of Substance Abuse, Mental Health Disorders, and Gambling Correlations: an Opportunity for Early Public Health Interventions

This study uniquely evaluates the prevalence of recreational gambling, and co-occurring conditions prior to gambling expansion in Massachusetts (MA), and assesses associations between gambling and co-occurring behavioral, and mental health disorders. Data are derived from the 2008 MA Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Logistic regression models to obtain multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for factors associated with gambling are performed. Prevalence of recreational gambling in MA is 40.2 % (95 % CI 38.2–42.1). Gamblers are more likely to be obese (OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.0–1.7; p < 0.05), smoke heavily (OR 2.2, 95%CI 1.1–4.6; p < 0.05), use alcohol (OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.0–1.6; p < 0.05), and prescription drugs (OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.1–1.6; p < 0.05). Gamblers are also more likely to self-report their health status as good compared to excellent (OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.0–1.7; p < 0.05), and to have 14 or less days of poor mental health (OR 1.4; 95%CI 1.1–1.9; p < 0.01). Recreational gambling is significantly associated with obesity, alcohol consumption, heavy smoking, prescription drug use, and poor mental health. Early public health interventions before gambling expansion are of critical importance.
Abstract 37: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Brain Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including hypertension. While most studies have focused on peripheral mechanisms mediating hepatic dysfunction, a role for the central nervous system in the pathogenesis of NAFLD is less appreciated. Here we tested the hypothesis that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the brain contributes to the development of NAFLD. First, adult male C57Bl/6 mice were instrumented with an intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannula for administration of the ER stress inducer thapsigargin (TG; 1 μg/day; 3 days; n=5), or vehicle control (n=4), and allowed 1 week recovery. Short-term induction of ER stress in the brain, using TG, did not alter body weight (26±1 vs. 27±1 g; vehicle vs. TG; p 2 ; vehicle vs. TG; p Pepck mRNA 1.56±0.13 fold vehicle; p HL63887, HL84207, AHA13POST14410020
Simplified Inverse Method for Determining the Tensile Strain Capacity of Strain Hardening Cementitious Composites

As emerging advanced construction materials, strain hardening cementitious composites (SHCCs) have seen increasing field applications recently to take advantage of its unique tensile strain hardening behavior, yet existing uniaxial tensile tests are relatively complicated and sometime difficult to implement, particularly for quality control purpose in field applications. This paper presents a new simple inverse method for quality control of tensile strain capacity by conducting beam bending test. It is shown through a theoretical model that the beam deflection from a flexural test can be linearly related to tensile strain capacity. A master curve relating this easily measured structural element property to material tensile strain capacity is constructed from parametric studies of a wide range of material tensile and compressive properties. This proposed method (UM method) has been validated with uniaxial tensile test results with reasonable agreement. In addition, this proposed method is also compared with the Japan Concrete Institute (JCI) method. Comparable accuracy is found, yet the present method is characterized with much simpler experiment setup requirement and data interpretation procedure. Therefore, it is expected that this proposed method can greatly simplify the quality control of SHCCs both in execution and interpretation phases, contributing to the wider acceptance of this type of new material in field applications.
Anarchism and Ecologism: Alternative Localizations in a Comparative Perspective

In this chapter I continue my survey of anti-globalist discourses by providing a comparative analysis of some representative anarchist and ecologist critiques of globalization. The comparison reveals some deep-seated differences between the two sets of ideological premises from which the respective critiques are advanced and highlights their distinctive implications. The chapter demonstrates that anti-globalism is a thin category that is only able to acquire a fuller and more specific meaning within broader ideological formations in which its particular instances are to be found.
Component bone marker displacements revealed by image-corrected cephalometric analysis. A lateral cephalometric study of the cranium in normal and craniosynostosis--an implant study.

Displacement of bony component anatomy has not been comprehensively described in human cranial development. In this study, tantalum implants were used to define cranial bone position on serial cephalometric surveys. Image correction (ICCA method) was used to eliminate artifactual shift of component markers before serial analysis was used to define implant movement. In addition, applicable normative standards were used to assess all case presentations. Three normal subjects comprised a normal mixed longitudinal sample aged 2 to 84 months. Two plagiocephaly subjects were studied, one from 6 to 77 months and the other from 16 to 44 months of age. Three syndromic craniosynostosis subjects demonstrated both abnormal and normalized growth following craniotomy, from 14 to 45, from 0.5 to 5.5, and from 2 to 75 months of age. A pattern of backward rotation of cranial component anatomy was observed in three normal subjects and two plagiocephaly subjects. The posterior fossa (PF) showed the greatest growth activity, with displacement adjustments throughout the study, and the anterior cranial fossa (ACF) least growth activity, with imperceptible frontal bone movement after age 3 years. After traditional bifrontal craniotomy, an abnormal displacement growth pattern was observed from age 14 to 45 months in the patient with syndromic craniosynostosis (Pfeiffer syndrome). Extensive fronto-parietal “bossing” and grossly deficient movement in the PF were observed. However, after a bifrontal craniotomy that also crossed lambdoid sutures, a normalized pattern of displacement growth was observed in two Apert syndrome patients. These two patients with extensive syndromic craniosynostosis had cranial component pattern adjustments as in the normal and plagiocephalic subjects.
PEG-POSS Hybrid Polyurethanes: Mechanically Robust Nanostructured Hydrogels

