cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of issues relating to iron and infection

Use of erythropoietin (EPO) therapy and iron supplementation has improved the management of anemia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). As more patients receive supplemental iron, however, concerns are being raised about a potential link between iron and infection. There is biologic plausibility for this link, since iron is a growth factor for bacteria and certain host defense mechanisms are iron-sensitive. Animal models show that injection of iron leads to increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. In some studies, patients with high serum ferritin levels have reduced neutrophil function. However, these studies did not determine whether serum ferritin levels were elevated because of increased iron stores or because of infection. If infection is present, it might cause both the elevated serum ferritin levels and the neutrophil dysfunction. Several clinical studies have found an association between high serum ferritin levels and increased infectious risk. In studies that control for important covariates such as use of catheters and previous infections, the infectious risk associated with iron administration or elevated serum ferritin levels is reduced or eliminated. Collectively, these studies suggest that our current understanding of the relationship between iron and infection is incomplete and further studies are needed. There is no reason to alter current iron treatment strategies based on this literature.
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Metastatic and Recurrent Ewing Sarcoma and Osteosarcoma

Background. Radiotherapy has been utilized for metastatic and recurrent osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma (ES), in order to provide palliation and possibly prolong overall or progression-free survival. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is convenient for patients and offers the possibility of increased efficacy. We report our early institutional experience using SBRT for recurrent and metastatic osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. Methods. We reviewed all cases of osteosarcoma or ES treated with SBRT between 2008 and 2012. Results. We identified 14 patients with a total of 27 lesions from osteosarcoma or ES . The median total curative/definitive SBRT dose delivered was 40&#x2009;Gy in 5 fractions (range, 30&#x2013;60&#x2009;Gy in 3&#x2013;10 fractions). The median total palliative SBRT dose delivered was 40&#x2009;Gy in 5 fractions (range, 16&#x2013;50&#x2009;Gy in 1&#x2013;10 fractions). Two grade 2 and 1 grade 3 late toxicities occurred, consisting of myonecrosis, avascular necrosis with pathologic fracture, and sacral plexopathy. Toxicity was seen in the settings of concurrent chemotherapy and reirradiation. Conclusions. This descriptive report suggests that SBRT may be a feasible local treatment option for patients with osteosarcoma and ES. However, significant toxicity can result, and thus systematic study is warranted to clarify efficacy and characterize long-term toxicity.
Transition for Youths with Learning Disabilities: A Focus on Developing Independence:

Youths with learning disabilities encounter more difficulty in making a successful transition to employment and independence than their nondisabled peers. Consequently, they can benefit from implem...
Landowner Beliefs Regarding Biodiversity Protection on Private Property: An Indiana Case Study

This article argues that efforts to protect endangered species on private land could benefit substantially from a better understanding of landowners' beliefs and values about conservation and private property rights. Noting that surprisingly little research has been done in this area, the article presents data from a series of in-depth interviews with landowners in a conservation management area in central Indiana. The results illustrate the strength of a belief in ownership as an intrinsic right among landowners, as well as a high level of concern for protecting endangered species, often on moral grounds. The combination of views found in this case suggests a window of opportunity for greater collaboration with private owners to meet species conservation goals.
Inside The Volcano: The History And Political Economy Of Central America

* Introduction * Conquest and Colony, 1500 to 1700 * Colonial Reform, Political Independence, and the Liberal Experiment, 1700 to 1850 * The Export Economies: Coffee, Bananas, and Social Structure, 1850 to 1930 * Economic Decline, War, and the Ascent of the State, 1930 to the 1950s * Economic Dynamism and Structural Transformation, the 1950s to the Early 1980s * Economic Dynamism and Political Decay, the 1950s to the Early 1980s * The International Political Economy of Democracy, the 1980s to the Present
Use of “Loss-of-Contact” Substitutions to Identify Residues Involved in an Amino Acid-Base Pair Contact: Effect of Substitution of Gln18 of Lac Repressor by Gly, Ser, and Leu

Abstract A procedure to identify which base pair of lac operator (lacO) a suspected contacting amino acid of Lac repressor (LacR) interacts with is presented. The procedure is to eliminate the ability of the amino acid under study to contact DNA, and then to determine at which base pair—if any—specificity is eliminated. To implement this procedure, four sets of Escherichia coli K-12 strains have been constructed. These strains permit: (i) the substitution of a selected amino acid of LacR by, respectively, Gly, Ser, Leu, or Gln, and (ii) the analysis of the specificity of the resulting substituted LacR with respect to base pairs 5,6,7,8,9, and 10 of lacO. This procedure has been applied to Gln18 of LacR. The preliminary data indicate that LacR(Gln18⇒Gly) is unable to distinguish between the O+ base pair G:C and the Oc base pair T:A at position 7 of lacO (KDoc/KDO + = 0.93). In contrast, LacR(Glnl8⇒Gly) discriminates O+ from Oc by a factor of 13 to 23 at each other position. The same qualitative pattern of ...
THE STELLAR WIND REGIONS

