cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mineralization of forest litter nutrients by heat and combustion

Temperature dependant mineralization dynamics during fire of litter species characteristic of the New Jersey pine barrens was determined. Senescent leaf material of pitch pine (Pinus rigida), white oak (Quercus alba) and black huckleberry (Gaylusssacia baccata) were collected at the time of abscission; sorted, ground and oven-dried at 70 8C. Replicate samples were then heated for 2 h at: 70, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 550 8C. Mass loss and total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentration of the heated material were determined. Additional samples of the residual material were extracted with deionized water, and the filtrate was assayed for the anions: NO K 3 ,P O K3 4 ,S O K2 4 ; and cations: NH C 4 ,K C ,M g CC , and Ca CC . By heating leaf litter over a range of temperatures, to simulate the heterogeneous nature offorest litter burning, we identified patterns of nutrient mineralization characteristic of specific temperatures, some of which were common to all three litter species and others unique to individual species. In general, it appears that black huckleberry leaf litter was the most nutrient rich and the most labile. In huckleberry litter, there was a large reserve of soluble nitrogen, sulfur, phosphate, calcium and magnesium that became available upon heating to 200 8C. Pitch pine litter was the most nutrient poor, and the rates of nutrient mineralization were also generally the lowest of the three species studied. White oak litter nutrient concentration and rates of mineralization along the temperature gradient were intermediate. For all three litter species examined organic and inorganic nitrogen losses due to volatilization were O99% upon heating to 550 8C, and soluble magnesium concentrations declined significantly at temperatures of 300 8C, despite having a volatilization temperature greater than 1100 8C. Under the temperature range employed, heating of leaf litter resulted in little volatilization loss of phosphorus; however, the amount of soluble phosphate phosphorus was much lower in all three litter types at temperatures of 300 8C and above. With increasing temperatures, inorganic phosphate ions presumably became bound to cations in the ash, forming insoluble metal phosphates. The dramatic increase of the ratio of total phosphorus to soluble inorganic phosphate at higher temperatures, the loss of soluble magnesium above 300 8C, and the near complete loss of nitrogen at 550 8C suggests that after intense fires availability of these minerals may be dramatically reduced. q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
CVD-Comments and Conclusions

To bring together this mass of data is a difficult chore, but one which I believe is due the reader. Here more than anywhere else in this work should the buyer beware. These are personal interpretations only, and they often differ from published orthodoxy, whether lay or medical. We might begin though with a less controversial aspect, and that is to look at the ISC coding of diseases and deaths referable to CVD (World Health Organization, 1957).
Pneumatic pumping of liquids using thermal transpiration for lab-on-a-chip applications

This paper reports, for the first time, the pumping of water in microfluidic glass channels due to a pressure difference generated by an integrated Knudsen pump. The Knudsen pump operates by the principle of thermal transpiration which generates a pressure difference along a channel with a thermal gradient, and whose channel height is on the order of the mean free path of air (60 nm at 1 atm). A two mask process using microscopic glass slides is used to form hydrophobic, sealed channels with two heights. Shallow channels (80 nm) are used for the Knudsen pump, and water flows in the deep channels (12 µm). The hydrophobic coating repels water from the channels until a thermal gradient is applied across the shallow channel, reducing the pressure in the shallow channel by thermal transpiration, and drawing water into the deep channel. This pump can be readily integrated into many other microfluidic platforms because it has no moving parts, uses low voltages, and requires no additional materials.
Velamentous Cord Insertions

A velamentous cord insertion is an uncommon finding on routine obstetrical sonography.It is, how ever, associated with increased risks and can have a devastating fetal and/or maternal outcome.
A modified container for liquid nitrogen preservation of an erythrocyte test cell panel.

. Results obtained with a modified aluminum container for liquid nitrogen cryopreservation of red cells are presented. The optimal times and rates for red cell freezing and thawing are contrasted with those obtained using a stainless steel container.
Measurement of transient effects in SOI DRAM/SRAM access transistors

Bitline-induced transient effects in access transistors pose a problem in SOI DRAM and SRAM cells. The floating-body potential is affected by the bitline so changes in the bitline potential may upset the charge stored in the memory cell. Transient effects in SOI access transistors are measured versus the time the bitline is at high voltage, and V/sub DD/ for fully- and partially-depleted SOI devices. Bulk devices show no bitline-induced transient effects. Measurements show that the magnitude of the charge upset can be large enough to disturb the charge stored in DRAM and SRAM cells. Measurements also show that for any substantial upsets to occur, the time the bitline has to be at high voltage is on the order of milliseconds. Although the effect of bitline transitions is cumulative, the amount of charge upset when the bitline switches rapidly (i.e., millisecond periods) is shown to be negligible. Thus, proper design of SRAM upset-charge protection and DRAM refresh time should circumvent this problem.
Bile Acids, the Microbiome and Metabolic Disease-Implications for Surgery