A series of unique hybrid thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) was synthesized using PEG as soft segment and incorporating an isobutyl-functionalized POSS diol (TMP POSS diol) in the hard segment. The molecular weight of PEG was systematically varied to include 10, 20, and 35 kDa, while the mole ratio of POSS diol (as chain extender) to PEG was in range from 3:1 to 8:1 with samples featuring a PEG molecular weight of 10 kDa. The diisocyanate employed for TPU polymerization was 4,4’-methylenebis(phenyl-isocyanate) (MDI). We found that the hydrophobic hard segments (POSS) can form crystalline structures driven by micro-phase separation, this being due to significant thermodynamic incompatibility between POSS and ethylene oxide units. The POSS nano-crystals thus formed serve as physical crosslinking sites within an inorganic-organic hybrid network. This affords a new hybrid organic-inorganic hydrogel in the water-swollen state. The equilibrium swelling ratio increased monotonically with PEG loading and ranged from ∼70% to ∼600%. The shear modulus, G, of the hybrid hydrogels was observed to span 0.3 < G < 4.0 MPa – C values commonly found for elastomers, not hydrogels. Indeed, the hydrogel stiffness can be finely tuned through the POSS:PEG molar ratio, as this predictably controls swelling in water.
Evaluating significance in linear mixed-effects models in R

Mixed-effects models are being used ever more frequently in the analysis of experimental data. However, in the lme4 package in R the standards for evaluating significance of fixed effects in these models (i.e., obtaining p-values) are somewhat vague. There are good reasons for this, but as researchers who are using these models are required in many cases to report p-values, some method for evaluating the significance of the model output is needed. This paper reports the results of simulations showing that the two most common methods for evaluating significance, using likelihood ratio tests and applying the z distribution to the Wald t values from the model output (t-as-z), are somewhat anti-conservative, especially for smaller sample sizes. Other methods for evaluating significance, including parametric bootstrapping and the Kenward-Roger and Satterthwaite approximations for degrees of freedom, were also evaluated. The results of these simulations suggest that Type 1 error rates are closest to .05 when models are fitted using REML and p-values are derived using the Kenward-Roger or Satterthwaite approximations, as these approximations both produced acceptable Type 1 error rates even for smaller samples.
20 Fingers: Personal or political?

For the first two decades of the post-revolutionary period, Iranian filmmakers predominantly portrayed women as either selfless/heroic characters, willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of a community, or sinister and selfish creatures who not only lacked any redeeming value, but were a danger to the well-being of the community. Mania Akbari’s film, 20 Fingers, made during a transitional period of post-revolutionary Iran, was a sharp departure from this norm. Neither heroic nor sinister, the female protagonist of twenty fingers is a woman whose words and acts are driven by individualistic urges. Can she thus speak to the concern of the community of women? The claim of this article is that despite the apolitical and at times seemingly frivolous nature of the female character of the film, she, through her acts and words, speaks to the concerns of many women who have long been under the yoke of patriarchal norms and institutions.
A synthetic approach to value as a standard of reference

The thermo-dynamical Energy coming from Elementary Catastrophe Theory (E.C.T.) was shown to be the simplest utility function fitting the mold of the Pratt's approach. It further explains the empirical data accumulated for over a century in the stimuli-response procedure. It enjoys the property of impossibility of aggregation a la Arrow with minimum constraints. An added bonus is achieved via a fit to a stronger (than Pratt's) measure of risk aversion by S. Ross topological framework. Together with the results of J-M. Grandmont and Y. Balasko, it could lead to a new paradigm based on thermo-dynamical potential characterized by a negative Schwarz' derivative replacing the entropy principle and its implied concavity for a purposeful human being.
Eine neuartige Methode der Kompensation unspezifischer Lichtverluste in der Atomabsorptions-Spektroskopie

