cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of fatal therapeutic misadventures by an urban medico-legal system.

Very few population-based studies have evaluated fatal therapeutic misadventures, in particular the adequacy of their detection. We therefore assessed the adequacy of the reporting and detection of fatal therapeutic misadventures in an urban setting medicolegal system. The coroner's files and the related hospital records were reviewed as to the circumstances of the incidents and the adequacy of notification by the care providers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, for the period of January 1, 1982 through December 31, 1991. The annual average rate of fatal misadventures was 2.2 per 100 000 hospital admissions or 4.7 per million inhabitants (total 63 cases). The survival time from the occurrence of the misadventure was within 24 h in 60% of the cases. University-related hospitals had double the rate of misadventure fatalities (118.2 per 100 000 beds per year), compared to that in community-based hospitals (53.9 per 100 000 bed per year). In more than half of the cases, the hospitals reported the incidents within an hour from the pronouncement of death, 28.6% within 5 h, and 19% after more than 5 h. In 10 cases (15.9%), the notification by the hospitals was clearly deficient in determining the manner of death. In a few cases, the incident was initially reported by the relatives, by the hospital pathologists, or by the media. A high likelihood of under-reporting of fatal misadventures to the medico-legal system is substantiated by comparing with the results reported by others. The possible measures to increase the monitoring and reporting, and to reduce the related mortality are further discussed.
STARK SPECTROSCOPY: Applications in Chemistry, Biology, and Materials Science

Stark spectroscopy has been applied to a wide range of molecular systems and materials. A generally useful method for obtaining electronic and vibrational Stark spectra that does not require sophisticated equipment is described. By working with frozen glasses it is possible to study nearly any molecular system, including ions and proteins. Quantitative analysis of the spectra provides information on the change in dipole moment and polarizability associated with a transition. The change in dipole moment reflects the degree of charge separation for a transition, a quantity of interest to a variety of fields. The polarizability change describes the sensitivity of a transition to an electrostatic field such as that found in a protein or an ordered synthetic material. Applications to donor-acceptor polyenes, transition metal complexes (metal-to-ligand and metal-to-metal mixed valence transitions), and nonphotosynthetic biological systems are reviewed.
Fecundity comparisons of the Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Bethlehem, South Africa, and in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Fecundities of Russian wheat aphids, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), from populations collected at Stillwater, OK, and Bethlehem, South Africa, were measured in the laboratory at each location. The measurements were conducted under two temperature regimes identical for each location. We detected no statistically significant differences in total fecundity between the populations for the Bethlehem tests conducted at 15 and 25°C and the Stillwater test at 15°C. However, fecundity of aphids in the Stillwater 25°C test was significantly lower than that of the other tests. In addition, reproduction at the higher temperature peaked sooner for the Stillwater aphids than for the Bethlehem aphids.
Template electrodeposition of single-phase p- and n-type copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2) nanowire arrays.

CuInSe2 nanowire arrays were fabricated by electrodeposition from aqueous solutions of copper sulfate, indium sulfate, selenium dioxide, and citric acid, using anodic alumina membranes as templates...
Decision Support with Fuzzy Production Systems

A production system is primarily a formalism for representing knowledge about any particular area of problem solving (Farley, 1980). A program written as a production system is a collection of “production rules,” which take the form “if left-hand-side proposition is true, then right-hand-side proposition is true.” Such a program may operate in one or both of two modes. In the “left-hand-side driven” or “modus ponens” mode, a rule compares the database with the left-hand-side proposition; if the comparison succeeds, action is taken in the database and/or the environment to make the right-hand-side proposition true. In the “right-hand-side driven,” “goal driven,” or “modus tollens” mode, the program attempts to find or create circumstances which satisfy the left-hand-side of some rule whose right-hand-side moves the system closer to its goal.
Increased viral titers and subtle changes in plaque morphology upon passage of SARS-CoV in cells from different species.

Despite rapid advances in our knowledge of SARS-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the regions of the virus spike glycoprotein and host receptor that are important for virus entry remain to be completely elucidated. The tropism of SARS-CoV for cells derived from many diverse species was analyzed by virus titration and by the use of a multiplex RTPCR assay that differentiates input virus from virus that has entered a cell and initiated replication. Cells derived from monkey, human, and mink were shown to be productively infected by SARS-CoV. Interestingly, the level of virus produced varied dramatically (4 log10) between the susceptible cell lines. Human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was shown to have SARS-CoV receptor activity. Using conserved oligonucleotide primers and RT-PCR to amplify ACE2, we determined that the SARSCoV susceptible cells expressed ACE2 RNA. We hypothesized that passage of SARSCoV in cell lines expressing different levels of ACE2, or ACE2 from novel species (e.g., mink), will lead to mutations in the spike glycoprotein gene, and/or in other genes that enhance virus replication. SARS-CoV/Urbani was passaged in susceptible cell lines derived from monkey, human, and mink. The titer of SARS-CoV in the supernatants increased upon passage, and viral plaques in VeroE6 cells showed subtle differences from wild-type SARS-CoV/Urbani. We are currently analyzing the sequence of the SARS-CoV quasi-species selected by passage; such analysis may identify regions of the spike protein that are critical for virus binding and/or fusion. The identification of regions within the viral spike glycoprotein critical for interaction with the receptor is important for the development of antivirals and/or immunogens for vaccine development.
Invited Editorial Comment: Equity Trading in the Fast Lane: The Staccato Alternative

