cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) Spectroscopy

The article concerns the usefulness of nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy in inorganic and organometallic chemistry. NQR-active nuclei have spin I ≥ 1; those of high enough abundance to be commonly useful are found in the odd-numbered groups of the periodic table. These are tabulated and examples given for each. The number of NQR frequencies observed in a solid-state compound reflects the number of chemically different quadrupolar atoms in the compound and also the number of crystallographically inequivalent atoms; changes in the latter may indicate phase transitions or different polymorphs of a given compound. More commonly, one uses average NQR frequencies for chemically different atoms, and from these average frequencies, derives atomic parameters such as populations of valence orbitals, partial ionic charges, π-bond orders, and covalent bond orders of the quadrupolar atom. The article mainly reviews selected applications of halogen (35Cl, 79, 81Br, 127I) NQR to specific bonding questions in inorganic chemistry, and divides these according to whether the halogen or other atoms are (a) single bonded, (b) single bonded but with secondary bonds with other atoms, or (c) bonded to several atoms. For singly bonded atoms, the applications reviewed include (a1) relativistic effects, (a2) effects of nearby ionic charges on haloacetate ions, (a3) the contrasting effects of nearby ionic charges on halometallate ions, (a4) effects of intramolecular partial charges on chlorines in organosilicon compounds, (a5) cis-and trans- ligand effects in substituted halometallate complexes, and (a6) interpretations of multicentered bonding in trihalide ions. Secondary bonding of single-bonded halogen atoms are reviewed particularly in the cases of (b1) halocarbons as ligands, (b2) chloroacetates and chlorophenolates as chlorine-donor ligands, and (b3) in salts of weakly coordinated halogenated anions. Finally, some illustrations are given of NQR studies of central multicoordinated atoms (for example, transition-metal atoms in complexes). Keywords: nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy; quadrupole coupling constant; asymmetry parameter; electric field gradient; relativistic effects; organosilicon compounds; cis- and trans- effects; multicentered bonding; secondary bonding; noncovalent interactions; halocarbons as ligands; weakly coordinating anions
Association of Very Low Birth Weight with Exposures to Environmental Sulfur Dioxide and Total Suspended Particulates

This paper presents results of a population-based case-control study of the association between maternal exposures to environmental sulfur dioxide and total suspended particulates (TSP) and risk for having a very low birth weight (VLBW) baby, i.e., one weighing less than 1,500 g at birth. The study, which took place between April 1, 1986 and March 30, 1988, comprised 143 mothers of VLBW babies and 202 mothers of babies weighing 2,500 g or more living in Georgia Health Care District 9. Environmental exposure estimates (microg/m3) were obtained through environmental transport modeling that allowed us to assign environmental sulfur dioxide and TSP exposure estimates at the birth home of each study subject. Exposures less than or equal to 9.94 microg/m3, the median of TSP and sulfur dioxide exposures for the controls, were considered as referent exposures. Exposures to atmospheric TSP and sulfur dioxide above the 95th percentile (56.75 microg/m3) yielded an adjusted odds ratio of 2.88 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16, 7.13), that from above the 75th to the 95th percentile (25.18-56.75 microg/m3) yielded an adjusted odds ratio of 1.27 (95% CI: 0.68, 2.37), and that from above the median (9.94 microg/m3) to the 75th percentile, an adjusted odds ratio of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.51, 1.72). The trend demonstrated in these adjusted estimates suggests an association between VLBW and maternal exposures to high levels of air pollution.
Assessing Effects of Food Stamp Program Participation on Child Food Security in Vulnerable Households: Do Informal Supports Matter?:

The Food Stamp Program (now the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is one of the largest federal welfare initiatives undertaken to address the problem of hunger and nutrient intake among households in poverty. We build on previous research by examining the effects of participating in the program on food security among children in vulnerable households using data from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement for 2003. We also explore the moderating effects of informal food assistance. Our results suggest that food stamp take-up and informal food assistance are important in understanding child food security in vulnerable households. Further, we note that a number of individual and household characteristics are associated with child food security. Implications for practice and scholarship are presented.
Fast colour space transformations using minimax approximations

Colour space transformations are frequently used in image processing, graphics and visualisation applications. In many cases, these transformations are complex non-linear functions, which prohibit their use in time-critical applications. A new approach called minimax approximations for colour space transformations (MACT) is presented. The authors demonstrate MACT on three commonly used colour space transformations. Extensive experiments on a large and diverse image set and comparisons with well-known multidimensional look-up table interpolation methods show that MACT achieves an excellent balance among four criteria: ease of implementation, memory usage, accuracy and computational speed.
Stemflow contribution to the ‘fertile island’ effect in creosotebush,Larrea tridentata☆