Es wird ein neuartiges System zur Kompensation unspezifischer Lichtverluste in der Atomabsorptions-Spektroskopie beschrieben. Dieses System hat folgende typische Eigenschaften: Es arbeitet im Zweistrahlbetrieb und gestattet die Ermittlung der unspezifischen und spezifischen Lichtverluste im gleichen Bereich der Atomzone. Sowohl sehr schnell veranderliche, als auch sehr hohe unspezifische Lichtverluste (bis zu mindestens 1,0 Extinktionseinheiten) konnen kompensiert werden. Als Anwendungsbeispiele werden die Bestimmung von Blei in Kondensmilch und in aufgeschlossenen Blutproben diskutiert.
Cost and Revenue Functions

Cost and revenue functions are discussed in this chapter. They are shown to be dual to the input and output distance functions, respectively. The price derivatives of cost and revenue functions are shown to generate conditional demand and supply functions, and their derivatives with respect to outputs and inputs, respectively are used in determining scale elasticities. The dualities are applied in Section 3.3 to find shadow prices of inputs and outputs. The cost and revenue functions and their corresponding distance functions are used in Section 3.4 to compute allocative and overall efficiency. Price indexes are defined as ratios of cost and revenue functions. For these indexes to be output and input independent the concepts of input and output homotheticity are employed. In the final section a theorem is proved, showing the special production structure imposed by simultaneous input and output homotheticity.
Local Minimality Results Related to the Bloch and Landau Constants

Let H(\( \left( \mathbb{D} \right)\)) denote the set of functions holomorphic in the unit disk \( \mathbb{D} \subset \mathbb{C}.\) The theorem of Bloch, [Bh] from 1925, asserts existence of an absolute constant B such that for each \( f \in H\left( \mathbb{D} \right)\) there is a disk of radius \(B|f'\left( 0 \right)| \) which is the one-one image under f of some subdomain of \( \left( \mathbb{D} \right)\) Such a disk is called a “schlicht disk” for f. The best, i.e., largest, value of B is called Bloch’s constant.
Associations of gender and etiology with outcomes in heart failure with systolic dysfunction: a pooled analysis of 5 randomized control trials.

Objectives This study sought to explore the gender-related differences in etiology and outcomes in chronic heart failure (HF) patients from 5 randomized trials. Background Each year, 550,000 new cases of HF are identified; however, there remain limited data on gender-related differences in etiology and outcomes among patients with HF with systolic dysfunction. Methods We analyzed data from 8,791 men and 2,851 women randomized in 5 clinical trials (PRAISE [Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evaluation], PRAISE-2, MERIT-HF [Metoprolol Extended Release Randomized Intervention Trial in Heart Failure], VEST [Vesnarinone Trial], and PROMISE [Prospective Randomized Milrinone Survival Evaluation]) to explore gender-related differences in etiology (ischemic vs. nonischemic) and outcomes (all-cause mortality and death or all-cause hospitalization). Hazard ratios (HR), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated by gender and etiology. Results A total of 18% of ischemic and 31% of nonischemic patients were women. Irrespective of etiology, women were older, more ethnically diverse, and had higher systolic blood pressures, more diabetes, and severe HF symptoms, but less often smoked or had prior myocardial infarctions than men. Mean ejection fractions were similar between women (23.6%) and men (23.2%). The 1-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimates varied by gender and etiology (female nonischemics, HR 0.88 [95% CI 0.85 to 0.89]; female ischemics, HR 0.83 [95% CI 0.81 to 0.85]; male nonischemics, HR 0.84 [95% CI 0.83 to 0.85]; male ischemics, HR 0.79 [95% CI 0.78 to 0.81]). After adjustment, female gender (HR 0.77 [95% CI 0.69 to 0.85]) and nonischemic etiology (HR 0.80 [95% CI 0.72 to 0.89]) were associated with longer survival time. Time to death or hospitalization was longer among nonischemics (HR 0.83 [95% CI 0.78 to 0.89], p Conclusions Our data clarify that outcomes differ by both gender and etiology among patients with HF with systolic dysfunction. Understanding these differences may lead to better management of HF patients and improved overall prognosis.
Association of mannitol (MAN) with cisplatin (CIS)-induced nephrotoxicity (NTX) and cumulative CIS dose (CCD).