1. Robert A. Schwartz 1. is the Marvin M. Speiser Professor of Finance and University Distinguished Professor of Finance at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College/CUNY in New York, NY. (robert.schwartz{at}baruch.cuny.edu) 2. Liuren Wu 1. is professor of economics and finance
A study of adaptive penalty functions for constrained genetic algorithm-based optimization

Several potential approaches are presented that utilize adaptive penalty functions that change the value of the draw-down coefficients during a run of the genetic algorithm. A simple 1D constrained problem and a more complex 2D constrained problem were solved using the adaptive penalty strategies. A stiffened composite panel was optimized for minimum weight, subject to several constraints using the adaptive penalty methods to provide insight into how the approaches perform on an engineering problem. On the basis of these problem solutions, conclusions were drawn regarding the efficacy of adaptive penalty functions for constrained optimization. (Author)
Toxicity of equine serum treated by alkali.

Observations on the removal of antigenicity of proteins by alkali were early made by Wells,1 TenBroeck2 and have been confirmed and extended by a number of later workers. Recently, Davis and Eaton,3 as well as Kazal, DeFalco and Arrow,4 paid special attention to the toxicity of the resulting products but came to apparently conflicting conclusions. The former found alkali-treated bovine serum albumin to be non-toxic for white mice, rabbits, and for 2 dogs when given intravenously. On the other hand, Kazal et al. confirmed an earlier report by Lewis5 that purified bovine plasma protein treated by sodium hydroxide gained acute toxicity for guinea pigs as soon as its antigenicity was lost. In view of the importance of these findings especially in relation to possible practical application, it seems worthwhile to make a similar study on horse serum treated by alkali and to observe its toxicity in rabbits, guinea pigs, and white mice. The results obtained are herewith presented.After several preliminary trials,...
Arterial response to laser operation for removal of atherosclerotic plaques

The cellular response of normal and atherosclerotic aortic intima after exposure in vivo to a 0.9 mm diameter carbon dioxide laser was examined in hypercholesterolemic swine with light and electron microscopy to evaluate tissue damage, thrombosis, and healing. At energy levels of >5 joules, laser burns appeared as craters less than 1 mm in depth and 2 mm in diameter. Two days after the operation, craters were filled with platelet-fibrin thrombi that did not protrude above the level of adjacent endothelium. The internal elastic lamina was exposed 1 to 2 mm around the crater. This area was surrounded by a ring of densely packed leukocytes at the edge of the normal endothelium. Two weeks after the operation, the depressed crater surface was mostly reendothelialized with small, closely packed endothelial cells. The subjacent thrombus contained numerous phagocytic cells with inclusions of fibrin, erythrocytes, and membranous debris. Proliferative invaginations containing medial smooth muscle cells, mitotic figures, and collagen extended into the pit from the lateral aspects. Eight weeks after the operation, the burned area was still depressed and therefore less occlusive than adjacent lesion areas, and a fibrous cap had formed over the remaining necrotic area. The results suggest that a focused, low-energy carbon dioxide laser can be used to remove focal atherosclerotic plaques from arteries without inducing excessive thrombogenicity. Rapid healing, including reendothelialization and intimal fibrous scarring, with minimal damage to surrounding tissue, was observed.
Basic concepts in Hodgkin disease.

In Hodgkin disease, prognosis and choice of therapy depend on the histologic class and the stage of disease. Therefore, accurate classification and staging are crucial. Staging is accomplished by history taking, physical examination, and various investigative procedures, including biopsy studies, scanning, lymphangiography, and staging laparotomy.
Comparison of Light Penetration of Continuous Wave 810 nm and Superpulsed 904 nm Wavelength Light in Anesthetized Rats.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate light transmission of continuous wave (CW) 810 nm wavelength light and 904 nm wavelength superpulsed light through skin and gastrocnemius muscle and skin only using an anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rat model. Materials and methods: The hair was shaved from the left thigh region of the anesthetized rats and a detector, which measured fluence rate, was placed either in the fascial plane deep into the muscle or below the dermis. The laser probe was placed in contact with the surface of the skin and measurements were taken for 4, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min depending on the experiment. Results: The initial fluence rate measurements through the muscle and skin demonstrated that if the 904 nm wavelength superpulsed laser was turned on for a minimum of 15 min, there was no increase in light penetration over time. With appropriate warm-up periods, both lasers had stable output powers, which were reflected in stable fluence rate measurements over 4 min. The ...
Systemic gene delivery for muscle gene therapy

The muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a heterogeneous group of monogenetic disorders that affect striated muscles, often throughout the body. A promising approach to treating the MDs is to use gene therapy to replace, repair, or modify expression of the mutant gene. Accomplishing such a goal requires that gene expression cassettes, which comprise a gene regulatory element driving expression of an effecter DNA sequence and are followed by a transcriptional terminator, be delivered to target cells to counteract the effects of the mutation. For the MDs, this type of therapy will require delivering expression cassettes to all the striated muscles in a patient’s body. Striated muscle forms a significant percentage of total body mass, so the prospects for achieving such large spread delivery had seemed like a remote goal. Recent studies using a variety of vector systems indicate that genes can be delivered to muscles body wide by infusing them into the blood stream under appropriate conditions. The simplest and one of the most promising methods for systemic delivery involves infusion of vectors derived from adeno-associated virus (AAV). These recombinant AAV vectors can target muscles throughout the body of small, adult mammals and may be adaptable to larger animals and humans. Consequently, the use of rAAV vectors has great potential to lead to a therapy for the MDs and other disorders of striated muscle.
Dialog prediction for a general model of turn-taking.

Today there are solutions for some specific turn-taking problems, but no general model. We show how turn-taking can be reduced to two more general problems, prediction and selection. We also discuss the value of predicting not only future speech/silence but also prosodic features, thereby handing not only turn-taking but “turn-shaping”. To illustrate how such predictions can be made, we trained a neural network predictor. This was adequate to support some specific turn-taking decisions and was modestly accurate overall.
Appraisal Support from Natural Mentors, Self-worth, and Psychological Distress: Examining the Experiences of Underrepresented Students Transitioning Through College

The current study explored whether cumulative appraisal support from as many as five natural mentors (i.e., nonparental adults from youth's pre-existing social networks who serve a mentoring role in youth's lives) led to reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety via improved global self-worth among underrepresented college students. Participants in the current study included 340 college students (69% female) attending a 4-year, predominantly White institution of higher education. Participants were first-generation college students, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and/or students from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups. Participants completed surveys during the Fall and Spring of their first year of college and in the Spring of their second and third years of college. Results of the structural equation model (including gender, race/ethnicity, and extraversion as covariates) indicated that greater total appraisal support from natural mentoring relationships predicted decreases in students' psychological distress via increases in self-worth (indirect effects assessed via boot-strapped confidence intervals; 95% CI). The strength of association between appraisal support and self-worth was not moderated by the proportion of academic natural mentors. Findings from the current study extend previous research by measuring multiple natural mentoring relationships and pinpointing supportive exchanges that may be of particular consequence for the promotion of healthy youth development. Institutional efforts to reinforce pre-existing natural mentoring relationships and encourage the onset of new natural mentoring relationships may serve to bolster the well-being and success of underrepresented students attending predominantly White universities.
Playing to Wait: A Taxonomy of Idle Games

Idle games are a recent minimalist gaming phenomenon in which the game is left running with little player interaction. We deepen understanding of idle games and their characteristics by developing a taxonomy and identifying game features. This paper examines 66 idle games using a grounded theory approach to analyze play, game mechanics, rewards, interactivity, progress rate, and user interface. To establish a clearly bounded definition of idle games, we analyzed 10 non-idle games with the same approach. We discuss how idle games move players from playing to planning, how they question dominant assumptions about gameplay, and their unusual use of resources such as player attention and computer cycles. Our work illuminates opportunities for the design of idle games, suggests design implications, and provides a framework for researchers to clearly articulate questions about this genre.
EQCN Study of Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol at Nanostructured Catalysts

Methanol is a promising fuel for direct methanol oxidation fuel cell technology. Traditionally, platinum group metals have been extensively used as catalysts for methanol oxidation fuel cells1–4. Recent efforts are expanded to explorations of Pt-based bimetallic (e.g., Pt-Ru), multi-component 5–8 and nanometer-sized metal particles as active catalysts 9–13. The use of nanostructured catalysts promises to enhance our ability to design and control the catalytic activity and stability, and to cut down the catalyst cost as well. Two critical issues are however the propensity of poisoning at traditional platinum group catalysts by adsorbed CO-like intermediate species and the tendency of nanoparticle aggregation. The exploration of gold nanoparticles as catalysts is driven by recent discovery of high catalytic activity of nanosized gold towards hydrocarbons and recent theoretical findings of unique properties of gold 9–10,12. It is clear that to achieve highly active and stable gold catalysts for CO oxidation requires a fortunate combination of factors and conditions. Although there is growing experimental evidence showing the linkage of the catalytic activity to core sizes less than 5 nm, why, precisely, gold particles in such a restricted size range are catalytically active is not yet clear.
Leukocyte 5′-Nucleotidase

The 5′-mononucleotides are dephosphorylated by the enzyme, 5′-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.5), commonly known as 5′-nucleotidase (5′N). This enzyme was first described by Reis (1937, 1939) in heart and skeletal muscle and its specificity established histochemically for 5′-nucleotides by Gomori (1949a,b). The activity has since been described in many tissues (Drummond and Yamamoto, 1971). This review of 5′N in mammalian leukocytes is divided into two parts. The first part deals with its properties. Studies on the enzyme from sources other than leukocytes are included since much of the early knowledge was derived from other tissues. The second part, which discusses leukocyte 5′N, will attempt to resolve conflicting reports on the presence or absence of the enzyme in particular types of white cells. In addition, the effects of hematologic disorders on 5′N are summarized.
The Medicine of Salsa

Psychiatric rehabilitation aims to promote health recovery from significant losses, both physical and psychological, that have derailed the lives of adults and young adults so that they can actively participate in rebuilding and recreating themselves. The population faces premature morbidity and experiences higher than average rates of chronic and life-threatening disorders, including diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, trauma- and stressor related disorders, and schizophrenia. When participants join any of the BU Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation programs, they take on the role of student, increasing their knowledge, skills, and supports to further their personal goals and recovery journeys. Several of the mind-body, rehabilitation interventions I design and teach utilize music, singing, and dance to boost mood and motivation, facilitate social connection, increase concentration, improve memory, create new positive memories, deepen respiration, promote movement, and elicit the relaxation response. In addition, I use seated and walking meditation (often combined with nature sounds, music, chanting, and/or singing) to cultivate attention, curiosity, awareness, acceptance, an expanded perspective, accurate perceptions, compassion, and optimism. The poem The Medicine of Salsa was inspired primarily by my 13-week intervention entitled Mindful Music, Dance, and Meditation that I have been teaching and developing since 2014. The students learned to dance a variety of upbeat West Indian and Latin dances, starting with the English language lyrics of reggae, calypso, soca and advancing into the unfamiliar rhythms of cumbia, merengue, cha-cha-cha, and salsa, all sung in Spanish lyrics. My intention was to introduce new songs with wholesome and optimistic lyrics so that they would not trigger negative or distressing memories. Each 90 minute class was structured by a check-in, listening to and singing new music, a review of dance steps from the previous class, learning and practicing a new dance with recorded music (in the large group and then in small groups, and/or with partners), a seated meditation, and a short feedback session. At the end of each class, students reported feeling energized yet calm, present, hopeful, and more positive, confident, connected to each other, happy, and focused.
An Approximate Posterior Simulation for GLMM with Large Samples

Generalized linear mixed models are commonly used when modeling counts or dichotomous observations on subjects within clusters such as patients in hospitals. When the sample sizes at the cluster levels are large, Bayesian inference about parameters of generalized linear mixed models using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling can be computationally slow. Standard large sample approximations can provide reasonable approximation for inference about cluster-level parameters which are near the “middle” but not necessarily for those parameters away from the middle. We provide an approach to simulating from the posterior distribution that gives better approximation when the sample sizes at the cluster levels are large and a multivariate normal prior or the default flat prior is used.
Sexual violence and major depression among women: evidence for reciprocal relationships

Using two waves of the National Comorbidity Survey, this study examines the relationship between sexual violence and major depression among women, focusing on rape. It uncovers evidence for two-way...
Human Resource Role In Work-Life Balance: A Case Of High Technology Knowledge Workers In Taiwan

This case involves the problems that young people in Taiwan are facing in high tech companies. Employees are spending many hours in their jobs and making high salaries as a result, but their social lives are suffering greatly. This paper examines the relationship between the work and social life of young Taiwanese workers in high tech firms. Although salaries and compensation packages are high, the social lives of these workers have diminished greatly. This study provides a comprehensive viewpoint from the perspective of an employee within the Human Resource department of one of these companies.
The Significant Research Experience Essay

One of the most unique and substantial parts of the MD/PhD application is the significant research experience essay, which is a part of the primary AMCAS application. In this essay, applicants describe their research positions, projects, and accomplishments in detail. This chapter explains how to structure and write this essay in terms of the scientific method. It is important for applicants to demonstrate involvement in every step of the scientific process, from designing the experiments to communicating the results. However, this essay serves as an excellent medium through which applicants can explain how their research interests have evolved over time and the most important lessons they learned through research. In effect, this essay can be viewed as a technical-based personal statement.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Chassis Dynamometer Testing

Key electric vehicle (EV) communications can be read through the vehicle On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) system. While recording data from the vehicle OBD, a chassis dynamometer (dyno) testbed can be used to emulate various driving schedules/cycles. Analysis of this test data can provide engineers, technicians and researchers with significant insight into how the EV systems are operating in order to understand the performance. This paper characterizes EV chassis dyno testing, giving an overview of dyno operation and methods for obtaining vehicle performance. EVs are run through drive cycles on the dyno to demonstrate the OBD and dyno’s ability to accurately collect real time EV data. The experimental results will provide researchers insight into enabling improved operation of EVs in the field and contribute to determining fast charging approaches that have minimum negative effects on the battery health and vehicle performance.
Validation of pneumonia prognostic scores in a statewide cohort of hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to externally validate the predictive performance of two recently developed COVID-19-specific prognostic tools, the COVID-GRAM and CALL scores, and prior prognostic scores for community-acquired pneumonia (CURB-65), viral pneumonia (MuBLSTA) and H1N1 influenza pneumonia (Influenza risk score) in a contemporary US cohort. METHODS: We included 257 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia from three teaching hospitals in Rhode Island. We extracted data from within the first 24 hours of admission. Variables were excluded if values were missing in >20% of cases, otherwise missing values were imputed. 115 patients with complete data after imputation were used for primary analysis. Sensitivity analysis was done after exclusion of one variable (LDH) in the complete dataset (n=257). Primary and secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and critical illness (mechanical ventilation or death), respectively. RESULTS: Only the areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (RO-AUC) of COVID-GRAM (0.775, 95%CI 0.525-0.915) for in-hospital death, and CURB65 for in-hospital death (RO-AUC 0.842, 95%CI 0.674-0.932) or critical illness (RO-AUC=0.766, 95%CI 0.584-0.884) were significantly better than random. Sensitivity analysis yielded similar trends. Calibration plots showed better agreement between estimated and observed probability of in-hospital death for CURB65, compared to COVID-GRAM. The negative predictive value (NPV) of CURB65≥2 was 97.2% for in-hospital death and 88.1% for critical illness. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-GRAM score demonstrated acceptable predictive performance for in-hospital death. The CURB65 score had better prognostic utility for in-hospital death and critical illness. The high NPV of CURB65 values ≥2, may be useful in triaging and allocation of resources.
Bacterial microcompartments: tiny organelles with big potential

Organization of metabolic processes within the space of a cell is critical for the survival of many organisms. In bacteria, spatial organization is achieved via proteinaceous organelles called bacterial microcompartments, which encapsulate pathway enzymes, substrates, and co-factors to drive the safe and efficient metabolism of niche carbon sources. Microcompartments are self-assembled from shell proteins that encapsulate a core comprising various enzymes. This review discusses how recent advances in understanding microcompartment structure and assembly have informed engineering efforts to repurpose compartments and compartment-based structures for non-native functions. These advances, both in understanding of the native structure and function of compartments, as well as in the engineering of new functions, will pave the way for the use of these structures in bacterial cell factories.
Design of a chopper system in a compact THz-FEL facility

An independently tunable cell gun of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Free Electron Laser Terahertz facility has an imperfect performance in longitudinal bunching. The long beam tail not only wastes microwave power and leads to the deterioration of beam quality, but also be a serious threat to the security and stability of the facility. A chopper system based on rectangular deflector is designed to solve these problems. This paper analyzes the principle of chopper system to eliminate tail particles. The beam dynamics simulation was carried out by particle tracking software Parmela, the particles whose phase is after 48° are cut off, and the correctness of the theoretical results was verified. Last but not least, the cavity is manufactured and the measurement of bead perturbation is investigated. The deflecting field distribution on the central axis of the cavity obtained by bead perturbation is compared with the CST simulation result.
The Heterogeneity of Residents’ Preference over a Wide Array of Services, provided by a Master Planned Community (MPC)

The study estimated an average Californian’s preference over a variety of attributes provided by Master Planned Communities (MPC) – (1) Access to Natural Park & Urban amenities, (2) Access to HOA a...
Abiotic and biotic drivers of strawberry productivity across a rural-urban gradient

Abstract While many cities have embraced urban agriculture, research examining crop productivity in urban environments is limited. Little is known about how abiotic and biotic factors affecting productivity on urban farms compare with those in rural environments. In this study, we investigated environmental factors influencing strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) productivity for two cultivars at ten farms across a rural-urban gradient in Michigan, USA over a three-year period. We evaluated key drivers of production, namely temperature, pathogens, pests, and pollinators, which we hypothesized would be altered by urbanization. We found no direct effect of urbanization on strawberry production or fruit pathogen and pest damage. However, temperature, an environmental correlate of urbanization, significantly influenced crop productivity. In particular, cooler temperatures at rural farms and warmer temperatures at urban farms limited fruit number in the peak production year. We found no relationship between urbanization and overall abundances of arthropod pests, their predators, or pollinators. However, we found opposite effects of urbanization for two arthropod groups – Vespidae (paper wasps) and Araneae (spiders). Vespidae abundance was positively associated with increased urbanization. These omnivorous wasps are both predators of strawberry pests and pests of fruits themselves. Conversely, spiders, which are predators of strawberry pests, were negatively associated with urbanization. Greater pollinator visitation incrementally improved fruit weight, but only at low to moderate levels of pathogen and pest damage. At high levels of damage, the benefits of pollination were not apparent. Our study reveals that environmental drivers of variation in crop yield, such as pathogen and herbivore damage and pollinator visitation, can be comparable across rural-urban gradients. Some factors, however, such as temperature stress and the abundances of certain pest and beneficial organisms may be affected by urbanization.
Abstract 243: Echocardiographic Changes of Left Ventricular Geometry and Function Associated with Reverse Epidemiology of Blood Pressure in End Stage Kidney Disease.

Background: We hypothesize that reverse epidemiology of blood pressure (BP) defined as higher mortality associated with lower BP in ESKD is partially mediated by deteriorating left ventricular (LV) function and configuration. Methods: In a prospective observation 2136 patient-visits from 88 consecutive eligible prevalent ESKD patients on peritoneal dialysis from a single center between 2007 and 2012 were assessed. Monthly clinic BP was recorded. Routinely performed 285 interpretable serial echocardiograms were obtained. Patients were followed to primary end-point of all-cause mortality. Generalized linear mixed models using BP from last observation moving backward to assess trends, and time to event analysis using time varying Cox-survival models to estimate mortality hazard ratio of different BP categories were applied. Results: There were 47 males (53.4%). Mean age was 50 years (SD=15). Median follow up was 35 months. During follow up 22 patients (25%) died. As compared to BP of 140-159 mmHg, BP<120 mmHg was associated with 8.6-fold (95% CI: 1.8-40, P=0.006) higher mortality. As compared to survivors who did not show any change, in deceased patients systolic BP (SBP) declined to a statistically lower level 9 months prior to death (117 vs 141 mmHg, P<0.05), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) increased by 40% from 83 to 128 g/m2, EF<50% increased by 30%, and concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) decreased by 20% at the expense of a 20% reciprocal increase in eccentric LVH. After adjusting for LVMI, risk of mortality at SBP<120 mmHg decreased to 4.4 (95% CI: 0.8 to 24, P=0.09). Conclusion: Higher mortality with lower BP was likely mediated by worsening heart function. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Identification of the power coefficient of wind turbines

The identification of the power coefficient of wind turbines is formulated as a parameter estimation problem for a continuous-time nonlinear system with discretized measurement, whose solution can be obtained using the modified Newton-Raphson method. The performance of the estimation algorithm is verified via simulations based on a model for a 650 kW full-scale research turbine.
Multifocal Infantile Fibromatosis

Infantile fibromatosis (IF) is an uncommon childhood disorder characterized by solitary or muticentric tumors involving skeletal muscle, skin, bones, or viscera. There is a wide morphologic spectrum reflecting various stages of fibroblastic differentiation. We present the clinical and histopathologic findings of a rare case of IF. A seven month old female presented with firm masses over the right elbow (2 × 3 cm.) and right distal clavicle (3 × 4 cm.). Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated increased T2 signal within the soft tissues of the right axilla, supraclavicular region, and distal humerus. However, there was no evidence for bony involvement. Incisional biopsy of the supraclavicular mass showed a white fibrous grossly appearing tumor. Histologic examination revealed clusters of adipocytes and infiltration of skeletal muscle fibers by a moderately cellular proliferation of ovoid within a fibrous background. There was no atypia, necrosis, or increased mitotic activity. The tumor cells showed diffuse immunoreactivity for vimentin and weak focal positivity for smooth muscle actin. No reactivity was seen with S100. In addition, none of the tumor cells exhibited nuclear estrogen receptor expression by image cytometry. This case is reported in an effort to better define the clinical and histopathologic features of infantile fibromatosis.
Hierarchical Control of Reactor Inlet Temperature in Pool-Type Plants —II: Implementation and Results

The implementation of a computer-based controller for regulating reactor inlet temperature (RIT) in a pool-type power plant is described. The mathematical description of the controller is given in ...
Characterization of Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase from Chloramphenicol-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Chloramphenicol-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus contain an inducible enzyme which inactivates chloramphenicol by acetylation in the presence of acetyl coenzyme A. The products of acetylation are chromatographically indistinguishable from those obtained with chloramphenicol-resistant Escherichia coli harboring an R factor. The kinetics of induction of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase are complicated by the inducer's effect on protein biosynthesis and its fate as chloramphenicol 3-acetate, which is not an inducer of the enzyme. The E. coli and S. aureus enzymes have been compared, with the conclusion that they are identical with respect to molecular weight (approximately 78,000) and pH optimum (7.8), but differ with respect to heat stability, substrate affinity, electrophoretic mobility, and immunological reactivity. Antiserum prepared against enzyme from E. coli contains precipitating antibody, which inactivates the E. coli enzyme, but neither precipitates nor neutralizes the activity of S. aureus enzyme.
A Family of Gravitational Waveforms from Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars

This note describes fitting formulae for the gravitational waveforms generated by a rapidly rotating neutron star (e.g., newly-formed in the core collapse of a supernova) as it evolves from an initial axisymmetric configuration toward a triaxial ellipsoid.
Incorporating protection systems into composite power system reliability assessment

Protection systems are indispensable for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution systems. In recent years, more and more research efforts have been devoted to consider protection system failures and their impact on composite power systems when performing reliability assessment. Protection systems were designed in the past using electromechanical and hardwired relay logic. With the emergence of microprocessor-based protective relays and more advanced communication technologies, legacy protection panels with stand-alone relays have been gradually replaced by modern panels with multifunctional, smart, and communicative Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). These changes result in increasing complexity and cyber-physical interdependencies and thus novel evaluation methodologies are needed. In this paper, major publications in protection system reliability modeling are reviewed and summarized. The difficulties and challenges of incorporating protection systems into composite power system reliability assessment are discussed. Possible future research directions are suggested. This paper is written with the expectation to stimulate more discussion and research on this topic as well as encourage more applications.
Alkaloids of Thalictrum VI: Isolation of Obamegine from Thalictrum rugosum

A description is given of the isolation of a phenolic tertiary base from the roots of T. ragasum and the identification of this base as obamegine.
A non-catastrophist explanation for the iridium anomaly at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

The iridium (Ir) anomaly at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (C/T) boundary can be explained by dissolution of normal pelagic limestones producing an insoluble clay residue containing Ir-rich meteoritic material. Further concentration of Ir and other trace metals in the clay can be explained by deposition under reducing conditions. Clay-mineral analyses indicate that the boundary clay is similar to locally derived clays in the limestones above and below the boundary, and contains no detectable exotic components. This supports a terrestrial origin for the boundary clay. The genesis of the boundary clay is attributed to changes in ocean chemistry (pH and oxygenation), leading to an interval of widespread dissolution of carbonate sequences in the oceans, and culminating in the development of submarine pyritic hardgrounds and a disconformity of global extent.
Cerebellar regulation of phonation in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

Five rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained to emit a “coo” vocalization with a duration of at least 500 msec. After stable performance was achieved cerebellar lesions were introduced, and various pre- and postlesion measures of phonation and of laryngeal EMG activity were compared to assess the effects of the lesions. The phonatory changes were interpreted with respect to possible laryngeal or respiratory modifications. The relation between fundamental frequency and intensity of phonation was changed in some animals, with no obvious alterations in either fundamental frequency or intensity considered separately. Intensity of phonation was decreased while duration was prolonged in two animals. Fundamental frequency of phonation was also affected in some animals. Reliable laryngeal EMG was obtained in two animals and was affected by cerebellar lesions. These results indicate that normal cerebellar function is involved in the control of fundamental frequency, intensity, duration, and the coordination of the laryngeal and respiratory systems for the control of phonation.
Assessing the distribution and habitat use of four felid species in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

There have been few targeted studies of small felids in Sumatra and there is little information on their ecology. As a result there are no specific management plans for the species on Sumatra. We examined data from a long-term camera trapping effort, and used Maximum Entropy Modeling to assess the habitat use and distribution of Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi), Asiatic golden cats (Pardofelis temminckii), leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), and marbled cats (Pardofelis marmorata) in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. Over a period of 34,166 trap nights there were low photo rates (photo events/100 trap nights) for all species; 0.30 for golden cats, 0.15 for clouded leopards, 0.10 for marbled cats, and 0.08 for leopard cats. There is overlap in the predicted distributions of clouded leopards, golden cats, and marbled cats; indicating areas of high conservation importance for these species within the park. The predicted distribution of leopard cats was discrete from the other species which is important to consider in the development of conservation strategies. This study provides important documentation of small felid distribution in Sumatra, information for the development of management strategies within the park, and a basis upon which to develop future research for the species.
Comment on Pauli blocking in pion-nucleus scattering

A modified solution is presented for the Chew-Low equations in nuclei, in the presence of Pauli blocking. The resulting scattering amplitude has more satisfactory behavior at low energies (for pionic atoms), while supporting use of a blocked amplitude in the region of the 3,3 resonance.
Mechanical arguments in geometry

ABSTRACT Concepts of mechanics such as velocity; composition, resultants, and equilibrium of forces; potential energy; center of gravity; and moment of force are used to give alternative proofs of geometrical results.
Quantitative monitoring of dermal and inhalation exposure to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate monomer and oligomers

Respiratory sensitization and occupational asthma are associated with exposure to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) in both monomeric and oligomeric forms. The monomer and polymers of diisocyanates differ significantly in their rates of absorption into tissue and their toxicity, and hence may differ in their contribution to sensitization. We have developed and evaluated a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method capable of quantifying HDI and its oligomers (uretidone, biuret, and isocyanurate) in air, tape-stripped skin, and paint samples collected in the automotive refinishing industry. To generate analytical standards, urea derivatives of HDI, biuret, and isocyanurate were synthesized by reaction with 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine and purified. The urea derivatives were shown to degrade on average by less than 2% per week at −20 °C over a 2 month period in occupational samples. The average recovery of HDI and its oligomers from tape was 100% and the limits of detection were 2 and 8 fmol μl−1, respectively. Exposure assessments were performed on 13 automotive spray painters to evaluate the LC-MS method and the sampling methods under field conditions. Isocyanurate was the most abundant component measured in paint tasks, with median air and skin concentrations of 2.4 mg m−3 and 4.6 μg mm−3, respectively. Log-transformed concentrations of HDI (r = 0.79, p < 0.0001) and of isocyanurate (r = 0.71, p < 0.0001) in the skin of workers were correlated with the log-transformed product of air concentration and painting time. The other polyisocyanates were detected on skin for less than 25% of the paint tasks. This LC-MS method provides a valuable tool to investigate inhalation and dermal exposures to specific polyisocyanates and to explore relative differences in the exposure pathways.
Decalcification studies on avian eggshell

Avian eggshells are one of the most rapidly calcifying systems known. Although the entire shell contains ~ 97 weight % CaCO3, etching in EDTA reveals great spatial variability in etching rate. A correlation between the etching rate of various regions and the relative positions of the different parts in the calcium reserve assembly (CRA) has been made; the CRA is the source of calcium during natural decalcification by chick embryos.
Semiclassical formula for oscillator strengths in atomic spectra

A simple semiclassical formula is given for the oscillator strengths of high Rydberg states of a hydrogen atom in an electric field. The oscillator strength of a state is proportional to the square of the function representing the quantum angular distribution of outgoing waves, evaluated at the classical angle of ejection from the atom that sends the electron into a semiclassically quantized eigentrajectory. The formula gives an interpretation of the envelopes of Stark manifolds in photoabsorption spectra; it is in good agreement with quantum calculations. The formula may also be used for other integrable or near-integrable systems.
Slicing the pie: implementing and living with a journal allocation formula

The Colorado School of Mines Library is a small, specialized institution that grants both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and the applied sciences. In the 1980s, the school’s increased emphasis on research created a greater demand for expensive, STM journals. However, the library materials budget did not grow to keep up with this demand or, even in some years, with annual journal inflation. As a result, several rounds of journal cuts were made each year, which began to severely impact the journal collection. The faculty urged the library to use an allocation formula to divide the money to be spent on journal subscriptions. Although in the past the library was opposed to allocation formulas, beginning in 1996 the library agreed to a 3-year experiment with an allocation formula that factored in student FTE, research volume per department, and the relative subscription costs per discipline. While the formula brought some positive results initially, it failed to live up to expectations in th...
Special considerations with the elderly client.

Abstract The nationwide increase in the size of the elderly population is resulting in a significant increase in the number of speech—language and hearing clinicians who work with the elderly client. Certain considerations are required in working with this patient population, among the more important of which is the fact that the speech—language and hearing clinician may need to react to a medical emergency. Such medical problems as angina pectoris, heart attack, stroke, epileptic seizure, diabetic coma, and insulin reaction are discussed with regard to (1) the symptoms that warn of the emergency, and (2) the steps to be taken by the clinician in order to deal with the problem both safety and promptly.
Strategic bargaining models and interpretation of strike data

Attrition, screening, and signalling models of strategic bargaining are characterized in terms of their predictions about the incidence, mean duration, and settlement rates of strikes and the terms of wage settlements. These predictions are compared with the general features observed in empirical studies of strikes in Canada and the United States. Conclusions are drawn about the types of models capable of generating these features, and about the conformity of the models to the evidence. Methods are described for computing the numerical examples used to illustrate the models.