cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quasi-elastic neutron scattering study of translational dynamics of hydration water in tricalcium silicate

We investigate single-particle dynamics of water molecules in hydrated tricalcium silicate, a major component in ordinary Portland cement, as functions of temperature and aging and in the presence of an additive that retards the curing process. Spectra of incoherent quasi-elastic neutron scattering from hydrogen atoms were measured using a four-chopper spectrometer having an energy resolution of 28 μeV, thus probing mainly the translational dynamics of water molecules. The spectra were analyzed with an explicit dynamical model. The model takes into account the existence of two types of water: “immobile water” (type one), presumably water bound inside colloidal particle component of the cement paste, and “glassy water” (type two), water imbedded in gellike component filling spaces between the colloidal particles. The model fits very well all normalized spectra in an absolute scale over a wide range of spectrum covering an energy transfer range of at least 300 μeV. We deduced, from these fits, three import...
Polymer biocompatibility—effect on hybridoma growth and metabolism

Hybridoma concentrations were reduced in shake flask and continuous culture by medical-grade PVC and polyurethane samples. Cell viability was unaffected and nutrient uptake rates were increased. No inhibition was observed for silicone, C-Flex or Teflon samples. The inhibition by PVC could be reduced by conditioning the sample with complete medium. The reduction in final cell yield and growth rate may result from extraction of one or more growth factors from the medium.
Using large-scale climatic patterns for improving long lead time streamflow forecasts for Gunnison and San Juan River Basins

In a water-stressed region, such as the western United States, it is essential to have long lead times for streamflow forecasts used in reservoir operations and water resources management. Current water supply forecasts provide a 3-month to 6-month lead time, depending on the time of year. However, there is a growing demand from stakeholders to have forecasts that run lead times of 1 year or more. In this study, a data-driven model, the support vector machine (SVM) based on the statistical learning theory, was used to predict annual streamflow volume with a 1-year lead time. Annual average oceanic–atmospheric indices consisting of the Pacific decadal oscillation, North Atlantic oscillation (NAO), Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, El Nino southern oscillation (ENSO), and a new sea surface temperature (SST) data set for the ‘Hondo’ region for the period of 1906–2006 were used to generate annual streamflow volumes for multiple sites in the Gunnison River Basin and San Juan River Basin, both located in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Based on the performance measures, the model showed very good forecasts, and the forecasts were in good agreement with measured streamflow volumes. Inclusion of SST information from the Hondo region improved the model's forecasting ability; in addition, the combination of NAO and Hondo region SST data resulted in the best streamflow forecasts for a 1-year lead time. The results of the SVM model were found to be better than the feed-forward, back propagation artificial neural network and multiple linear regression. The results from this study have the potential of providing useful information for the planning and management of water resources within these basins. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spatial estimation of air temperature differences for landscape-scale studies in montane environments

Capturing fine-grain environmental patterns at landscape scales cannot be accomplished easily using conventional sampling techniques. Yet increasingly, the landscape is the scale at which ecosystems are managed. Temperature variability is an important control of many ecological processes. Elevation is often used as a proxy for temperature in montane ecosystems, partly because few direct measurements are available. We propose a low-cost and logistically practical approach to collecting spatially explicit temperature data using a network of portable temperature micro-loggers. These data can be used to generate simple, site-specific models for estimating temperature differences across complex terrain. We demonstrate the approach in a predominantly old-growth watershed in the Oregon Western Cascades. Environmental lapse rates are generated for July mean, maximum and minimum temperatures. Temperature estimates are improved substantially over these lapse rate estimates by including measures of relative radiation and relative slope position as additional explanatory variables in the model. The development of temperature estimates that explicitly account for topography has important implications for ecological analysis, which frequently relies upon the simplifying assumptions associated with lapse rates in describing the environmental template.
A Study of Direct-Conversion SOFC with n-Butane at Higher Fuel Utilization

The performance of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with Cu-ceria yttria-stabilized zirconia anodes in n-butane at 973 K has been studied as a function of fuel conversion. In order to simulate the local anode environment athigh fuel utilization. n-butane was oxidized with O 2 in a separate reactor before sending the fuel to a small 0.45 cm 2 cell. When n-butane oxidation was carried out over a ceria catalyst at 973 K, the main oxidation products were CO 2 and H 2 O. By comparing the performance of the cell in the partially oxidized fuel to the performance of the cell in n-butane diluted in He, it was demonstrated that CO 2 and H 2 O have only minimal effect on cell performance other than to dilute the fuel. This dilution of the fuel results in a significant decrease in performance at higher fuel conversions. When n-butane oxidation was carried out over a Pd-ceria catalyst, significant amounts of H 2 were generated by steam reforming of hydrocarbons with the steam generated by hydrocarbon oxidation. As a result, the maximum power density generated by the cell increased with fuel conversions up to 30% and remained very high at fuel conversions up to at least 70%. Based on these results, it is suggested that the inclusion of a steam-reforming catalyst within the anode compartment of direct-conversion SOFC should improve their performance at high fuel utilization.
Pitch estimation and voicing detection based on a sinusoidal speech model