6051Background: CIS is widely used in cancer therapy with CCD linked to survival outcome. CCD, however, is constrained by side effects—particularly NTX (incidence 20-30%). MAN is widely used to pre...
Dealing with Indecisive Customers Through Pricing

One characteristic of the market economy is the competition that widely exists in the marketplace. To continuously find a new profitable market niche, an entrepreneurial behavior that makes competition increasingly intensive is the key for success in running business enterprises. So, a natural question arises for anyone who dreams to acquire success in the business world: What characterizes a market that begets new opportunities or competition?
Diet quality of vegetarian diets compared with nonvegetarian diets: A systematic review

Objective Vegetarian diets are consistently associated with improved health outcomes, and higher diet quality may contribute to improved health outcomes. This systematic review aims to qualitatively compare the a priori diet quality of vegetarian and nonvegetarian diets. Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, 2 online databases (Web of Science and PubMed) were searched for English language studies comparing diet quality among vegetarian and nonvegetarian adults using an a priori diet quality index. Two reviewers assessed study eligibility. Comparisons were made between total and component (when available) diet quality scores among the 12 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Conclusions Lacto-ovo vegetarians or vegans had higher overall diet quality (4.5-16.4 points higher on the Healthy Eating Index 2010 [HEI-2010]) compared with nonvegetarians in 9 of 12 studies. Higher HEI-2010 scores for vegetarians were driven by closer adherence to recommendations for total fruit, whole grains, seafood and plant protein, and sodium. However, nonvegetarians had closer adherence to recommendations for refined grains and total protein foods. Higher diet quality in vegetarian diets may partially explain improvements in health outcomes compared with nonvegetarians; however, more research controlling for known confounders like health consciousness is needed.
Die Bibliosphäre der antiken Wissenschaft (außerhalb von Alexandria)

Der Artikel stellt die Methodik zur Erforschung einer „Bibliosphare“ vor, also der Gesamtheit der literarischen Dokumente einer bestimmten Kultur. In diesem Fall geht es um die Bibliosphare der Antike, und hierbei insbesondere um deren wissenschaftlich-philosophischen Bereich. Es wird die Auffassung vertreten, dass wir die Inhalte von Werken durch ihre Position in der Bibliosphare begreifen konnen. Der Gegensatz zwischen Mathematik und Literatur wird detailliert dargestellt und der Ubergangscharakter der Medizin hervorgehoben.
The impact of natural disasters on medicare costs in U.S. gulf coast states

Medicare utilization and costs for residents of the U.S. Gulf Coast, who are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, may be impacted by their disaster exposure.To estimate differences in healthcare utilization by disaster exposure, we calculated Medicare expenditures among residents of U.S. Gulf States and compared them with expenditures among residents of other regions of the U.S.Panel models were used to calculate changes in overall Medicare expenditures, inpatient expenditures, and home health expenditures for 32,819 Medicare beneficiaries. Individual demographic characteristics were included as predictors of change in expenditures.Medicare beneficiaries with National Health Interview Survey participation were identified and Part A claims were linked. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) data was used to determine counties that experienced no, some, high, and extreme hazard exposure. FEMA data was merged with Medicare claims data to create a panel dataset from 2001 to 2007.Medicare Part A claims for the years 2001 to 2007 were merged with FEMA data related to disasters in each U.S. County. Overall Medicare costs, as well as costs for inpatient and home health care for residents of states located along the U.S. Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) were compared to costs for residents of the rest of the U.S.Expenditures among residents of U.S. Gulf States decreased with increased hazard exposure. Decreases in inpatient expenditures persisted in the years following a disaster.The use of beneficiary-level data highlights the potential for natural hazards to impact health care costs. This study demonstrates the possibility that exposure to more severe disasters may limit access to health care and therefore reduce expenditures. Additional research is needed to determine if there is a substitution of services (e.g., inpatient rehabilitation for home health) in disaster-affected areas during the post-disaster period.
Surgical Volume of Dermatologists Who Do Not Perform Mohs Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Individual-Level Analysis Using Medicare Data.

BACKGROUND Dermatologists overall perform a large number of procedures billed to Medicare, though the proportion of surgical procedures attributable to general dermatologists who do not perform Mohs micrographic dermatologic surgery (MDS) is unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine the surgical volume of dermatologists who do not perform MDS and compare it to the surgical volume of MDS-performing dermatologists and all non-dermatologists. METHODS A cross-sectional analytical study was performed using the Medicare public use file for 2014. Data were divided by physician specialty (dermatologists vs all non-dermatologists), and dermatologists were then dichotomized by MDS performance. RESULTS Non-MDS dermatologists performed 42.19% of the benign excisions, 57.18% of the malignant excisions, and 46.00% of the intermediate repairs billed to Medicare in 2014. Micrographic dermatologic surgery-performing dermatologists were responsible for most of the complex repairs (67.56%), flaps (52.85%), and grafts (59.65%) billed to Medicare. CONCLUSION Dermatologists who do not perform MDS represent the single largest group billing Medicare for benign excisions, malignant excisions, and intermediate repairs. They also bill for more complex repairs than all non-dermatologists combined. Micrographic dermatologic surgery-performing dermatologists performed most of the complex repairs, flaps, and grafts billed to Medicare.
Grating Induced Transparency (GIT) and the Dark Mode in Optical Waveguides

