cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combining audio/visual and computing support

In July of 1999, Academic Technology Services (ATS) was given a mandate to undertake class-related technology support for faculty in approximately 80 traditional classrooms, a service previously provided by a group responsible for campus audio/visual support. This resulted from faculty making greater use of electronic resources, and finding a disconnect between their curricular development and the capabilities of the existing classroom audio/visual support group. When Academic Technology Services began supporting classroom technology, it inherited classrooms which were under-equipped, a minimal inventory of outdated portable equipment, and a budget that was less than requested.In order to maximize the number of rooms that could be improved at one time, low-cost solutions initially had to be chosen to solve problems such as the ability to have multiple audio and video devices share the sound system and projector. At the same time, upgrades to rooms were designed to be modular whenever possible such that a minimum amount of money would be wasted on stop-gap solutions. In order to address the technical deficiencies of the Classroom Technology group, and also as a reflection of the lessening distinction between computer classrooms and a normal tech-enhanced classroom, the audio/visual group and the group responsible for supporting and maintaining computing labs were merged in 2002. This allowed for in-house cross-training to take place, and also allowed for vastly improved support of laptops in the classroom setting. Today, there are over a dozen high-technology classrooms with a common touch panel interface, all implemented in-house.
Security, disarmament and the law of the sea☆

USSR and the USA, the author first discusses the basic issues of security and disarmament in the maritime context. He then provides an extensive examination of these issues as they relate to the law of the sea, dividing his examination into the main subject areas of internal/archipelagic waters; territorial seas/international straits; contiguous/economic zones; and the continental shelf/deep seabed. After summarizing the implications for UNCLOS Ill, he provides a statistical appendix which details the international straits and passages that would be overlapped by 12 nm territorial seas.
Bringing ion channel crystal structures into sharper focus with computer modeling: examples from mechanosensitive channels.

“Over the past decade, increasing numbers of ion channel crystal structures have been solved, and many more structures will likely be determined in the coming years. Computational modeling can play an important role in verifying and helping to understand these channel crystal structures. This article focuses on a few important ways in which computer modeling has promoted the understanding of bacterial mechanosensitive ion channel crystal structures. Considering these studies of largeand small-conductance mechanosensitive ion channels provides general insights into the role computer modeling can play in elucidating aspects of channel structures that are essential in drug-design efforts.”
"CEO Narcissism, TMT Behavioral Integration and Firm Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model"

This study reconciles the dark and bright sides of CEO narcissism by examining the role of CEO organizational identification in moderating the effect of narcissism. Drawing upon upper echelons theo...
Heat transfer across a vertical impermeable partition imbedded in porous medium

Abstract This article examines the buoyancy induced circulation occurring on both sides of a vertical impermeable partition separating two semi-infinite porous reservoirs maintained at different temperatures. The circulation is found to consist of two counterflowing boundary layers which interact thermally across the partition, transferring heat from the hot side to the cold side. The net heat transfer rate is calculated and the effect of the thickness and conductivity of the partition on the heat transfer rate is determined. It is demonstrated that the insertion of a vertical impermeable partition in the middle of a vertical porous layer reduces significantly the net heat transfer rate through the layer.
Raman scattering: a coherent mediator for quantum technologies

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is a powerful tool for the manipulation and articulation of quantum systems. I will describe some practical applications of SRS in the development of quantum technologies.
Sex-related differences in first-stage impedance cardiographic variables

Impedance cardiography (ZCG), a noninvasive technique used to determine stroke volume and ventricular performance, is currently being utilized more extensively in psychophysiological research and may also prove a useful tool in the control of hypertension. To date, most studies employing ZCG have tested male subjects or patients. However, women and men differ on two important parameters used to calculate stroke volume: thoracic impedance (Zo), and the first derivative of change in impedance over time (dZ/dtmin). Examination of the clinical records of 19 females and 19 males, all nonmedicated, indicated that women had higher Zo levels (F(1,36) = 46.2, p less than .0001) and higher dZ/dtmin levels (F(1,36) = 51.8, p less than .0001), although calculated stroke volume indexes did not differ. A second sample of 10 women and 8 men, all healthy and nonmedicated, confirmed these findings. The differences in Zo are not due entirely to sex differences in height, weight, percent body fat, and subscapula skin-fold thickness, although these factors differ across sexes. It is important for researchers and clinicians utilizing ZCG with female subjects to be aware of these differences.
Further studies of antagonism of seizure development between concurrently developing kindled limbic foci in the rat