Perhaps one of the most exciting frontiers of medicine is the exploration of the human gut flora, or the microbiome. While it remains with significant possibility as a target for future therapeutics, defining a healthy microbiome and pathologic variant remains enigmatic. Remarkable changes in the microbiome are observed after bariatric surgery which may be a key in understanding and linking microbial shifts with functionality and metabolic phenotype. Herein, we review our current understanding of the gut microbiome as it relates to obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and changes that follow bariatric surgery.
Foreword: LatCrit at Ten Years

The first colloquium convening scholars with an interest in Latino legal issues was held in Puerto Rico in 1995. LatCrit's origin story may begin with this event or a year later with the first official LatCrit Annual Conference, held in La Jolla, California. Regardless of how we date its birth, LatCrit has developed into a cohesive community of critical intellectuals who reveal and voice legal issues and analyze them by applying progressive principles and perspectives based on an ethos of anti-subordination and a strategic anti-essentialism. At annual conferences and through the different organizational projects, LatCrits have taken research and publishing and modified these academic tasks in important ways in order to accomplish the objective of producing innovative race-based scholarship. For example, in undertaking the law professor's task of grappling with legal and policy issues and testing discursive, normative and doctrinal boundaries, LatCrits pay close attention to centers and margins, zeniths and nadirs, insides and outsides in order to expose relations of power and privilege. Thus, LatCrit conferences have become a respected venue to debate aspects of legal issues that more traditional legal discussions do not engage.
Simplified Analysis of Rigid Frames

Procedure to reduce time required to analyze rigid frames is presented; formulas for balanced moments at joints of four types of rigid frames are derived, and coefficients from formulas are plotted on diagrams to simplify numerical computations.
Microbial Resistance to Newer Generation f3-lactam Antibiotics: Clinical and Laboratory Implications

Certain nonfastidious, gram-negative bacilli possess the ability to rapidly develop resistance to many of the newer "enzyme stable" beta-lactam antibiotics. This finding poses many clinical problems including emergence of resistance during therapy with the drugs. Therapeutic alternatives for patients are severely limited when this problem occurs because multiple drug resistance may arise simultaneously. To date, two mechanisms have been found to be responsible for this resistance. The first, which produces multiple beta-lactam resistance, is the induction of chromosomal beta-lactamases that mediate resistance to nonsubstrate drugs by the creation of a nonhydrolytic barrier that blocks access to target proteins within the cell. The second mechanism, which produces beta-lactam/aminoglycoside resistance, involves a change in outer membrane permeability. Outbreaks of nosocomial infections with these multiple drug-resistant organisms and spread of the strains throughout the hospital are already being seen. Control of these problems can only be achieved through the judicious and restricted use of these new antibiotics.
Exoskeletal Anatomy of the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa

The exoskeletal anatomy of the head and cervical region, thoracic region, abdominal region, and tracheae of ♂ and ♀ hissing cockroaches, Gromphadorhina portentosa , are discussed and illustrated. Sexual differences between males and females are also described, but not the genitalia.
Gender and Biodiversity Management in India

By and large, the gender dimension in biodiversity management has been neglected in India. In almost all government-sponsored in situ and ex situ conservation efforts, gender considerations have yet to be integrated into the culture of management. Only in recent years has gender come to be acknowledged as an important variable in conservation and management. In community conservation efforts, there are clearly defined gender roles, particularly in the areas of plant and seed selection and preservation. In a temple at Along in Arunachal Pradesh, for example, credit is given to a woman for domesticating rice. Women’s role in biodiversity conservation has been overlooked, despite the fact that women have a profound knowledge of plants and animals in their environment. Although the natural resources of the environment provide the basis for both women’s and men’s livelihoods, women have traditionally used a variety of indigenous plants, trees and animals and so have a direct stake in their preservation. Loss of habitats and biodiversity ultimately affects the underprivileged, the majority of who are women. This is why women have participated in large numbers in movements like the Chipko Andolan. Although they possess knowledge about biodiversity conservation, poor women are often left with no choice but to exploit natural resources in order to survive. There is therefore urgent need for studies on the gender dimension in biodiversity conservation and management.Women play a central role in the conservation, management and use of biodiversity, the Earth’s rich animal and plant resources, on which life depends. Their contribution, however, is often overlooked. They are “invisible” partners from grassroots to policy level. If biodiversity is to survive, women and men must play an equal part in its management. There is therefore an urgent need to consider gender - which does or uses what and how and why - in development efforts, to promote true partnership and ensure the sustainable conservation and use of biodiversity now and in the future. The paper highlights dynamic communities in different stages of transition and development, where livelihood security may conflict with the requirements of biodiversity management.
Reconstruction of 1852 Banda Arc megathrust earthquake and tsunami