We describe a new propagating optical mode in a bi-perodic wavegide. It possesses a Dark-Mode in formal analogy to the Dark atomic state of EIT. It displays transparency and slow-light behavior free from bandwidth-delay product-constraint.
Leadership in Placemaking

An examination of leadership in placemaking requires a different perspective; one that takes a broad look at all stakeholders involved, observing and interpreting behaviour and actions. This chapter explores a dynamic leadership approach in which the different leadership roles can be accommodated and all stakeholders are empowered to engage and contribute to placemaking projects regardless of organisational structure. Through experience and critical reflection, placemakers can learn to recognise the changes in situations, the dynamic roles within placemaking, and the different scales of interactions as they occur. As placemakers, we seek to support placemaking through the development of leadership and the ability to drive placemaking. You are invited to review your own capabilities and biases, understand your leadership role in placemaking, and support leadership in others using the Leadership in Placemaking Reflective Tool. We believe this tool has the potential to challenge current practices and support the development of critical reflection in placemaking.
Draft Genome Sequences of 10 Bacterial Strains Isolated from Root Nodules of Alnus Trees in New Hampshire.

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequences obtained for 10 bacterial strains isolated from root nodules of Alnus trees. These members of the nodule microbiome were sequenced to determine their potential functional roles in plant health. The selected strains belong to the genera Rhodococcus, Kocuria, Rothia, Herbaspirillum, Streptomyces, and Thiopseudomonas.
Workplace Incivility: An Integration of Affective Events Theory with Approach-Avoidance Framework

In this article, I integrate Affective Events Theory with the approach-avoidance framework to develop a unifying theoretical model that interconnects experienced, witnessed, and instigated incivili...
Impacts of Lower Thermospheric Atomic Oxygen on Thermospheric Dynamics and Composition Using the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model

The exchange of energy between the lower atmosphere and the ionosphere thermosphere system is not well understood. One of the parameters that is important in the lower thermosphere is atomic oxygen. It has recently been observed that atomic oxygen is higher in summer at ∼95 km. In this study, we investigate the sensitivity of the upper thermosphere to lower thermospheric atomic oxygen using the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM). We use the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension (WACCM‐X) to drive the lower atmospheric boundary of atomic oxygen in GITM between ∼95 and 100 km and compare the results with the current mass spectrometer incoherent scatter (MSIS) driven GITM. MSIS has higher atomic oxygen in the winter hemisphere while WACCM‐X has higher atomic oxygen in the summer hemisphere. The reversal of atomic oxygen distribution affects the pressure distribution between 100 and 120 km, such that the hemisphere with larger O number density has stronger equatorward winds, and lower temperature mainly due to adiabatic and radiative cooling. This affects thermospheric scale heights such that the hemisphere with more O has lower N2 and thus enhanced O/N2. This behavior is observed in the opposite hemisphere when MSIS is used as the lower boundary for GITM. Overall, O/N2 for WACCM‐X driven GITM matches better with the global ultraviolet imager (GUVI) data. We find that the impact of lower thermospheric atomic oxygen on upper thermosphere is not just through diffusive equilibrium but also through secondary effects on winds and temperature.
Identification of key signaling pathways induced by SARS-CoV2 that underlie thrombosis and vascular injury in COVID-19 patients.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in economic damage. The immune response elicited from this virus is poorly understood. An alarming number of cases have arisen where COVID-19 patients develop complications on top of the symptoms already associated with SARS, such as thrombosis, injuries of vascular system, kidney, and liver, as well as Kawasaki disease. In this review, we have used a bioinformatics approach to elucidate the immune response triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary human lung epithelial and transformed human lung alveolar. Additionally, we have examined the potential mechanism behind several complications that have been associated with COVID-19 and determined that a specific cytokine storm is leading to excessive neutrophil recruitment. These neutrophils are directly leading to thrombosis, organ damage, and complement activation via neutrophil extracellular trap release.
The State of the International Investment Law and Policy Regime (国际投资法和政策制度的现状

English Abstract:The author reviews the state of the investment regime, which is probably the strongest international regime in existence today. He identifies three main areas for improvement, relating to the regime’s objectives, substantive provisions and dispute-settlement mechanism. Changes will have to be driven by civil society. Chinese Abstract:本文回顾了现行国际投资体制的运行情况，并提出了以下三个待改进的问题，分别是：投资体系的职责、实质性条款和争端解决机制。
Demographic, Clinical, and Psychosocial Predictors of Change in Medication Adherence in the Support, Educate, Empower Program.

