cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COMMON STOCK RETURNS, EXPECTED INFLATION, AND THE RATIONAL EXPECTATIONS HYPOTHESIS

This paper provides empirical evidence that expected inflation has a cross-sectional impact on common stock returns. The study differs from others in that (a) the relation between stock returns and expected inflation is investigated in a two-factor asset pricing model, where the factors are the return on an equally weighted stock portfolio and the expected rate of inflation; (b) the estimation of the expected rate of inflation is based on the rational expectations hypothesis of Muth; and (c) a non-linear seemingly unrelated regression technique is employed to determine consistent and asymptotically efficient estimates. The joint hypothesis of the two-factor asset pricing model and rational expectations is not rejected in this study. It is found that the return on common stocks is significantly affected by expected inflation. Also stocks whose returns are positively correlated with expected inflation have lower expected returns.
Transformative Experience: An Integrative Construct in the Spirit of Deweyan Pragmatism

A sentiment held by Dewey and shared by other educators is that learning should enrich and expand everyday experience. However, this goal has not been a focus of research. In this article, I propose transformative experience as a construct capable of reflecting this goal and functioning as an empirical research construct. I discuss the theoretical grounding for this construct in the work of Dewey and define it in terms of three characteristics: (a) motivated use, (b) expansion of perception, and (c) experiential value. In doing so, I describe how transformative experience integrates current research constructs such as transfer, conceptual change, and task value in a holistic way. I then provide illustrations of transformative experiences and review the existing research.
What We Know Now: The Evanston Illinois Field Lineups

A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit secured 100 eyewitness identification reports from Evanston, Illinois, one of three cities of the Illinois Pilot Program. The files provide empirical evidence regarding three methodological aspects of the Program’s comparison of non-blind simultaneous to double-blind sequential lineups. (1) A-priori differences existed between lineup conditions. For example, the simultaneous non-blind lineup condition was more likely to involve witnesses who had already identified the suspect in a previous lineup or who knew the offender (non-stranger identifications), and this condition also entailed shorter delays between event and lineup. (2) Verbatim eyewitness comments were recorded more often in double-blind sequential than in non-blind simultaneous lineup reports (83% vs. 39%). (3) Effective lineup structure was used equally in the two lineup conditions.
Effect of season on physical activity score, back extensor muscle strength, and lumbar bone mineral density.

Seasonal variation in physical activity, back extensor muscle strength (BES), and bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine was studied in 65 healthy postmenopausal women. Physical activity score (PAS) was assessed with an ordinal scale (0-18); this score and the BES were obtained monthly for 2 years (25 readings). BMD values were obtained semiannually (5 readings). A periodic (cosine) regression model was fit to each subject's PAS and BES data to obtain individual estimates of the annual peak day d and the average annual range due to seasonality. There was a strong (P < 0.001) seasonal pattern in physical activity; August 3 was the average peak day, and the seasonal range was 2.0 PAS units. There was modest (P = 0.047) seasonality in BES; June 6 was the estimated peak day, and the seasonal range was 8.22 pounds (about 7% of the mean). BMD averaged 0.015 g/cm2 higher in August through November than February through May (P = 0.002), and the highest monthly average BMD was in August. This seasonal range of 1.4% is larger than the average annual decline with age in BMD observed in longitudinal studies of postmenopausal women. The results of this study have important implications for the planning of longitudinal studies involving changes in physical activity or bone mass in geographic areas with diverse seasons.
The synthesis of (5R)- and (5S)-[5-3H]-L-ornithine

A practical synthesis of (5R)- and (5S)-(5-{sup 3}H)-L-ornithine is described. The key steps in the synthesis are the reduction of (formyl-{sup 3}H)-5-hexenal with S- or R-Alpine Borane to (1R)- and (1S)-(1-{sup 3}H)-5-hexen-1-ol and the use of the Evans electrophilic azidation of chiral imide enolates to introduce the {alpha}-amino group of ornithine. The stereochemistry expected for the Alpine Borane reduction was verified by NMR analysis of the camphanate ester derived from reduction of (formyl-{sup 2}H)-5-hexenal with R-Alpine Borane. (author).
Mexican New York: Transnational Lives of New Immigrants by Robert Courtney Smith

Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. 385 pp., photos, maps, tables. $19.95 paper (ISBN 0-520-24413-3). Despite being one of the premier—and most extensively studied—immigrant gateways an...
H.264/AVC entropy decoder complexity analysis and its applications

Context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC) and universal variable length coding (UVLC) are two entropy coding tools that are supported in all profiles of H.264/AVC coders. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the bit rate and the CAVLC/UVLC decoding complexity. This relationship can help the encoder choose the best coding parameter to yield the best tradeoff between the rate, distortion, and the decoding complexity performance. A practical application of CAVLC/UVLC decoding complexity reduction is also discussed.
Genomic pathways database and biological data management.