A technique for estimating the pitch of a speech waveform is developed. It fits a harmonic set of sine waves to the input data using a mean-squared-error (MSE) criterion. By exploiting a sinusoidal model for the input speech waveform, a pitch estimation criterion is derived that is inherently unambiguous, uses pitch-adaptive resolution, uses small-signal suppression to provide enhanced discrimination, and uses amplitude compression to eliminate the effects of pitch-formant interaction. The normalized minimum mean squared error proves to be a powerful discriminant for estimating the likelihood that a given frame of speech is voiced. >
Nonlinear Identification Update of an Air-Data System using Experimental Flight Data

x yz nnn = components of acceleration along x, y, and z vehicle reference axes at c.g., respectively s P ∞ = total static pressure front s P = total static pressure at cone front position slot s P = total static pressure at cone slot position ,, pqr = components of angular velocity along x, y, and z vehicle reference axes, respectively
Acoustic model training using greedy EM

We present a greedy EM (GEM) method for training Gaussian mixture density (GMD) based acoustic models. In the proposed approach, starting from a single Gaussian, GMD is built up by sequentially adding new components. Each new component is globally selected to avoid local optima. The sequential procedure offers more control over the model structure to achieve better coverage of data. GEM also provides a natural way of integrating information criteria for model complexity selection. Experimental results on a WSJ task show that the new method performs consistently better than the conventional method in speech recognition word error rate.
United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service research on pest biology: weeds

Over 125 permanent full-time scientists conduct research within the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on issues related to weeds. The research emphasis of most of these scientists involves ecology and management or biological control of weeds. Many scientists perform research on weed biology as components of their primary projects on weed control and integrated crop and soil management. Describing all ARS projects involved with weed biology is impossible, and consequently only research that falls within the following arbitrarily chosen topics is highlighted in this article: dormancy mechanisms; cell division; diversity of rangeland weeds; soil resources and rangeland weeds; poisonous rangeland plants; horticultural weeds; weed traits limiting chemical control; aquatic and semi-aquatic weeds; weed/transgenic wheat hybrids; seedbanks, seedling emergence and seedling populations; and weed seed production. Within these topics, and others not highlighted, the desire of ARS is that good information on weed biology currently translates or eventually will translate into practical advice for those who must manage weeds.
Belief Propagation over MIMO Frequency Selective Fading Channels

In this paper, we propose an iterative belief propagation (BP) detector over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) frequency selective fading channels as an alternative to the typically used maximum a-posteriori (MAP) or Viterbi detectors. Unlike the trellis based detectors having serial structure, the proposed detector has the advantage of having a parallel structure, resulting in more efficient and fast hardware implementations. Moreover, BP detector is less complicated than the MAP detector and it has a short decoding delay which is essential for reduced memory requirements. Via simulations we show that, over frequency selective fading channels, the proposed BP detector achieves a near-optimal performance, even in the presence of the length 4 cycles in the channel factor graph
Distal Embolic Protection for Infrainguinal Interventions: How to and When?

Distal embolization is a well-recognized complication during lower extremity revascularization procedures. Preliminary work has shown safety and feasibility of the use of embolic protection devices in this vascular territory. While many interventionalists believe that this technology offers a clear benefit for infrainguinal use based on the clinical safety data seen in other vascular beds, others believe that the exact role is poorly defined. All clinical experience to date has been with devices designed for other vascular territories and this has created a unique set of technical obstacles and potential risks. At present, clinical use is increasing despite a lack of data regarding which patients are at greatest risk for distal embolization, which anatomy is appropriate for the use of this technology, and which device, if any, is ideally suited for the infrainguinal arterial circulation. In addition, the clinical relevance and effect of distal embolization in the lower extremity remains poorly understood. Ultimately, more trial data may be necessary to substantiate the increased use of distal protection devices in infrainguinal interventions to justify the increase in cost, complexity, and potential risks associated with the use of this technology.
Semantic, Fuzzy Set and Fuzzy Measure Similarity for the Gene Ontology

Innovations in computational biology such as high throughput genomic technologies have resulted in numerous large databases containing genomic information which are being annotated with terms from the gene ontology to ensure consistency of the referenced biological concepts. These annotations are being used in determining the similarity between genes and gene products, an important task in post-genomics study. This paper presents an investigation of similarity measures between annotated objects with a focus on the domain of computational biology and the gene ontology. A framework for experimenting with and developing new similarity measures between annotated objects in other domains is discussed in the context of the querying with ontological terminologies and their annotations (QUOTA) system currently being developed.
Seed exchange networks and food system resilience in the United States