Purpose To investigate whether demographic, clinical, or psychosocial factors act as moderators of change in medication adherence in the Support, Educate, Empower (SEE) program. Design Prospective, single-arm pilot study with a pre–post design. Participants Patients with glaucoma aged ≥ 40 years and taking ≥ 1 glaucoma medication were recruited from the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. Those who had electronically measured adherence ≤ 80% in the 3-month eligibility monitoring period were enrolled in the SEE program. Methods Medication adherence was monitored electronically during the 7-month intervention and calculated as the percentage of doses taken correctly. Change in adherence at different points in the SEE program and cumulative change in adherence were modeled with linear regression, and baseline demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors were investigated for significant associations. Main Outcome Measures Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables associated with change in medication adherence in the SEE program. Results Thirty-nine participants completed the SEE program. These participants were on average 63.9 years old (standard deviation [SD], 10.7 years), 56% (n = 22) were male, 44% (n = 17) were White, and 49% (n = 19) were Black. Medication adherence improved from an average of 59.9% (SD, 18.5%) at baseline to 83.6% (SD, 17.5%) after the final SEE session, for an increase of 23.7% (SD, 17.5%). Although participants with lower income ( $50 000) had lower baseline adherence (48.4% and 64.1% vs. 70.4%), these individuals had greater increases in adherence during the first month of medication reminders (19.6% and 21.6% vs. 10.2%; P = 0.05 and P = 0.007, respectively). Participants taking fewer glaucoma medications also had significantly greater increases in adherence with medication reminders (P Conclusions Patient-level factors associated with relatively greater improvements in medication adherence through the SEE Program included lower income, fewer glaucoma medications, and increased GD. These findings demonstrate that the SEE program can improve glaucoma self-management even among participants with social and psychological barriers to medication adherence.
Control of hepatic proteolysis by leucine and isovaleryl-L-carnitine through a common locus. Evidence for a possible mechanism of recognition at the plasma membrane

Deprivation-induced proteolysis in the perfused rat liver is controlled through the multiphasic action of 7 regulatory amino acids of which L-leucine plays the dominant role. Recently, isovaleryl-L-carnitine (IVC) was shown to mimic the leucine's effects, suggesting that the two molecules share structural features that are recognized at a common site(s). In this study we find that each evokes identical responses consisting of inhibitory effects at 0.08 and 0.8 mM, separated by a sharp zonal loss of inhibition at 0.15 mM. As monitored by density shifts of beta-hexosaminidase in colloidal silica gradients, macroautophagy is suppressed by both. Responses to Leu and IVC at 0.08 and 0.15 mM are stereospecific and require a reactive group at the alpha-carbon (or equivalent) and a high degree of branched chain specificity. In addition, 0.5 mM Ala coregulates with IVC and Leu by decreasing the zonal loss at 0.15 mM. The fact that the multiphasic responses can be duplicated with equimolar mixtures of Leu + IVC indicates that both react at the same site(s). IVC is readily taken up by a saturable process, but owing to its rapid hydrolysis in the cell, the ratio of internal to external IVC remains low over a 4-fold concentration range. These findings, together with a kinetic analysis of concerted responses to regulatory amino acids, suggest that the recognition sites are at a position in the cell, possibly at the plasma membrane, to react reversibly with plasma amino acids.
In Vitro Metabolism of T-2 Toxin

Incubation of T-2 toxin with the 9,000 × g supernatant fluid of both human and bovine liver homogenate resulted in conversion to a single, deacetylated product identified as HT-2 toxin. Metabolism is more rapid in human liver. HT-2 toxin was not produced when human plasma was the incubating medium nor was it produced by treatment of T-2 toxin with simulated gastric juice. T-2 toxin was stable in gastric juice for at least 1 h.
Radiofrequency Field Enhancement With High Dielectric Constant (HDC) Pads in a Receive Array Coil at 3.0T

Purpose To investigate the use of a new high-dielectric constant (HDC) material for improving SNR and transmission efficiency for clinical MRI applications at 3 Tesla (T) with cervical spine imaging. Materials and Methods Human subjects were imaged using a commercial cervical spine receive array coil on a clinical system with and without pads containing Barium Titanate beads in deuterium water placed around the neck. Numerical electromagnetic field simulations of the same configuration were also performed. Results Experimental and simulated maps of transmit and receive fields showed greater efficiency for imaging the cervical spine when the pads were present. Experimental measurements showed a significant improvement in SNR with the pads present and an average input power reduction of 46%. Conclusion Use of HDC material can enhance SNR and transmission efficiency for clinical imaging of the cervical spine at 3.0T. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:435–440. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Feminism in the worlds of Neil Gaiman: essays on the comics, poetry and prose, edited by Tara Prescott and Aaron Drucker

