cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Caldera-collapse breccias in the western San Juan Mountains, Colorado

In four large Oligocene calderas in the western San Juan Mountains – Lake City, Silverton, San Juan, and Uncompahgre – spectacular breccias are intermixed with thick intracaldera ash-flow tuffs that accumulated during caldera collapse. These breccias are divided into two intergradational types: (1) mesobreccia in which numerous small clasts are visible within single outcrops and (2) megabreccia in which many clasts are so large that the fragmental nature of the deposit is obscure in many individual outcrops. In general, mesobreccia occurs as thin tabular deposits locally interlayered with upper parts of the intracaldera ash-flow accumulations; it is readily interpretable as resulting from small- to medium-sized rock falls and rock slides from the caldera walls. In contrast, megabreccia is dominant in the lower part of the caldera-filling sequence and contains only minor intermixed ash-flow material. Megabreccia is difficult to distinguish from pre-collapse caldera floor in places, but local lenses of welded tuff near the deepest stratigraphic levels exposed within the calderas indicate that these rocks are mostly megabreccia that resulted from major slumping and caving of caldera walls during the initial stages of caldera collapse. An especially large megabreccia unit within the San Juan and Uncompahgre calderas is here named the Picayune Megabreccia Member of the Sapinero Mesa Tuff. Megabreccias similar to those in the western San Juan calderas occur in other eroded collapse structures in the western United States, and the presence of such deposits may be useful guides to the roots of caldera structures in deeply eroded, highly altered, or structurally complex volcanic terranes.
A new derivation of pairing and generalized pairing theories for nuclei

Abstract A derivation of the pairing and generalized pairing theories for nuclei is given based on a self-consistent orthonormalization procedure within the context of the equation of motion method.
A systems engineering approach to micro expression facial motion capture with structured light

A team of students at Southern Methodist University (SMU) is working with the U.S. Department of Defense (USDOD) to improve the U.S. Marine Corps training program, specifically training simulations in the U.S. to help soldiers understand non-verbal communication clues such as facial ticks. Without using facial markers an actor's face is captured and in real time transferred onto a 3-D avatar. Using one scientific camera and a process called structured light, the user's image is captured using a sinusoidal wave pattern projected over the user's face which creates a depth map of the face similar to a topographical map of the user's face. an edge detection algorithm is then applied to the depth map capturing the desired facial features, creating a wire frame. This wire frame rendering of the user's face is translated onto a mesh, creating a realistic looking avatar. Then the image is rendered and displayed to the soldier.
Thoracic neuroblastoma: A retrospective review of our institutional experience with comparison of the thoracoscopic and open approaches to resection

Purpose: Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Twenty percent of all neuroblastomas arise in the thorax. This study evaluates the open vs thoracoscopic resection of thoracic neuroblastoma. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted from the medical records of all children undergoing resection of a thoracic neuroblastoma from 1990 to 2007 at our institution. We evaluated patients who underwent open vs thoracoscopic resection and compared demographics, pathologic condition, stage, operative details, complications, and outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: A total of 149 cases of neuroblastoma were identified during the study period, 36 (24%) of which had tumor located in the thorax. Thirty-six of these patients underwent 37 operations for primary thoracic neuroblastoma. Open thoracotomy was used in 26 cases with the thoracoscopic approach to resection used in the remaining 11. We observed no differences in patient demographics including mean age, sex, or ethnicity. Tumors in both groups were of similar histologic condition, location, surgical margin, lymph node status, and stage. The length of operation was similar between the 2 groups, but length of stay was shorter in the thoracoscopic group (2.0 days; range, 1-7 days vs 3.5 days; range, 2-8 for the open group; P = .01). Estimated blood loss was also less in the minimally invasive group (median, 10 mL; range, 0-75 mL vs 25 mL; 5-650 mL in the open group; P = .02). Review of outcomes showed no significant difference in complications, recurrence, survival, or disease-free survival between these 2 groups. Conclusions: This retrospective review of thoracic neuroblastoma for an 18-year period shows that thoracoscopic resection is an effective approach to this tumor and offers shorter length of stay and decreased blood loss when compared to open thoracotomy.
Freshman Decidedness Regarding Academic Major and Adjustment to College.