Abstract Concurrent kindling of two limbic sites by stimulating them in alternation results in a pronounced antagonism of seizure development from one site. The present investigation extended this finding and revealed that “kindling antagonism” is widespread among limbic structures. The phenomenon was noted between all pairs of sites tested: septum and ipsilateral entorhinal cortex (EC), septum and contralateral EC, amygdala and ipsilateral EC, bilateral amygdala, and bilateral EC. Kindling antagonism occurred between both interhemispheric and intrahemispheric foci. Two basic types of antagonism were observed. The first was characterized by a clear dominance of one site over the other. Stimulation of one site produced progressive kindling, culminating in a generalized seizure; whereas, motor seizure development from the alternately stimulated site was suppressed, despite the consistent appearance of local afterdischarges. Dominance appeared to be determined by precedence in establishing firm connections with the motor seizure substrate. The site which emerged as dominant was always that which first elicited consistent convulsive activity. The second basic type of kindling antagonism was mutual antagonism. This was exhibited most strikingly between the two amygdalae. During alternate stimulation, neither site emerged as dominant; that is, neither site elicited consistent generalized seizures. Instead, most stimulus trials elicited only partial motor seizures from either amygdala. Overall, the data from these studies suggest that the mechanism of kindling antagonism involves suppression of motor seizure generalization from one hemisphere to the other.
Combined pre- and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy for bladder cancer

Thirty-nine patients with invasive bladder cancer were treated using a new approach to adjuvant radiation therapy. All patients had histologic evidence of bladder muscle invasion on biopsy and were considered suitable for surgical resection. Low-dose preoperative radiation (500 rad) was delivered either on the day of or the day before cystectomy. In most instances, a radical cystectomy was performed and patients were then stratified according to pathologic stagings. Those patients with pathologically good prognostic indicators, Stage B1 low grade (I or II) disease, were followed up with no further treatment. Patients at high risk for local recurrence and pelvic lymph node involvement, Stages B1 high grade (III or IV), B2, and C, were given aggressive postoperative radiation (4,500 rad in five weeks). Patients with advanced disease, Stage D2, were given palliative therapy. All patients received the dose of preoperative radiation as planned. Preliminary results indicate that combined pre- and postoperative radiation in bladder cancer gives excellent local control of disease. A significant potential for improved long-term survival of patients has been observed.
Update on lotrafilcon A contact lenses

Silicone hydrogel contact lenses were introduced in 1999 after polymer chemists were able to successfully copolymerize conventional hydrogel material with silicone polymers, creating a soft material with high oxygen permeability. Comfort has been achieved through surface modifications to improve the wettability of these hydrophobic copolymers. Lotrafilcon A was introduced in 2001 and had the highest oxygen permeability of any of the commercially available silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The popularity of silicone hydrogels has steadily increased since their introduction, and they now account for more than 50% of the soft contact lens market in the USA. The popularity of these contact lenses has been fueled by decades of research implicating relative hypoxia, one of the major complications of conventional hydrogel contact lens wear. The overall complication rate for conventional hydrogel contact lenses is low. However, with 38 million contact lens wearers in the USA, even a low complication rate can resu...
Polarimetric Radar Estimators Based on a Constrained Gamma Drop Size Distribution Model

Abstract Raindrop size distribution (DSD) retrieval from remote radar measurements or from in situ disdrometer measurements is an important area of research. If the shape (μ) and slope (Λ) of a three-parameter gamma distribution n(D) = N0Dμ exp(−ΛD) are related to one another, as recent disdrometer measurements suggest, the gamma DSD model is simplified to a two-parameter DSD, that is, a constrained gamma DSD. An empirical relation between the μ and Λ was derived using moments estimated from video-disdrometer measurements. Here, the effects of DSD truncation on a μ and Λ relation were analyzed. It was shown that characteristic size and variance of size of a constrained gamma DSD depend only on the shape parameter μ. Assuming that a constrained gamma DSD is valid, S-band polarimetric radar–based estimators for rain rate, median volume diameter, specific propagation phase, attenuation, and differential attenuation were derived. The radar-based estimators were used to obtain the spatial distribution of DSD p...
Providing multiple views to meet physician information needs

Browsing the entire electronic medical record of a patient can often be time consuming and inefficient. There is a great need for ways to organize and present views of clinical data that could satisfy physicians' information needs without overwhelming them with extraneous information. We carried out a study on the information needs of physicians during patient care to determine the types of views which may best meet their needs. In the study, physician information needs in inpatient and outpatient settings were observed and classified. Our study showed that each type of view (time-, concept-, and source-oriented) is appropriate for certain situations, although there may not always be an advantage of one view over another in some situations. The findings confirmed our supposition that physicians need different types of views.
Locally Linearized Dynamic Analysis of Parallel Manipulators and Application of Input Shaping to Reduce Vibrations