Comics have long been considered a male domain, with books written by, for and about men. Women are forced to fight for the right to create, enjoy and speak about comics and are increasingly demand...
Trusted third parties in electronic commerce

Trusted third parties (TTPs) are often employed to facilitate trust in commercial transactions. Banks, lawyers and brokers are typical examples in everyday use. On moving to the electronic world, the environment for establishing trust is significantly changed and, consequently, TTPs are required to play new roles. Important TTP services for electronic commerce include certification, time-stamping and notarisation. This paper describes these new TTP services and the vital roles they play in electronic commerce.
Universal Aspects of Biological Evolution

Which biological laws, if any, might be universal? As working hypotheses, astronomers and astrophysicists expect that the laws of physics and chemistry, as we understand them, and based on observations and experiments on and near Earth, apply throughout the galaxy and the universe. To what extent this expectation is tested by experiments and observations is a subject of continuing debate. Many astronomical observations can be interpreted as supporting these hypotheses, but they might break down in extreme conditions that are not similar to what can be achieved in Earth-based observations and experiments. At least to the extent that biological laws are emergent from physics and chemistry, we might expect that there are also biological laws, as we understand them, that hold throughout the Galaxy and the Universe. An obvious candidate for such universal biology is Darwinian evolution through mutation (and recombination) and natural (and artificial) selection and including also sexual reproduction, speciation, interand intra-specific competition, predation, parasitism, and symbiosis. This geomorphism, like anthropomorphism, is sometimes justifiable, sometimes just wrong. But some of the arguments for some of the laws of biology are, if correct, then universal. In this brief note, there is time to try to sell only one or two quick ideas. I would like to convince you that: (1) A level-of-development parameter can be defined for Earth’s biosphere in terms of total usable information contents in genes in genomes and memes in brains and extrasomatic memories such as libraries and magnetic disks. The concept of progress can then be defined as an increase in this level-of-development. (2) Earth’s fossil record shows that unsteady progress has occurred. (3) Even after Darwin and the modern synthesis of Darwinian theory and modern genetics, we really don’t understand why. But (4) we can approach the problem by considering the differential survival of information replicators, that is genes and memes. And (5) a reasonable extrapolation of the trend predicts continued progress for Earth’s biosystem and presumably also for other biosystems and civilizations elsewhere. Even a cursory examination of Earth’s fossil record firmly establishes the phenomena of evolution. From no fossils in the oldest rocks through single-celled organisms, then wigglers, eaters, creepers, crawlers, swimmers, runners, fliers, thinkers, up through the
Effect of exchange-correlation on first-principles-driven lattice thermal conductivity predictions of crystalline silicon

Abstract The effects of exchange–correlation (XC) and pseudopotential types on the density functional theory-driven prediction of the thermal conductivity of isotopically pure silicon are studied. The thermal conductivity is predicted by considering three-phonon scattering processes and a full solution of the Boltzmann transport equation. The LDA, PBE, PBEsol, and PW91 XCs predict thermal conductivities between 127 and 148 W/m K at a temperature of 300 K, which is an under-prediction of the experimental value of 153 W/m K by 3–17%. The BLYP XC predicts a thermal conductivity of 172 W/m K, an over-prediction of 12%.
The novel disulfide reductase bis-gamma-glutamylcystine reductase and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase from Halobacterium halobium: purification by immobilized-metal-ion affinity chromatography and properties of the enzymes.

Abstract An NADPH-specific disulfide reductase that is active with bis-gamma-glutamylcystine has been purified 1,900-fold from Halobacterium halobium to yield a homogeneous preparation of the enzyme. Purification of this novel reductase, designated bis-gamma-glutamylcystine reductase (GCR), and purification of halobacterial dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) were accomplished with the aid of immobilized-metal-ion affinity chromatography in high-salt buffers. Chromatography of GCR on immobilized Cu2+ resin in buffer containing 1.23 M (NH4)2SO4 and on immobilized Ni2+ resin in buffer containing 4.0 M NaCl together effected a 120-fold increase in purity. Native GCR was found to be a dimeric flavoprotein of Mr 122,000 and to be more stable to heat when in buffer of very high ionic strength. DLD was chromatographed on columns of immobilized Cu2+ resin in buffer containing NaCl and in buffer containing (NH4)2SO4, the elution of DLD differing markedly in the two buffers. Purified DLD was found to be a heat-stable, dimeric flavoprotein of Mr 120,000 and to be very specific for NAD. The utility of immobilized-metal-ion affinity chromatography for the purification of halobacterial enzymes and the likely cellular function of GCR are discussed.
Hindgut Neuroendocrine Neoplasia