In 1852, a 5-min long earthquake struck the Banda Arc region of Indonesia that was felt over most of Indonesia. It caused uplift of new islands and sent a tsunami across the Banda Sea that reached a height of 8 m at Banda Neira and was also registered at Ambon, Saparua and other islands. Records of the 1852 earthquake at multiple locations provide the constraints needed to reconstruct the disastrous event through numerical modeling using Clawpack. Tsunami heights at various locations are the primary observations we use to test modeling results. The best fit models indicate that the earthquake was most likely a megathrust event along the Tanimbar Trough of >Mw 8.4. At least 10–15 m of elastic strain has accumulated along the Tanimbar Through since the 1852 event, which is enough to cause an earthquake of similar size to the one in 1852. However, 10 times more people in the region are exposed to tsunami hazards than in the past.
The survey report on the laboratory test capacity among municipal and county-level centers for disease control and prevention in Qingyuan during 2008

Objective:To comprehensively improve the test capacity among municipal and county-level centers for disease control and prevention(CDC) in Qingyuan.Methods: The survey data were analyzed by the related standards of medical department stipulated.Results: There were seven municipal and county-level CDC in Qingyuan: The laboratory professional technicians accounted for 14.3% of professional technicians,down from 4.7% in 2006 and before 2006.The basic equipment rate which for routine work was 69.2%,up 61.3% in 2006 and before 2006.The testing items rate which must carry out was 66.9% up 40.0% in 2006 and before 2006.There were significant differences among the municipal and county-level CDC in Qingyuan.Conclusion: In general,the laboratory construction were not completed by the related standards and the test capacity was low.The laboratory construction should be scientific,practical,reasonable.In order to achieve the goal,the top management should thoroughly take charge of the laboratory construction work and try to get the government concentrations and supports.For the test items and instruments which are rarely used,the municipal and county-level CDC should share their instruments and test materials resources and make some flexibility provisions for related standards.
Investigation of HIV Infection,Hepatitis C Infection and HCV/HIV Co-infection among Drug Addicts in Xi'an

[Objectives]To understand the status of HIV infection,hepatitis C infection and HCV/HIV co-infection among drug addicts in Xi'an,analyze the high risk factors of infection,in order to strengthen the management of drug addicts and provide the basis for making specific measures of prevention and control.[Methods]In 2008,578 venous blood specimens of drug addicts in Xi'an compulsory detoxification centers were collected,and 738 venous blood specimens of healthy subjects in health clinic were selected randomly.The HIV and HCV antibody were detected by ELISA,and HIV-positive individuals were reconfirmed by Western blot method.[Results]Among 578 drug addicts,there were 9 HIV-positive individuals with the positive rate of 1.6%,HCV antibody was detected in 413 people with the positive rate of 71.5%,and HCV/HIV co-infection were found in 5 people with the positive rate of 0.9%.Among 738 healthy subjects,HCV antibody was detected in 6 people with the positive rate of 0.8%,and there was no HIV infection and HCV/HIV co-infection with the positive rate of 0.The HIV infection,hepatitis C infection and HCV/HIV co-infection in drug addicts were higher than those in healthy population significantly(allP0.01).[Conclusion]The infection rates of HIV and hepatitis C of drug addicts were higher than those of healthy people,and the infection rates of hepatitis C were higher than that of HIV significantly.Sharing syringes among drug addicts was the main cause of HIV and hepatitis C infection,so the crowd is the key population for prevention and control of AIDS and hepatitis C.The health education should be strengthened in drug addicts,and their high risk behavior should be intervened.
Predicting the Outcome

As the respiratory viral season enters into fill swing, children with underlying asthma are at an increased risk for exacerbation and hospitalization. Researchers from University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas examined a large cohort of hospitalized children with asthma exacerbation to assess for factors associated with length of stay (LOS) in this population. #### The study This was a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 2 to 17 years discharged with a primary diagnosis of asthma in 2011. Using the Public Health Information System database of 42 contributing hospitals, demographic data, time of year of admission, and medical comorbidities were examined for association with hospital LOS. In total, 25 900 children with a discharge diagnosis of asthma were identified in the cohort. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between multiple variables and LOS, after adjusting for severity of illness. #### The key findings In 25 900 children included for analysis, the mean LOS was 1.9 days. Mean LOS was higher in children with chronic comorbid conditions …
A Time-Varying Group Sparse Additive Model for Genome-Wide Association Studies of Dynamic Complex Traits