Input Shaping is a technique that seeks to reduce residual vibrations through modification of the reference command given to a system. Namely the reference command is convolved with a suitable train of impulses. Input shaping has proven to be successful in reducing the vibrations of a great variety of linear systems. This article seeks to apply input shaping to robotic manipulators of parallel architecture. Such systems have multiple degrees-of-freedom and non-linear dynamics and therefore standard input shaping techniques cannot be readily applied. In order to apply standard input shaping techniques to such systems, this article linearizes the dynamic equations of the system locally and determines the configuration-dependent natural frequencies and damping ratios throughout its workspace. Techniques are developed to derive the dynamic equations directly in linearized form. The method is demonstrated for a sample manipulator with two degreesof-freedom. A linearized dynamic model is derived and input shaping is locally tuned according to the linearized dynamic model. Simulation results are provided and discussed. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1640362#
A NOTE ON THE VALUE LINE STOCK HIGHLIGHT EFFECT

Each week Value Line highlights one or two timeliness rank 1 stocks. We find a significant 2.65 percent three-day return around this event. However, this effect is temporary and largely reverses over the next several weeks. We also find that the market response to a highlighted stock is stronger when the stock has a lower price/earnings ratio, is smaller, and has fewer institutional owners. We cannot find evidence against the semistrong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Finally, we present a hypothesis examining whether a favorable Value Line report permanently or temporarily affects stock price.
The mass balance of soil evolution on late Quaternary marine terraces, northern California

Mass-balance interpretation of a soil chronosequence provides a means of quantifying elemental addition, removal, and transformation that occur in soils from a flight of marine terraces in northern California. Six soil profiles that range in age from several to 240,000 yr are developed in unconsolidated, sandy-marine, and eolian parent material deposited on bedrock marine platforms. Soil evolution is dominated by (1) open-system depletion of Si, Ca, Mg, K, and Na; (2) open-system enrichment of P in surface soil horizons; (3) relative immobility of Fe and Al; and (4) transformation of Fe, Si, and Al in the parent material to secondary clay minerals and sesquioxides. Net mass losses of bases and Si are generally uniform with depth and substantial, in some cases approaching 100 percent; however, the rate of loss of each element differs markedly, causing the ranking of each by relative abundance to shift with time. Loss of Si from the sand fraction by dissolution and particle-size diminution, from about 100 percent to less than 35 percent over 240 ky, mirrors a similar gain in the silt and clay size fractions. The Fe originally present in the sand fraction decreases from greater than 80 percent to less than 10 percent, whereas the amount of Fe present in the clay and crystalline oxyhydroxide fractions increases to 25 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
Laboratory and Field Methods for Assaying Olfactory Responses of the Douglas-fir Beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins

Laboratory tests revealed that female Douglas-fir beetles, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, boring in logs of both host and non-host species produce a volatile substance that both attracts and arrests adult beetles. Male arrestment provided a reliable method for laboratory bioassay of volatile substances. Field tests were devised to show the attack, the attraction produced, and the broad development in six tree species: Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco; western larch, Larix occidentalis Nutt.; ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Laws.; western hemlock, Tsuga heteropbylla (Raf.) Sarg.; western white pine, Pinus monticola Dougl.; and grand fir, Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl.
Control of the inter-area dynamics using FACTS technologies in large electric power systems

In this paper a conceptual formulation of a modular control design for controlling inter-area oscillations in the very large-scale power systems is introduced. The design is based on using the new state-space formulation of power system dynamics recently introduced. This choice of state-space enables one to represent even the nonlinear dynamics in the standard state-space form of ordinary differential equations. Furthermore, it sets the basis for control design in terms of measurements simple to perform, and therefore promises considerable robustness. Next, the physical devices for controlling the inter-area oscillations are assumed to be capable of directly controlling flows of transmission lines on which they are located. Some examples of such devices are phase-shifting transformers and series capacitors. If these devices are controlled by means of fast power electronic switching they can be categorized under the well recognized class of the flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) devices. This paper is concerned with the conceptual systems issues of the best control design so that certain desired performance of the inter-area dynamics is guaranteed. >
In vitro indeterminate teleost myogenesis appears to be dependent on Pax3

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been used extensively as a model system for developmental studies but, unlike most teleost fish, it grows in a determinate-like manner. A close relative, the giant danio (Devario cf. aequipinnatus), grows indeterminately, displaying both hyperplasia and hypertrophy of skeletal myofibers as an adult. To better understand adult muscle hyperplasia, a postlarval/postnatal process that closely resembles secondary myogenesis during development, we characterized the expression of Pax3/7, c-Met, syndecan-4, Myf5, MyoD1, myogenin, and myostatin during in vitro myogenesis, a technique that allows for the complete progression of myogenic precursor cells to myotubes. Pax7 appears to be expressed only in newly activated MPCs while Pax3 is expressed through most of the myogenic program, as are c-Met and syndecan-4. MyoD1 appears important in all stages of myogenesis, while Myf5 is likely expressed at low to background levels, and myogenin expression is enriched in myotubes. Myostatin, like MyoD1, appears to be ubiquitous at all stages. This is the first comprehensive report of key myogenic factor expression patterns in an indeterminate teleost, one that strongly suggests that Pax3 and/or Myf5 may be involved in the regulation of this paradigm. Further, it validates this species as a model organism for studying adult myogenesis in vitro, especially mechanisms underlying nascent myofiber recruitment.
SBatch: a spaced batch means procedure for simulation analysis