Neuroendocrine neoplasias (NENs) consist of a spectrum of tumors which can originate throughout the body, behave in a variety of different ways but are characterized by a similar histological appearance. This article reviews the classification, staging, diagnosis and treatment of Hindgut Neuroendocrine Neoplasias.
Modelling hybrid systems as games

The authors propose a game framework for analyzing, extracting, and verifying digital control programs for continuous plants by regarding such programs as finite-state winning strategies in associated games. They call such interacting systems of digital control programs and continuous plants 'hybrid systems' and model them as networks of interacting concurrent digital programs or automata, following the approach of Nerode and Remmel (1990). This extends to hybrid systems the paradigm introduced by A. Nerode et al. (1992) for analyzing concurrent digital programs meeting program specifications as winning finite-state strategies in associated two-person games. This formulation is intended to facilitate the transfer of recent tools from logic and concurrency and dynamical systems to extraction and verification of digital control programs for continuous systems. >
Entry deterrence under financial intermediation with private information and hidden contracts

We study how financial intermediation affects market entry when an incumbent monopolist enters into non-public, short-term contracts for outside funds. Financial intermediation serves as a commitment device to avoid costly signalling, but at the same time leads to strategic experimentation by the bank. Without public commitment to the financial contract, signal-jamming affects the bank's strategic experiment. Unlike the previous literature on signalling and signal-jamming in entry deterrence in which entry is unaffected or its change indeterminate, the altered strategic experiment has the effect of increasing the amount of entry to the market.
Positronium formation and diffusion in a molecular solid studied with variable-energy positrons

Crystalline and amorphous ice were studied with monoenergetic positrons with incident energies $0lEl5$ keV. Positronium (Ps) forms in the ice and diffuses as a neutral particle until annihilation or escape from the surface. Measurement of the fraction of $o$-Ps leaving the surface reveals two distinct contributions to the total Ps-formation probability (both Ore- and spur-type) as well as the Ps diffusion coefficient, 0.17\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.09 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$/sec in crystalline ice. In addition, positronium trapping is observed in sputtered (crystalline) ice and voids (\ensuremath{\gtrsim} 17 \AA{} diameter) in amorphous ice.
Feeding at different plankton densities alters invasive bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) growth and zooplankton species composition

Invasive Asian carps Hypophthalmichthys spp. are an ecological threat to non-native aquatic ecosystems throughout the world, and are poised to enter the Laurentian Great Lakes. Little is known about how these filter-feeding planktivores grow and impact zooplankton communities in mesotrophic to oligotrophic systems like the Great Lakes. Our purpose was to determine how different plankton densities affect bighead carp H. nobilis biomass and how bighead carp affect zooplankton species composition. We conducted a 37-day indoor mesocosm experiment (volume = 678 l) with high and low plankton treatments (zooplankton dry mass ≈ 1,900 and 700 μg l−1; chlorophyll a = 25 and 14 μg l−1, respectively) in the presence and absence of juvenile bighead carp (mean = 5.0 g, 8.5 cm). Carp lost weight in the low plankton treatment and gained weight in the high plankton treatment, suggesting that food availability may be a limiting factor to bighead carp growth in regions of low plankton densities. In the presence of carp, zooplankton shifted from Daphnia to copepod dominance, while in the absence of carp, Daphnia remained dominant. Chydorids and ostracods increased in the presence of carp, but only in the low plankton treatment, suggesting that the impact of bighead carp on zooplankton species composition may vary with zooplankton density. Chlorophyll was higher in the absence of carp than in the presence. Chlorophyll and zooplankton densities in many Great Lakes ecosystems are substantially lower than our low treatment conditions, and thus our results suggest that Asian carp establishment in these regions may be unlikely.
Electron paramagnetic resonance of electron-irradiated GaP

An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of electron-irradiated GaP is presented with emphasis on the properties of the isolated gallium vacancy which can be deduced from its EPR. Further confirmation of the assignment of this spectrum to the vacancy is presented with additional discussion of defect structure. Details of the optical excitation of the EPR-active charge state are given. The vacancy is introduced at a high rate (\ensuremath{\sim} 1 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$) in $p$-type material for electron irradiation at energies of 1-2 MeV. An electron fluence study is reported. High concentrations of isolated vacancies are not found in heavily irradiated $n$-type samples. The vacancy EPR has been observed from 1.4 to 150 K. The vacancy disppears in isochronal annealing studies at temperatures from 300 to 350 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. Reverse annealing was observed following intense room-temperature laser excitation. A brief discussion of other EPR spectra observed in $e$-irradiated GaP is given.