Summary In this paper, we discuss the properties of biological data and challenges it poses for data management, and argue that, in order to meet the data management requirements for ‘digital biology’, careful integration of the existing technologies and the development of new data management techniques for biological data are needed. Based on this premise, we present PathCase: Case Pathways Database System. PathCase is an integrated set of software tools for modelling, storing, analysing, visualizing and querying biological pathways data at different levels of genetic, molecular, biochemical and organismal detail. The novel features of the system include: (i) genomic information integrated with other biological data and presented starting from pathways; (ii) design for biologists who are possibly unfamiliar with genomics, but whose research is essential for annotating gene and genome sequences with biological functions; (iii) database design, implementation and graphical tools which enable users to visualize pathways data in multiple abstraction levels and to pose exploratory queries; (iv) a wide range of different types of queries including, ‘path’ and ‘neighbourhood queries’ and graphical visualization of query outputs; and (v) an implementation that allows for web (XML)-based dissemination of query outputs (i.e. pathways data in BIOPAX format) to researchers in the community, giving them control on the use of pathways data.
The 12C/13C Isotope Gradient Derived from Millimeter Transitions of CN: The Case for Galactic Chemical Evolution

New measurements of 12 C/ 13 C ratios in Galactic molecular clouds have been conducted using the N ¼ 1 ! 0 transition of the CN radical. This species is unique in that it has extensive hyperfine structure that can be accurately used to correct for line saturation effects. Combined with the past observations of Savage and coworkers, the ratios derived from CN are the most extensive data set to date for molecular clouds, and they include sources that lie in the range of 0.09‐16.41 kpc in distance from the Galactic center (DGC). The ratios derived from CN indicate a gradient with Galactic distance of 12 C/ 13 C ¼ 6:01DGC þ 12:28. This gradient agrees rather closely with those derived from measurements of CO and H2CO. The least-squares fit to all data points for the three molecules is 12 C/ 13 C ¼ 6:21DGC þ 18:71. CO, CN, and H2CO are synthesized from quite varied reactions, and any 13 C fractionation must follow different pathways for these three species. The relatively good agreement between the 12 C/ 13 C ratios of the three molecules, as well as their lack of correlation with gas kinetic temperature, suggests that chemical fractionation and isotope-selective photodissociation both do not play a substantial role in influencing such ratios. Therefore, the 12 C/ 13 C gradient found in the Galaxy is a true indicator of Galactic chemical evolution. The apparent discrepancy between the solar system ( 12 C/ 13 C ¼ 89) and local interstellar medium values ( 12 C/ 13 C � 68) of this ratio may be a result of 13 C enrichment since the formation of the solar system, as predicted by recent models.
Case reports of two patients with pneumothorax following acupuncture

We report two patients who presented to the emergency department with pneumothorax related to acupuncture. The first patient developed pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath while undergoing acupuncture therapy, and the second patient developed similar symptoms 10 min after acupuncture therapy. Neither patient had a previous history of pneumothorax, and both were undergoing acupuncture along the spine, paraspinal region, and shoulders. A review of the literature follows.
Nonlinear dynamics of viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow : effect of elasticity on pattern selection, molecular conformation and drag

Three-dimensional and time-dependent simulations of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow of dilute polymer solutions are performed using a fully implicit parallel spectral time-splitting algorithm to discover flow patterns with various spatio-temporal symmetries, namely rotating standing waves (RSWs), disordered oscillations (DOs) and solitary vortex structures referred to as oscillatory strips (OSs) and diwhirls (DWs). A detailed account of the impact of flow transitions on molecular conformation and viscoelastic stress, velocity profiles, hydrodynamic drag force and energy spectra of time-dependent flow states is presented. Overall, predicted pattern selection and flow features compare very favourably with experimental observations. For elasticity number E, that signifies the ratio of elastic to viscous forces, >0.1, and when the shear rate (cylinder rotation speed) is increased above the linear stability threshold, the circular Couette flow (CCF) becomes unstable to RSWs which are characterized by a checkerboard-like pattern in the space–time plot of radial velocity, implying symmetry between inflow/outflow (I/O) regions. As the shear rate is further increased, perturbations that break the I/O symmetry are amplified leading to DOs and/or flame-like patterns with spectral mechanical energy transfer reminiscent of elastically induced low-Reynolds-number turbulence. However, when the shear rate is decreased from those at which such chaotic states are observed, the radially inward acting polymer body force created by flow-induced molecular stretching causes the development of narrow inflow regions surrounded by much broader weak outflow domains. This promotes the formation of solitary vortex structures, which can be stationary and axisymmetric (DWs) or time-dependent (OSs). The dynamics of the formation of these structures by merging and coalescence of vortex pairs and the implication of such events on instantaneous hydrodynamic force are studied. For O(1) values of E, OSs and DWs appear approximately at constant values of the We, defined as the ratio of polymer relaxation time to the inverse shear rate in the gap. As shear rate is decreased further, DWs decay to CCF although at We values less than the linear stability threshold. The flow transitions are hysteretic with respect to We, as evidenced by a plot of drag force versus We.
Optimal design and comparison of stator winding configurations in permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance generator

This paper presents design of high performance permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance generators (PMa-SynRG) for 3kW tactical quiet generator set. Adding the proper quantity of permanent magnets into the synchronous reluctance generator rotor core can offer large constant power-speed range, high efficiency and high power factor. Different stator winding configurations such as distributed windings and concentrated windings are compared using lumped parameter model (LPM). For this comparison, the distributed winding machine is optimized by differential evolution strategy (DES) and the rotor structure of the concentrated winding machine is optimized based on the same stator. Finally, output performances are compared using finite element analysis. The design is optimized for achieving the minimum magnet volume, minimum cogging torque, maximum efficiency, and maximum power factor.
Efficacies of Atropine/2-PAM and Atropine/HI-6 in Treating Monkeys Intoxicated with Organophosphonate Nerve Agents

The efficacies of atropine (ATR)/2-PAM and ATR/HI-6 in treating male rhesus monkeys injected with the neurotoxic organophosphonate (OP) agents GA, GB, GD, GF, or VX were compared. Experiments were conducted using no more than 8 monkeys per OP and treatment regimen. Doses were selected using a modified up-and-down experimental design, challenging one monkey per day per OP and treatment. Results were used to approximate the median lethal dose (MLD) for groups of treated monkeys or monkeys given only a vehicle following challenge with an OP. Mortality and signs of intoxication with each treatment were statistically compared. Doses of 2-PAM (25. 7 mg/kg) or HI-6 (50 mg/kg) and atropine (0.4 mg free base/kg) were given in a single intramuscular (IM) injection 1 min following challenge with an OP. Strong and well-defined relationships between agent dose and 10-h lethality were observed in untreated animals. The 10-h IM OP MLDs for untreated monkeys were estimated to be 80, 43, 8.0, 22, and 7.4 μg/kg for GA, GB, GD, GF, and VX, respectively. No statistical differences were found between ATR/2-PAM and ATR/HI-6 treatment efficacies in preventing lethality for any of the OPs. Both oxime combinations appear to provide protection against a 2 x 10-h MLD of GA, GF, or VX; only ATR/2-PAM provided this level of protection from GB, and neither oxime provided protection from 2 x 10-h GD MLD.
Simple heterogeneity variance estimation for meta-analysis

Summary. A simple method of estimating the heterogeneity variance in a random-effects model for meta-analysis is proposed. The estimator that is presented is simple and easy to calculate and has improved bias compared with the most common estimator used in random-effects meta-analysis, particularly when the heterogeneity variance is moderate to large. In addition, it always yields a non-negative estimate of the heterogeneity variance, unlike some existing estimators. We find that random-effects inference about the overall effect based on this heterogeneity variance estimator is more reliable than inference using the common estimator, in terms of coverage probability for an interval estimate.
Differential log-domain filters with high-gain common-mode feedback

A new class of differential log-domain filters based on common-mode feedback (CMFB) is demonstrated. Conditions for adding CMFB to differential log-domain integrators while preserving external linearity are derived. Because signals within differential log-domain circuits are nonlinear, the definition of "common-mode" in these circuits is not unique. Three possible definitions are explored, and each is illustrated with a simple but practical circuit. The circuits provide large CMFB loop gain, which forces common-mode signals to follow a desired nonlinear function. This allows closed-form expressions for the nonlinear internal signals to be derived, which is highly advantageous for design. Second-order filters using CMFB were compared to filters without CMFB through simulation and through measurements of fabricated filters. Adding CMFB is shown to allow greatly increased undistorted signal swings.
Terbutaline for Chronotropic Support in Heart Transplantation

OBJECTIVETo report the use of oral terbutaline for chronotropic support in a patient who had undergone heart transplantation.CASE SUMMARYA 54-year-old white man received a heart transplant secondary to ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. His clinical course was uncomplicated until postoperative day 10, when he became hemodynamically compromised despite inotropic therapy (BP 88/53 mm Hg, mean HR 80 beats/min) secondary to stage IIIa rejection. Although a continuous intravenous infusion of dobutamine was maintained, therapy with oral terbutaline 2.5 mg every 6 hours was initiated. Because the patient remained bradycardic on postoperative day 11 (HR 64 beats/min; mean 75), terbutaline was titrated to a dosage of 5 mg every 8 hours. Subsequently, an improvement in the hemodynamic profile (BP 140/78 mm Hg, mean HR 91 beats/min) was noted. Treatment with terbutaline was continued for 13 days and was well tolerated.DISCUSSIONAs of February 11, 2004, this is the first case, to our knowledge, to describe the use of o...
Myopia/heavy eye syndrome: A rare cause of horizontal diplopia

A 30-year-old woman with myopia (−8 diopters) developed binocular horizontal diplopia over a year. She had chronic migraine and no other symptoms. Ocular motility showed a comitant esotropia (20 diopters), and 2-diopter right hypertropia. MRI (figures 1 and 2) showed features of heavy eye syndrome,1 which is associated with superotemporal prolapse of the posterior globe, degeneration of lateral rectus–superior rectus band, and displacement of the lateral rectus downward.2 The abduction failure may be confused with a sixth nerve palsy. Our patient was treated with prisms with partial success, which along with strabismus correction are the treatment options.
Comparison of two methods of determining patellofemoral joint stress during dynamic activities.

Abstract Background Joint specific models rely on muscle force estimates to quantify tissue specific stresses. Traditionally, muscle forces have been estimated using inverse dynamics alone. Inverse dynamics coupled with static optimization techniques allow for an alternative method in estimating muscle forces. Differences between these two techniques have not been compared for determining the quadriceps force for estimating patellofemoral joint stress. Methods Eleven female participants completed five squats and ten running trials. Motion capture and force platform data were processed using both solely inverse dynamics and inverse dynamics with static optimization to estimate the quadriceps force in a patellofemoral joint model. Findings Patellofemoral joint stress calculations were consistently higher when using the combination of inverse dynamics and static optimization as compared to the inverse dynamics alone ( p Interpretation When implementing joint models to estimate tissue specific stresses, the choice of technique used to estimate muscle forces plays an important role in determining the magnitude of estimated stresses in patellofemoral joint models.
Differential gene expression and evidence of selective translation during anaerobic germination of Mucor racemosus sporangiospores

Summary: Anaerobically-germinated sporangiospores of Mucor racemosus develop into yeasts, whereas aerobicallygerminated sporangiospores become hyphae. Anaerobic germination was found to have the following traits in common with the previously characterized aerobic system of development: (i) immediate and vigorous protein synthesis upon exposure of the spores to liquid medium; (ii) a complete absence of RNA synthesis for the first 20 min of germination; and (iii) a mobilization of ribosomal subunits into active polyribosomes. The proteins synthesized in both systems during this 20 min interval must be specified by the pre-formed stable mRNA known to be stored in the dormant spore. The population of proteins manufactured early in anaerobic germination differed considerably from the set of proteins synthesized during the equivalent interval in air, suggesting that some unknown mechanism of selective translation must operate. A few dozen of the more prominent proteins could be categorized according to their patterns of synthesis during germination. This should allow future work to focus upon those genes and their products most closely linked to development. The most promising candidates include several proteins that are most conspicuous in the mature yeast and are among those proteins selectively translated in large amounts from stored mRNA templates during anaerobic germination.
Identification of Isomeric Naphthyl-Anthracenes Generated from the Pyrolysis of an Anthracene/Naphthalene Mixture

Abstract A 1:1 mole-ratio mixture of anthracene and naphthalene was pyrolyzed in a drop-tube furnace. the product mixture was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array, UV-absorption spectrometric detection (HPLC/DAD) and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCMS). In addition to previously characterized bianthracene and binaphthalene isomers, 6 isomeric naphthyl-anthracenes were identified. Because of the unavailability of standard reference compounds, structural elucidation was achieved by comparing UV spectral features, mass spectral fragmentation patterns, and GCMS and HPLC elution order with those for bianthracenes, binaphthalenes and other structurally similar molecules. In addition, steric hindrance to rotation at the naphthalene-anthracene bond, a factor that governs the degree of non-planarity of the isomers and thus influences HPLC elution order and MS fragmentation patterns, was estimated using a semi-empirical molecular orbital model.
Effect of nitric oxide within the paraventricular nucleus on renal sympathetic nerve discharge: role of GABA.

Both nitric oxide (NO) and GABA are known to provide inhibitory inputs to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and are involved in the control of sympathetic outflow. The purpose o...
The Wire: Progress, Paradox, and Disaster in the Strategic Networking of China, 1881–1901

This study of the introduction of telegraphy to China in the late-nineteenth century tells three interrelated stories: China’s pursuit of telegraphic sovereignty with its strategic networking of the empire in the period 1881–99; the functioning of China’s hybrid express courier-telegraphic communications infrastructure; and the international communications crisis during the Boxer Uprising and the “Siege of the Legations” in 1900. The material reality of two inter-connected networks—the privately owned Imperial Telegraph Administration network and the government-run telegraph network—allowed Qing-era Beijing and its provincial governors to communicate with much greater speed. The materiality of these networks—how this new communications technology affected the practical realities of government communications, including the ease of lateral communications between provincial governors—is explored in the context of the communications crisis of 1900. In May and June of 1900 all telegraph lines to Beijing, and throughout much of North China, were cut or otherwise destroyed. While these blinded Western governments are no longer able to exchange telegrams with their Beijing-based envoys, the Qing express courier system continued to operate. Moreover, both the court and provincial officials quickly improvised ad hoc telegraphic communication protocols through the use of “transfer telegrams” ( zhuandian ) that relied on mounted express couriers between Beijing and those North China telegraph stations with working network connections. This assessment of real-time secret imperial communications between the Qing court and the provinces is based on the documentary register Suishou dengji (Records of [documents] at hand) maintained by communications managers in the Grand Council. China lost its telegraphic sovereignty in the capital region when Allied troops occupied the Beijing-Tianjin line of communications in the summer and fall of 1900. Moreover, Western dreams of laying, landing, and controlling submarine cables on the China coast were finally realized in North China by the end of 1900. The British, therefore, were able to add a critical section to their planned global network of secure telegraphic communications. China’s recognition of the Western and Japanese right of protecting the Beijing-Tianjin line of communications was codified in Article 9 of the Boxer Protocol of September 1901. These losses of China’s telegraphic sovereignty would not be completely reversed until after 1949.
The Pakistan Floods 2010: Public Policy Lessons

The 2010 monsoon floods were perhaps the most devastating natural disaster in the country's history. With over 20 million people affected and one-fifth of the country under water, the government of Pakistan and the international humanitarian community themselves under tremendous pressure to orchestrate an effective responses. The challenging task of coordinating responses from numerous stakeholders and making effective policies was jointly done by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as well as the UN-led humanitarian responses system. Being closely associated with this process, the author offers insights from a public policy perspective. In particular, the paper deals with stakeholder interests within the government and outside and presents dilemmas of prioritization and resource allocation. The paper is intended to be a policy brief for those interested in disaster response and more generally the subject of public policy.
Effect of Inlet Steam Temperature on the HP Section Efficiency of a Steam Turbine

Steam turbines for modern fossil and combined cycle power plants typically utilize a reheat cycle with High Pressure (HP), Intermediate Pressure (IP), and Low Pressure (LP) turbine sections. For an HP turbine section operating entirely in the superheat region, section efficiency can be calculated based on pressure and temperature measurements at the inlet and exhaust. For this case HP section efficiency is normally assumed to be a constant value over a load range if inlet control valve position and section pressure ratio remain constant.It has been observed that changes in inlet steam temperature impact HP section efficiency. K.C. Cotton stated that ‘the effect of throttle temperature on HP turbine efficiency is significant’ in his book ‘Evaluating and Improving Steam Turbine Performance’ (2nd Edition, 1998). The information and conclusions provided by K.C. Cotton are based on test results for large fossil units calculated with 1967 ASME steam tables. Since the time of Mr. Cotton’s observations, turbine configurations have evolved, more accurate 1997 ASME steam tables have been released, and our ability to quickly analyze large quantities of data has greatly increased.This paper studies the relationship between inlet steam temperature and HP section efficiency based on both 1967 and 1997 ASME steam tables and recent test data, which is analyzed computationally to reveal patterns and trends. With the efficiencies of various inlet pressure class HP section turbines being calculated with both 1967 and 1997 ASME steam tables, a comparison reveals different characteristics in the relationship between inlet steam temperature and HP section efficiency. Recommendations are made on how the results may be used to improve accuracy when testing and trending HP section performance.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Greater Wound and Renal Complications in Gout Patients Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty

Gout is an inflammatory arthritic condition caused by an increase in serum uric acid levels, leading to deposition of monosodium urate crystals on the surfaces of joints and cartilage. Gout is associated with several comorbidities, most notably cardiac and renal diseases, which affect outcomes after common orthopedic procedures, such as total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This chapter focuses on wound and renal complications in gout patients undergoing TJA, due to increased uric acid, increased inflammatory cells, and the association of gout with other comorbidities. Thus, specific care and attention must be paid to gout patients undergoing TJA by optimizing preoperative conditions such as metabolic syndrome and peripheral vascular disease, providing perioperative care such as adequate hydration and controlling anticoagulation medication, and ensuring that appropriate postoperative wound management is performed.
Protective action of N-allyl-normorphine against respiratory depression produced by some compounds related to morphine.

Conclusions1. N-allyl-normorphine prevents or antagonizes the respiratory depression produced by codeine, Dilaudid, Metopon and Methadon. 2. It did not provide protection against the respiratory depression caused by Demerol.
Non-Radiative Electron–Hole Recombination in Silicon Clusters: Ab Initio Non-Adiabatic Molecular Dynamics

Silicon clusters hold exciting potential for optoelectronic and solar energy applications by yielding strong and tunable visible absorption and luminescence. Nonradiative relaxation of excitons induced by electron–phonon interactions is detrimental to these applications. We combine nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) with time-domain density functional theory to study electron–hole recombination in Sin clusters (n = 5–10, 15). The recombination is much faster in clusters than in bulk Si due to enhanced electron–phonon coupling and transition from indirect to direct bandgap. By applying quantum-classical NAMD, we investigated the importance of the decoherence correction in determining the nonradiative lifetime. The recombination rates decrease by an order of magnitude due to decoherence, bringing the calculations in close agreement with experiment. We interpreted the results of the atomistic simulations analytically using Fermi’s golden rule, rationalizing the dependence of the relaxation rate on the el...
Research on Error and Error Control of Optical Voltage Transformer

The paper studies the measurement errors of optical voltage transformer based on electro-optical effect,analyzes the reasons of the errors, and puts forward effective methods to control the errors. The change of temperature will cause the change of light power and light wavelength, and simultaneously cause the change of light coupling efficiency. The natural birefringence of the electro-optical crystal will lower temperature stability of the voltage transformer. The perturbation of optical fiber will cause the fluctuation of light power, and the noises and temperature characteristics of electronic elements and electromagnetic interference will contribute to the errors of the voltage transformer. Increasing LED driving current, controlling the temperature of the transducer, choosing the elements with low noise and high performance, and taking the design of anti-electromagnetic interference can effectively control and reject the errors. These methods have been applied to practical optical voltage transformer design with proved effectiveness.
Radiographic characterization of the retroantral ethmoid cell

Background The retroantral ethmoid cell (RAEC) is defined as a posterior ethmoid cell that pneumatizes inferolaterally behind the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus. The RAEC can present a challenge to otolaryngologists during endoscopic ethmoidectomy due to its concealed location. It is also encountered during the endoscopic transpterygoid approach to the skull base, which requires dissection behind the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus. Because the RAEC is not described in the literature, this study aims to better characterize this anatomic variant. Methods This is a retrospective review of 58 consecutive patients who underwent revision functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) within a 2-year period at a tertiary referral center. Sinus computed tomography (CT) scans for this cohort (116 sides total) were reviewed independently by 3 authors to determine the incidence of the RAEC and the degree of surgical dissection during prior surgery. Results Of the 116 sides included in the study, RAEC was identified in 19 (16%). Furthermore, 14 of 19 (74%) cells were diseased with evidence mucosal thickening or neo-osteogenesis. Of the 12 sides with RAEC that had evidence of previous posterior ethmoidectomy, 4 (33%) cells were not opened, 6 (50%) were partially opened, and only 2 (17%) were completely opened. Conclusion This study demonstrates the relatively high prevalence of the RAEC in our patient population. The majority of RAECs showed both evidence of disease and that they were not completely opened during previous surgery. Recognition of this anatomic entity may allow for more thorough ethmoidectomy.
The Agricultural Roots of Market Economy

I propose an agricultural theory of economic transformation that rice cultivation is conducive to market reform. Using sub-national data from China, I show that market reform is more successful in rice than in wheat regions after controlling for income, policy, geography, and interest groups, and the effect of rice is as important as geography. Exploiting a geographic regression discontinuity design based on China’s Qin Mountains-Huai River line, I show that rice’s effect on market reform is causal. Causal mediation analysis and historical evidence demonstrate that rice cultivation contributes to market economy through strong state capacity, rather than culture or public support, because rice cultivation necessitates large water-control projects that require a strong state. The agricultural theory pushes back the causal chain to find a structurally deeper cause of reform out- comes in the developing world. Cautions should be taken when generalizing the theory outside Asia.
Dialogue and the Other

From a small village in central China to a mansion in West Palm Beach, Florida on the north American continent, modern technology continually brings all the inhabitants of the world closer together. The morning and evening television newscasts inform Americans, for instance, what important events are occurring in Japan, India, Russia and the Middle East. International commerce, diminishing natural resources, and politics bind all global residents into a smaller unity. A more dramatic form of world unity is created by the awesome threat of a nuclear war. If we recall the nuclear plant disaster at Chernobyl in Russia and the spread of its radiation to many parts of the world, it does not take much imagination to concoct a more disastrous scenario for nuclear warfare. In the worst-case scenario, a nuclear war could be the ultimate holocaust. Therefore, all humankind shares potentially a common calamitous fate.
Air pollution affects lung cancer survival

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers in the USA. The American Cancer Society estimates that a total of 221 200 individuals were newly diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015, representing approximately 13% of all new cancer diagnoses.1 Worldwide, lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy. In their most recent report, WHO estimated that there were 1.8 million new lung cancer cases diagnosed in 2012.2 In addition to being one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers, survival from lung cancer is poor, making it the leading cause of cancer death in the USA.3 The 5-year lung cancer survival rate for cases diagnosed in 2011 was only 17.8%, with wide variations in survival rates by stage at diagnosis and specific histological subtype.4 The survival rate has only improved modestly in recent decades; the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programme of the National Cancer Institute estimated that overall 5-year survival rates were 12.2% for cases diagnosed in 1975–1977, 13.0% for cases diagnosed in 1987–1989 and 14.6% for cases diagnosed in 1996–1998.4 Therefore, interventions or other strategies to increase survival are a source of consistent research, with a focus on lifestyle and treatment interventions.5 , …
Ethics in health care: role, history, and methods

The five chapters in Part I of this volume provide a general introduction to the field of health care ethics, including its purpose, history, methods, and relation to the domains of law and culture. The account of the nature, scope, and limits of health care ethics provided in these chapters is designed to set the stage for examination of the multiple specific topics in ethics and health care in the subsequent chapters of the book. Chapter 1, “The role of ethics in health care,” begins with a description of several concepts of ethics, common sources of moral guidance, and methods for resolving moral disagreements. It then considers the relation of ethics and health care, arguing that ethical issues are especially prominent in health care. This prominence is a result both of the importance of the human interests at stake and of the complexity of many treatment decisions. Ethics can guide difficult choices in health care, but decisions also depend on factual information, and even the most careful moral reasoning may not produce a unique and definitive “correct” solution. Chapter 2, “A brief history of health care ethics and clinical ethics consultation in the United States,” describes the emergence of health care ethics as a new field of inquiry and practice in the latter half of the twentieth century. This review highlights major changes in the US health care system during this period. It also identifies three high-profile events that called public attention to moral issues in medical research and practice: investigative reports condemning the decades-long Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in poor black men, the US Supreme Court abortion decision in Roe v. Wade , and the New Jersey Supreme Court Quinlan decision on rights to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment. Chapter 2 also outlines the development of the practice of clinical ethics consultation in US health care facilities. From its origins in the 1970s, clinical ethics consultation has become a widely available service designed to help health care professionals, patients, and families make difficult moral choices about medical treatment. Chapter 3, “Methods of health care ethics,” summarizes a variety of different approaches that scholars have proposed for moral reasoning in health care settings. These approaches recommend different theoretical tools and strategies to guide moral deliberation, including basic principles, paradigmatic cases, moral rules, and moral virtues. This chapter also describes a simple, step-by-step procedure for analyzing health care ethics cases.
Microwave spectrum and structure of the 3,5-difluoropyridine⋯CO2 van der Waals complex

Abstract The rotational spectrum of the weakly bound complex 3,5-difluoropyridine⋯CO2 has been observed using pulsed-nozzle Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Spectroscopic constants are reported for the parent and 13CO2 isotopologues. The data indicate a planar structure in which the nitrogen approaches the carbon of the CO2 with either a C2v or effectively C2v geometry in the ground vibrational state. The N⋯C van der Waals bond distance is 2.8245(16) A and the oxygen⋯ortho-hydrogen distance is 3.091(2) A. The N⋯C van der Waals bond length is 0.027(8) A longer than that previously determined for pyridine–CO2, but is still considerably shorter than the 2.998 A distance in HCN⋯CO2. M06-2X/6-311++G(3df,3pd) calculations place the binding energy of the complex at 4.3 kcal/mol (4.1 kcal/mol with counterpoise correction). The calculations further indicate that a secondary interaction between the ortho-hydrogens of the ring and the CO2 oxygens account for ∼50% of the total binding energy.
Cell cycle–dependent phosphorylation of Sec4p controls membrane deposition during cytokinesis

Intracellular trafficking is an essential and conserved eukaryotic process. Rab GTPases are a family of proteins that regulate and provide specificity for discrete membrane trafficking steps by harnessing a nucleotide-bound cycle. Global proteomic screens have revealed many Rab GTPases as phosphoproteins, but the effects of this modification are not well understood. Using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rab GTPase Sec4p as a model, we have found that phosphorylation negatively regulates Sec4p function by disrupting the interaction with the exocyst complex via Sec15p. We demonstrate that phosphorylation of Sec4p is a cell cycle-dependent process associated with cytokinesis. Through a genomic kinase screen, we have also identified the polo-like kinase Cdc5p as a positive regulator of Sec4p phosphorylation. Sec4p spatially and temporally localizes with Cdc5p exclusively when Sec4p phosphorylation levels peak during the cell cycle, indicating Sec4p is a direct Cdc5p substrate. Our data suggest the physiological relevance of Sec4p phosphorylation is to facilitate the coordination of membrane-trafficking events during cytokinesis.
Peer Network Counseling as Brief Treatment for Urban Adolescent Heavy Cannabis Users.

Objective:A small body of evidence supports targeting adolescents who are heavy users of cannabis with brief interventions, yet more research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of these studies. We conducted a secondary analysis of our Peer Network Counseling (PNC) study (Mason et al., 2015), focusing on 46 adolescents of the sample of 119 who reported heavy cannabis use at baseline.Method:Urban adolescents (91% African American) presenting for primary health care were randomized to intervention or control conditions and followed for 6 months. We selected cases (n = 46) to analyze based on heavy cannabis use reported at baseline (≥10 times in past month). The ordinal response data (cannabis use) were modeled using a mixed-effects proportional odds model, including fixed effects for treatment, time, and their interaction, and a subject-level random effect.Results:In the subsample of adolescents with heavy cannabis use, those assigned to PNC had a 35.9% probability of being abstinent at 6 months, compar...
Bare enterprise: US television and the business of dispossession (post-crisis, gender and property television):

This essay examines the quotidian forms of dispossession and bare enterprise that emerge when homes and belongings are repossessed and auctioned off for profit while TV cameras roll. Focusing on a spate of recent US reality programs revolving around pawnshops, repossession agents, storage unit auctions and foreclosed home flipping businesses, I chronicle an unabashedly ruthless performance of homo economicus. I link the biopolitics of disposability evidenced across these programs to an emerging stage of neoliberal governmentality that has little interest in transforming ‘failed’ citizens and, therefore, differs from the charitable interventions and makeover regimens circulated by US television. Finally, I consider some tensions and points of resistance that television’s cruel new turn may register.
Recent attempted and actual weight change in relation to pregnancy loss: a prospective cohort study.

Objective To assess weight change and attempted weight loss during the 12–18 months before spontaneous conception in relation to the risk of pregnancy loss. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting United States, 2007–2011. Methods Women (n = 629) who were attempting pregnancy reported at baseline any weight loss attempts over the past 12 months, and their minimum and maximum weights during that time. Follow up lasted one to six menstrual cycles and throughout pregnancy. Using bodyweight measured at 4 weeks’ gestation, participants were categorised as having weight loss ≥5%, weight gain ≥5%, both, or neither, over the previous 12–18 months. Log-binomial models adjusted for potential confounders. Main outcome measures Risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of pregnancy loss. Results Attempted weight loss was reported by 44% of women and actual weight loss by 11%, but neither was consistently associated with pregnancy loss. The RR for recent weight gain ≥5% was 1.65 (CI 1.09, 2.49). Conclusions Weight gain over the period spanning 12–18 months pre-conception to 4 weeks’ gestation may increase the risk of pregnancy loss among fertile women with prior pregnancy losses. Attempted and actual weight loss were not associated with pregnancy loss; however, replication is needed from larger studies with data on particular weight-loss methods. Tweetable Abstract Recent weight gain before and around the time of conception may increase the risk of pregnancy loss.
The β-Adrenergic Agonist Albuterol Improves Pulmonary Vascular Reserve in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is associated with pulmonary vascular dysfunction, particularly during exercise. Pulmonary vasodilators may favorably reduce pulmonary artery (PA) tone in HFpEF, but this could theoretically worsen left atrial hypertension and pulmonary congestion. Objective To evaluate whether the inhaled β-adrenergic agonist albuterol would improve PA vascular function during exercise in HFpEF. Methods We performed a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial testing the effects of inhaled albuterol on resting and exercise hemodynamics in HFpEF using high fidelity micromanometer catheters and expired gas analysis. The primary end point was pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) during exercise. Results Subjects with HFpEF (n=30) underwent resting and exercise hemodynamic assessment and were then randomized 1:1 to inhaled, nebulized albuterol or placebo, followed by repeat assessment of rest and exercise hemodynamics. Albuterol improved the primary endpoint of exercise PVR as compared to placebo (−0.6±0.5 vs +0.1±0.7 Wood units, p=0.003). As compared to placebo, albuterol enhanced PA compliance with exercise, improved cardiac output reserve and RV-PA coupling, reduced right atrial and pulmonary artery pressures, and enhanced left ventricular transmural distending pressure during exercise (all p Conclusions Albuterol improves pulmonary vascular function and cardiac hemodynamics with exercise in patients with HFpEF. Further study is warranted to evaluate the chronic efficacy of β-agonists and other pulmonary vasoactive medicines in this population. Clinical Trial Registration: Inhaled Beta-adrenergic agonists to Treat Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (BEAT HFpEF) - NCT02885636. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02885636
CHAPTER 334 – Angiogenesis: Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Postnatal Vessel Formation

Angiogenesis is the growth of a vessel from a preexisting one by mechanisms that include sprouting, branching, and intussusception. Historically, the term angiogenesis was used indiscriminately to describe the growth of both blood and lymph vessels. However, recent observations suggest that these two vessel types are formed and grow by different mechanisms. Indeed, hemangiogenesis (blood vessels) and lymphangiogenesis (lymphatics) are important multistep biological processes integral to both normal mammalian physiology (e.g., wound healing, adaptation of exercised muscles, development, maturation and endocrine function of the female reproductive tract) and disease (e.g., lymphedema, collateral vessel development in ischemic hearts and limbs, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, restenosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and tumor growth and metastasis). The study of the angiogenic mechanisms can be divided into two disciplines: mechanisms responsible for the induction of vessel formation and mechanisms responsible for its inhibition. This chapter present a basic analysis of the overriding principles of postnatal angiogenesis.