We discuss SBatch, a simplified procedure for steady-state simulation analysis that is based on spaced batch means, incorporating many advantages of its predecessors ASAP3 and WASSP while avoiding many of their disadvantages. SBatch is a sequential procedure designed to produce a confidence- interval estimator for the steady-state mean response that satisfies user-specified precision and coverage-probability requirements. First SBatch determines a batch size and an interbatch spacer size such that beyond the initial spacer, the spaced batch means approximately form a stationary first-order autoregressive process whose lag-one correlation does not significantly exceed 0.8. Next SBatch delivers a correlation-adjusted confidence interval based on the sample variance and lag-one correlation of the spaced batch means as well as the grand mean of all the individual observations beyond the initial spacer. In an experimental evaluation, SBatch compared favorably with ASAP3 and WASSP.
Laparoscopic drainage of amebic liver abscess.

signs of gonococcemia. Our patient's impaired cell mediated immunity also may have predisposed him to the development of the Fitz-Hugh and Curtis syndrome. There is evidence that cell mediated immunity may be involved in the defense against gonococcal infection. lO Although studies of immunologic function in our patient suggested that he suffers from AIDS, cytomegalovirus infection has been associated with prolonged depression of cell mediated immunity such as was seen in our patient. As yet he has not developed opportunistic infections or Kaposi's sarcoma which should be present to make a certain diagnosis of AIDS. Although the Fitz-Hugh and Curtis syndrome is rare in men, it should be considered in any patient with right upper quadrant pain and a recent or suspected gonococcal infection. Although many patients respond to antibiotic treatment, some do not. In these patients peritoneoscopy may be useful both diagnostically and therapeutically. The syndrome may occur more frequently in homosexual males than in heterosexuals.
Beam-beam interaction and high order resonances

There is experimental evidence from the SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron) that very high order resonance (an order>10) can cause particle loss during the beam-beam interaction. These results can be simulated by tracking a single particle against a round beam. If the round beam has an RMS size of sigma and the particle's initial amplitude is 2 sigma then no effects are observed due to high-order resonances. However, if the particle's initial amplitude is 5 sigma the beam-beam 16th-order resonances are strong. Furthermore, if tune modulation is added (i.e. power supply ripple) then the 5 sigma particle's motion becomes chaotic (when it is near a 16th-order resonance) and can result in particle loss. >
Do toddlers have label preferences? A possible explanation for word refusals:

Two studies focus on whether 2-year-olds (and adults) have consistent preferences for one type of label for objects, using a simple verbal judgement task. Participants compared basic level labels to superordinates in Study 1, and to subordinates in Study 2. Though all labels were familiar, children and adults chose the basic level label as 'best' in comparison to superordinates. For children, subordinates competed with basic labels only when referents were not highly typical of basic categories. For adults, subordinates were preferred as often as basic labels with typical items, and were more preferred with less typical items. These studies demonstrate that toddlers can be effectively tested for label preferences. They also suggest a simple explanation for what we call the refusal effect, when toddlers refuse a perfectly acceptable and familiar label for an object in favour of another label for that object. Toddlers may understand that two familiar labels are applicable, but they prefer one over the other...
Decomposition of repetition priming components in picture naming.

Cognitive mechanisms underlying repetition priming in picture naming were decomposed in several experiments. Sets of encoding manipulations meant to selectively prime or reduce priming in object identification or word production components of picture naming were combined factorially to dissociate processes underlying priming in picture naming. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 were conducted with Spanish– English bilingual participants and bilingual materials. Experiments 4, 5A, and 5B were single-language experiments in English or Spanish. A simple process model was used to formalize the theoretical predictions and test them across all experiments simultaneously. Object identification and word production processes were selectively influenced in an additive manner, which suggests that the 2 sets of processes are independent and sequential. The patterns of facilitation support a quantitative model of transfer-appropriate processing in which shared processes from encoding to test are the causal basis and speeded processes are the mechanism of facilitation.
Macrofilament Simulation of High Current Beam Transport