Motivation: Despite the widespread popularity of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for genetic mapping of complex traits, most existing GWAS methodologies are still limited to the use of static phenotypes measured at a single time point. In this work, we propose a new method for association mapping that considers dynamic phenotypes measured at a sequence of time points. Our approach relies on the use of Time-Varying Group Sparse Additive Models (TV-GroupSpAM) for high-dimensional, functional regression. Results: This new model detects a sparse set of genomic loci that are associated with trait dynamics, and demonstrates increased statistical power over existing methods. We evaluate our method via experiments on synthetic data and perform a proof-of-concept analysis for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with two phenotypes used to assess asthma severity: forced vital capacity, a sensitive measure of airway obstruction and bronchodilator response, which measures lung response to bronchodilator drugs. Availability and Implementation: Source code for TV-GroupSpAM freely available for download at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mmarchet/projects/tv_group_spam, implemented in MATLAB. Contact: epxing@cs.cmu.edu Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The devil and the sacred in the English mystery plays

STAGE DEVILS AND TRADITIONAL RELIGION The devil's oppositional role in traditional religion is particularly important in understanding the social function of devils on the stage. In E. K. Chambers' view, vernacular drama's recognition of secular problems was impossible for liturgical drama, because it was preoccupied with spiritual and otherworldly concerns. He therefore understood occasional moments of social satire in the mystery plays, often voiced through devils, as evidence of secularity and evolutionary progress. He was right about a sense of opposition in early drama, as we have seen in chapter 1, but the opposition did not involve secular and sacred; rather, it involved God and the devil. Where society was concerned, the devil's opposition defined community by default, illustrating emblematically what community was not by opposing what it was. Just as the devil played this role in countless liturgical celebrations throughout the ritual year, so he plays it in the mystery cycles. As we have them now, these plays are not the earliest drama in English; in some cases, the texts are early sixteenth-century, and a complex palimpsest of influences is discernible in them. Nonetheless, the mystery plays are the closest of early vernacular dramatic forms to ritual, and they therefore represent a perpetuation of traditional religious views until well into Elizabeth's reign, when they ceased playing.
Atmospheric Mining in the Outer Solar System: Outer Planet Orbital Transfer and Lander Analyses

High energy propellants for human lunar missions are analyzed, focusing on very advanced ozone and atomic hydrogen. One of the most advanced launch vehicle propulsion systems, such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), used hydrogen and oxygen and had a delivered specific impulse of 453 seconds. In the early days of the space program, other propellants (or so called metapropellants) were suggested, including atomic hydrogen and liquid ozone. Theoretical and experimental studies of atomic hydrogen and ozone were conducted beginning in the late 1940s. This propellant research may have provided screenwriters with the idea of an atomic hydrogen-ozone rocket engine in the 1950 movie, Rocketship X-M. This paper presents analyses showing that an atomic hydrogen-ozone rocket engine could produce a specific impulse over a wide range of specific impulse values reaching as high as 1,600 seconds. A series of single stage and multistage rocket vehicle analyses were conducted to find the minimum specific impulse needed to conduct high energy round trip lunar missions.
The Wetting Behavior of Fibers

Historically, the technologies most interested in the wetting of fibers have been those involved in the processing of textiles.(1, 2) Much of the early scientific literature on wetting was concerned with liquid penetration into fabrics and other porous solids.(3) More recently, the rapid development of fiber reinforced composites, notably carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP, GFRP), has generated a renewed interest in the wetting of fibers. However, in the interim there has been a change in the scientific attitude toward the use of contact angle measurements as a means of characterizing the surface chemical constitution of solids. In the early literature, the contact angle was viewed as a characteristic of the fiber and a parameter in the capillarity equations for liquid penetration. Due in large measure to the studies by W. A Zisman and co-workers, there has been a change in attitude toward the physical significance of contact angle measurements. It is now recognized that the contact angle can be a highly sensitive tool for surface characterization. Consequently, there is a growing body of literature on the wetting of textile fibers and fibers used in composites aimed at surface chemical characterization as well as the processing of these fibers into composite materials.
New Method for Extracting Diffusion-Controlled Kinetics from Differential Scanning Calorimetry: Application to Energetic Nanostructures

A new expression is derived for interpreting differential scanning calorimetry curves for solid-state reactions with diffusion-controlled kinetics. The new form yields an analytic expression for temperature at the maximum peak height that is similar to a Kissinger analysis, but that explicitly accounts for laminar, cylindrical, and spherical multilayer system geometries. This expression was used to analyze two reactive multilayer nanolaminate systems, a Zr/CuO thermite and an Ni/Al aluminide, that include systematically varied layer thicknesses. This new analysis scales differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) peak temperatures against sample geometry, which leads to geometry-independent inherent activation energies and prefactors. For the Zr/CuO system, the DSC data scale with the square of the bilayer thickness, while, for the Ni/Al system, the DSC data scale with the thickness. This suggests distinct reaction mechanisms between these systems.
Financial Centers, International