This paper describes a series of empirical studies investigating the relation between freshman decidedness regarding academic major and various aspects of adjustment to college.
Probing the linearity and nonlinearity in the transitions of the atmospheric circulation

In this paper, we apply the principles of information theory that relate to the definition of nonlinear predictability, which is a measure that describes both the linear and nonlinear components of a system. By comparing this measure to a measure of linear predictability, one can assess whether a given system has a strong nonlinear or a strong linear component. This provides insights as to whether the system should be modelled by a nonlinear model or by a linear model. We apply these ideas to a known dynamical system and to a time series that describe the transitions in atmospheric circulation.
Real-World Measurement and Evaluation of Duty Cycles, Fuels, and Emission Control Technologies of Heavy-Duty Trucks

The purpose of this study is to assess the robustness of relative comparisons of emission rates between fuels and technologies to differences in real-world duty cycles on the basis of in-use measurements of five heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs). Prior comparisons of biodiesel and ultra-low-sulfur diesel emissions, recent changes in emission standards applicable to HDDVs, and typical emission control technologies used in these vehicles are reviewed. The study methodology includes field measurements with a portable emission measurement system and related instruments and sensors for five HDDVs operated in normal service by professional drivers on multiple round-trip routes within North Carolina. Duty cycles and emission rates are quantified on the basis of the manifold absolute pressure, which is an indicator of engine load. Variability in engine load for each observed round trip is quantified on the basis of the cumulative distribution function of normalized manifold absolute pressure. The effect of varia...
Three-dimensional time-domain method for solving Maxwell's equations based on circumcenters of elements

The finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) method, based on the traditional Yee (1966) algorithm, has been successfully applied to the analysis of many problems of interest. A three-dimensional time-domain method for solving Maxwell's equations is developed by using non-cubic cells. The advantage of this formulation is that it is free from a volume integration since updating equations are directly obtained from Faraday and Ampere's laws. The faces of tetrahedral elements and the polygons of their Voronoi diagram are chosen as integral surfaces for Faraday and Ampere's laws, respectively. From the calculation of the scattering of the plane wave by a cylinder, it is found that this formulation is valid for curved surfaces.
Effect of gray-level re-quantization on co-occurrence based texture analysis

Gray-level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM) are widely used for texture analysis. The number of gray-levels used while computing GLCM is an important parameter but is often ignored. It is believed that the higher the number of gray-levels used, the better is the performance of the GLCM-based features. Contrary to this belief, we observed that using more gray levels than the actual range of pixel values in the image can give erroneous results. In this paper, we show how this occurs and discuss a way around this problem.
Goods and States: The Political Logic of State-Socialist Material Culture

In the two decades since the fall of state socialism, the widespread phenomenon of nostalgie in the former Soviet satellites has made clear that the everyday life of state socialism, contrary to stereotype, was experienced and is remembered in color. Nonetheless, popular accounts continue to depict the Soviet bloc as gray and colorless. As Paul Manning (2007) has argued, color becomes a powerful tool for legitimating not only capitalism, but democratic governance as well. An American journalist, for example, recently reflected on her own experience in the region over a number of decades: It's hard to communicate how colorless and shockingly gray it was behind the Iron Curtain … the only color was the red of Communist banners. Stores had nothing to sell. There wasn't enough food… . Lines formed whenever something, anything, was for sale. The fatigue of daily life was all over their faces. Now… fur-clad women confidently stride across the winter ice in stiletto heels. Stores have sales… upscale cafes cater to cosmopolitan clients, and magazine stands, once so strictly controlled, rival those in the West. … Life before was so drab. Now the city seems loaded with possibilities (Freeman 2008).
Longitudinal Patent Analysis for Nanoscale Science and Engineering: Country, Institution and Technology Field

Nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) and related areas have seen rapid growth in recent years. The speed and scope of development in the field have made it essential for researchers to be informed on the progress across different laboratories, companies, industries and countries. In this project, we experimented with several analysis and visualization techniques on NSE-related United States patent documents to support various knowledge tasks. This paper presents results on the basic analysis of nanotechnology patents between 1976 and 2002, content map analysis and citation network analysis. The data have been obtained on individual countries, institutions and technology fields. The top 10 countries with the largest number of nanotechnology patents are the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Australia. The fastest growth in the last 5 years has been in chemical and pharmaceutical fields, followed by semiconductor devices. The results demonstrate potential of information-based discovery and visualization technologies to capture knowledge regarding nanotechnology performance, transfer of knowledge and trends of development through analyzing the patent documents.
GUIDELINES FOR GRIDDING INCOMPRESSIBLE, LAMINAR, FLAT PLATE FLOWS

In order to facilitate the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools by aerodynamic designers, several guidelines are developed to quantify grid generation parameters for incompressible, laminar flat plate flows. These guidelines address several factors including: (1) domain size, (2) grid point distribution functions, (3) the error to be expected from a given initial point spacing, and (4) the number of grid points (or cells) in each coordinate direction. The guidelines are discerned by comparison of computed results with the classical Blasius solution. Then they are tested and verified for a case outside the bounds of cases from which they were developed. The result is a set of “rules of thumb” that greatly simplify the grid generation process for nonspecialists.
WiMAX RF planner