Seed exchange is a multidimensional issue with social, political, economic, and agricultural implications. There is a growing concern about the increase of the food system’s vulnerability as a result of loss of agricultural biodiversity. Farmers’ ability to replant, exchange, and distribute saved seed is a way to minimize their dependence on commercial suppliers and thereby maintain control over farming practices. Seed saving is also crucial for conservation because the process of choosing, replanting, and exchanging seeds relies on and increases diversity on the farm and in communities. Seed exchange networks, formal and informal ways that farmers engage alongside institutional plant breeding systems, help to conserve agricultural, social, and cultural diversity and identity as well as enhance resilience against environmental and economic shocks. However, how to build resilient seed systems and move from the innovative but relatively isolated project activities of professionals and farmers to a situation where such approaches are scaled up and networked alongside formal and informal, national and international plant breeding mechanism are a concern. This paper examines grassroots seed exchange through seed libraries, the marketing of new varieties through seed companies, and hybrid civil society-business models to understand their financial and technical abilities as well as challenges they face. Seed exchange networks fulfill an important role in conservation of agricultural biodiversity and building community resilience through their work on breeding, exchange, and propagation of regionally adapted open-pollinated seeds as well as advocacy on seed sovereignty and education on seed saving.
Density-Dependent and Density-Independent Mortality of the Western Corn Rootworm: Impact on Dose Calculations of Rootworm-Resistant Bt Corn

The percentage of viable eggs of the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, which survived to the adult stage was evaluated for the effect of egg density in 2005 and 2007 in central Missouri. In 2005, each plot was 2.44 by 3.05 m and contained 64 maize (corn), Zea mays L., plants. In 2007, plots were 3.05 by 3.05 m and again contained 64 corn plants. Seven egg densities (2,400, 1,200, 600, 300, 100, 50, and 25 viable eggs per 30.5 cm) were evaluated with four to six replications in each year in a completely randomized design. In 2007 only, an additional row was infested near each plot to evaluate plant damage. In both years, there was no correlation of infestation level and percentage of emergence between infestation levels of 25–600 viable eggs per 30.5 cm, indicating that density-dependent mortality did not occur at these egg densities. In 2005, 8.04% of the viable eggs established on a corn plant and produced an adult at these lower infestation rates. In 2007, this value was 2.9%. Regardless of egg density, ≈92–97% failed to establish and produce adults (density-independent mortality). In 2005 and in the combined analysis, as viable egg densities increased from 600 to 2400 per 30.5 cm there was a significant decrease in percentage of emergence. In a broken line analysis of the 2005 data, the point where density-dependent mortality began in the combined analysis was 851 eggs per 30.5 cm with a 95% confidence interval from 678 to 1024. That year density-dependent mortality was important at high infestations and killed 54.4% of those larvae that successfully established on a plant at the highest egg density. However, little or no density-dependent mortality occurred at infestation levels <850 viable eggs per 30.5 cm in either year of the study. Combining data from both years with all previously published data in a broken line analysis indicated that density-dependent mortality began at ≈800 viable eggs per 30.5 cm. These data are discussed in terms of dose calculations for products targeting the western corn rootworm.
Restriction enzymes increase efficiencies of illegitimate DNA integration but decrease homologous integration in mammalian cells.