International financial centers house the pivotal actors – individuals and firms such as commercial and investment banks – who make decisions about the global exchange of capital. These cities are highly linked through the intrafirm organizational relations and between-firm ties which can be collaborative or competitive. Some of these financial centers have roots that go back many centuries (e.g., London and Zurich), others emerged in the nineteenth century (e.g., New York and Hong Kong), while others arose in the twentieth century (e.g., Tokyo and Sao Paulo). Financial firms continue to agglomerate in major cities because these firms and their personnel must participate in local social networks of capital in order to be competitive. The scale of financial intermediation continues to rise significantly, and this leads to ever-more sophisticated exchanges of capital. London, New York, and Hong Kong are the pivots of international financial capital based in part on their domestic firms that operated globally, but even more important they each have huge agglomerations of foreign firms that use these cities as their world regional – London for Europe, New York for North America, and Hong Kong for Asia Pacific – and global bases of operations.
The Texas Historical Commission’s underwater archaeological survey of 1995 and the preliminary report on the Belle, La Salle’s shipwreck of 1686

The Texas Historical Commission’s underwater archaeology project of 1995 was intended to locate historic shipwrecks and other underwater archaeological sites. The project succeeded in the investigation of several sites in the Matagorda Bay, Texas, area. The sites included wrecks on the Gulf beach of Matagorda Island, lighthouse sites, wharf areas of the historic port of Indianola, and ships associated with World War II. The most important discovery was the remains of the Belle (41MG86), a ship of the French explorer La Salle wrecked in 1686 during his unsuccessful attempt to found a colony on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The site consists of the lower hull of the ship and many in-situ artifacts. Preservation of organic materials was exceptional.
Influence of route of administration and lipidation of apolipoprotein A-I peptide on pharmacokinetics and cholesterol mobilization

apoA-I, apoA-I mimetic peptides, and their lipid complexes or reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have been studied as treatments for various pathologies. However, consensus is lacking about the best method for administration, by intravenous (IV) or intraperitoneal (IP) routes, and formulation, as an HDL particle or in a lipid-free form. The objective of this study was to systematically examine peptide plasma levels, cholesterol mobilization, and lipoprotein remodeling in vivo following administration of lipid-free apoA-I peptide (22A) or phospholipid reconstituted 22A-sHDL by IV and IP routes. The mean circulation half-life was longer for 22A-sHDL (T1/2 = 6.27 h) than for free 22A (T1/2 = 3.81 h). The percentage of 22A absorbed by the vascular compartment after the IP dosing was ∼50% for both 22A and 22A-sHDL. The strongest pharmacologic response came from IV injection of 22A-sHDL, specifically a 5.3-fold transient increase in plasma-free cholesterol (FC) level compared with 1.3- and 1.8-fold FC increases for 22A-IV and 22A-sHDL-IP groups. Addition of either 22A or 22A-sHDL to rat plasma caused lipoprotein remodeling and appearance of a lipid-poor apoA-I. Hence, both the route of administration and the formulation of apoA-I peptide significantly affect its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
Clinical Evaluation of Hip Function: Essential Features in the History

The history is an important (and often overlooked) part of identifying the hip at risk and defining who is a candidate for hip surgery. Obtaining a deliberate and focused history allows the orthopedic surgeon to best determine the pathology behind the patient’s symptoms and how to appropriately intervene. The history starts with the chief complaint and progresses to the history of present illness. Fettering out the details regarding the localization, onset, and inciting activities to the patient’s symptoms provides the examiner with a wealth of diagnostic knowledge. These details along with the past medical and surgical history help to differentiate hip pathology from “hip mimickers” and decide if consultations from other specialties are warranted. The historical part of the exam ends with information regarding social and family history—which bring about perioperative and genetic risks that may have otherwise been overlooked. In order to optimize patient care, we recommend a methodical approach to obtain the patient history.
Mortality after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe mucopolysaccharidosis type I: the 30-year University of Minnesota experience