Fixed WiMAX (IEEE 802.16d) is positioned as a wireless broadband alternative to the traditional cable and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technologies. Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e) has been chosen as the 3G/4G technology by major mobile/cellular service providers around the globe. Many Government organizations are also interested in the WiMAX technologies. We have built a WiMAX RF Planner, a WiMAX cell planning tool. The WiMAX RF Planner incorporates all the standard features of commercial RF planning tools with additional features tailored for government requirements including: support of base station mobility as well as interfacing to WiMAX radios, OPNET and Google Earth. In this paper, we present its features, the architectures and sample simulation scenarios.
A Service‐Learning Course in Accounting Information Systems

This study reports the results of a quasi‐experiment involving 90 master of accounting students. The students participated in one of three course types: full‐immersion service learning with a supporting textbook, full‐immersion service learning without a supporting textbook, or nonservice learning using case‐based projects with deliverables identical to those in the service‐learning courses. Results indicate that full‐immersion service learning increased student satisfaction, student perceptions of ability, self‐confidence in chosen careers, desire to study accounting information systems, and performance on complex data modeling tasks. The only performance decrement noted was in performance on a topic that was loosely related to the service‐learning project. These results should be of interest to faculty and administrators who might be contemplating the value of integrating service learning in the accounting curriculum.
Effects of Music on the Recovery of Autonomic and Electrocortical Activity After Stress Induced by Aversive Visual Stimuli

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of music and white noise on the recovery of physiological measures after stressful visual stimulation. Twenty-nine participants took part in the experiment. Visual stimulation with slides eliciting disgust was followed by subjectively pleasant music, sad music, and white noise in three consecutive sessions. The spectral power of the frontal and temporal EEG, skin conductance, heart rate, heart period variability, facial capillary blood flow, and respiration rate were recorded and analyzed. Aversive visual stimulation evoked heart rate deceleration, increased high frequency component of heart period variability, increased skin conductance level and skin conductance response frequency, decreased facial blood flow and velocity, decreased temporal slow alpha and increased frontal fast beta power in all three sessions. Both subjectively pleasant and sad music led to the restoration of baseline levels on most parameters; while white noise did not enhance the recovery process. The effects of pleasant music on post-stress recovery, when compared to white noise, were significantly different on heart rate, respiration rate, and peripheral blood flow. Both positive and negative music exerted positive modulatory effects on cardiovascular and respiratory activity, namely increased heart rate, balanced heart period variability, increased vascular blood flow and respiration rate during the post-stress recovery. Data only partially supported the “undoing” hypothesis, which states that positive emotions may facilitate the process of physiological recovery following negative emotions.
Do we need novel radiologic response criteria for brain tumor immunotherapy

Early phase studies of glioma vaccines have shown encouraging preliminary clinical activity. However, as the therapeutic basis of immunotherapy involves the induction of an inflammatory response in...
Policy Feedback and the Politics of Administration

This article surveys the policy feedback framework developed in political science and clarifies its implications for public administration. A feedback perspective encourages us to ask how policy implementation transforms the webs of political relations that constitute governance. Administrators play a key role in shaping the political conditions of bureaucratic performance and the organization of power in the broader polity. At the same time, this perspective underscores that policies are more than just objects of administrative action. Policies are political forces in their own right that can alter key components of administration, including phenomena such as organizational capacity, structures, routines, authorities, motivations and cultures. These sorts of administrative themes have received little attention in policy feedback research, just as the political effects of policies have been overlooked in public administration studies. Bridging these perspectives offers a basis for exciting new agendas and advances in public administration research.
Electrochemical Multiphase Microreactor as Fast, Selective, and Portable Chemical Sensor of Trace Toxic Vapors