Abstract Stemflow, throughfall and bulk precipitation were collected on six creosotebushes ( Larrea tridentata ) during 18 events in the summer rainy season in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The average stemflow was 16·8 ± 1·9%; throughfall averaged 64·7 ±3·2%. The concentration of all ions measured were significantly higher in stemflow than in the bulk precipitation. Total nitrogen, sulfate, and calcium concentrations were more than an order of magnitude higher in the stemflow than in the bulk precipitation. Concentration of ions in the upper 10 cm of soil were generally higher in soils under shrubs than in soils between shrubs. Measured quantities of ions in dry-fall were of sufficient magnitude to account for the increased concentration in stemflow water of most ions. Increases in nitrogen in stemflow water may be due to biological activity of stem crust micro-organisms in addition to dry-fall. Dry-fall that collects on the leaves and stems of this desert shrub may contribute to the ‘fertile island’ effect on the soils under the canopies of creosotebushes.
A Heritable Crippling Anomaly in the Fowl

Abstract THE present paper describes a new crippling abnormality involving the pelvis and the joints of the leg in the domestic fowl and persents genetic evidence for its inheritance. Many heritable anomalous conditions of the fowl have been reported (reviewed by Hutt, 1949, and Jull, 1952) including several affecting the legs. The abnormalities more closely resembling the one described herein are: Perosis or “slipped tendon,” neurolymphomatosis and congenital perosis. Polygenic inheritance of perosis was first demonstrated by Serfontein and Payne (1934). In this abnormality the Achilles tendon slips from the intercondylar groove of the tibial metatarsal joint and the latter bends inward. The effect of neurolymphomatosis on the sciatic and femoral nerves of the legs causes partial or complete paralysis. An inherited susceptibility to this disease (commonly called “range paralysis”) has been shown by Asmundson and Biely (1932), Gildow et al. (1940), Taylor et al. (1943), Hutt and Cole (1947) and …
Hyperinflation is Associated with Lower Sleep Efficiency in COPD with Co-existent Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Prior research has shown that individuals with obstructive lung disease are at risk for sleep fragmentation and poor sleep quality. We postulated that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (known as overlap syndrome) who have more severe lung disease, as measured by lung hyperinflation (inspiratory capacity/total lung capacity), would have greater sleep disturbances independent of traditional measures of sleep apnea. We performed a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients evaluated and treated in an academic pulmonary clinic for overlap syndrome. Pulmonary function tests and polysomnogram data were collected. Thirty patients with overlap syndrome were included in the analysis. We found significant univariable associations between sleep efficiency and apnea/hypopnea index (beta = -0.285, p = 0.01) and between sleep efficiency and lung hyperinflation (beta = 0.654, p = 0.03). Using multivariable linear regression, the relationship between sleep efficiency and lung hyperinflation remained significant (beta = 1.13, p = 0.02) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, apnea/hypopnea index, FEV(1)% predicted, oxygen saturation nadir, medications, and cardiac disease. We conclude that increased severity of hyperinflation is associated with worse sleep efficiency, independent of apnea and nocturnal hypoxemia. The mechanisms underlying this observation are uncertain. We speculate that therapies aimed at reducing lung hyperinflation may improve sleep quality in patients with overlap syndrome.
Color and intensity information representations by a network of turtle retinal ganglion cells

Visual stimuli are represented in neuronal firing of a 2D highly interconnected network of ganglion cells driven by the stimuli. As a result, the network is able to encode more features of the visual stimuli than can the single neurons that make up the network. We have recorded the simultaneous responses of 15 ganglion cells in the isolated, perfused turtle retina to simple visual stimuli circles of various diameters, intensities and colors. We trained a three-layer neural network to classify the responses in terms of stimulus color, size and intensity. The network performed poorly in the classification of the test stimuli. Further, concurrently recorded responses did not do significantly better at specifying the stimulus than did sequentially recorded responses. The approach provides a formalism that allows one to assess the effects of response variability on the ability of the network to classify responses.
The dependence of H ii region properties on global and local surface brightness within galaxy discs

Using B, R and Hα images of roughly equal-sized samples of low surface brightness (LSB) and high surface brightness (HSB) galaxies (∼40 galaxies apiece), we have explored the dependence of H II region properties on local and global disc surface brightness. We have done this by constructing co-added H II region luminosity functions (LFs) according to local and central disc surface brightness and fitting Schechter functions to these LFs. The results show that the shape of the H II region LF within LSB galaxies does not change noticeably as different limiting (i.e. μ>μ lim) local surface brightness values are used. However, the LFs for HSB galaxies have larger values of L∗ and are less steep at the faint-end than those of LSB galaxies for limiting B-band local surface brightness values as faint as μB,lim � 23– 24. Both the LFs and the data for individual H II regions show that luminous (L > 10 39 erg s −1 )H II regions are much more common within HSB discs than within LSB discs, implying that the newly formed star clusters are also larger. Taking this into account along with the results of Monte Carlo simulations, the shapes of the LFs imply that the regions within LSB discs and those within the LSB areas of HSB discs are relatively old (∼5 Myr) while the regions within HSB discs for μB 24 are significantly younger (<1 Myr). Since the majority of the LSB galaxies do not have noticeable spiral arms and the majority of the HSB galaxies do, this may indicate a transition within HSB discs from spiral arm-driven star formation to a more locally driven, possibly sporadic form of star formation at μB ∼ 24, a transition that does not appear to occur within LSB discs.
Nanomachined pyroelectric detector with low thermal conductance — Design and concepts