Mucopolysaccharidosis IH (MPS IH, Hurler syndrome) naturally leads to death within the first decade of life, primarily from cardiac and pulmonary causes. To determine how hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has altered mortality, we analyzed our institution’s 30-year experience of patients with MPS IH undergoing HSCT. Using chart review and the National Death Index, we determined survival status of 134 patients (males = 69) with MPS IH transplanted between 9/16/1983 and 7/25/2013 on 12/31/2013. Analysis included descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier curves, and regression analysis by Cox proportional hazards model. Overall survival (95% CI) at one- and 25-years was 70% (62–78%) and 37% (19–55%), respectively. From 2004 onward, overall survival at one- and 8-years was 84% (73–96%) and 81% (69–94%), respectively, compared to 65% (55–74%) and 57% (47–67%) prior to 2004 (Log-rank p = 0.032). Regardless of era, male survival was significantly better than female (HR 0.40, [95% CI: 0.21–0.74], p = 0.004). The cumulative incidence of death (95% CI) at 25 years was 63% (45–81%); incidence of pulmonary-related death was the highest at 27% (10–41%) compared to 8% (0.3–16%) for cardiac, 12% (6–17%) for infectious disease, and 16% (3–27%) from other complications. HSCT has increased survival in MPS IH beyond the third decade of life and decreased the incidence of cardiac mortality, but deaths after the third year post-HSCT occur in excess of expected US mortality. It is important to determine if improved transplant strategies since 2004 result in better long-term survival in the current patient population.
Bayesian Cramer-Rao Bound for multiple targets tracking in MIMO radar

Theoretical performance bounds are developed for tracking multiple targets in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar systems with widely distributed antennas. In previous work, we proposed a direct tracker, which eliminates the need for explicit association of observations to tracks, thus improving tracking performance compared to conventional trackers that estimate time delays and Doppler. In this paper, we develop the Bayesian Cramer Rao Bound (BCRB) for the performance of direct tracking of multiple targets in a distributed MIMO radar. A first-order approximation linearizes the observations with respect to the targets state vector. The BCRB is developed for Swerling Type 1 targets. The theoretical performance bounds are applied to demonstrate the performance of direct trackers versus conventional trackers.
Grab ‘Em By The Emoluments: The Crumbling Ethical Foundation of Donald Trump's Presidency

Does Donald Trump believe that over 200 years of constitutional law doesn’t apply to him? This paper explores two important areas of U.S. Constitutional law: the constitutional prohibition against acceptance of emoluments (anything of value); and the constitutional provision for presidential impeachment and is written before findings are available from any special investigations or results from the many Congressional inquiries about matters surrounding the Russian tampering with the American 2016 presidential election. Therefore, this article is an inquiry into other matters that raise many serious questions about the ethical fitness of Donald Trump to be President. Among grounds for Trump’s impeachment are his numerous ongoing Emoluments Clause violations. At this time it seems unlikely that President Trump will face impeachment. Given that both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are in control of the Republican Party, President Trump should be immune from impeachment proceedings unless the Republican Party leadership determines that it is in their best interest to allow for impeachment and removal, not a zero probability. Will President Trump’s lifelong propensity for lying ultimately lead to his eventual demise?
Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Targeted 18F-DCFPyL Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Tomography for the Preoperative Staging of High Risk Prostate Cancer: Results of a Prospective, Phase II, Single Center Study

Purpose: We prospectively evaluated the diagnostic performance of prostate specific membrane antigen targeted 18F-DCFPyL positron emission tomography/computerized tomography in the preoperative staging of men at high risk for harboring metastatic prostate cancer despite a negative conventional staging evaluation.Materials and Methods: Men with clinically localized high or very high risk prostate cancer were imaged with 18F-DCFPyL positron emission tomography/computerized tomography before undergoing radical prostatectomy with standardized pelvic lymph node dissection. The scans were interpreted by 2 blinded nuclear medicine readers and assessed for interreader variability as well as diagnostic accuracy for pelvic lymph node staging. Surgical pathology served as the reference standard to which 18F-DCFPyL scan findings were compared.Results: A total of 25 men contributed analyzable data to this study. Seven of these patients (28%) were found to have 1 or more positive lymph nodes on surgical pathology. Site...
Results of a Survey Offering Clinical Insights into Speech-Language Pathology Telepractice Methods.

A telepractice survey was administered to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Special Interest Group 18 Telepractice affiliates and attendees of the Waldo County General Hospital Speech-Language Pathology Telepractice Training program in Maine, USA over the summer of 2016. Sixty-seven respondents completed the survey. The survey explored demographics of clients and clinicians, costs and equipment, learning opportunities, use of the client’s environment and caregivers/e-helpers, and method adaptations in telepractice. The results of the survey provide information on the current state of telepractice methods in speech-language pathology from experienced practitioners. This information may be used to develop telepractice models and to prepare speech-language pathology graduate students in the delivery of telepractice methods. Keywords: eHealth, Telehealth, Telemedicine, Telepractice
Milk-derived Extracellular Vesicles for Therapeutic Delivery of Small Interfering RNAs