A novel type of gas chemical sensor is fabricated by combining microfabrication techniques and electrochemical transducer. The microchannel sensor we built is composed of liquid/gas microchannels separated by a nanoporous membrane. When oxime chemistry is adapted into it, the microchannel sensor gives response of hundreds of mV to trace vapor (10 ppb) of acetylcholine simulant within s. Double microchannel design further reduces potential drift and simplifies the sensor setup.
Participation in Clinical Research: Perspectives of Adult Patients and Parents of Pediatric Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Despite major improvements over the past several decades, many patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT) continue to suffer from significant treatment-related morbidity and mortality. Clinical research studies (trials) have been integral to advancing the standard of care in HSCT. However, 1 of the biggest challenges with clinical trials is the low participation rate. Although barriers to participation in cancer clinical trials have been previously explored, studies specific to HSCT are lacking. The current study was undertaken to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of HSCT patients regarding clinical trials. As members of focus groups, participants responded to open-ended questions that assessed factors influencing decision-making about HSCT clinical trials. Suggestions for improvements in the recruitment process were also solicited among participants. Seventeen adult HSCT patients and 6 parents of pediatric HSCT patients participated in the study. The median age was 56 years (range, 18 to 70) and 44 years (range, 28 to 54) for adult patients and parents, respectively. Participants universally indicated that too much information was provided within the informed consents and they were intimidated by the medical and legal language. Despite the large amount of information provided to them at the time of study enrollment, the participants had limited knowledge retention and recall of study details. Nevertheless, participants reported overall positive experiences with clinical trial participation and many would readily choose to participate again. A common concern among participants was the uncertainty of study outcome and general lack of feedback about results at the end of the study. Participants suggested that investigators provide more condensed and easier to understand informed consents and follow-up of study findings. These findings could be used to help guide the development of improved consent documents and enhanced participation in research studies, thereby affecting the future design of HSCT research protocols.
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion techniques: Bone graft, biologics, interbody spacers, and plating options

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is a highly successful procedure for patients with a variety of cervical pathologies. While autograft bone has been the mainstay for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion since the procedure’s inception, there are a host of autograft substitutes to consider in addition to graft adjuncts and disparate fixation methods. In the present article we describe the basic principles, techniques, and latest clinical data on some of the many options available to the treating surgeon.
An Adaptive Wind Turbine Controller Considering Both the System Performance and Fatigue Loading

Wind energy is a clean and renewable source for electricity generation. To reduce the costs associated with wind power generation, development of a control methodology that maximizes the wind energy capture and mitigates the turbine fatigue loading is desired. In this paper, a new adaptive gain modified optimal torque controller (AGMOTC) for wind turbine partial load operation is presented. A gain-scheduling technique with an internal proportional integral (PI) control is developed to accelerate the controller's convergence to a reference tip speed ratio (TSR). The reference TSR is then adjusted to its optimal value in real-time through an adaptive algorithm capable of rejecting model uncertainties and estimation errors of the control gain. A fatigue mitigation method is also designed to reduce the impact of exacerbated tower bending moments due to the resonance effect. The proposed AGMOTC is evaluated based on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW wind turbine model using the NREL fast simulator. Simulation results have shown that the AGMOTC has improved efficiency and robustness in wind energy capture and reduced tower fatigue loading as compared to the traditional control technique.
The Profitability of Risk Arbitrage in Mergers and Acquisitions

If and why M&A arbitrageurs earn risk adjusted excess returns is a big unanswered question in the M&A literature. The goal of this study is to examine the risk and return relation of M&A arbitrageurs in different idiosyncratic and systematic environments. On one hand, deal characteristics create idiosyncratic risk for arbitrageurs by affecting the ex-ante probability of deal success. On the other hand, market liquidity conditions affect speculative spreads, which is the source of these arbitrageurs' profit. For example, when the market experienced the credit crunch in mid 2007, speculative spreads widened up dramatically. But both of these risks have not been taken into account in previous literature when examining M&A arbitrageurs` return. In this article, we empirically examine this risk and return relationship by considering both idiosyncratic and systematic risk including market liquidity risk. Our empirical study shows that deal characteristics, for example, the medium of payment, affects risk characteristics of these arbitrageurs' portfolios. Also, both idiosyncratic risk captured by the probability of deal success and market liquidity proxy by VIX affects M&A arbs' return. More importantly, after considering the liquidity risk they are bearing, M&A arbs are not making excess return. This article contributes to the existing research on M&A arbitrage in two aspects. First, we provide evidence that M&A arbitrageurs bear both idiosyncratic risk and systematic liquidity risk. Second, we examine how excess return (a3B1) is related to different idiosyncratic and systematic market environments and shows that M&A arbs are not earning excess return.
A single-center experience with infections due to daptomycin-nonsusceptible Enterococcus faecium in liver transplant recipients.

Background Infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the liver transplant population. Daptomycin (DAP) is often used to treat infections caused by VRE, but DAP nonsusceptibility in Enterococcus is increasing. Method Patients with DAP-nonsusceptible Enterococcus (DNSE) infections who had undergone liver transplantation between January 1, 2010 and July 31, 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. A convenience sample of DNSE isolates was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results We identified 14 liver transplant recipients (LTRs) who developed DNSE infections post transplantation. Postoperative complications were common, and most patients required repeat abdominal surgery within 90 days of transplantation. The initial DNSE culture was taken a median of 74.5 days post transplant and was secondary to an intra-abdominal infection in all but 1 patient. Half of patients were VRE colonized before or at the time of organ transplantation, and all those who were not VRE colonized at the time of transplantation later became colonized, a median of 27 days post transplant. Overall mortality in this cohort was 71%. PFGE did not demonstrate genetic relatedness among DNSE isolates. Conclusion This study, the largest published series to our knowledge of DNSE infections in LTRs, demonstrates that these infections occur in patients with serious surgical complications and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Established risk factors for VRE infection were common, as was DAP exposure. Although many risk factors for DNSE infection cannot be changed, this case series identifies several potentially modifiable variables. Further work is needed to identify interventions to decrease the risk of developing DNSE infections in this complex patient population.
Tubular structures in pulmonary endothelial cells in systemic lupus erythematosus.

A case of systemic lupus erythematosus with associated diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis is presented. Electron microscopic study of a biopsy of lung tissue revealed multiple aggregates of tubular structures approximately 250 A in diameter within the cytoplasm of capillary endothelial cells. Their size and location suggest that they probably represent a reaction to injury of a cytoplasmic component of the cell. However, since their morphology is similar to that of the nucleocapsid of myxoviruses, the possibility that they are of viral origin must be entertained.
Comparison of Brain Activity Correlating with Self-Report versus Narrative Attachment Measures during Conscious Appraisal of an Attachment Figure.

Objectives: The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) has been the gold standard of attachment assessment, but requires special training. The Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) is a widely-used self-report measure. We investigate how each correlates with brain activity during appraisal of subjects' mothers. Methods: 28 women were scored on the AAI, RSQ, and mood measures. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, subjects viewed their mothers in neutral-, valence-, and salience-rating conditions. We identified regions where contrasts in brain activity between appraisal and neutral viewing conditions correlated with each measure of attachment after covarying for mood. AAI and RSQ measures were then compared in terms of the extent to which regions of correlating brain activity overlapped with ”default mode network” (DMN) versus executive frontal network (EFN) masks and cortical versus subcortical masks. Additionally, interactions with mood were examined. Results: Salience and valence processing associated with increased thalamo-striatal, posterior cingulate, and visual cortex activity. Salience processing decreased PFC activity, whereas valence processing increased left insula activity. Activity correlating with AAI vs. RSQ measures demonstrated significantly more DMN and subcortical involvement. Interactions with mood were observed in the middle temporal gyrus and precuneus for both measures. Conclusions: The AAI appears to disproportionately correlate with conscious appraisal associated activity in DMN and subcortical structures, while the RSQ appears to tap EFN structures more extensively. Thus, the AAI may assess more interoceptive, 'core-self'-related processes, while the RSQ captures higher-order cognitions involved in attachment. Shared interaction effects between mood and AAI and RSQ-measures may suggest that processes tapped by each belong to a common system.
The Jordan and Schoenflies Theorems in Axiomatic Geometry

(1978). The Jordan and Schoenflies Theorems in Axiomatic Geometry. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 85, No. 9, pp. 753-756.
A Successful Technique for Mass-Rearing Cabbage Loopers on a Semisynthetic Diet

The medium, apparatus, and procedures used in rearing cabbage loopers ( Trichoplusia ni (Hubner)) are described. Studies on the biology of diet-reared loopers include information on number of larval instars and duration, measurements of head-capsule width and body length, rates of prepupation, pupation, and adult emergence, and average longevity of the different stages.
TAP Study of Adsorption and Diffusion of 2,2,4-Trimenthylpentane and 2,5-Dimethylhexane on β and USY Zeolites

The dimensionless equilibrium constant, apparent heats of adsorption, intraparticle diffusivities, and activation energies are determined under high vacuum conditions for 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 2,5-dimethylhexane. These are representative of the products formed in the alkylation process of isobutane–butene mixtures on solid acid catalysts such as β and USY zeolites. It is observed that in the straight and zigzag channels of β zeolites, dimethyl-branched C8 isoalkane is strongly adsorbed and diffuses at a slower rate in comparison to trimethyl-branched C8 isoalkane. In contrast, in the super cages of USY zeolites, both C8 isoalkanes demonstrate similar sorption and transport properties. On the basis of this understanding, it is concluded that the ideal solid acid catalyst for alkylation processes requires super cages of USY zeolite rather than zigzag channels of β-zeolites in order to increase product selectivity, decrease catalyst deactivation, and decrease the energy requirement for regeneration.
Observations on the Double Gamma Globulin Lines Seen on Gel Diffusion

A horse anti-human polyvalent antiserum which consistently split or doubled IgG precipitin lines on gel diffusion was found. The antiserum did not reveal dual precipitin lines when tested against isolated IgG myeloma protein. The dual lines formed identity with light chain specific antisera of the kappa and lambda types, respectively. Mixtures of isolated IgG (kappa) and IgG (lambda) proteins showed that the phenomenon could be reproduced artificially. Possible mechanisms responsible for the dual lines are discussed.
340 THE ETIOLOGY OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS AT A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN TBILISI, REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA.

Background H. influenzae, N. meningitidis, and S. pneumoniae continue to be the leading causes of childhood bacterial meningitis, especially in regions where vaccination against these pathogens are not available. The etiology of meningitis has not been established in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. This study was carried out in an effort to assess the laboratory capacity and the etiology of bacterial meningitis among patients receiving care at the Children9s Central Hospital, a referral pediatric hospital in Georgia. Methods A retrospective laboratory-based study was carried out and included those patients who had a CSF culture submitted between January 2004 and May 2006. Results Of 693 CSF cultures performed during the study period, 77 (11%) were positive. Complete medical records were available and reviewed for 60 patients with a positive CSF culture. Among the 60 children with positive cultures, the following organisms were identified: CNS (11, 18.3%); S. pneumoniae (4, 6.7%); H. influenzae (3, 5%); gram-negative rods (26, 43.3%); gram-positive cocci (4, 6.7%); N. meningitidis (2, 3.3%); yeast (5, 8.3%); nonhemolytic Streptococcus spp. (1, 1.7%); Salmonella spp. (1, 1.7%); Pseudomonas spp. (2, 3.3%); and Klebsiella spp. (1, 1.7%). Fifty-eight percent (35) of the patients were male, and the mean age was 1.75 (range 0-13) years. The median CSF WBC was 304/mm3 (0-16,000); median protein was 575 mg/dL (33-4,310); and median glucose was 50 mg/dL (3-157). Mortality was quite high, with 20 (33%) children dying. Among those who died, the majority (18/20, 90%, p = .018) were under the age of 1 and had a median CSF WBC of 500/mm3, a CSF protein of 660 mg/dL (33-4,310), and a CSF glucose of 35 mg/dL (2.7-156.67). Death was primarily attributed to gram-negative rods, which could not be further characterized (12, 60%), followed by CNS, S. pneumonia, and yeast with 2 each (10%), and Pseudomonas and Klebsiella were each recovered from 1 patient who died (5%). Conclusions Microbiologic identification of common organisms known to cause meningitis in children is difficult in the Republic of Georgia due to limited resources available at the microbiology laboratory. Vaccine-preventable pathogens (H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis) accounted for 15% of positive CSF cultures, but it is likely that cases of bacterial meningitis due to vaccine-preventable pathogens are underdiagnosed due to laboratory capacity. Improving the infrastructure of diagnostic microbiology laboratories in resource-limited countries is critical to improve patient care by conducting appropriate surveillance.
Research on Heterosis Prediction Based on Molecular Markers of Yield-related QTLs in Rice

The genetic difference of 15 rice parents(4 CMS lines and 11 restorer lines) was analyzed by the molecular markers of yield-related QTLs in rice.The correlation between genetic distance and heterosis was studied on the basis of the performance of 44 F1 hybrids.The results showed that the correlation between genetic distance of rice QTLs and yield heterosis was significant(r=0.31*),but insignificant between genetic distance and heterosis of other yield traits,indicating the possibility of forecasting heterosis by molecular markers of rice QTLs.
Next Dance with Mary Jane? An Argument for the Patentability of Specific Genetic Strains of Marijuana Under Federal Patent Law

Part I of this Note lays out a brief overview of the social history of marijuana in America, from initial illegalization to present issues with marijuana arrests adding immense numbers of individuals to the burgeoning prison population. It then explores the current social climate and popular opinion in the United States, which both reflect an overall lack of moral concern about marijuana.Part II of this Note is an exploration of the conflicting contours of state and federal marijuana law, beginning with a discussion of federal enforcement mechanisms. Part II(A) specifically examines the CSA and the federal government’s current “willful blindness” policy with regards to enforcing the CSA. A discussion of why the CSA does not supersede state law follows in part II(B), which explores judicial enforcement mechanisms, with an emphasis on pre-emption.Next, in Part III, this Note discusses the watershed case of Gonzales v. Raich, in which the Supreme Court held that, under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, the federal government could regulate personal-use growers in California — and why the Court’s decision was mistaken. The Supreme Court’s inconsistent applications of the Commerce Clause to regulate in-state activity, juxtaposed by a close analysis of Raich and Sebelius, disparage any notions of fairness with regards to judicial protections benefitting vast numbers of people in this country, whether it be under the guise of the denial of affordable healthcare or heightened criminal scrutiny.Several potential revisions to the federal and state barriers to legalization are discussed in Part IV. Proposed federal and state law reforms from several Constitutional scholars, all with an emphasis on the marijuana dilemma, are summarized and examined.Part V provides a brief overview of patents generally and plant patents in particular. Part V(A) explores the patentability of marijuana, specifically, with investigations of the genetic structure and methods of asexual reproduction for breeding specific strains with certain traits. But because the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is currently denying the registration of any marks with any relation to marijuana on the grounds of morality, Part V(B) discusses the common law doctrine of moral utility and its recent demise. This discussion is grounded partly on the incongruous fact that the United States government itself holds a patent on one of the substances that makes marijuana sought-after as medicine.Finally, after determining that the USPTO’s morality-based argument for denying protection to patents and marks relating to marijuana is unsound, part VI discusses the current moral and social policies and issues that go hand-in-hand with marijuana, calling to light the need for drastic political change in view of those issues. It also includes a vision of what a society with more relaxed marijuana policies could look like by examining the Portuguese drug decriminalization experiment of 2000.
Evolution on the Industrial Frontier

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several issues about the process of social and technological change on the industrial frontier. An explanatory framework grounded in the principles of evolution and ecology may provide insight into the border dynamics of even complex, industrial societies. The chapter also discusses the extent to which environment affects group differences on the frontier. The most common scenario of the frontier has colonists moving into a radically new environment for which their traditional behavior is poorly suited. Geographical differences in local frontier environments suggest that the adaptive behavior of colonists should vary greatly from place to place; however, the industrial frontier environment is often quite different. Industrial centers sending out the colonists attempt to control frontier environments as much as possible by establishing transportation and communication ties to national and international networks.
Sexual Orientation, Income, and Stress at Work

I present a model explaining recent findings that partnered gay men earn less than partnered straight men while partnered lesbian women earn more than partnered straight women. In an environment with compensating differentials and a gender gap in potential income, an income effect leads partnered gay men to choose jobs with lower income and higher amenities than partnered straight men. The same mechanism generates similarly reasoned predictions about income and amenities for women and single people. Canadian data on stressfulness of one's working environment support these predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Moment representations of exceptional X1 orthogonal polynomials

Abstract We generalize the representations of X 1 exceptional orthogonal polynomials through determinants of matrices that have certain adjusted moments as entries. We start out directly from the Darboux transformation, allowing for a universal perspective, rather than one dependent upon the particular system (Jacobi or Type of Laguerre polynomials). We include a recursion formula for the adjusted moments and provide the initial adjusted moments for each system. Throughout we relate to the various examples of X 1 exceptional orthogonal polynomials. We especially focus on and provide complete proofs for the Jacobi and the Type III Laguerre case, as they are less prevalent in literature. Lastly, we include a preliminary discussion explaining that the higher codimension setting becomes more involved. The number of possibilities and choices is exemplified, but only starts, with the lack of a canonical flag.
Engineered plasmonic nanoantenna arrays with nanostencil lithography

We demonstrate a novel approach for high-throughput and high-resolution fabrication of engineered infrared plasmonic antenna arrays with reusable nanostencils. Optical responses of these plasmonic antennas are comparable to that of arrays fabricated by electron-beam lithography.
Reforming Regulation: Policies to Counteract Capture and Improve the Regulatory Process

The U.S. regulatory system has room for improvement. In particular, there are two areas that deserve greater attention. First, despite its many procedural protections, the regulatory process is in practice skewed in favor of industry interests. Second, regulators are often delayed in meeting their statutory obligations. Improving the regulatory process will require strategies to reduce delays and inaction and to counteract what is termed regulatory capture — when regulation is skewed toward regulated industry to the detriment of the public interest.
Phase III trial evaluating the addition of bevacizumab to letrozole as first-line endocrine therapy for treatment of hormone-receptor positive advanced breast cancer: CALGB 40503 (Alliance).

501 Background: Preclinical data suggest estradiol modulates angiogenesis under both physiologic and pathologic conditions. High vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in breast tumors ha...
Sociobiology of lethal violence in small-scale societies

A survey of the ethnographic material on small-scale societies yields three main conclusions: lethal interpersonal and/or intergroup violence are virtually universal characteristics of these societies; males everywhere are the principal perpetrators and victims of lethal violence; and the causes of lethal violence are ultimately connected to reproductive competition. Statistics on homicide in small-scale traditional societies are far from copious, as most ethno-graphic information on the topic is qualitative and descriptive, rather than quantitative. Regarding the causes of lethal interpersonal violence, many criminologists and other social science researchers have traditionally focused their studies at the level of broad social structural variables such as population density and degree of social stratification, as well as measures of abstract constructs such as social disorganization. Warfare differs from homicide in that, rather than describing one-on-one interpersonal killing, warfare, while including this element of individuals killing one another, occurs in a context of collective hostility and competition between coalitions.
An ethnoracial perspective: response to Valdez and Golash-Boza

Valdez and Golash-Boza argue that scholarship on race and scholarship on ethnicity have been divorced from each other and call for researchers to put these two paradigms in conversation with one an...
Designing and implementing a physiology course for a new doctoral occupational therapy program with student feedback.

Recently, the Occupational Therapy Department requested a custom-designed medical physiology course for the students in the new occupational therapy doctoral program. The first author, a physiologi...
Is venous blood gas performed in the Emergency Department predictive of outcome during acute on chronic hypercarbic respiratory failure

Background During acute on chronic hypercarbic respiratory failure (AHRF), arterial pH is associated with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) failure and mortality. Venous blood gas (VBG) has been proposed as a substitute for arterial blood gas, based on a good agreement between venous and arterial values. We assessed the predictive value of admission VBG on intubation rate, NIV failure and mortality during AHRF. Methods Retrospective chart review of inpatients admitted between 2009 and 2015 with AHRF who had VBG performed on admission. Demographic, clinical and biological data were collected throughout the hospital course. Results 196 patients were included and hospital survival was not significantly associated with initial venous pH, PCO2 or HCO3-. Patients requiring intubation had significantly lower venous pH [7.29 (7.24-7.33) vs 7.31 (7.28-7.36), P = .04] while venous PCO2 and HCO3- did not differ as compared to non-intubated patients. Intubation within 48 h of admission was associated with significantly lower venous pH [7.28 (7.24-7.30) vs 7.32 (7.28-7.37), P = .002] and higher PCO2 [72 (63-92) mm Hg vs 62 (52-75) mm Hg, P = .04]. Among 69 patients receiving NIV, there were no differences in venous pH [7.29 (7.25-7.31) vs 7.30 (7.27-7.35), P = .3] or PCO2 [68 (44-74) mm Hg vs 70 (55-97) mm Hg, P = .23] associated with subsequent intubation. Using c statistics, we observed poor performances of venous pH, PCO2 or HCO3- for prediction of NIV failure, intubation or hospital mortality. Conclusions Our results do not support the use of VBG on admission as a predictor for NIV failure, intubation and mortality during AHRF.
Physician Licensure and Telemedicine: Some Competitive Issues Raised by the Prospect of Practicing Globally While Regulated Locally

This paper is based on comments presented at a University of Maryland roundtable regarding legal impediments to telemedicine. Physician licensure – like professional licensure generally – is a barrier to entry when it is much of anything at all. Not all barriers to entry are substantial or durable, much less undue or unlawful, and it does not follow from the very nature of physician licensure that it is anticompetitive, fails to provide consumer benefits, or is not, on balance, cost-justified. On the other hand, any particular licensing scheme may evidence one or all of those failings. This paper is concerned, in particular, with the costs state-based physician licensure may impose on a particular area of innovation in health care delivery – that is, the development and adoption of telemedicine. Barriers to entry fostered by substantially similar but formally distinct licensing requirements are a key concern. The framing issue of the roundtable – legal impediments to telemedicine – dovetails with a sort of competitive inquiry: certain impediments to competition (barriers to entry in particular) are identified; if the impediments are not trivial, we move to the question whether they are justified by countervailing consumer protection benefits or other pro-consumer efficiencies. The heart of the policy problem is this: Telemedicine promises in various ways to reduce the costs and extend the reach of many health care services, but the advantages of remote and networked expertise may be poorly accommodated by licensing schemes that were developed to regulate local medical practices – practices historically dominated by face-to-face encounters between a physician and her patient. State-based licensing restrictions may impede the electronic flow of expertise and information to and from qualified practitioners across state lines, and not just would-be, but unqualified, providers of health care services. It is argued that current regulatory costs are substantial and that regulatory barriers to entry across state lines are under-rationalized at best. Possible policy reforms are considered. It is suggested that some form of mutual recognition or reciprocity could reduce the costs of interstate commerce in health care services, while leaving in place state-based mechanisms for physician oversight and discipline.