Mammalian cells repair DNA double-strand breaks by illegitimate end-joining or by homologous recombination. We investigated the effects of restriction enzymes on illegitimate and homologous DNA integration in mammalian cells. A plasmid containing the neo R expression cassette, which confers G418 resistance, was used to select for illegitimate integration events in CHO wild-type and xrcc5 mutant cells. Co-transfection with the restriction enzymes BamHI, BglII, EcoRI and KpnI increased the efficiency of linearized plasmid integration up to 5-fold in CHO cells. In contrast, the restriction enzymes did not increase the integration efficiency in xrcc5 mutant cells. Effects of restriction enzymes on illegitimate and homologous integration were also studied in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells using a plasmid containing the neo R gene flanked by exon 3 of Hprt. The enzymes BamHI, BglII and EcoRI increased the illegitimate integration efficiency of transforming DNA several-fold, similar to the results for CHO cells. However, all three enzymes decreased the absolute frequency of homologous integration ∼2-fold, and the percentage of homologous integration decreased >10-fold. This suggests that random DNA breaks attract illegitimate recombination (IR) events that compete with homology search.
Aspirin Blocks EGF-stimulated Cell Viability in a COX-1 Dependent Manner in Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Objective: Although aspirin has been associated with a reduction of the risk of cancer when used as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, its use to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer is controversial. Ovarian cancer cells usually express high levels of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX)-1. Because aspirin is a rather selective inhibitor of COX-1, the ability of aspirin to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer may be dependent on the level of COX-1 expression in those cells. Furthermore, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently overexpressed in the malignant phenotype of ovarian cancer leading to increased cell proliferation and survival. Here we investigated if aspirin attenuates EGFR-activated ovarian cancer cell growth in a COX-1 dependent manner. Methods: Cell viability assays and Western blot analyses were used to determine the effect of aspirin on EGF-stimulated cell proliferation. Gene silencing and gene expression techniques were employed to knockdown or to express COX-1, respectively. Results: Aspirin inhibited cell viability induced by EGF in a dose dependent manner in COX-1 positive ovarian cancer cells. On the other hand, aspirin had no effect on cell viability in COX-1 negative ovarian cancer cells. In particular, aspirin decreased phosphorylated Akt and Erk activated by EGF. COX-1 silencing in COX-1 positive cells attenuated the inhibitory effect of aspirin on EGF-stimulated cell viability. Furthermore, we developed a COX-1 expressing cell line (SKCOX-1) by stably transfecting COX-1 expression vector into COX-1 negative SKOV-3 cells. SKCOX-1 cells were more responsive to aspirin when compared to cells transfected with empty vector, and decreased EGF-activated Akt and Erk as well as cell viability. Conclusions: Taken together, aspirin inhibits viability of ovarian cancer cells by blocking phosphorylation of Akt and Erk activated by EGF. Thus it may potentiate the therapeutic efficacy of drugs used to treat COX-1 positive ovarian cancer subsets.
In Defense of Moral Realism: Reply to Gabennesch

Moral realism is pervasive in everyday life, and the more of it the better. The moral realism of everyday life is not childlike egocentric realism, in Piaget's sense, nor is it, as Gabennesch argues, an avoidable or deplorable form of opacity, reification, or ethnocentrism. The social order is part of the moral order, yet natural moral law extends beyond issues of harm, rights, and justice. Turiel is a cognitivist who restricts his conception of natural moral law to harm, rights, and justice. Gabennesch is an emotivist or conventionalist who has no concept of natural moral law at all. I share with Turiel his cognitivism but not his restricted conception of natural law. I share with Gabennesch his reading of the evidence for a pervasive moral realism of everyday life, but not his conventionalist interpretation of it.
Decision makers calibrate behavioral persistence on the basis of time-interval experience

A central question in intertemporal decision making is why people reverse their own past choices. Someone who initially prefers a long-run outcome might fail to maintain that preference for long enough to see the outcome realized. Such behavior is usually understood as reflecting preference instability or self-control failure. However, if a decision maker is unsure exactly how long an awaited outcome will be delayed, a reversal can constitute the rational, utility-maximizing course of action. In the present behavioral experiments, we placed participants in timing environments where persistence toward delayed rewards was either productive or counterproductive. Our results show that human decision makers are responsive to statistical timing cues, modulating their level of persistence according to the distribution of delay durations they encounter. We conclude that temporal expectations act as a powerful and adaptive influence on people’s tendency to sustain patient decisions.
The bin-packing problem: A problem generator and some numerical experiments with FFD packing and MTP

In this paper a problem generator for the Bin-Packing Problem (BPP) is presented which is suggested to be used in future for the empirical evaluation of exact and heuristic solution methods. Also some numerical experiments are performed with FFD Packing in order to identify hard problem classes of the BPP. From the results it becomes evident that the design of a previous test by Martello and Toth, in which the authors tried to verify the solution power of their method, MTP, has been biased. Thus, new experiments with MTP have been performed on instances from more challenging problem classes. Our results confirm the general opinion that MTP represents the state-or-the-art for exact solution methods for the BPP, even though the size of the problems, which can be solved to a proven optimum in reasonable computing time, still appears to be unsatisfactory.
Using system dynamics to improve public participation in environmental decisions

Dana Meadows believed that computer simulation models and systems thinking could be powerful tools for democracy, helping make social decisions and the assumptions on which they are based more transparent and open to public debate. She also believed that people should be more involved in making conscious and informed choices about their future. In the environmental arena, pressure to increase public participation in decision-making is growing. Not only is public involvement seen as a cornerstone of democratic ideals, it is increasingly seen by decision-makers as a practical means of putting decisions into effect. Involving the public in decision-making helps avoid public obstruction of decisions and garners public resources for their implementation. However, traditional approaches to public involvement, which rely heavily on information campaigns, facilitated discussions, and public hearings for conveying information and capturing stakeholder input, frequently leave participants dissatisfied. They are often perceived as one-way communication from agency experts to stakeholders or as a mechanism for powerful special interest groups to serve their own ends. System dynamics has the potential to improve public participation in environmental decisions by providing a framework for structured deliberation when stakeholders are involved in making decisions and a more transparent and participatory educational framework to persuade stakeholders to help implement decisions. This article describes a case study using group model building to support a stakeholder advisory group examining transportation and related air quality problems. One of the most valuable effects of the approach was the information feedback it added to the advisory process. Copyright  2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning effect in multinational diffusion of consumer durables: An exploratory investigation

Literature reflects that a product/technological innovation introduced later in a country results in faster diffusion as the consumers in the lag market have an opportunity to learn about the new product from the consumers in the lead market. A systematic understanding of the learning that takes place between consumers in two countries—a pair of lead and lag countries—can provide insights for a firm’s international market entry decisions. To provide a richer understanding of the underlying structure and patterns that govern this process, propositions linking factors (country characteristics, product/innovation characteristics, and time lag) to the learning process are drawn. Subsequently, these propositions are tested through an empirical investigation of the diffusion patterns of four consumer innovations in multiple European countries. The findings help provide some preliminary guidelines for manufacturers regarding selection of foreign markets and the timing and order-of-entry decisions.
Thiazide Diuretics as Chronic Antihypertensive Therapy in Patients with Severe Renal Disease—Is There a Role in the Absence of Diuresis?

OBJECTIVE:To determine whether thiazides have a chronic antihypertensive effect, in the absence of diuresis, in patients with severe renal disease (creatinine clearance <30 mL/min) or in those receiving dialysis.DATA SOURCES:A search was performed in PubMed, CENTRAL, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, using MeSH terms and/or key words. MeSH terms included kidney failure, chronic and exploded terms hydrochlorothiazide, renal dialysis, and thiazides. Key words included thiazide*, hydrochlorothiazide, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, indapamide, metolazone, methyclothiazide, bendroflumethiazide, hemodialysis, dialysis, kidney failure, renal failure, renal insufficiency, hypertension, vasodilation, vascular, and diuretics.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:All relevant English-language publications were evaluated. Studies evaluating the efficacy of thiazides in renal insufficiency or dialysis were limited to those that included blood pressure measurements. Studies were included only if treatment dura...
Simulation modeling in organizational and management research

Simulation modeling provides a powerful methodology for advancing theory and research on complex behaviors and systems, yet it has been embraced more slowly in management than in some associated social science disciplines. We suspect that part of the reason is that simulation methods are not well understood. We therefore aim to promote understanding of simulation methodology and to develop an appreciation of its potential contributions to management theory by describing the nature of simulations, its attractions, and its special problems, as well as some uses of computational modeling in management research.
The Eukaryotic Mismatch Recognition Complexes Track with the Replisome during DNA Synthesis.

During replication, mismatch repair proteins recognize and repair mispaired bases that escape the proofreading activity of DNA polymerase. In this work, we tested the model that the eukaryotic mismatch recognition complex tracks with the advancing replisome. Using yeast, we examined the dynamics during replication of the leading strand polymerase Pole using Pol2 and the eukaryotic mismatch recognition complex using Msh2, the invariant protein involved in mismatch recognition. Specifically, we synchronized cells and processed samples using chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with custom DNA tiling arrays (ChIP-chip). The Pole signal was not detectable in G1, but was observed at active origins and replicating DNA throughout S-phase. The Pole signal provided the resolution to track origin firing timing and efficiencies as well as replisome progression rates. By detecting Pole and Msh2 dynamics within the same strain, we established that the mismatch recognition complex binds origins and spreads to adjacent regions with the replisome. In mismatch repair defective PCNA mutants, we observed that Msh2 binds to regions of replicating DNA, but the distribution and dynamics are altered, suggesting that PCNA is not the sole determinant for the mismatch recognition complex association with replicating regions, but may influence the dynamics of movement. Using biochemical and genomic methods, we provide evidence that both MutS complexes are in the vicinity of the replisome to efficiently repair the entire spectrum of mutations during replication. Our data supports the model that the proximity of MutSα/β to the replisome for the efficient repair of the newly synthesized strand before chromatin reassembles.
Afterword: 'Latina/os' and Latina/o Legal Studies: A Critical and Self-Critical Review of LatCrit Theory and Legal Models of Knowledge Production

For the twelfth time in as many years, the LatCrit community convened its annual conference to underscore the importance of location and locality in the work that we do. The conference theme's framing around Critical Localities: Epistemic Communities, Rooted Cosmopolitans and Knowledge Processes not only focused our collective attention on questions of epistemic community and intellectual (as well as physical) location, but also invited reflection on the meanings we inscribe onto the positions we elect to stake out for ourselves and our work in light of the options and traditions that serve as background. The "Critical Localities" theme invites an examination of place and space as concepts that identify where we plant, however temporarily, the epistemic communities in which we as LatCrits devote ourselves to knowledge processes. The "Critical Localities" theme also invites analysis of the effects of subordination on place and space, on geography, on land-for some they provide a sense of rootedness but for others an experience of displacement. For some the lived reality of place and space offers an identity as cosmopolitan, and for others, their relation with place and space means an imposed identity as migrante or "illegal." The theme's concepts and tropes create perches for us to explore our worlds, both near and far, as we reflect on ourselves as knowledge producers and academic activists.
A Practitioner’s Guide to Prescribing Lithium for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

We developed this lithium guideline using drug prescribing information and reviewing the available literature on relevant neuropsychiatric disorders in ­populations without intellectual disabilities because of the dearth of available literature on the population with intellectual disabilities. This guideline includes indications, contraindications, assessments prior to and during treatment, dosing with particular focus on dosing modifications required by drug–drug interactions or personal characteristics, and adverse drug reactions. The procedures contained in this guideline may not fully account for all of the possible risks of treatment in this population because of the limited studies available; thus, there will be a need to periodically update this guideline as new information becomes available. Nevertheless, we believe that this guideline provides a useful resource for clinicians who treat mood disorders and/or challenging behaviors in adult individuals with intellectual disabilities. A lithium drug utilization review that summarizes this guideline is described.
Evaluating Electronic Resources

The sheer volume of legal information that is now available in electronic formats has made it more difficult to evaluate the quality of that information on a public website. The author suggests that we make our end-users more effective information users by having them follow a series of steps useful in evaluatinig the purpose, authority, objectivity, and accuracy of the information they locate on the web.
The impact of supplementary immunization activities on the epidemiology of measles in Tianjin, China

Summary Objectives China has repeatedly used supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) to work towards measles elimination, but it is unknown if the SIAs are reaching non-locals – migrants from rural to urban areas. This study characterized temporal trends in measles incidence by local and non-local residency and evaluated the impact of SIAs on measles incidence in Tianjin, China. Methods Daily measles case-counts were tabulated separately by residency. These two datasets were combined so that each day had two observations. Poisson regression was conducted using generalized estimating equations with an exchangeable working correlation structure to estimate rate ratios (RRs). Results There were 12465 measles cases in Tianjin over the 10-year period. The rate of measles was higher in non-locals than locals before the 2008 SIA (RR 3.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.27–3.96), but this attenuated to a RR of 1.22 between the 2008 and 2010 SIAs (95% CI 1.02–1.45). Following the 2010 SIA, non-locals had a lower rate of measles (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.69–0.87). Conclusions The disparity in measles incidence between locals and non-locals was reduced following two SIAs. Sustained public health interventions will be needed to maintain low measles incidence among non-locals given the ongoing migration of people throughout China.
Laryngeal Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Population-Based Analysis of Incidence and Survival.

ObjectiveLaryngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma (LNEC) is a rare malignancy with various subtypes, each with different characteristics. Classification of these subtypes is used to delineate treatment a...
The North Blockades the Confederacy, 1861–1865

INTRODUCTION In Chapter 2, the British blockade of the French coast during most of the nearly one hundred years of continuous warfare was shown to be a “defensive blockade.” That is, the English defended their country by deploying their fleets off the French ports to prevent that country's naval vessels from putting to sea and attacking the British coast and its colonies. During the American Civil War, the United States “stationed her fleets off the southern ports, not because she feared for her own, but to break down the Confederacy by isolation from the rest of the world, and ultimately by attacking the ports.” Although the method was the same as that earlier employed by the British, the purpose of the Northern blockade was “offensive” rather than “defensive.” Much has been written about the Civil War blockade; few historical events have been the subject of more academic controversy. For example, the historian Allan Nevins concludes that “To the east and south on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts the blockade had stiffened until near the end it was perhaps the major element in garroting the South.” He reports the words of the Civil War soldier-journalist, T. C. DeLeon, that by 1863 “the blockade had become so thoroughly effective that blankets and shoes had almost given out, and a large portion of the army was barefoot.”
All smiles perceived equally: Facial expressions trump target characteristics in impression formation

Race, gender, and emotionally expressive facial behavior have been associated with trait inferences in past research. However, it is unclear how interactions among these factors influence trait perceptions. In the current research, we test the roles of targets’ race, gender, and facial expression along with participants’ culture in predicting personality ratings. Caucasian and Asian-American participants rated the big-5 personality traits of either smiling or inexpressive photographs of Caucasian and Asian male and female faces. Ratings of extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness differed significantly across inexpressive targets as a function of race and gender categorization and individual characteristics. Smiling was associated with reduced variation in perceptions of targets’ extraversion and agreeableness relative to ratings made of inexpressive targets. In addition, participant culture generally did not significantly impact trait ratings. Results suggest that emotionally expressive facial behavior reduces the use of information based on race or gender in forming impressions of interpersonally relevant traits.
Clinical effect observation on mifepristone in treatment of leiomyoma of uterus

Objective:To observe the effect of mifepristone in treatment of leiomyoma of uterus and its safety.Methods:78 cases with leiomyoma of uterus were treated with mifepristone for three months.The volume of uterus and leiomyoma of uterus,the level of estrogen and progesterone,blood routine,liver function and renal function were measured before and after treatment.The side effects of mifepristone were observed.Results:After treatment,the volumes of uterus and leiomyoma of uterus were significantly less,the level of estrogen and progesterone dropped significantly,Hb increased significantly,and clinical symptoms improved significantly than before treatment(P0.01 or P0.001),and had few side effects occurred.Conclusion:It is effective and safe that mifepristone in treatment of leiomyoma of uterus,and can be widely used in clinic.
Flow Cytometry: Clinical And Research Applications In Hematologic Malignancies

Flow cytometric immunophenotyping has become an essential component of the diagnostic workup of leukemias and lymphomas, complementing morphology by providing information on the lineage and differentiation. It also has value in monitoring disease after therapy and in detecting minimal residual disease. This article reviews recent developments in the clinical and research applications of flow cytometry in the study of hematologic malignancies.
Adenocarcinoma of the cervix involving the fallopian tube mucosa: report of a case

Fallopian tube involvement by cervical carcinoma has rarely been documented, with literature reports focusing primarily on squamous cell carcinoma. In this report, we present the case of a 50 year old woman who presented with an abnormal Pap test with atypical squamous and glandular cells. A loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) was performed and led to the diagnosis of stage IB1 endocervical adenocarcinoma. Subsequent radical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection showed a well-differentiated endocervical adenocarcinoma of usual type with superficial spread to the endometrium and right fallopian tube. The patient received no adjuvant therapy and has remained without evidence of disease. While the advent of more extensive fallopian tube sampling has led to increased discovery and discussion of fallopian tube involvement by metastatic carcinoma, its impact on treatment and prognosis remains to be seen.
Targeting Fear of Spiders with Control-, Acceptance-, and Information-Based Approaches.

The full text of this article is not available on SOAR. WSU users can access the article via database licensed by University Libraries: http://libcat.wichita.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=1333571
Molecular spectrum of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, TP53, and APC somatic gene mutations in Arab patients with colorectal cancer: determination of frequency and distribution pattern

Background: The frequency rates of mutations such as KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA in colorectal cancer (CRC) differ among populations. The aim of this study was to assess mutation frequencies in the Arab population and determine their correlations with certain clinicopathological features. Methods: Arab patients from the Arab Gulf region and a population of age- and sex-matched Western patients with CRC whose tumors were evaluated with next-generation sequencing (NGS) were identified and retrospectively reviewed. The mutation rates of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, TP53, and APC were recorded, along with clinicopathological features. Other somatic mutation and their rates were also identified. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine the association between mutation status and clinical features. Results: A total of 198 cases were identified; 99 Arab patients and 99 Western patients. Fifty-two point seven percent of Arab patients had stage IV disease at initial presentation, 74.2% had left-sided tumors. Eighty-nine point two percent had tubular adenocarcinoma and 10.8% had mucinous adenocarcinoma. The prevalence rates of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, TP53, APC, SMAD, FBXW7 mutations in Arab population were 44.4%, 4%, 4%, 13.1%, 52.5%, 27.3%, 2% and 3% respectively. Compared to 48.4%, 4%, 4%, 12.1%, 47.5%, 24.2%, 11.1% and 0% respectively in matched Western population. Associations between these mutations and patient clinicopathological features were not statistically significant. Conclusions: This is the first study to report comprehensive hotspot mutations using NGS in Arab patients with CRC. The frequency of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, TP53, APC and PIK3CA mutations were similar to reported frequencies in Western population except SMAD4 that had a lower frequency and higher frequency of FBXW7 mutation.
Evaluation of intensive vs extensive systems of beef production and the effect of level of beef cow milk production on postweaning performance.

Charolais-sired calves from three groups of beef cows, similar in growth potential and mature size but different in genetic potential for milk production (5.6, 7.7, 9.0 kg/d; low, medium, and high, respectively), were allotted to two beef production systems each year for 3 yr. At weaning, calves in an intensive (Int) system went directly into the feedlot for finishing (236 d); calves in an extensive (Ext) system were wintered on corn residues (195 d), grazed pasture (115 d) and then were finished (122 d). Postweaning effects of increased weaning weight due to increased level of milk were small and not affected by growing-finishing system. Only the steer calves from the low milk-producing cows showed evidence (P less than .01) of compensatory growth postweaning in response to reduced levels of milk during the suckling phase. Cattle from the Ext system were heavier (P less than .01) before (388 vs 233 kg) and after (595 vs 531 kg) the finishing phase than Int system cattle. During finishing, cattle from the Ext system made more rapid gains (1.70 vs 1.36 kg/d) and consumed more feed (12.4 vs 8.5 kg/d, 2.52 vs 2.19% of average BW) but were less efficient (.137 vs .160, gain/feed) than cattle from the Int system (P less than .05). Extensive systems of beef production produced more total kilograms of beef per animal but they were 196 d older at slaughter.
Corporate social responsibility as an emerging business model in fashion marketing

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important part of many firms’ customer relationship management programs and can be a source of competitive advantage. Many firms have reaped competitive ...
Analysis of Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease over 15- year period

Background and Aims The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease IBD is increasing rapidly in China We aimed to explore the trends in epidemiological and clinical characteristics of IBD in Eastern China over the year period Methods This is a multi center retrospective study Newly diagnosed IBD cases from January to December n in Eastern China were included Study protocol was approved by Institutional Review Board Disease severity was assessed by Montreal classification It was divided into two periods and The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of ulcerative colitis UC and Crohn rsquo s disease CD were compared in these two periods respectively Results The mean inpatient CD incidence had fold increment with p lt while incidence of UC did not change significantly over the two periods p gt The incidence growth of CD is significantly associated with the growth of gross domestic product GDP in China P lt There were no statistically significant difference regarding the mean age at diagnosis gender ratio and mortality rate P gt between the two periods among both UC and CD Meanwhile the rate of applications of immunomodulators and biologics was higher in than those in ndash P lt Conclusions During age at diagnosis gender and the familial occurrence of IBD did not change significantly in Eastern China The incidence in inpatient CD has increased fold and significantly associated with the GDP growth This study provides insight into the possible local epidemiological and clinical patterns of IBD
CSF in the ventricles of the brain behaves as a relay medium for arteriovenous pulse wave phase coupling

The ventricles of the brain remain perhaps the largest anatomic structure in the human body without established primary purpose, even though their existence has been known at least since described by Aristotle. We hypothesize that the ventricles help match a stroke volume of arterial blood that arrives into the rigid cranium with an equivalent volume of ejected venous blood by spatially configuring cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to act as a low viscosity relay medium for arteriovenous pulse wave (PW) phase coupling. We probe the hypothesis by comparing the spatiotemporal behavior of vascular PW about the ventricular surfaces in piglets to internal observations of ventricle wall motions and adjacent CSF pressure variations in humans. With wavelet brain angiography data obtained from piglets, we map the travel relative to brain pulse motion of arterial and venous PWs over the ventricle surfaces. We find that arterial PWs differ in CF phase from venous PWs over the surfaces of the ventricles consistent with arteriovenous PW phase coupling. We find a spatiotemporal difference in vascular PW phase between the ventral and dorsal ventricular surfaces, with the PWs arriving slightly sooner to the ventral surfaces. In humans undergoing neuroendoscopic surgery for hydrocephalus, we measure directly ventricle wall motions and the adjacent internal CSF pressure variations. We find that CSF pressure peaks slightly earlier in the ventral Third Ventricle than the dorsal Lateral Ventricle. When matched anatomically, the peri-ventricular vascular PW phase distribution in piglets complements the endo-ventricular CSF PW phase distribution in humans. This is consistent with a role for the ventricles in arteriovenous PW coupling and may add a framework for understanding hydrocephalus and other disturbances of intracranial pressure.
Early Life Cycle Cost Estimation: Fiscal Stewardship with Engineered Resilient Systems

Organizations are constantly seeking to achieve earlier and more accurate cost estimates in order to make better trades space and design decisions, as well as minimize project cost and schedule overrun. These estimates facilitate decisions that are more informed – especially within the United States Department of Defense’s engineered resilient systems (ERS) program. This paper will discuss the current methods used to achieve life cycle estimates, the role of estimation within ERS, and recommend a parametric life cycle cost estimation model that will support decision-making. In addition, this paper will focus solely on early life cycle engineering inputs that translate with Department of Defense’s pre-Milestone A in order to create an early life cycle cost estimation model (ELCE). This model leverages the engineering inputs (design parameters) that are typically available early in the design process in the following five categories: hardware, software, systems engineering, project management, and integration. This paper will also highlight future research goals to determine values for factors of economies of scale, regression analysis with real data, limitations, and potential impacts of application.