We report the design of an uncooled pyroelectric detector utilizing a nanometer sized mesh to support the micromachined detector. The design had been optimized by using different geometry and electrodes. The thickness, width and dimension of each layer were changed to achieve the lowest thermal conductance. Ca-modified lead titanate (PCT) was employed as the thermometer in the detector. The design and performance of pyroelectric detectors has been conducted by simulating the structure with Intellisuite™. The simulated detector had spider web-like structure with each of the struts (ring) of spider web 100 nm wide. The pyroelectric detectors utilized a NiCr absorber, PCT sensing layer, Ti electrodes, Al2O3 structural layer to obtained lower thermal conductivity between the detector and substrate. The thermal conductance between the sensor and the substrate was found to be as low as 4.57 × 10-9 W/K.
Lyric Autobiography: John Donne's Holy Sonnets *

In her admirable study of autobiography, Janet Varner Gunn argued that the religious significance of the form “lies not in its literary function but in its anthropology,” that is, in its role in articulating and creating human experience. She also stated that much literary discussion of autobiography serves to conceal its “strangeness” and “unruly behavior.”
Persons as Contexts: Evaluating Between-Person and Within-Person Effects in Longitudinal Analysis

Relationships among multiple variables over time are of interest in many developmental areas and are frequently examined using time-varying predictors in multilevel models. Yet an incomplete specification of time-varying predictors will usually result in biased model effects. Specifically, the impact of constant, between-person sources of variation must be differentiated from the impact of time-specific, within-person sources of variation - that is, persons should be modeled as contexts. The current didactic article expands upon previous work to address why and how to model persons as contexts in longitudinal analysis. An electronic appendix of syntax for estimating these models is also provided.
Multi-channel multi-stage spectrum sensing: Link layer performance and energy consumption

We present a cross-layer analysis of multi-stage spectrum sensing protocols used in multi-channel Opportunistic Spectrum Access (OSA) communication. By developing a novel analytical tool, we are able to assess the energy consumed by OSA communication. Furthermore, we present the relationship between the energy consumption of the multi-stage spectrum sensing protocol, the average throughput of OSA communication and the collision probability between the primary and secondary users. The analysis framework takes the following factors into consideration: number of sensing stages, primary and secondary user traffic, physical layer sensing techniques and sensing time, as well as detailed description of transmit, receive and sensing circuitry. We conclude that multi-stage spectrum sensing is beneficial from the energy consumption and throughput standpoint. In specific, by controlling the sensing time and the number of sensing stages, the multi-stage spectrum sensing protocol can reduce the energy consumption while meeting required throughput and collision constraints.
Platinum Group Element Geochemistry of Sulfide-Rich Horizons in the Ural-Alaskan–Type Ultramafic Complex of Duke Island, Southeastern Alaska

The Duke Island Ultramafic Complex in southeastern Alaska is a Ural-Alaskan–type complex that hosts sulfide-rich horizons primarily in the olivine clinopyroxenite unit. Although placer deposits hosting platinum group elements (PGEs) have been found in association with Ural-Alaskan–type complexes in several locations around the world, these ultramafic complexes have traditionally been viewed as sulfide-poor systems and therefore unlikely hosts of economic Ni-Cu sulfide deposits. Sulfide mineralization in the Duke Island Complex consists of massive, net-textured, and disseminated assemblages that formed as a result of the interaction between magma and sulfidic-graphitic country rocks. The sulfide mineralization at Duke Island is characterized by strong depletion in Ir, Os, and Ru (IPGEs), and relative enrichment in Pt, Pd, and Cu. The sulfide-bearing olivine clinopyroxenites formed from a derivative magma produced as a result of the fractional crystallization of olivine and chromite. Although IPGEs may be compatible within olivine and chromite, fractional crystallization of up to 20% cannot explain the observed IPGE depletion. We propose that early crystallization of laurite and Ir alloys accompanied the accumulation of olivine and chromite. R-factor modeling indicates that much of the inter-element variation in the Sulfide mineralization can be attributed to variations in the degree of equilibration between Sulfide and silicate liquids. Mixing between monosulfide solid solution and fractionated Sulfide liquid may also have contributed to the variability. The modeling suggests that the pre-sulfide saturation concentrations of Os, Pt, and Pd in the magmas were approximately 0.03, 2, and 3 ppb, respectively. The concentration of Pd is near that of primitive mantle and the low Pt concentration can be explained by the crystallization of Pt alloy with early-formed dunites and chromitites. This is consistent with models for Pt-rich placers in the Urals that have been derived from chromitites and dunites. The relative enrichments in Pd and Cu are the results of fractional crystallization before Sulfide saturation was achieved. Taken together, the Ni-Cu-PGE elemental characteristics at the Duke Island Complex are similar to those shown by flood basalt-related Sulfide deposits and Cu-rich Sulfide veins studied in different locations around the world.
Increased Susceptibility to lntramammary Infection Following Removal of Teat Canal Keratin