Macrofilament simulation of high current beam transport through a series of solenoids has been used to investigate the sensitivity of such calculations to the initial beam distribution and to the number of filaments used in the simulation. The transport line was tuned to approximately 105° phase advance per cell at zero current with a tune depression of 65° due to the space charge. Input distributions with the filaments randomly uniform throughout a four dimensional ellipsoid and K-V input distributions have been studied. The behavior of the emittance is similar to that published for quadrupoles with like tune depression. The emittance demonstrated little growth in the first twelve solenoids, a rapid rate of growth for the next twenty, and a subsequent slow rate of growth. A few hundred filaments were sufficient to show the character of the instability. The number of filaments utilized is an order of magnitude fewer than has been utilized previously for similar instabilities. The previously published curves for simulations with less than a thousand particles show a rather constant emittance growth. If the solenoid transport line magnetic field is increased a few percent, emittance growth curves are obtained not unlike those curves. Collision growth effects are less important than indicated in the previously published results for quadrupoles.
High-power pulsed operation of an optimized nonplanar corrugated substrate periodic laser diode array

High-power pulsed operation of 14.1 W per uncoated facet from an optimized 3-mm-wide (510 mu m cavity length) nonplanar corrugated substrate periodic laser diode array is reported. Single-step metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth over a selectively etched corrugated substrate provides suppressed lateral lasing and amplified spontaneous emission with a minimal number of processing steps. Higher external differential quantum efficiency, slope efficiency, and output power result from a design optimization with regard to the widths of the mesas and grooves of the corrugated substrate. >
The Arabidopsis Rab GTPase RabA4b Localizes to the Tips of Growing Root Hair Cells

Spatial and temporal control of cell wall deposition plays a unique and critical role during growth and development in plants. To characterize membrane trafficking pathways involved in these processes, we have examined the function of a plant Rab GTPase, RabA4b, during polarized expansion in developing root hair cells. Whereas a small fraction of RabA4b cofractionated with Golgi membrane marker proteins, the majority of this protein labeled a unique membrane compartment that did not cofractionate with the previously characterized trans-Golgi network syntaxin proteins SYP41 and SYP51. An enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP)-RabA4b fusion protein specifically localizes to the tips of growing root hair cells in Arabidopsis thaliana. Tip-localized EYFP-RabA4b disappears in mature root hair cells that have stopped expanding, and polar localization of the EYFP-RabA4b is disrupted by latrunculin B treatment. Loss of tip localization of EYFP-RabA4b was correlated with inhibition of expansion; upon washout of the inhibitor, root hair expansion recovered only after tip localization of the EYFP-RabA4b compartments was reestablished. Furthermore, in mutants with defective root hair morphology, EYFP-RabA4b was improperly localized or was absent from the tips of root hair cells. We propose that RabA4b regulates membrane trafficking through a compartment involved in the polarized secretion of cell wall components in plant cells.
Detection of myocardial ischemic memory using 99mTc-transferrin

1700 Objectives The detection of transient myocardial ischemia that does not result in an infarction has been a great challenge in diagnosing acute coronary syndrome. The expression of transferrin receptor (Tf-R) is downstream of hypoxia-inducible factor-1; however, there is little information on Tf-R expression in ischemic but non-infarct myocardial tissues. The current study was to investigate the feasibility of detecting the upregulation of Tf-R as a biomarker for myocardial ischemic memory, using 99mTc-labeled transferrin. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 5 minutes of myocardial ischemia by transiently ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by 3, 24 or 48 hours of reperfusion. Echocardiography was used to determine cardiac function at designated reperfusion times. 99mTc-transferrin uptake in ischemic and normoxic myocardial tissues was determined at 1 hour after intravenous injection. Results Five-minute myocardial ischemia did not result in cardiac functional deficiency according to echocardiography. In contrast, the uptake of 99mTc-transferrin was significantly elevated in the area-at-risk versus normoxic myocardial tissues with ratios of 1.9 at 3h, 1.6 at 24h, and 1.3 at 48h post-ischemia. Conclusions The dynamics of transferrin/Tf-R cognate pair provide the basis of a sensitive biomarker for myocardial ischemic memory. The persistently elevated 99mTc-transferrin uptake in the area-at-risk over an extended period of time was indicative of a wide window of detection after a transient ischemic episode. These findings support the feasibility of using Tf-R as a biomarker for ischemic memory. Research Support NIH
The LDEF Interplanetary Dust Experiment

The Long Duration Exposure Facility was launched for the first time on April 6, 1984 by the NASA space shuttle Challenger. An array of solid-state detectors record the arrival time and approximate direction of an impacting particle. Two levels of detector sensitivity provide an indication of particle energy and mass. The active area is nearly 1 m2. We therefore expect count rates of about 30 per day over an exposure time of about a year. The orbit of the particle cannot be obtained, except statistically. We know the orientation of the detector, the position of LDEF in earth orbit, and the position of the earth in relation to other celestial bodies. From this information we can extract essential orbit information.
Brain aging in normotensive and hypertensive strains of rats. III. A quantitative study of cerebrovasculature.