Abstract : WITH CLASS G main sequence and M-giant stars are given for various interst llar environments. The supersonic wind from a class G star undergoes a shock transition to subsonic flow at a radial distance of 100 - 1,000 a.u. and may extend many times farther as a subsonic flow. Thic storms. Open-ended Terms: Stellar Wind. From the observations of the solar wind and of the M-giant alpha-Herculis the gross dynamical features of the stellar wind region associated with class G main sequence and M-giant stars are given for various interst llar environments. The supersonic wind from a class G star undergoes a shock transition to subsonic flow at a radial distance of 100 - 1,000 a.u. and may extend many times farther as a subsonic flow. This subsonic flow will be subject to turbulence and oth r instabilities in many cases. The wind from an Mgiant may extend many parsecs if the M-giant p ase of evolution lasts long enough for its wind to approach equilibrium; the resultant in erstellar contamination and heating is important for a distance of many parsecs. A rough calculation of the cavity formed by a stellar wind in a largescale interstellar field is carried out, and it is found that the cavity shape and dimensions for stationary flow depend upon the back pressure at infinity. As the pressure increases, the cavity changes from a circular cylinder of infinite radius, through an increa ingly bulbous shape of finite radius, to a sphere of infinite radius with one finite cyli drical channel from each pole. (Author)
Nucleic Acids Research annual Database Issue and the NAR online Molecular Biology Database Collection in 2009

The current issue of Nucleic Acids Research includes descriptions of 179 databases, of which 95 are new. These databases (along with several molecular biology databases described in other journals) have been included in the Nucleic Acids Research online Molecular Biology Database Collection, bringing the total number of databases in the collection to 1170. In this introductory comment, we briefly describe some of these new databases and review the principles guiding the selection of databases for inclusion in the Nucleic Acids Research annual Database Issue and the Nucleic Acids Research online Molecular Biology Database Collection. The complete database list and summaries are available online at the Nucleic Acids Research web site (http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/).
Meeting the challenges of an aging workforce

BACKGROUND: Demographic, labor market and economic forces are combining to produce increases in the number and percentage of U.S. workers 55 and older. In some ways these workers will be our most skilled and productive employees but in others the most vulnerable. METHODS: The literature on aging and work was reviewed, including demographic trends, physical and cognitive changes, safety and performance, work ability, and retirement patterns. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Older workers have more serious, but less frequent, workplace injuries and illnesses than younger ones. There is evidence that many of these problems can be prevented and their consequences reduced by anticipating the physical and cognitive changes of age. Many employers are aware that such efforts are necessary, but most have not yet addressed them. There is a need for implementation and evaluative research of programs and policies with four dimensions: the work environment, work arrangements and work-life balance, health promotion and disease prevention, and social support. Employers who establish age-friendly workplaces that promote and support the work ability of employees as they age may gain in safety, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable business practices. Language: en
Using simulation in the implementation of an outpatient procedure center

Creation of an outpatient procedure center (OPC) is a complicated endeavor, requiring a detailed understanding of the resources available and the procedures to be performed. Miscalculation of resource allocation or patient flow through the area can result in the waste of expensive resources, patient dissatisfaction, and health care provider inefficiency. The use of discrete event simulation can assist in the design of an OPC with the ultimate goal of reducing resource waste and improving patient flow through the system. In this article we provide a case study of the application of a discrete event simulation model used to support analysis required for moving an existing group (interventional procedures for pain medicine) into a new area. This resulted in major changes to the group?s practice and modified the new facility utilization.
A Linear Absorbance Converter for Continuous-Flow Colorimeters

The photocell transmittance output from continuous-flow colorimeters can be converted into linear absorbance by means of a simple solid-state circuit. The circuit includes a field effect transistor operational amplifier and a logarithmic operator, plus several stabilizing circuit networks. The working range is 1.2 absorbance units, which for most applications is an improvement of 50% over the unmodified colorimeter, at wavelengths of 420 to 700 nm. The output can drive the conventional AutoAnalyzer recorder, or a 2-input, low-cost recorder such as the Heath Kit IR-18M.
Efficient monitoring of end-to-end network properties