Influence of teat canal keratin on susceptibility to intramammary infection was investigated in lactating Jersey cows. In each of two replicate trials, keratin was removed from the left teats of 20 cows immediately before milking. Immediately after milking, all teats were exposed to bacterial challenge by immersion in a suspension of Streptococcus agalactiae (5 x 10(7) cfu/ml). Bacterial challenge was repeated after the next four milkings. Foremilk samples were obtained for 8 d after keratin removal to determine infection status. A mammary quarter was classified as infected based solely upon the bacteriological criteria outlined by the National Mastitis Council. The rate of infection in quarters from which keratin was removed was greater than that in control quarters. Infection rates were 26.3% for keratin-removed quarters and 8.3% for control quarters in trial 1 and 13.5 and 0%, respectively, in trial 2. When more stringent criteria (recovery of greater than 100 cfu of S. agalactiae/ml in three or more successive milk samples and a SCC of greater than 10(6)) were used to identify a subset of infections that were clearly intramammary, infection rates were 9.3% for keratin-removed quarters and 1.4% for control quarters. Thus, partial removal of keratin from the teat canal compromised the ability of the teat to prevent passage of bacterial pathogens from the external environment into the mammary gland.
A Case History of Science and Science Education Policies

In this chapter we examine the apparent link between the history of national science priorities and the nature of the science curriculum in one country, the United States of America. We suspect that equivalent links can be found in most other countries, especially those that have aspired to some form of international leadership in politics and commerce. We document here how national priorities in the United States and the resulting political structure of the science establishment over the past century have resulted in a representation of the nature of science in school science curriculum that is inconsistent with the challenges facing the science establishment in the post Cold War world. Especially influential has been the need to develop a source of science and engineering man power and the technology essential for maintaining a strong national defense and an economically competitive business community. Science curricula are heavily influenced by the nature of the physical sciences since they have been successful in providing the scientific foundation for establishing and maintaining a powerful military and industrial/commercial capability.
Analyzing radiation-induced complex chromosome rearrangements by combinatorial painting.

Abstract Cornforth, M. N. Analyzing Radiation-Induced Complex Chromosome Rearrangements by Combinatorial Painting. Radiat. Res. 155, 643–659 (2001). Prior to the advent of whole-chromosome painting, it was universally assumed that virtually all radiation-induced exchanges represented a simple rejoining between pairs of chromosome breaks. It is now known that a substantial proportion of such exchanges are actually complex, meaning that they involve the interaction of three (or more) breaks distributed among two (or more) chromosomes. The purpose of this review is to discuss some of the implications of aberration analysis using whole-chromosome painting, with emphasis given to newer combinatorial painting schemes that allow for the unambiguous identification of all homologous chromosome pairs. Such analysis requires reconsideration of how resulting information is to be handled for the purposes of tabulating and communicating raw data, quantifying aberration yields, and presenting experimental results in a c...
Soil Profile Transformation after 50 Years of Agricultural Land Use

Despite a large body of scientific research that shows that soils change on relatively short time scales under different management regimes, classical pedological theory states that we should expect these changes to occur only in the surface few centimeters and that they are not of adequate magnitude to suggest fundamental changes in pedon character over short periods of time. In fact, rarely, do the scientists that make these comparisons report on any properties deeper than 30 to 45 cm in the soil profile. With this study, we evaluate soil transformation to a depth of 150 cm after 50 yr of intensive row-crop agricultural land use in a temperate, humid, continental climate (Iowa, United States), by resampling sites that were initially described by the United States soil survey between 1943 and 1963. We find that, through agricultural land use, humans are accelerating soil formation and transformation to a depth of 100 cm or more by accelerating erosion, sedimentation, acidification, and mineral weathering, and degrading soil structure, while deepening dark-colored, organic-matter rich surface horizons, translocating and accumulating organic matter deeper in the soil profile and lowering the water table. Some of these changes can be considered positive improvements, but many of these changes may have negative effects on the soils’ future productive capacity.
Replacements, Insertions, and Modifications of Amino Acid Residues in the Reactive Site of Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor (Kunitz)

In the further attempt to understand the molecular details of the inhibition of proteolytic enzymes by protein inhibitors, our laboratory has undertaken an extensive study of the effects of alterations of specific reactive site amino acid residues on the enzyme-inhibitor interaction. Removals, replacements and insertions of amino acid residues in the reactive site of the soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) of Kunitz have been carried out as well as chemical modifications of functional groups.
Updates to the ABET Computing Accreditation Criteria (Abstract Only)

The ABET Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) has been involved in a multi-year process to update the accredAitation criteria to incorporate a new framework for outcomes assessment, as well as to update the specific program criteria in computer science, information systems and information technology. Of the program criteria revisions, the computer science criteria are the most heavily revised, with the goal of achieving some degree of consistence with the CS2013 Report. This Birds of a Feather session is designed to discuss the philosophy behind the criteria changes, and present a draft of the revised criteria for review and comment. The session will promote attendee participation via small group discussions, thereby providing the opportunity for participants to provide input on the revised criteria. The session will also solicit feedback to ABET on computing accreditation in general, and on the overall accreditation process.
The Plasma of Developing Chick and Pig Embryos

SummaryElectrophoresis patterns show rapid changes in the plasma of developing chick and pig embryos. In the ultra-centrifuge only a single component is apparent in the unfractionated plasma. After electrophoretic fractionation of the plasma or sera from older fetuses, traces of other components are revealed.Diffusion and sedimentation constants of 11-day chick embryo serum would indicate molecular weight of more than 200,000. The diffusion rate of the plasma from older chick fetuses was greater. Pig fetus plasma had much larger diffusion constant, indicating molecular weight of approximately 60,000 for the bulk of the plasma protein from 180 and 250 mm fetuses.Thirteen-day-old chick serum protein contained 6.0% N and 20 to 30% carbohydrate, whereas 180 mm pig embryo serum protein contained 12.5% N and 15 to 20% carbohydrate.
Lagrangian Statistics of Droplet Velocity and Acceleration in Isotropic Turbulence

The addition of dispersants, water and oil soluble surfactants that lower the interfacial tension of the crude oil, along with oceanic turbulence can breakdown oil spills into droplets. Knowledge of the dispersion rate of these droplets by oceanic turbulence is essential for the development of better models to assess the environmental impact of spills. The objective of this research is to study, experimentally, the dispersion of oil droplets in turbulent flows. The measurements are performed in a specialized laboratory facility that enables generation of carefully controlled, isotropic, homogeneous turbulence at a wide range of fully characterized intensities and length scales. The oil dispersion is visualized using high-speed inline digital holographic cinematography. Holographic data has been analyzed and Lagrangian statistics of droplet velocity, dispersion and acceleration has been calculated. As the relative size of the droplet diameter to the Kolmogorov length scale and its Stokes number increases, the acceleration autocorrelation shifts from dropping to zero faster than the fluid particles to slower.© 2009 ASME
The history of the undergraduate curriculum in music therapy

The undergraduate curriculum determines the quality of student preparation and serves to ensure consistency in clinical practice, thus promoting acceptance of music therapy by the medical community. As members of the newly-formed American Music Therapy Association strive to integrate diverse viewpoints, a historical review of the curriculum may provide direction for future revisions. Columbia University offered the first music therapy course in 1919, yet the profession did not establish an official undergraduate curriculum until 1952. This paper chronicles the events occurring prior to 1952 which contributed to curriculum development. Preceding university degree offerings, hospitals provided music therapy training. Hospital music directors established detailed guidelines for both lecture courses and clinical work. Authorities also outlined specific qualifications for potential students, including musical ability and suitable personality traits, and discouraged students who did not meet these criteria. As university programs grew in number, notable figures such as Roy Underwood and E. Thayer Gaston influenced curricular decisions through their personal beliefs and professional activities. Exploring this chain of events may assist contemporary authorities in understanding and strengthening the educational foundation for music therapists.
Eosinophilic Cystitis in Children: A Self-Limited Process

We report a case of eosinophilic cystitis in a 7-year-old boy. Bilateral hydronephrosis and a lesion involving most of the bladder were seen initially. Complete resolution of all symptoms occurred within 3 weeks and the x-ray findings returned to normal in 6 weeks without specific therapy. A review of all reported cases of eosinophilic cystitis in children suggests that, unlike in adults, the disease is self-limited.
Self-consistent clustering analysis: An efficient multi-scale scheme for inelastic heterogeneous materials

Abstract The discovery of efficient and accurate descriptions for the macroscopic behavior of materials with complex microstructure is an outstanding challenge in mechanics of materials. A mechanistic, data-driven, two-scale approach is developed for predicting the behavior of general heterogeneous materials under irreversible processes such as inelastic deformation. The proposed approach includes two major innovations: (1) the use of a data compression algorithm, k -means clustering, during the offline stage of the method to homogenize the local features of the material microstructure into a group of clusters; and (2) a new method called self-consistent clustering analysis used in the online stage that is valid for any local plasticity laws of each material phase without the need for additional calibration. A particularly important feature of the proposed approach is that the offline stage only uses the linear elastic properties of each material phase, making it efficient. This work is believed to open new avenues in parameter-free multi-scale modeling of complex materials, and perhaps in other fields that require homogenization of irreversible processes.
Birth Outcomes Among U.S. Women With Hearing Loss

Introduction The purpose of this study is to estimate the national occurrence of deliveries in women with hearing loss and to compare their birth outcomes to women without hearing loss. Methods This study examined the 2008–2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project in 2015 to compare birth outcomes in women with hearing loss and without. Birth outcomes included preterm birth and low birth weight. Multivariate regression analyses compared birth outcomes between women with and without hearing loss, controlling for maternal age, racial and ethnic identity, type of health insurance, comorbidity, region of hospital, location and teaching status of the hospital, ownership of the hospital, and median household income for mother's ZIP code. Results Of an estimated 17.9 million deliveries, 10,462 occurred in women with hearing loss. In adjusted regression analyses controlling for demographic characteristics, women with hearing loss were significantly more likely than those without hearing loss to have preterm birth (OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.08, 1.52, p p Conclusions This study provides a first examination of the pregnancy outcomes among women with hearing loss in the U.S. This analysis demonstrates significant disparities in birth outcomes between women with and without hearing loss. Understanding and addressing the causes of these disparities is critical to improving pregnancy outcomes among women with hearing loss.
Carbamazepine Clearance and Seizure Control during Pregnancy (PD4.002)

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the effect of pregnancy on carbamazepine (CBZ) clearance and seizure control. BACKGROUND: CBZ is commonly utilized during pregnancy in women with epilepsy (WWE). There are conflicting data on CBZ clearance during pregnancy, ranging from no change to a modest increase in clearance. Current guidelines state monitoring of CBZ levels during pregnancy should be considered. DESIGN/METHODS: Prospective observational study. Following informed consent, serum samples were collected throughout pregnancy; preconception and postpartum (>6 weeks) samples were obtained as non-pregnant baseline. Assays were completed in batches in a single lab. Concentrations of total and free CBZ and CBZ-epoxide were obtained to compare the median apparent oral clearances [(mg/kg)/(mg/L)] for each compound, using Wilcoxon with Bonferroni correction, between baseline and each trimester (TM1, TM2, TM3) and between trimesters. Seizure frequency was examined for association with changes in CBZ concentrations. RESULTS: 16 pregnancies from 13 WWE on CBZ and no interacting medications provided 152 serum samples. Median clearances [(mg/kg)/(mg/L)] for total CBZ were 1.57 (baseline), 1.35 (TM1), 1.36 (TM2), and 1.74 (TM3); free CBZ clearances were 8.34 (baseline), 4.7(TM1), 7.67(TM2), and 5.71(TM3). Pair-wise comparisons did not show significant change in clearance from baseline relative to any trimester. Adjustment for hours-post-dose did not alter results. Total and free CBZ-epoxide clearance changes were also non-significant. Seizure data from 9 women on CBZ monotherapy demonstrated that 4 had worsened seizure control during 1-2 months of pregnancy compared to baseline. However, these months did not correspond to lower total or free CBZ or CBZ-epoxide concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this small prospective cohort did not demonstrate clinically significant increases in the clearance of total or free CBZ or CBZ-epoxide. Therapeutic drug monitoring in pregnancy for CBZ is not supported in this cohort, though confirmation in larger samples is warranted prior to definitive recommendations. Supported by: NIH P50MH68036 and RO3NS063233. Disclosure: Dr. Johnson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Stowe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ritchie has received personal compensation for activities with Beckman Coulter. Dr. Newport has nothing to disclose. Dr. Newman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Secor has nothing to disclose. Ms. Knight9s family member holds stock and/or stock options in GlaxoSmithKline, Inc. Ms. Knight has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, NARSAD, Wyeth, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Cyberonics, Eli Lilly & Company, Forest, Janssen and Novartis. Dr. Pennell has nothing to disclose.
Using simulation to evaluate LTE load control for priority users

Disasters can cause extraordinary service demand by the public. It is imperative that services supporting disaster response perform with minimal degradation during such events. In order to provide adequate service to special users such as first responders, priority treatment mechanisms have to be developed. Priority treatments have been incorporated for earlier wireless technologies, but have to be established on Long-term Evolution (LTE) / 4G. One of the proposed priority-treatment concepts is Access Class Barring (ACB), which will shed traffic from public users in response to extreme overloads, resulting in priority for special users. However, the degree to which ACB would improve voice call completion is unknown. A discrete-event simulation was performed to model extreme overload situations and predict the performance of ACB under various configurations. The simulation study found that ACB could drastically improve the priority call completion probability in the most extreme overloads while maintaining performance for public traffic.
Optimal Timing of Irrigation

A methodology is derived permitting determination by dynamic programming of the optimal timing of irrigation, to produce the greatest net return inclusive of the cost of irrigation. It will be particularly useful under conditions in which seasonal supply is inadequate but reasonably predictable. Analysis is based upon the principle that the adverse effects of deficiencies (nutrition, excessive salinity, soil moisture, etc.) are geometric when existing in combination. For general use, additional data concerning the yield coefficients will be required covering each of the critical stages in the growth of the crops independently.
Impact of duration of bevacizumab (Bev) treatment in the prognosis of adults with recurrent malignant gliomas.

2064 Background: Bev is the standard treatment for patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GB) but is also used in treating recurrent anaplastic gliomas (AG). Differences in outcome between these gro...
Neuromechanical adaptations during a robotic powered exoskeleton assisted walking session

Objective: To evaluate gait parameters and neuromuscular profiles of exoskeleton-assisted walking under Max Assist condition during a single-session for; (i) able bodied (AB) individuals walking assisted with (EXO) and without (non-EXO) a powered exoskeleton, (ii) non-ambulatory SCI individuals walking assisted with a powered exoskeleton.Design: Single-session.Setting: Motion analysis laboratory.Participants: Four AB individuals and four individuals with SCI.Interventions: Powered lower extremity exoskeleton.Outcome Measures: Temporal-spatial parameters, kinematics, walking velocity and electromyography data.Results: AB individuals in exoskeleton showed greater stance time and a significant reduction in walking velocity (P < 0.05) compared to non-EXO walking. Interestingly, when the AB individuals voluntarily assisted the exoskeleton movements, they walked with an increased velocity and lowered stance time to resemble that of slow walking. For SCI individuals, mean percent stance time was higher and walki...
Evaluation of statistical learning configurations for gridded solar irradiance forecasting

Abstract Gridded forecasts of solar irradiance are increasingly needed to integrate power into the electric grid from distributed solar installations and newer large-scale installations that don’t have long records of observed irradiance. We evaluate different combinations of statistical learning models and aggregations of weather data from observed sites to identify which combination produces the lowest forecast errors at independent sites. The evaluation reveals how statistical learning model choice, closeness of fit to training data, training data aggregation, and interpolation method affect forecasts of clearness index at Oklahoma Mesonet sites not included in the training data. It shows that the choices of statistical learning model, interpolation scheme, and loss function have the biggest impacts on performance. Errors tend to be lower at testing sites with sunnier weather and those that are closer to training sites. All of the statistical learning methods and the NWP model output produce reliable predictions but underestimate the frequency of cloudiness compared to observations.
A Low-cost Adaptable and Personalized Remote Patient Monitoring System

Remote patient monitoring systems (RMS) have gained increasing popularity in recent years. RMS have great potential to improve medical services by providing more affordable, timely, and accessible care. This paper describes an effective low-cost RMS that is readily deployable. The system targets chronic disease patients and attempts to reduce patient visits to the hospital and healthcare costs. The system is comprised of three modules: (1) an application for data acquisition, processing, and transmission, (2) an adaptable set of "personalized" sensors for measuring vitals and reporting emergency situations, and (3) a secure communication module for remote patient-physician interactions. The users interface with the RMS through an application installed on a mobile device. Using a return of investment (ROI) cost-benefit analysis and a cohort of 2.7 million patients, we estimate that through the implementation of such a system, the patients and the healthcare system would see benefits within one year.
Health Care Utilization and Costs Associated With Pediatric Chronic Pain.

Abstract The population prevalence of pediatric chronic pain is not well characterized, in part because of a lack of nationally representative data. Previous research suggests that pediatric chronic pain prolongs inpatient stay and increases costs, but the population-level association between pediatric chronic pain and health care utilization is unclear. We use the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health to describe the prevalence of pediatric chronic pain, and compare health care utilization among children ages 0 to 17 years according to the presence of chronic pain. Using a sample of 43,712 children, we estimate the population prevalence of chronic pain to be 6%. In multivariable analysis, chronic pain was not associated with increased odds of primary care or mental health care use, but was associated with greater odds of using other specialty care (odds ratio [OR] = 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.62–2.47; P Perspective Among children with chronic pain, we show high rates of use of emergency care but limited use of mental health care, which may suggest opportunities to increase multidisciplinary treatment of chronic pain.
Exploring Gritty Students’ Behavior in an Intelligent Tutoring System

This research focuses on determining whether a student’s grit impacts their behavior within an intelligent tutoring system, towards developing better student models and feature sets that can help tutors predict student behavior and determine whether tutors might foster improvements in students’ grit, perseverance and recovery from failure. We use rare Association Rule Mining to explore how students’ grit may be associated with students’ behavior within MathSpring, an intelligent tutoring system, as a first step.
The Natural History of Dall’s Porpoise in the North Pacific Ocean

Dall’s porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli (True), is commonly encountered over the continental shelf of North America and in offshore and pelagic waters of the western and eastern North Pacific Ocean. This striking black and white porpoise is characterized by great speed and a cone-shaped splash it makes when surfacing to breathe. Because of its great speed in the wild, making it extremely difficult to capture alive, and its hyperactivity resulting in high mortality after capture, much important information remains to be disclosed of the basic components of its life cycle.
Rethinking Quality Education in Tanzania´S Classrooms

The educational reform movement designed to improve quality education for all children in Tanzania carries significant meaning and at the same time lacks specifics. The term “quality” is relative, and perhaps the complexity creates difficulty for grasping significance when the criteria for “monitoring” are unknown. Speaking of “quality education” in the polarized climate of education reform with one that advocates for “inclusion” and the other that values for “individual capabilities” (Tikly & Barret, 2011) can be challenging; and serious acceptance of either perspective require defining “quality” and the measures that assure quality.
Impact of prehospital medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) transport time on combat mortality in patients with non-compressible torso injury and traumatic amputations: a retrospective study

In combat operations, patients with traumatic injuries require expeditious evacuation to improve survival. Studies have shown that long transport times are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Limited data exist on the influence of transport time on patient outcomes with specific injury types. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the duration of time from the initial request for medical evacuation to arrival at a medical treatment facility on morbidity and mortality in casualties with traumatic extremity amputation and non-compressible torso injury (NCTI). We completed a retrospective review of MEDEVAC patient care records for United States military personnel who sustained traumatic amputations and NCTI during Operation Enduring Freedom between January 2011 and March 2014. We grouped patients as traumatic amputation and NCTI (AMP+NCTI), traumatic amputation only (AMP), and neither AMP nor NCTI (Non-AMP/NCTI). Analysis was performed using chi-squared tests, Fisher’s exact tests, Cochran-Armitage Trend tests, Shapiro-Wilks tests, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis techniques and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. We reviewed 1267 records, of which 669 had an injury severity score (ISS) of 10 or greater and were included in the analysis. In the study population, 15.5% sustained only amputation injuries (n=104, AMP only), 10.8% sustained amputation and NCTI (n=72, AMP+NCTI), and 73.7% did not sustain either an amputation or an NCTI (n=493, Non-AMP/NCTI). AMP+NCTI had the highest mortality (16.7%) with transport time greater than 60 min. While the AMP+NCTI group had decreasing survival with longer transport times, AMP and Non-AMP/NCTI did not exhibit the same trend. A decreased transport time from the point of injury to a medical treatment facility was associated with decreased mortality in patients who suffered a combination of amputation injury and NCTI. No significant association between transport time and outcomes was found in patients who did not sustain NCTI. Priority for rapid evacuation of combat casualties should be given to those with NCTI.
11 – Nonlinear Input/Output Control: Volterra Synthesis

This chapter provides an overview of Volterra synthesis. A power series expansion often provides a useful representation of a nonlinear plant. The same can be said for the desired closed-loop input/output map of a feedback control system. Given a Volterra series representation for each of these components, then Volterra feedback synthesis (VFS) can be used to design and realize a nonlinear controller that uses a finite consecutive number of Volterra kernels of the plant and desired closed-loop input/output map. In this chapter Volterra feedback synthesis is shown to provide a capability for specifying nonlinear input output behavior for a closed-loop feedback system. The procedure is developed for the class of linear analytic plants that admit Volterra series representation, and a simplified means of systematically realizing the Volterra kernels and computing the output of the resulting controller is provided, up to an arbitrary order. The simplified form is recursive in nature and lends itself to an automated design and simulation procedure. The procedure is applied to a regulator design for a base-isolated single degree of freedom (SDOF) structure with hysteretic damping.
La retirada de la razón

En este trabajo se traza un bosquejo de la presente situacion intelectual, caracterizada como relativizacion de la racionalidad, y sus consecuencias: el llamado multiculturalismo y la incertidumbre e indefension de principios cognoscitivos y eticos. Se sugiere reafirmar la posicion universalista del estudioso latinoamericano y revisar el concepto de cultura europea. In this paper the author presents a description of the intellectual climate of the times. He finds it characterized by the relativization of rationality. Its consequences are so-called multiculturalism and the uncertainty and defenselessness of cognitive and ethical principles. Some suggestions address the position of Latinamerican thought and the concept of European culture.
Enter My Father

My father’s family worked in the oil (petroleum) industry, almost from its beginning in 1859. His father left the Pennsylvania oil fields for Tulsa, then Riverton, El Dorado, and finally settled in Wichita. My father, however, will abandon his father’s roughneck life portrayed faithfully by Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces. After serving in World War I, dad will apprentice as a machinist in Cleveland and move to Wichita to work for an oil field machine supply company. He enters my story along with my sisters, grandparents, and childhood playmates, some of whom will die years later in World War II, an integral and unforgettable part of my first memory of them.