Quantitative histological techniques were used to evaluate age-related alterations in the vascularity and thickness of the cerebral cortex in normotensive and hypertensive strains of rats. In both strains, aging was accompanied by a statistically significant increase in mean minimal luminal diameter (MMLD) of capillaries in all cortical laminae. While the overall depth of the cerebral cortex was significantly decreased in aged rats of both strains, the total number of capillaries in a strip of cortex extending from the pia mater to the underlying white matter did not change between 3 months and 23–24 months. The greatest vascularity was seen in the field occupying 41–60% of the depth below the pial surface. Few differences in the laminar variations in capillary density were observed. The number and MMLD of venules were increased in aged WKY, but the aged hypertensive rats exhibited a decrease in number and MMLD of venules. No significant change in either the number or MMLD of arterioles was observed in aged and/or hypertensive rats. The total brain weight of the hypertensive rats was significantly less than that of normotensive rats at 3 and 12 months of age but no difference was observed between the aged groups. Hypertensive rats demonstrated a significantly decreased relative brain weight (brain weight per 100 g body weight) in all age groups.
Resuscitations That Never End: Originating From Unresolved Integrity-Related Moral Distress

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a timedependent clinical intervention. Unlike most other clinical interventions (eg, antibiotics for sepsis, chemotherapy regimens, and duration of mechanical ventilation) that are marked with distinct start and stop times, attempts at CPR are dependent on many process times requiring intense multidisciplinary teamwork in a short period of time. Process times that are simultaneously coordinated and recorded include the following: when the nurses and physicians arrive in the patient’s room; the administration of medication; the cycle of chest compressions; pulse and rhythm checks; defibrillations or cardioversion attempts; and the last recorded time in a resuscitation, return of spontaneous circulation, or death. The resuscitation team leader declares, “the end,” and the team’s work stops. The title of this Viewpoint therefore appears paradoxical: how can it be that cardiopulmonary resuscitation never ends? In an institutional review board–approved qualitative study of the experiences of resuscitation team members, we discovered a distinctive phenomenon not previously reported: some resuscitations never end when they generate unresolved, integrity-related moral distress for health care professionals. 1 Analyzing in-depth interviews with 25 multidisciplinary resuscitation team members about their experiences, we discovered that attempting CPR, unlike other advanced medical interventions, is sometimes experienced as having unclear temporal boundaries: “resuscitations that never end,” “coding patient[s] all day,” “deja vu,” or “here we go again” events rather than events with clearly demarcated process times with distinct beginnings and ends. The resuscitation experience is sometimes not limited to the “in the moment” experience of attempting CPR. Our colleagues described morally distressing experiences originating before CPR is initiated, during CPR, and after CPR efforts end, none of which are captured by the process
The effect of high doses of calcium-channel blockers on survival in primary pulmonary hypertension.

Abstract Background. Primary pulmonary hypertension is a progressive, fatal disease of unknown cause. Vasodilator drugs have been used as a treatment, but their efficacy is uncertain. Methods. We treated 64 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension with high doses of calcium-channel blockers. Patients who responded to treatment (defined as those whose pulmonary-artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance immediately fell by more than 20 percent after challenge) were treated for up to five years. Their survival was compared with that of the patients who did not respond and with patients enrolled in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Registry on Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. Warfarin was given to 55 percent of the patients as concurrent therapy, on the basis of a lung scan showing nonuniformity of pulmonary blood flow (47 percent of patients who responded and 57 percent of those who did not respond). Results. Seventeen patients (26 percent) responded to treatment, as indicated by a 39 percen...
Medical Marijuana and Crime: Further Evidence From the Western States

State medical marijuana programs have proliferated in the United States in recent years. Marijuana sales are now estimated in billions of dollars per year with over two million patients, yet it remains unlawful under Federal law, and there is limited and conflicting evidence about potential effects on society. We present new evidence about potential effects on crime by estimating an economic crime model following the general approach developed by Becker. Data from 11 states in the Western United States are used to estimate the model and test hypotheses about potential effects on rates of violent and property crime. Fixed effects methods are applied to control for state-specific factors, with adjustments for first-order autocorrelation and cross-section heteroskedasticity. There is no evidence of negative spillover effects from medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on violent or property crime. Instead, we find significant drops in rates of violent crime associated with state MMLs.
Microbe-ID: An open source toolbox for microbial genotyping and species identification

Development of tools to identify species, genotypes, or novel strains of invasive organisms is critical for monitoring emergence and implementing rapid response measures. Molecular markers, although critical to identifying species or genotypes, require bioinformatic tools for analysis. However, user-friendly analytical tools for fast identification are not readily available. To address this need, we created a web-based set of applications called Microbe-ID that allow for customizing a toolbox for rapid species identification and strain genotyping using any genetic markers of choice. Two components of Microbe-ID, named Sequence-ID and Genotype-ID, implement species and genotype identification, respectively. Sequence-ID allows identification of species by using BLAST to query sequences for any locus of interest against a custom reference sequence database. Genotype-ID allows placement of an unknown multilocus marker in either a minimum spanning network or dendrogram with bootstrap support from a user-created reference database. Microbe-ID can be used for identification of any organism based on nucleotide sequences or any molecular marker type and several examples are provided. We created a public website for demonstration purposes called Microbe-ID (microbe-id.org) and provided a working implementation for the genus Phytophthora (phytophthora-id.org). In Phytophthora-ID, the Sequence-ID application allows identification based on ITS or cox spacer sequences. Genotype-ID groups individuals into clonal lineages based on simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for the two invasive plant pathogen species P. infestans and P. ramorum. All code is open source and available on github and CRAN. Instructions for installation and use are provided at https://github.com/grunwaldlab/Microbe-ID.
On-line Running Load Characteristics of M701F Gas Turbines

The factors influencing the load characteristics of heavy-duty gas turbines are analyzed,and then a technical route is proposed for researching the load characteristics of heavy-duty gas turbines.Based on the technical route and the standard conditions of International Organization for Standardization(ISO),the load characteristic curve of a M701F gas turbine is acquired according to its on-line operating data,and the mathematical model of load characteristics is built.Checking 6 940 groups of data of the gas turbine,the maximum relative error of the load characteristic mathematical model does not exceed 5.73% when the converted reference power is not less than 18 MW.
Association between PM2.5 air pollution and daily resident mortality in Guangzhou urban area in winter

Objective To describe the characteristics of ambient PM2.5 pollution and its association with mortality in urban area of Guangzhou. Methods Ambient PM2.5 was collected during November 10 to November 16 and December 10 to December 16, 2013 in urban area of Guangzhou. The samples were analyzed for 12 metals(Pb, Mn, Al, Cd, Cr, Sb, As, Be, Hg,Ni, Se and Ti), 4 inorganic water- soluble ions( NO3-, SO42-, NH4+and Cl-), and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons[naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaph- thene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo(a)an- thracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]- pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene and benzo(g,h,i)perylene]. The data on daily mean concentration of PM2.5 and mortality in urban area of Guangzhou in 2013 were also collected. Poisson regression models were performed to examine the association between ambient PM2.5 concentration and total non-accidental mortality, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases mortalities. Results The concentration of inorganic water-soluble ions accounted for the largest proportion in the three main components(38.29%). The concentration of NO3-(14.42 μg/m3) was the most in inorganic water-soluble ions, and the following was SO42-(13.94 μg/m3). Of the metals,the concentration of aluminum was the highest(239.99 ng/m3), followed by lead(138.15 ng/m3). Of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the concentration of benzo(b)fluoranthene was the highest(3.96 ng/m3), followed by fluoranthene(3.61 ng/m3),benzo(a)pyrene(2.89 ng/m3). Time series analysis showed the largest effect of PM2.5 concentration on total non-accidental mortality with a one-day lag. Total non-accidental mortality increased by 1.20%(95% CI: 0.63%-1.77%) for per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration. The largest effect of PM2.5 concentration on cardiovascular diseases mortality was observed with a three-day lag. Cardiovascular diseases mortality increased by 1.41%(95%CI: 0.62%-2.21%) with each rise of 10 μg/m3 in PM2.5 concentration. No significant effect was found between PM2.5 and respiratory mortality. Conclusion The main components of inorganic water-soluble ions adsorbed in PM2.5 are NO3-and SO42-. Increase of PM2.5 concentration is associated with increased mortality of certain diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases.
Assessment of safety injection and other disinfection management in the community and rural clinics in Hefei city

Objective To assess safety injection and other disinfection management in the community and rural clinics in Hefei city,to study cognition of safety injection in providers of clinics and residents.Methods Five clinics in each county were stratified and randomly sampled.Meanwhile,health care providers and residents were interviewed.Results Forty-five community and rural clinics were studied,45 providers and 41 residents were interviewed.The disposable syringes were used in all clinics.The frequency of abandoned needles disposed with general waste was 15.6%.Surgical clothing and instruments not sterilized accounted for 20%.Cognition rates of the health care providers and general population regarding injection safety were 62.2% and 31.1% respectively.Conclusions It is a common phenomenon that medical waste is improperly disposed with general rubbish.There exist potential iatrogenic infection caused by medical instruments and products exposed in blood and mucocutaneous in these clinics.Cognition of safe injection among health providers and residents is limited.
Determining the Number of Factors in P-Technique Factor Analysis.

ABSTRACTDetermining the number of factors is a critical first step in exploratory factor analysis. Although various criteria and methods for determining the number of factors have been evaluated in the usual between-subjects R-technique factor analysis, there is still question of how these methods perform in within-subjects P-technique factor analysis. A novel feature of P-technique data is that observations are usually sequentially dependent in some way. The current study evaluates 10 criteria for determining the number of factors for data simulated to resemble intensive repeated-measures data for which P-technique is usually applied. The number of factors, loading size, observed-to-latent ratio, serial-dependency, and sample size were simulation design factors with conditions simulated to resemble P-technique data. The methods are compiled from various statistical techniques and have been demonstrated in previous R-technique simulations. Finally, a real data example demonstrates applying the acceleratio...
The socially engaged practices of artists in contemporary China

ABSTRACTIn the past decade, Mainland China has witnessed an evident increase of artists who undertake socially engaged art and seek to optimize the power of art for social criticism or community rebuilding in their professional practices. Individual artists and artist collectives have initiated many projects to expose the injustice people suffered in a society governed by an authoritarian regime, call upon awareness of specific social problems produced under the logic of consumerist urbanization, or foster community-oriented social interactions and participations. These practices might or might not result in objects or images readily identifiable as art works and often involve processes beyond the recognizable forms of the Chinese art world. Experimental in nature and situation or locality specific in operation, the social practices of artists have closely responded to the Chinese context while also demonstrated many commonalities with the socially engaged art circulated in the global art world. This arti...
A Wide-Input-Range Efficiency-Enhanced Synchronous Integrated LED Driver With Adaptive Resonant Timing Control

A wide-input-range DC–DC-based dimmable LED driver is presented in this paper. The proposed LED driver can be automatically configured to operate in the soft-switching mode under the high-voltage condition in order to minimize the converter’s dominant switching power loss. Adaptive resonant timing control is developed to enable proper dead-time generation for on-chip high-voltage power FETs in both hard- and soft-switching modes under different input and output voltages for the power loss minimization. In the proposed LED driver, two low-power body-diode-based zero-voltage detectors and an adaptive resonant timing emulator are also proposed for providing accurate and high-speed zero-voltage switching (ZVS) detection of both power FETs, and achieving optimal quasi-ZVS condition, respectively. Implemented in a 0.5 $\mu \text {m}$ HV CMOS process, the proposed buck-based LED driver can support an input voltage range from 5 V to 115 V and up to 25 series-connected high-brightness LEDs with the maximum output power of 25 W. The LED driver can operate up to 1.6 MHz in the soft-switching mode and 2.2 MHz in the hard-switching mode for providing the peak power efficiencies of 94.4% and 93.6%, respectively. Compared with the state-of-the-art counterparts, this work is the only integrated DC–DC-based dimmable LED driver to demonstrate auto-configurable hard- and soft-switching capability achieving high power efficiency and current accuracy over the widest input voltage range and the largest number of series-connected output LEDs.
Mast cell leukemia with prolonged survival on PKC412/midostaurin

Mast cell leukemia (MCL) is a rare and aggressive form of systemic mastocytosis. There are approximately 50 reported cases since 1950s. MCL is refractory to cytoreduction chemotherapy and the average survival is only six months. We report a MCL case in a 71 year-old woman with high tumor load at the initial presentation in 2005, who did not respond to either interleukin-2 or dasatinib therapy. After enrolled in a clinical trial of PKC412 (or Midostaurin) with a daily dose of 100 mg, the patient responded well to PKC412 and became transfusion independent in three months. Since then, her disease had been stably controlled. This is the first report of a high-tumor-load MCL case which achieved prolonged survival (101 months) by PKC 412. The 101-month overall survival is the longest among reported MCL cases in the English literature.
A transactional/ecological perspective on ethnic–racial identity, socialization, and discrimination.

We first review current literature on three ethnic-racial dynamics that are considered to be resources and stressors in the lives of ethnic-minority youth: ethnic-racial identity, socialization, and discrimination. Next, we propose that a more contextualized view of these ethnic-racial dynamics reveals that they are interdependent, inseparable, and mutually defining and that an ecological/transactional perspective on these ethnic-racial dynamics shifts researchers' gaze from studying them as individual-level processes to studying the features of settings that produce them. We describe what is known about how identity, socialization, and discrimination occur in four microsystems-families, peers, schools, and neighborhoods-and argue that focusing on specific characteristics of these microsystems in which particular types of identity, socialization, and discrimination processes cooccur would be informative.