As endogenous biological nanoparticles capable of uptake by cells, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have the capacity to deliver their RNA cargo to recipient cells. The use of EVs as a drug delivery system remains in its infancy, and there are several barriers to the use of EV for this purpose. Amongst these is the need to ensure that adequate amounts of EV are available. The use of milk-derived EV provides a scalable approach and loading of these EVs with RNA is possible with the use of chemical transfection reagents. This method describes the use of milk-derived EV for delivery of small interfering RNA. These EVs were shown to be taken up by hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro, with a reduction in the expression of target gene.
Effect of Material Non-Linearity on the Flexural Response of Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Abstract This paper demonstrates the use of a closed-form derivation of moment-curvature diagram and crack localization rules in simulating the flexural response of textile reinforced cement composites. Effect of non-linear material response obtained fiom uniaxial tension tests on the simulation of the flexural beam test results were studied in order to establish a rational approach to balance the discrepancy between experimental data. The study reveals that the material nonlinearity can be adequately addressed by modifying two intrinsic material parameters: the first cracking strain and initial tensile modulus. The direct use of uniaxial tension response to simulate flexural behavior underpredicted the response of textile cement composites. Modifications to the first cracking strain in the original tension model are recommended to yield better fit to the flexural experimental data.
Governing uncertainty: challenges for the first Tunisian provisional administration of 2011 and its impacts in 2012-2014

The first Tunisian provisional administration (TPA) formed in an ad hoc manner in the wake of President Zayn al-Abidin bin Ali’s departure on 14 January 2011. Due to its nature as a first provisi...
A NON-ITERATIVE PERFORMANCE MODELLING METHOD FOR SUPERCHARGED HEATER CYCLE

Abstract Modelling the combustion product as a gas mixture, a non-iterative solution of the supercharged heater combustion chamber energy balance equation is developed which accounts for the effects of temperature and fuel-air ratio on the enthalpies of the working media. Based on this solution an efficient precise method for calculating supercharged heater cycle performance can be presented using recently available tables of stoichiometric combustion gas for the consideration of different hydrocarbon fuels. Order of computational accuracy comparable to that of steam cycle calculation using modern steam table may be expected.
Approaches to Secure Inference in the Internet of Things: Performance Bounds, Algorithms, and Effective Attacks on IoT Sensor Networks

The Internet of Things (IoT) improves pervasive sensing and control capabilities via the aid of modern digital communication, signal processing, and massive deployment of sensors but presents severe security challenges. Attackers can modify the data entering or communicated from the IoT sensors, which can have a serious impact on any algorithm using these data for inference. This article describes how to provide tight bounds (with sufficient data) on the performance of the best unbiased algorithms estimating a parameter from the attacked data and communications under any assumed statistical model describing how the sensor data depends on the parameter before attack. The results hold regardless of the unbiased estimation algorithm adopted, which could employ deep learning, machine learning, statistical signal processing, or any other approach. Example algorithms that achieve performance close to these bounds are illustrated. Attacks that make the attacked data useless for reducing these bounds are also described. These attacks provide a guaranteed attack performance in terms of the bounds regardless of the algorithms the unbiased estimation system employs. References are supplied that provide various extensions to all of the specific results presented in this article and a brief discussion of low-complexity encryption and physical layer security is provided.
Cardiovascular Pharmacogenomics: Does It Matter If You're Black or White?

Race and ancestry have long been associated with differential risk and outcomes to disease as well as responses to medications. These differences in drug response are multifactorial with some porti...
The Use of Mobile Phone Applications for Concussions When Athletic Trainers Are Not Present.

Concussions continue to be an injury that is confusing for healthcare professionals, athletes and parents alike. This confusion stems from the fact that not every concussion presents or resolves in...
Evaluation of Sample Preparation Methods for the Analysis of Reef-Building Corals Using 1H-NMR-Based Metabolomics

The field of metabolomics generally lacks standardized methods for the preparation of samples prior to analysis. This is especially true for metabolomics of reef-building corals, where the handful of studies that were published employ a range of sample preparation protocols. The utilization of metabolomics may prove essential in understanding coral biology in the face of increasing environmental threats, and an optimized method for preparing coral samples for metabolomics analysis would aid this cause. The current study evaluates three important steps during sample processing of stony corals: (i) metabolite extraction, (ii) metabolism preservation, and (iii) subsampling. Results indicate that a modified Bligh and Dyer extraction is more reproducible across multiple coral species compared to methyl tert-butyl ether and methanol extractions, while a methanol extraction is superior for feature detection. Additionally, few differences were detected between spectra from frozen or lyophilized coral samples. Finally, extraction of entire coral nubbins increased feature detection, but decreased throughput and was more susceptible to subsampling error compared to a novel tissue powder subsampling method. Overall, we recommend the use of a modified Bligh and Dyer extraction, lyophilized samples, and the analysis of brushed tissue powder for the preparation of reef-building coral samples for 1H NMR metabolomics.
The Distortionary Effects of the Health Insurance Tax Exclusion