It is often desirable to monitor end-to-end properties, such as loss rates or packet delays, across an entire network. However, active end-to-end measurement in such settings does not scale well, and so complete network-wide measurement quickly becomes infeasible. More efficient measurement strategies are therefore needed. Previous work, examining this problem from a linear algebraic perspective, has shown that for exact recovery of complete end-to-end network properties, the number of paths that need to be monitored can be reduced to approximately the number of links in the network. In this paper we ask whether measurement strategies of even greater efficiency are possible. We recast the problem as one of statistical prediction and show that end-to-end network properties may be accurately predicted in many cases using a significantly smaller set of carefully chosen paths than needed for exact recovery. We formulate a general framework for the prediction problem, propose a simple class of predictors for standard quantities of interest (e.g., averages, totals, differences), and show that linear algebraic methods of subset selection may be used to make effective choice of which paths to measure. We explore the accuracy of the resulting methods both analytically and numerically, in the context of real network topologies of varying size. The feasibility of our methods derives from the low effective rank of routing matrices as encountered in practice, which appears to be a new observation of interest in its own right. The resulting framework, which is quite general, appears to hold promise for studying and improving the efficiency of monitoring of end-to-end-network properties.
Robust Phase-Shift-Keying Silicon Photonic Modulator

We propose a BPSK silicon modulator with very low insertion loss that is robust against the amplitude variations in the modulating signal. The device directly enables a ~2.5dB enhancement in SNR over OOK formats.
Migration of Particulate Dye Mixtures in Textile Capillary Assemblies

A statistical analysis was made of the results of migration of a disperse dye in a homogeneous dispersion with itself and in a mixture with other dyes. The results of the analysis reveal that interaction of particulate dyes can occur. Migration of a ho mogeneous dye can be impeded by the presence of other dyes.
The social psychology of English as a global language: attitudes, awareness and identity in the Japanese context

The social psychology of English as a global language: attitudes, awareness and identity in the Japanese context, by Robert McKenzie, Berlin and New York, Springer, 2010, xii + 210 pp., €99.95/US$1...
Long-Term Enteral Nutrition Support and the Risk of Dehydration

Dehydration is a serious risk for the long-term tube-fed patient who is not allowed oral intake, has an altered mental status, is unable to communicate, is elderly or fluid-restricted, or has thirst impairment. The intent of this review is to provide a case-based discussion regarding the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of dehydration in these types of patients. Identification of risk factors, along with evaluation of subjective, objective, and laboratory parameters, provides the basis for clinical evaluation. "Hidden" sources of fluid intake such as the water content of solid foods and water generated from nutrient oxidation and "hidden" sources of fluid output such as evaporative losses should be considered in waterbalance calculations. The method for treatment and prevention of dehydration depends on the presence or absence of hypovolemia, type of body fluid losses, and whether the patient demonstrates hypernatremia, normonatremia, or hyponatremia.
Relation between Language Experiences in Preschool Classrooms and Children's Kindergarten and Fourth-Grade Language and Reading Abilities.

Indirect effects of preschool classroom indexes of teacher talk were tested on fourth-grade outcomes for 57 students from low-income families in a longitudinal study of classroom and home influences on reading. Detailed observations and audiotaped teacher and child language data were coded to measure content and quantity of verbal interactions in preschool classrooms. Preschool teachers’ use of sophisticated vocabulary during free play predicted fourth-grade reading comprehension and word recognition (mean age = 9; 7), with effects mediated by kindergarten child language measures (mean age = 5; 6). In large group preschool settings, teachers’ attention-getting utterances were directly related to later comprehension. Preschool teachers’ correcting utterances and analytic talk about books, and early support in the home for literacy predicted fourth-grade vocabulary, as mediated by kindergarten receptive vocabulary.
New supercharging reagents produce highly charged protein ions in native mass spectrometry

The effectiveness of two new supercharging reagents for producing highly charged ions by electrospray ionization (ESI) from aqueous solutions in which proteins have native structures and reactivities were investigated. In aqueous solution, 2-thiophenone and 4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (HD) at a concentration of 2% by volume can increase the average charge of cytochrome c and myoglobin by up to 163%, resulting in even higher charge states than those that are produced from water/methanol/acid solutions in which these proteins are denatured. The greatest extent of supercharging occurs in pure water, but these supercharging reagents are also highly effective in aqueous solutions containing 200 mM ammonium acetate buffer commonly used in native mass spectrometry (MS). These reagents are less effective supercharging reagents than m-nitrobenzyl alcohol (m-NBA) and propylene carbonate (PC) when ions are formed from water/methanol/acid. The extent to which loss of the heme group from myoglobin occurs is related to the extent of supercharging. Results from guanidine melts of cytochrome c monitored with tryptophan fluorescence show that the supercharging reagents PC, sulfolane and HD are effective chemical denaturants in solution. These results provide additional evidence for the role of protein structural changes in the electrospray droplet as the primary mechanism for supercharging with these reagents in native MS. These results also demonstrate that for at least some proteins, the formation of highly charged ions from native MS is no longer a significant barrier for obtaining structural information using conventional tandem MS methods.
Preclinical Imaging in BSL-3 and BSL-4 Environments: Imaging Pathophysiology of Highly Pathogenic Infectious Diseases

Structural and functional imaging are emerging as powerful tools for studying highly pathogenic infectious disease processes. Nuclear imaging modalities and sophisticated radiolabeled probes can be used to track physiological or biochemical processes associated with viral infection. Magnetic resonance imaging can provide anatomical images with exquisite soft tissue contrast, while magnetic resonance spectroscopy can measure the relative amounts of certain metabolites in a given tissue. However, conducting medical imaging studies in a high-containment laboratory requires advanced applications and modification not only of image acquisition and analysis processes but also of the imaging equipment. Processes such as ex vivo labeling of cells are hampered by the personal protective equipment required for the safety of laboratory personnel. Modification of medical imaging equipment can prevent contamination of the equipment. Regardless of the challenges involved, medical imaging could provide valuable information to researchers developing therapeutics against highly pathogenic infectious diseases.
Audio event classification using binary hierarchical classifiers with feature selection for healthcare applications

In this paper, a binary hierarchical classifier with feature selection is proposed for multi-class audio event classification for healthcare applications. We consider the hierarchical clustering and the feature selection problems jointly when building a binary hierarchical classifier. The proposed method results in the classifier structure as well as a compact feature subset for each component classifier for constructing the overall binary hierarchical classifier. With Support Vector Machine (SVM) for the component classifiers in our experiment, results from classifying several key audio events for the eldercare application show competitive performance to the traditional one-against-one method while the number of training and testing SVM is less in our proposed scheme. Moreover, feature selection facilitates the training of the component classifier by filtering out possible redundant and irrelevant feature components.
The Effect of Servicing the Public DEBT on Private Capital Formation

This article employs a life-cycle model of consumption and U.S. time-series data covering 1929-1969 to estimate the long-run impact on capital formation of substituting one dollar of debt for a dollar of taxes to finance a given level of government spending. The income redistribution effects of debt service are shown to be critical to analyzing the impact of public debt upon saving and capital formation. The results indicate that one extra dollar of domestic debt induces a twenty-one cent rise in capital formation; an extra dollar of foreign-held debt has a nil effect. The positive impact on capital formation occurs because the negative wealth effects of taxes levied to finance debt interest causes an increase in saving that overbalances the induced fall in saving caused by the positive wealth effects of debt interest. In the case of foreign borrowing, the two effects just cancel each other.
Scalable storage structure for pattern matching on big graph data

The wide popularity of graphs in areas such as Semantic Web and Social Network has necessitated the need to develop efficient methods to store and process graph data. However, the unique structure of graphs render traditional data handling methods and storage structures inefficient when dealing with large volumes of data. Existing graph storage structures either compromise scalability by adopting an in-memory approach or compromise on performance by relying heavily on disk access. In this paper, we propose a novel graph data storage format that reduces latency due to disk access by using a hybrid storage strategy. We also introduce an adaptive caching technique that makes the structure scalable to accommodate large scale graphs.
Limitations of GCTA as a solution to the missing heritability problem

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) seek to understand the relationship between complex phenotype(s) (e.g., height) and up to millions of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Early analyses of GWASs are commonly believed to have “missed” much of the additive genetic variance estimated from correlations between relatives. A more recent method, genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA), obtains much higher estimates of heritability using a model of random SNP effects correlated between genotypically similar individuals. GCTA has now been applied to many phenotypes from schizophrenia to scholastic achievement. However, recent studies question GCTA’s estimates of heritability. Here, we show that GCTA applied to current SNP data cannot produce reliable or stable estimates of heritability. We show first that GCTA depends sensitively on all singular values of a high-dimensional genetic relatedness matrix (GRM). When the assumptions in GCTA are satisfied exactly, we show that the heritability estimates produced by GCTA will be biased and the standard errors will likely be inaccurate. When the population is stratified, we find that GRMs typically have highly skewed singular values, and we prove that the many small singular values cannot be estimated reliably. Hence, GWAS data are necessarily overfit by GCTA which, as a result, produces high estimates of heritability. We also show that GCTA’s heritability estimates are sensitive to the chosen sample and to measurement errors in the phenotype. We illustrate our results using the Framingham dataset. Our analysis suggests that results obtained using GCTA, and the results’ qualitative interpretations, should be interpreted with great caution.
A Market for End-of-The-World Insurance? Credit Default Swaps on US Government Debt

The market for credit default swaps (CDS) on US government debt is remarkably thin. Relative to the amount of reference debt, the market for CDS on USA is an order of magnitude smaller than the markets for CDS on other high-grade government borrowers, such as Germany and the UK. A common theory for the thinness of the US market is counterparty risk, but this explanation is difficult to reconcile with the privileged position that derivatives counterparties enjoy under US insolvency law. Moreover, the strong correlation between the insolvency risks of the US Treasury and of many financial firms means that sales of CDS on USA could be used opportunistically to transfer expected value from a protection seller’s general creditors to its shareholders. While there is no evidence that such correlation-seeking is yet occurring, regulators should not disregard the hazard, which if realized could distort CDS prices and exacerbate the systemic damage caused by a US debt restructuring.
Designing Instruction and Grouping Students to Enhance the Learning of All: New Hope or False Promise?

Ability grouping continues to be a controversial practice. High-achieving students tend to benefit from the practice while low-achieving students tend to fall further behind than they do under mixed-ability teaching. Recent international research shows that this pattern is not limited to the USA. New research in the USA points toward approaches that may obtain the benefits of ability grouping for high achievers without the usual losses, and perhaps even with similar gains, for low achievers. A computer algorithm that matches student needs with classroom organization and specific instructional responses has been demonstrated in studies of early reading to be effective with all students, and especially with struggling readers. If this system could be replicated in other grades and subject areas, it would provide a more effective means of differentiating instruction than is commonly used. Another approach draws on teacher-effects research to identify differential teacher effects for high- and low-achieving students. If successful, this approach could allow students and teachers to be optimally matched in support of greater learning for all students. Research on both of these approaches would benefit from sociological attention to opportunities for learning among students from diverse backgrounds.
A Brief History of Liberty—And Its Lessons

Classical republicanism and classical liberalism divide on the understanding of freedom, the one taking it as non-domination, the other as non-interference. And essentially the same division survives today, with serious policy implications, between neo-republicanism and neo-liberalism.
Microstructural modeling of transgranular and intergranular fracture in crystalline materials with coincident site lattice grain-boundaries: Σ3 and Σ17b bicrystals

Abstract The competing microstructural failure mechanisms of transgranular (TG) and intergranular (IG) fracture, in martensitic steel bicrystals with coincident site lattice (CSL) boundaries of Σ3 and Σ17b, have been investigated, using a dislocation-density-based crystalline plasticity formulation and a recently developed overlapping fracture method. A dislocation-density grain boundary (GB) interaction scheme was coupled within a dislocation-density based crystal plasticity formulation to investigate how different types of CSL GBs affect dislocation-density evolution, plastic deformation, dislocation pile-up formation, TG and IG fracture, and fracture toughness. The computational predictions indicate that the bicrystal, with a Σ3 boundary, transitioned from IG to TG fracture, with large dislocation density generation and plastic deformation on the TG fracture planes. Bicrystals with the Σ17b boundary failed due to intergranular fracture and rupture, with much lower, in comparison with the Σ3 boundary case, dislocation density generation and plastic deformation. These predictions, which are consistent with experimental observations, indicate that Σ3 boundary is resistant to IG fracture with a higher fracture toughness than the Σ17b boundary case. More significantly, the computational framework can potentially be used as a guideline for GB engineering for failure-resistant materials.
Variations in Postoperative Immobilization Following Common Hand Surgery Procedures

Background: The aim was to investigate variations in the duration of postoperative immobilization for common hand surgery procedures and to determine whether there is any correlation between surgeon experience and duration of postoperative immobilization. Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was sent to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand asking the following questions: (1) number of years in practice and (2) duration of immobilization for 16 common hand surgery procedures. A Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine correlations between surgeon experience and duration of immobilization. Box plots were created to display the distribution and variability in postoperative immobilization per procedure among surgeons. Results: A total of 1126 respondents completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 40%. Procedures with a greater average duration of immobilization demonstrated the greatest variability. The largest variability overall was observed in intercarpal ligament repa...
Previous Driving Experience, but Not Vision, Is Associated With Motor Vehicle Collision Rate in Bioptic Drivers.

PURPOSE: Bioptic telescopic spectacles (BTS) consist of a small telescope (or telescopes) mounted high in a pair of spectacle lenses. More than 40 states allow for some form of bioptic driving licensure for people with decreased central vision. The purpose of this study was to determine significant associations among previous driving experience, vision, and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) for bioptic drivers in Ohio. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients who received a vision examination and subsequently obtained bioptic licensure. We obtained driving records from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in order to determine MVC involvement. Relationships among vision measures, age, sex, previous experience, and MVCs were investigated using time-to-event analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: We identified 237 bioptic drivers (65% male). Age at initial exam ranged from 16 to 81 years, and mean visual acuity was approximately 20/120. The number of MVCs per driver ranged from 0 to 11, with 124 (52%) drivers having had at least one MVC. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were not significant predictors of MVC. Drivers without previous driving experience were significantly more likely to have been involved in an MVC (P RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS: Previous nonbioptic driving experience, but not visual acuity or contrast sensitivity, was associated with yearly MVC rate in bioptic drivers. Language: en
Effect of Culture Conditions on Fatty-Acid Composition of Heterosigma akashiwo

Heterosigma akashiwo, which contains large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, might be a natural source of such fatty acids for foods and pharmaceuticals. We studied the effect of culture conditions on the fatty acid composition of this plankton. The total fatty acid content of cells grown at 17°C was 50% (w/w) higher than that of cells grown at 25°C. The fatty acid composition was affected by the culture pH and temperature and by the addition of NaCl. In cells grown at 25°C, C 20:5 accounted for 20% of total fatty acids; in cells grown at 29°C, the proportion was 11% (w/w). The greatest accumulation of C 18:4 was at pH 5.8 with temperature at 17 or 29°C, and the NaCl concentration of 1.6%.
State and Clan in Somalia

Presentation et commentaire de l'ouvrage de M.H. Brons, 2001, Society, Sovereignty and the State. Somalia: From Statelessness to Statelessness?. Selon l'A. cette etude est profondement insatisfaisante et presente des lacunes importantes, tant du point de vue conceptuel que factuel. Au lieu d'analyser les processus et structures historiques dans leurs contextes reels, Brons projette dans le passe eloigne et recent de la Somalie les termes et concepts de la guerre civile contemporaine, c'est-a-dire, les termes pseudohistoriques avec lesquels les chefs de guerre ont incite leurs adeptes a la guerre civile.
Cyclic peptide-capped gold nanoparticles as drug delivery systems

A number of cyclic peptides were synthesized and evaluated as simultaneous reducing and capping agents for generation of cyclic peptide-capped gold nanoparticles (CP-AuNPs). Among them, direct dissolution of cyclic peptides containing alternate arginine and tryptophan [WR]n (n = 3–5) into an aqueous solution of AuCl4– led to the formation of CP-AuNPs, through the reducing activity of tryptophan residues and attraction of positively charged arginine residues toward chloroaurate anions in the reaction environment. Differential interference contrast microscopy of fluorescence-labeled lamivudine in the presence of [WR]4-capped AuNPs showed significantly higher cellular delivery of antiviral drug versus that of parent drug alone. Flow cytometry studies also showed that the cellular uptake of fluorescence-labeled lamivudine, emtricitabine, and stavudine was significantly enhanced in human ovarian adenocarcinoma (SK-OV-3) cells in the presence of [WR]4-AuNPs. For example, fluorescence labeled lamivudine-loaded [...
Industrial Purchasing: An Empirical Exploration of the Buyclass Framework:

The Robinson, Faris, and Wind buyclass framework has been called one of the most useful concepts in organizational buyer behavior, yet the entire model has received little empirical attention. Part...
Simulation on Propagation Characteristics of Partial Discharge Electromagnetic Signals in GIS with Coaxial Structure

In order to obtain the attenuation characteristics of EM in GIS with coaxial structure, a simplified model of coaxial GIS is built by using FDTD method to simulate the inferences of the resonant cavity, energy leakage and transmitting antenna on propagation of partial discharge electromagnetic signals. Simulation shows that the end enclosed coaxial structure can be viewed as a coaxial resonant cavity with low quality factor,which would induce more complex EM signal components of higher-order mode. The position of insulator would reduce the components of higher-order modes in EM signal propagation to result in a decay of amplitude in measurement. The protrusion on conductor plays a role of excitation source of EM signals, and facilitates the propagation of the EM waves.
High-Performance Multifunctional Thermoplastic Composites Enhanced by Aligned Buckypaper†

High-performance lightweight composites are sizably manufactured by impregnating continuous aligned carbon nanotube sheet (buckypapers) with self-reinforcing polyphenylene (Parmax) solution and followed by hot-press. The high processing pressure flattens nanotubes, which preferably π-stack with the aromatic rings of Parmax chain, and accordingly improve the load transfer. Both tensile strength and Young's modulus of the thermoplastic composites increase with the alignment degree of nanotubes, and can reach 950 MPa and 94 GPa, respectively, for the composite containing 50%-stretched buckypaper. The highly aligned nanotubes also boost phonon transfer (70 W mK−1) and the electric conductivity (425 S cm–1) of the composite along the alignment direction. These combined outstanding properties would enable the thermoplastic composites in wide applications as multifunctional material.
SU-F-J-121: Dosimetric Evaluation of Active Breathing Coordinator-Response Gating System Linked to Linear Accelerator in Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

Purpose: To reduce internal target volume (ITV), respiratory management is a must in imaging and treatment for lung, liver, and breast cancers. We investigated the dosimetric accuracy of VMAT treatment delivery with a Response™ gating system linked to linear accelerator. Methods: The Response™ gating module designed to directly control radiation beam by breath-holding with a ABC system (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) was tested for VMAT treatments. Seven VMAT plans including three conventional and four stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) cases were evaluated. Each plan was composed of two or four arcs of 6MV radiation beam with prescribed dose ranged from 1.8 to 9 Gy per fraction. Each plan was delivered continuously without gating and delivered with multiple interruptions by the ResponseTM gating module with a 20 or 30 second breath-holding period. MapCheck2 and Gafchromic EBT3 films sandwiched in MapPHAN were used to measure the delivered dose with and without gating. Films were scanned on a flatbed color scanner, and red channel was extracted for film dosimetry. Gamma analysis was performed to analyze the dosimetrical accuracy of the radiation delivery with gating. Results: The measured doses with gating remarkably agree with the planned dose distributions in the results of gamma index passing rate (within 20% isodose; >98% for 3%/3mm and >92% for 2%/2mm in MapCheck2, and >91% for 3%/3mm criteria in EBT3 film except one case which was for large target and highly modulated). No significant difference (student t-test: p-value < 0.0005) was shown between the doses delivered with and without gating. There was no indication of radiation gap or overlapping during deliver interruption in film dosimetry. Conclusion: The Response™ gating system can be safely used during VMAT treatment. The accurate performance of the gating system linked to ABC can contribute to ITV reduction for SBRT using VMAT.
Improved compressed sensing multiplexing for PET detector readout

We have developed new multiplexing method based on compressed sensing (CS) for PET detector readouts. Unlike presently known multiplexing methods, this new scheme can accurately measure the energy and position of pile up events while improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the detector. We introduce a new method for constructing sensing matrices with superior performance over commonly used "random construction" CS methods. Using a maximum-likelihood decoder that we have previously developed, we show through simulations that the new multiplexing method can position intercrystal scatter events and pile up with nearly 100% accuracy. Further, the new multiplexing method yields a 40-1260% improvement in SNR compared to cross-strip multiplexing at a 4-to-1 multiplexing ratio.
Prevalence of abnormal pap smears in Hispanic women screened in a health fair setting

A106 Objective : Although Hispanics represent the fasting growing population in the United States, there is limited data on the prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology in this group. We evaluated the prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology in Hispanic women screened in a health fair setting. Materials and Methods : A retrospective chart review of all women presenting for health care screening at the Atlanta Grady Health System (GHS) sponsored Dia de la Mujer Latina (DML) health fair in 2005 and 2006 was performed. Women underwent a full physical exam and, where appropriate, liquid based cervical cytology screening. The results from the fair were compared to an outpatient clinic population of similar socio-economic status seen at the GHS during the first fiscal quarter. Patient’s within the GHS were further stratified to low-risk (LR; patients presenting to primary care clinics) or high-risk (HR; patients referred to the hospital-based gynecology clinic for a specified problem) groups. Statistics were performed with the SPSS statistical package. Results : One hundred ninety-one women in 2005 and 199 women in 2006 presented to the DML health fair and received satisfactory cervical cytology screening. The mean age of patients presenting to the health fair who underwent a pap smear in 2005 and 2006 were 37.3 (range 17-80) and 35.7 (range 11-73), respectively. The prevalence of an abnormal pap smear was 7.9% in 2005 and 7.0% in 2006. No patients had cervical cancer. There were no differences in the rate of abnormal pap smears when comparing the DML 2005 cohort to the LR 2005 (7.9% vs. 9.2%, p=0.53) or HR 2005 (7.9% vs. 10.9%, p=0.18) GHS populations. For 2006, the DML cohort had significantly lower rates of abnormal pap smears when compared to the LR 2006 (7.0% vs. 13.4%, p=0.01) and HR 2006 (7.0% vs. 14.5%, p=0.004) GHS groups. When combining the results for 2005 and 2006, the DML group had a significantly lower rate of abnormal pap smears than both the LR (7.4% vs. 10.6%, p=0.05) and HR (7.4% vs. 12.2%, p=0.006) GHS populations. Conclusions : Hispanic patients screened at a health fair have a lower rate of abnormal pap smears compared to patients of similar socio-economic status presenting to a medical or hospital clinic. Outreach in a health fair setting may provide an opportunity to detect cervical dysplasia at an earlier stage and allow for patient education to facilitate modification of high-risk behaviors.
Association Between Cognitive Complaints and Vulnerability to Environmental Distraction in Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) often report cognitive dysfunction, although neuropsychological evaluation findings may not correlate with subjective concerns. One factor that may explain this lack of correspondence is the controlled testing environment, which differs from busier settings where cognitive lapses are noted to occur. This study used a novel environmental manipulation to determine whether individuals with MS who report cognitive dysfunction are more vulnerable to the effects of auditory distraction during neuropsychological testing. METHOD Twenty-four individuals with clinically definite MS or clinically isolated syndrome were administered a cognitive battery during two counterbalanced auditory conditions: quiet/standard condition, and distraction condition with random office background noise. Participants were divided into high versus low cognitive complaint groups using a median split analysis of Perceived Deficits Questionnaire responses. RESULTS Participants with more cognitive complaints showed a decrement in performance on the oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test during the distraction condition while those with fewer cognitive complaints demonstrated stable performance across conditions. These findings remained significant after controlling for education, premorbid intellect, fatigue, and depressed mood. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that individuals with MS with more cognitive complaints are vulnerable to environmental distraction, particularly regarding processing speed. Incorporating random environmental noise or other distraction conditions during selected measures may enhance the ecological validity of neuropsychological evaluation results in MS.
High efficiency dual-fuel combustion through thermochemical recovery and diesel reforming

Abstract A computational system optimization was conducted to explore the potential benefits of diesel reforming in dual-fuel combustion strategies. A comprehensive CFD model, validated against syngas (50/50 H2/CO by mole) metal engine experiments, was used to simulate the engine combustion process. The engine CFD solver was coupled with an equilibrium solver for the reformer process and three different reforming processes were investigated: Partial oxidation, steam reforming, and autothermal reforming. A system level approach was used to evaluate the impact of thermochemical recovery of exhaust energy and reformer losses. A design of experiments of simulations was conducted to explore the combustion system design space and a genetic algorithm was used to search the resulting response surface and find the optimal operating conditions. It was found that fuel reforming can increase engine net indicated efficiencies by as much as 9% due to a shorter combustion duration and reduction in heat transfer losses. The partial oxidation reforming system resulted in the lowest system efficiencies at 44% due to its exothermic nature, while steam reforming and autothermal reforming were able to achieve over 48% system efficiency, an improvement in global efficiency of 8% compared to a diesel baseline due to exhaust heat recovery.
Modified kinetic theory applied to the shear flows of granular materials

Granular materials are characterized by large collections of discrete particles, where the particle-particle interactions are significantly more important than the particle-fluid interactions. The current kinetic theory captures fairly accurately the granular flow behavior in the dilute case, when only binary interactions are significant, but is not accurate at all in the dense flow regime, where multi-particle interactions and contacts must be modeled. To improve the kinetic theory results for granular flows in the dense flow regime, we propose a Modified Kinetic Theory (MKT) model that utilizes the contact duration or cutoff time to account for the complex particle-particle interactions in the dense regime. The contact duration model, also called TC model, was originally proposed by Luding and McNamara [“How to handle the inelastic collapse of a dissipative hard-sphere gas with the TC model,” Granular Matter 1, 113 (1998)] to solve the inelastic collapse issue existing in the inelastic hard sphere model...
Smart cities in the United States and worldwide: A rich arena for MIS studies

ABSTRACTSmart cities provide growing intelligence and interactivity for their citizenry through contemporary information and communication technologies (ICTs). The citizen has enhanced knowledge and interactivity with the city and gains open access to previously sequestered information. This article surveys the expanding prevalence and a wide variety of smart city features, such as dashboards of analytics on progress toward city goals; interactive, real-time provision of vehicle routing, safety, and parking information for citizens; sharing economy efficiencies; and spatial understanding of the urban geography of renewable energy. Smart solutions are discussed for the exemplary cities of Seattle, Los Angeles, and Amsterdam, and benefits pointed out. This emerging area offers a rich panoply for MIS researchers to conduct myriad types of studies utilizing the field’s quantitative and qualitative toolkits, its theories and paradigms of management, organizations, behavior, and strategies, as well as by applyi...
Use of non-individualized head-related transfer functions to measure spatial release from masking in children with normal hearing

Spatial hearing studies with children have typically been conducted using loudspeakers in laboratories. However, loudspeaker arrays are rare in clinics due to high cost and technical set-up requirements. The use of virtual auditory space (VAS) with non-individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) can increase the feasibility of assessing spatial hearing abilities in clinical settings. A novel paradigm for measuring spatial release from masking (SRM) was developed using non-individualized HRTFs. This paradigm measures the minimum angular separation needed between target and masker to achieve a 20% increase in target speech intelligibility. First, the 50% speech reception threshold (SRT) was measured with target and masker co-located to one side. Then, the masker position was adaptively changed to achieve 70.7% intelligibility while maintaining the signal-to-noise ratio at the level of the co-located SRT. To verify the use of non-individualized HRTFs, normal-hearing children were tested (1) using a loudspeaker array and (2) in headphone-based VAS created using KEMAR HRTFs measured in the same setup as (1). Preliminary results showed that co-located SRTs and target-masker angle separation to achieve a 20% SRM were similar in loudspeaker array and in headphone-based VAS. This suggests that non-individualized HRTFs might be used in an SRM task for clinical testing.