The tax exclusion of health insurance premiums represents the largest source of tax expenditures in the United States while reducing the after-tax price of insurance for the majority of households....
Shift-invariant Subspace Tracking with Missing Data

Subspace tracking is an important problem in signal processing that finds applications in wireless communications, video surveillance, and source localization in radar and sonar. In recent years, it is recognized that a low-dimensional subspace can be estimated and tracked reliably even when the data vectors are partially observed with many missing entries, which is greatly desirable when processing high-dimensional and high-rate data to reduce the sampling requirement. This paper is motivated by the observation that the underlying low-dimensional subspace may possess additional structural properties induced by the physical model of data, which if harnessed properly, can greatly improve subspace tracking performance. As a case study, this paper investigates the problem of tracking direction-of-arrivals from subsampled observations in a unitary linear array, where the signals lie in a subspace spanned by columns of a Vandermonde matrix. We exploit the shift-invariant structure by mapping the data vector to a latent Hankel matrix, and then perform tracking over the Hankel matrices by exploiting their low-rank properties. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate the superiority of the proposed approach over existing subspace tracking methods that do not exploit the additional shift-invariant structure in terms of tracking speed and agility.
Early Protein Inadequacy Is Associated With Longer Intensive Care Unit Stay and Fewer Ventilator-Free Days: A Retrospective Analysis of Patients With Prolonged Surgical Intensive Care Unit Stay.

BACKGROUND Failure to provide adequate nutrition in the intensive care unit (ICU) may be particularly harmful for patients with prolonged critical illness. We hypothesized that early nutrition inadequacy is more influential for those requiring a longer ICU stay versus those requiring a shorter stay. METHODS We enrolled 280 adult patients with prolonged surgical ICU stay who were receiving enteral nutrition for >72 hours. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: shortICU (<14 days) and longICU (≥14 days). Nutrition deficits at ICU days 3 and 7 were calculated. To investigate whether early nutrient deficit was associated with ICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, 28-day ventilator-free days, and discharge disposition (home/rehabilitation vs death/nursing home), we performed linear and logistic regression analyses controlling for age, sex, body mass index, and APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation). RESULTS While the shortICU (n = 163) and longICU (n = 117) groups were similar in age, APACHE II, Injury Severity Score, energy/protein prescription, and enteral nutrition initiation within 48 hours, the longICU group was more commonly male (76% vs 61%, P = .007) and had higher body mass index (27.4 vs 25.6, P = .007). Significant interactions occurred: in the longICU group but not the shortICU group, protein deficits were associated with longer ICU stay and fewer 28-day ventilator-free days. CONCLUSIONS Early protein deficits accumulating at ICU days 3 and 7 are associated with worse clinical outcomes among patients requiring longer ICU stays. Additional studies are required to confirm these findings.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) Management in Forest, Landscape, and Nursery Production.

Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Annand) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), has caused significant damage to both eastern [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere] and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Englemann) (Pinales: Pinaceae) since it was first reported in the eastern United States. This adelgid is particularly damaging to these hemlock species due to a lack of co-evolved plant defenses and natural enemies able to suppress hemlock woolly adelgid populations. Management of hemlock woolly adelgid relies heavily on insecticides to prevent death of vulnerable trees. Biological control programs have released natural enemies of hemlock woolly adelgid to aid in control at the landscape level. Quarantine restrictions on hemlock are in place in some regions of the United States and Canada. These quarantines impact sales and shipment of hemlock trees from nurseries as well as other hemlock products. A review of insect biology, description of life stages, damage, management options, and quarantine restrictions for hemlock woolly adelgid is presented.
Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of maize storage for small and middle sized farmers

Maize is the most widely cultivated cereal crop worldwide, currently ranked the third most important crop globally after wheat and rice. It is a key staple food in many developing countries. However, maize is produced on a seasonal basis, usually harvest once per year. To maintain a constant supply throughout the year, maize should be properly stored. But this may entail high cost and high-energy consumption, which can contribute significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, three storage capacities (25,000 bu, 250,000 bu and 2,500,000 bu) of maize were evaluated for economic analysis and environmental impact. The results show that the total storage cost per bushel decreased as storage capacity increased (3.68$/bu, 1.89$/bu, and 0.40$/bu). Likewise, energy consumption (electricity, diesel and liquid propane) increased as storage capacity increased. Consequently, more greenhouse gas emissions (CO 2 , CH 4 , and NO X ) were emitted to the environment as storage scale increased. Thus, to obtain an optimal balance between economics and the environment, it is important for small and middle-sized farms to understand the concepts of techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA).