cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public health in the aftermath of disasters

In the aftermath of disasters, public health services must address the effects of civil strife, armed conflict, population migration, economic collapse, and famine. In modern conflicts civilians are targeted deliberately, and affected populations may face severe public health consequences, even without displacement from their homes. For displaced people, damage to health, sanitation, water supplies, housing, and agriculture may lead to a rapid increase in malnutrition and communicable diseases. Fortunately, the provision of adequate clean water and sanitation, timely measles immunisation, simple treatment of dehydration from diarrhoea, supplementary feeding for the malnourished, micronutrient supplements, and the establishment of an adequate public health surveillance system greatly reduces the health risks associated with the harsh environments of refugee camps. ![][1] The Indonesian city of Banda Ache, Sumatra, after the devastating tsunami on 26 December 2004 ### Environmental health Overcrowding, inadequate hygiene and sanitation, and the resulting poor water supplies increase the incidence of diarrhoea, malaria, respiratory infections, measles, and other communicable diseases. A good system of water supply and excreta disposal must be put in place quickly. No amount of curative health measures can offset the harmful effects of poor environmental health planning for communities in emergency settlements. Where camps are unavoidable, appropriate site location and layout and spacing and type of shelter can mitigate the conditions that lead to the spread of disease. View this table: Table 1 Priorities for a coordinated health programme for emergency settlements #### Water supply and sanitation Adequate sources of potable water and sanitation (collection, disposal, and treatment of excreta and other liquid and solid wastes) must be equally accessible for all camp residents. This is achieved by installing an appropriate number of suitably located waste disposal facilities (toilets, latrines, defecation fields, or solid waste pick-up points), water distribution points, availability of soap and bathing and washing facilities, and effective health education. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommends … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Autonomous Endodermal Determination in Xenopus: Regulation of Expression of the Pancreatic Gene XlHbox 8

In neural plate stage Xenopus embryos, XlHbox 8 expression marks anterior endodermal cells fated to develop into pancreas/duodenum, and expression continues in adult pancreas in exocrine duct, acinar, and islet cells. Here, XlHbox 8 is used as a marker in experiments addressing the mechanisms of early endodermal patterning, particularly with respect to the role of specific polypeptide growth factors. When mesoderm-free vegetal explants (VEs) from early blastula stage embryos are cultured in isolation, XlHbox 8 expression develops autonomously in the dorsal region, strongly suggesting that endodermal region-specific determination occurs before MBT. Data from microinjection experiments using RNA encoding the activin and FGF dominant negative receptors and growth factor treatments of isolated VEs suggest that activin positively regulates XlHbox 8 expression, whereas bFGF is a potent negative regulator. Moreover, bFGF induces mesodermal marker expression in VEs. This suggests that the early endodermal determination state is plastic and that elevated levels of bFGF may convert vegetal (endodermal) cells into mesoderm. We propose a model for XlHbox 8 regulation in which an early signal from the Nieuwkoop center (whose eventual fate is endoderm) predisposes dorsovegetal cells for autonomous XlHbox 8 expression, in an area of high local activin (or activin-like) ligand concentration, and low relative concentrations of bFGF.
Metabolism of the abyssopelagic rattail Coryphaenoides armatus measured in situ

MEASUREMENTS of the oxygen consumption of two common benthopelagic fishes, Coryphaenoides acrolepis and Eptatretus deani, made in situ at 1,230 m in the San Diego Trough1 have indicated low respiration rates. The metabolic measurements reported here for the rattail, Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) armatus (Hector), at 3,650 m support the earlier findings of low respiration rates in deep-sea rattails. They also support the physiological axiom that respiration increases as a fractional power of body weight in animals2–4. Both the metabolic rate and chemical composition of C. armatus suggest an adaptation to a food-limited deep-sea environment.
Control of network activity through neuronal response modulation

Abstract Neural network learning is typically treated as the problem of setting synaptic connection strengths to better perform a task. This requires supervision. However, anatomical data suggest that direct synaptic modification by such a supervisor circuit would be unfeasible. We investigate supervision at the level of neurons rather than synapses. By modulating the response properties of cells in the network, this form of supervised learning is able to successfully train a network to perform a function approximation task. We examine the nature of this modulation, and consider its implications for supervised learning.
Epidemiology and clinical manifestations of herpesvirus infections in infants and children

Herpesvirus infections are common in children. Close contact is necessary for transmission of herpesviruses, except varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which spreads predominantly by the aerosol route. For each human herpesvirus except VZV, which causes chickenpox, primary infection is more often subclinical than symptomatic. When disease does occur, however, the major syndromes are gingivostomatitis for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), genital herpes for HSV-2, mononucleosis for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV), and roseola for human herpesviruses 6 and 7. Clinically significant reactivations are common only for HSV (recurrent oral or genital lesions) and VZV (shingles). Some herpesvirus infections are generalized by nature and can cause organspecific complications, such as hepatitis seen with CMV. Complications also can arise from dissemination of localized infection, such as encephalitis seen with HSV. Other complications are caused by bacterial superinfection, such as group A streptococcal sepsis in the setting of chickenpox. The pathogenesis of other complications, such as Reye's syndrome with chickenpox or aplastic anemia with EBV infection, is yet to be elucidated. This article reviews the clinical and epidemiological features of herpesvirus infections in healthy infants and children.
Deterministic and noise-induced phase jumps in the ring laser gyroscope

We discuss recent theoretical and experimental work concerning the phase jump instability in the He:Ne ring laser gyroscope. The exact solution to the deterministic third-order equations for the laser yields an expression for the phase difference between the two counterpropagating modes. This phase difference can be constant monotonically increase oscillate be unstable or exhibit discontinuities. Experiments and computer solutions of the stochastic laser equations show corresponding phase jumps which can be very rapid but not truly discontinuous. We discuss the behavior of the phase difference and of the timeaveraged beat frequency between the two modes with and without the effects of laser noise.
Low vitamin D level is an independent predictor of poor outcomes in Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea

Background:The incidence, recurrence, and all-cause mortality rate for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) has increased markedly over the past 10 years despite treatment. Low vitamin D levels are known to impair immune responses to infection and are associated with increased mortality. We compared the role of patient comorbidity measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) with vitamin D levels to ascertain whether vitamin D levels were an independent variable affecting the outcome of CDAD or a marker of overall comorbidity.Methods:A prospective cohort study studied 62 patients hospitalized between 2008 and 2009 with manifestations of CDAD and a positive C. difficile toxin assay. All patients received standard antibiotics (metronidazole and/or vancomycin). Their status at 30-day follow up was classified as resolved or recurred/expired. Patients’ CCI was calculated using their medical history. Logistic regression analysis of variables including 25-hydroxyvitamin D, CCI, age, gender, white...
NASAL CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE IN THE TREATMENT OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) effectively treats obstructive sleep apnea by providing a pneumatic splint in the supraglottic airway. This treatment involves administration of a constant positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) within the range of 2.5 to 17.5 cm H 2 O. The optimal PEEP not only eliminates apneas and hypopneas, but also consolidates sleep. Establishing the optimal PEEP requires Polysomnographic monitoring of the patient during REM and NREM states as well as all sleep positions. The most common adverse effects are nasal dryness, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and sneezing. Room air humidification reduces nasal irritation and dryness; some models of CPAP equipment are adaptable to allow placement of a humidifier in the system. Long-term compliance with CPAP was studied in a survey of 121 patients who underwent a CPAP trial. After 6 months, 74.4% were compliant; after 18 months 66.6% reported compliance. Patients tended toward greater compliance when they received regular follow-up care by a physician with significant experience with this treatment modality.
Epibiotic microorganisms on copepods and other marine crustaceans

Although the occurrence of microbial (algal, protozoan, bacterial, and fungal) epibionts on marine crustaceans and other invertebrates has been documented repeatedly, the ecological context and significance of these relationships generally are not well understood. Recently, several studies have examined the population and community ecology of algal and protozoan epibionts on freshwater crustaceans. Even so, the study of microbial epibionts in aquatic environments is still in its infancy. In this review, we summarize associations of microalgae, protozoans, and bacteria with marine crustaceans, especially copepods. We note differences and commonalities across epibiont taxa, consider host-epibiont cycling of nutrients, generate hypotheses relevant to the ecology of the host and the epibiont, and suggest future research opportunities. Microsc. Res. Tech. 37:116–135, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hard-Limiter Output Autocorrelation Function: Gaussian & Sinusoidal Input

An expression is derived for the autocorrelation function of the output of a hard limiter whose input is stationary Gaussian noise with zero mean plus independent random-phase sinusoidal signal. The output spectrum may then be evaluated. This spectrum is extremely useful in understanding the properties of a filter-limit-filter-detect signal processor whose signal input is an actual sinusoid, or when a sinusoid is used as a test signal.
Archeological Evidence for Dietary Use of Bigfoot Leopard Frog (Lithobates megapoda) in Postclassic and Colonial Central Mexico

Abstract Analysis of archaeofaunal remains recovered fromseveral geographically and culturally linked postclassicsites in the Laguna de Magdalena Basin, Jalisco, Mexico,reveals that indigenous agrarian people of this areaincorporated substantial quantities of the robust bigfootleopard frog (Lithobates megapoda) (Taylor 1942) in theirdiet during both prehispanic and colonial occupations. Eventhough residents of this area combined hunting and ﬁshingwith cultivation of both native and colonially introducedﬂora and fauna, more frog remains were recovered than anyother small species. Furthermore, it appears that exploita-tion of the frog was most intensive during the colonialoccupation. As in modern cuisine, the hindlimbs were thepreferred portion. Mortuary frog efﬁgies suggest that thefrog may also have had iconic value. [Keywords: DietaryLithobates megapoda, postclassic Etzatla´n, Jalisco] Introduction In the early 1960s a team of archeologists based atthe University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),excavated a cluster of sites in the Cuenca de Laguna deMagdalena or Etzatla´n Basin of western central Mexico.This is the westernmost lake basin of the Mesa Central,located at an elevation of about 14 hundred meters(4,593 feet), about eighty kilometers (50 miles) west ofGuadalajara and about one hu ndred kilometers (62 miles)east of the Paciﬁc coast. Prehistorically and at the timeof Spanish contact, numerous native communitieswere situated around the margins of an expansivelake and on islands within the lake (Figure 1). Thislake was one of many volcanic endorheic freshwatersources in Central Mexico; that is, it was a closeddrainage basin with no direct outﬂow, losing wateronly by evaporation and seepage.Laguna de Magdalena has been pictured asextending from the present community of Etzatla´non the south to El Arenal on the north (Bell 1974, plateI accompanying Nicholson and Meighan 1974). In1892, the lake was reported to have been about twentymiles long and several miles wide (Goldman 1951) andsupported a thriving local ﬁshery. Although the lake isnow considered extinct (having been drained in theearly 1900s) (Weigand 1985), residual stands of waterin the basin currently provide habitat for some ﬁsh(Dominguez-Dominguez et al. 2007; Smith and Miller1980) and aquatic birds (Williams 1982).Early Spanish reports note that Etzatla´n had anable-bodied adult male population of about sixhundred. Weigand, however, estimates a much largerpopulation, possibly several thousand individualsoccupying several hundred hectares (Nance et al.n.d.).
Neurodiagnostic implications of abnormal verbal-performance IQ discrepancies on the WAIS-R: a comparison with the standardization sample.

Abstract The neurodiagnostic value of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Verbal-Performance IQ (VIQ-PIQ) discrepancies was evaluated in a brain-damaged sample. The VIQ-PIQ differences of 260 neurologically impaired patients was compared to the WAIS-R standardization sample. The average VIQ-PIQ discrepancy of the patients was significantly larger than the mean IQ difference for normals. Comparison of the number of subjects whose VIQ-PIQ discrepancy equaled or exceeded 95% of the controls revealed no differences for the total sample and for individuals with low average or average intelligence. Conversely, the frequency of abnormal VIQ-PIQ differences was significantly greater among patients with Full Scale IQs ⩽ 79. The occurrence of an abnormal VIQ-PIQ discrepancy in persons with IQs ⩽ 79 should serve as a stimulus for further assessment.
How will we address the crucial questions facing our field

The following is an edited reprint of the presidential address delivered by Robert S. Sandler, MD, MPH, AGAF, during the American Gastroenterological Association Plenary Session at Digestive Disease Week 2009.
Micro-Fabrication of All Silicon 3 Meter GC Columns Using Gold Eutectic Fusion Bonding

This work highlights a new bonding technique for micro-fabrication of an all silicon 3 meter gas chromatography column that could withstand the temperature cycling required for axial temperature programming. Proper separation of a complex gas mixture using a miniaturized GC column is critical in improving the overall performance of a lab on a chip system for environmental monitoring, medical diagnoses, and gas impurity measurement. To improve upon current methodology the column was first fabricated using micro-fabrication processes; experimentally validated using a high performance 3 meter GC column coated with OV-1 stationary phase. This process demonstrates that the bonding quality of the GC column to a 200 μm thick silicon lid was improved when using a new gold eutectic bonding technique. Furthermore, a new quality control technique was developed in order to test the overall bonding quality of the bonded pieces by fixing the bottom column and applying a mechanical shear force to the top lid. This method could ultimately be used for quality control of each individual bonded columns. The gold bonded interface of the gold diffusion bonded area is further characterized using surface analysis. In the end, the utility of the column was demonstrated by separating 21 organic compounds with different Kovats retention index and molecular weights in less than five minutes. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0031510jss] All rights reserved.
Exposure to and Intention to Discuss Cancer-Related Internet Information Among Patients With Breast Cancer

Purpose: Previous studies have reported a significant number of patients with breast cancer seek cancer-related information from the Internet. Most studies have asked whether a patient has ever read Internet information since her diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency with which patients with breast cancer come to physician appointments having recently read and intending to discuss cancer-related information from the Internet. Patients and Methods: We asked 558 patients with breast cancer who were waiting to see their physicians about their experiences reading cancer-related information from the Internet and their intent to discuss the information in their current visit. Results: Fifteen percent reported reading cancer-related Internet information in the past month. Patients who had read such information in the past month were younger, had been diagnosed more recently, and were more likely to be attending a new visit. Of those who had read in the past month, 45% reported intending to discuss what they had read with their physician. Nineteen percent of patients reported having ever read breast cancer‐related Internet information since their diagnosis. Conclusion: The proportion of patients with breast cancer planning to discuss Internet information during their current physician visit was relatively small. Few characteristics were associated with recent Internet use or intent to discuss.
Rheumatic Manifestations of Cancer

Taken together, the wide range of rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions that can appear in association with cancer emphasizes that rheumatic disease is a major component of the spectrum of paraneoplastic manifestations. Although the pathogenetic mechanisms by which neoplasia causes these manifestations are only partially understood in select cases, it appears that many result from immune-mediated effects stimulated by tumor antigens of endocrine factors produced by tumors. The broad overlap in signs and symptoms of occult malignancy and systemic rheumatic disease, as well as the occurrence of distinct localized and systemic musculoskeletal and rheumatic syndromes in the presence of cancer, emphasizes the importance of considering and investigating the possibility of occult malignancy in the evaluation of patients with these symptoms. This is particularly important in older patients, those with atypical rheumatic disease, and those who do not respond appropriately to conventional immunosuppressive therapy.
Matrix-element proportionalities for the atomic f shell from Labarthe's groups

exemple d£taill£ est dorm£ pour la configuration £lectronique f. Abstract. It is shown that the SO(7) group used by Racah to define states and operators in the f shell can be usefully augmented by the two similar groups, SO(?I' and SO(7)~', discovered over ten years ago by Labarthe. Their properties are studied by two approaches : ii) using multi- electron operators, and (2) regarding the 16 384 states of the atomic f shell to be generated by the quark-like configuration (s + f)~, augmented by two parity labels. By sandwiching the irreducible representations of SO(?) and SO(71' between representations of SO (8) and G~, an explanation can be found for some of the unexpected relations between matrix elements. The method is illustrated by a detailed example in the electron configuration f~.
Characterizing aquatic ecological risks from pesticides using a diquat dibromide case study. II. Approaches using quotients and distributions

Realistic and reliable methods are needed for the accurate characterization of the potential ecological risks posed by pesticides. This study presents a sequence of risk assessment methods that are based on the comparison of exposure concentrations to laboratory-derived toxicity data for representative species of aquatic organisms exposed to pesticides. The sequence of methods progresses from single-value quotient calculations to comparison of cumulative distributions of exposure and toxicity data and culminates with the use of Monte Carlo methods to estimate distributions of quotients. To illustrate the sequence of increasingly quantitative methods, we used a case study of the ecological risks posed by diquat dibromide in U.S. regional lakes and farm ponds. Diquat dibromide is a well-studied aquatic herbicide and is one of only a few pesticides registered for direct use in aquatic systems. The exposure concentration for the farm pond scenario used in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reregistration eligibility decision for diquat dibromide was used. In addition, exposure concentrations were developed for several regional lake and farm pond scenarios using the Exposure Analysis Modeling System (EXAMSII) methodology with separate, region-specific parameter values and simulated diquat dibromide application rates. Except for the results obtained in the conservative quotient method, the calculations for diquat dibromide were consistent with its demonstrated high safety. This suggests that a minimal ecological impact to benthic invertebrates and fish exists. Aquatic plants in the vicinity of application to surface waters appear to be at risk, and this is expected, as diquat dibromide kills aquatic plants. Comparisons of cumulative distributions of exposure and toxicity data provided the most quantitative approach to characterizing risks. The probabilistic quotient approach does not specifically estimate ecological risk. However, the implicit correlation between increasing values of quotients and increased potential risk does suggest the utility of these methods for identifying pesticides as acceptable for registration and use (i.e., minimal risk compared to benefits) or unacceptable.
Mechanisms of tolerance to parental parathyroid tissue when combined with human allogeneic thymus transplantation

Background The induction of tolerance toward third-party solid organ grafts with allogeneic thymus tissue transplantation has not been previously demonstrated in human subjects. Objective Infants with complete DiGeorge anomaly (having neither thymus nor parathyroid function) were studied for conditions and mechanisms required for the development of tolerance to third-party solid organ tissues. Methods Four infants who met the criteria received parental parathyroid with allogeneic thymus transplantation and were studied. Results Two of 3 survivors showed function of both grafts but subsequently lost parathyroid function. They demonstrated alloreactivity against the parathyroid donor in mixed lymphocyte cultures. For these 2 recipients, parathyroid donor HLA class II alleles were mismatched with the recipient and thymus. MHC class II tetramers confirmed the presence of recipient CD4 + T cells with specificity toward a mismatched parathyroid donor class II allele. The third survivor has persistent graft function and lacks alloreactivity toward the parathyroid donor. All parathyroid donor class II alleles were shared with either the recipient or the thymus graft, with minor differences between the parathyroid (HLA-DRB1∗1104) and thymus (HLA-DRB1∗1101). Tetramer analyses detected recipient T cells specific for the parathyroid HLA-DRB1∗1104 allele. Alloreactivity toward the parathyroid donor was restored with low doses of IL-2. Conclusion Tolerance toward parathyroid grafts in combined parental parathyroid and allogeneic thymus transplantation requires matching of thymus tissue to parathyroid HLA class II alleles to promote negative selection and suppression of recipient T cells that have alloreactivity toward the parathyroid grafts. This matching strategy may be applied toward tolerance induction in future combined thymus and solid organ transplantation efforts.
The emergence of the pharmaceutical industry in the developing world and its implications for multinational enterprise strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper, focusing mainly on India – and a lesser extent on China – is to examine, broadly, two related issues concerning the rise of pharmaceutical industry in the emerging economies: the strategic response of the emerging‐country pharmaceutical firms to the new patent regime that recognizes and enforces product patents; and its implications for multinational enterprise (MNE) strategies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on extensive review of the relevant conceptual and empirical literature and secondary data.Findings – The strategic response of pharmaceutical firms in the emerging economies (India and China, for example,) to the new patent regime is to develop multiple competencies and position themselves to simultaneously compete and collaborate globally with the MNEs – large firms rapidly moving towards discovery and development of new drugs, and medium and small firms engaged in the production of off‐patent generics and contract manufacturing, respectively.Pr...
Miniaturization of Patch Antennas Using a Metamaterial-Inspired Technique

A new design methodology for producing highly miniaturized patch antennas is introduced. The methodology uses complementary split-ring resonators placed horizontally between the patch and the ground plane. By optimizing the geometry of the split rings, sub-wavelength resonance of the patch antenna can be achieved with a good impedance match and radiation characteristics comparable to those of a traditional patch antenna on a finite ground plane. Construction of the optimized antenna is straightforward, requiring only the sandwiching of two etched circuit boards. High levels of miniaturization are demonstrated through simulations and experiments, with reductions of a factor of more than four in transverse dimension achieved for a circular patch resonant at 2.45 GHz. Although miniaturization is accompanied by a decrease in antenna radiation efficiency and a loss of fractional bandwidth, antenna performance remains acceptable even for a 1/16 reduction in patch area.
A Generalized Cubic Functional Equation

In this paper, we determine the general solution of the functional equation f1(2x + y) + f2(2x − y) = f3(x + y) + f4(x − y) + f5(x) without assuming any regularity condition on the unknown functions f1, f2, f3, f4, f5 : ℝ → ℝ. The general solution of this equation is obtained by finding the general solution of the functional equations f(2x + y) + f(2x − y) = g(x + y) + g(x − y) + h(x) and f(2x + y) + f(2x − y) = g(x + y) + g(x − y). The method used for solving these functional equations is elementary but exploits an important result due to Hosszu. The solution of this functional equation can also be determined in certain type of groups using two important results due to Szekelyhidi.
Two-Moment Approximations for Maxima

We introduce and investigate approximations for the probability distribution of the maximum of n independent and identically distributed nonnegative random variables, in terms of the number n and the first few moments of the underlying probability distribution, assuming the distribution is unbounded above but does not have a heavy tail. Because the mean of the underlying distribution can immediately be factored out, we focus on the effect of the squared coefficient of variation (SCV, c2, variance divided by the square of the mean). Our starting point is the classical extreme-value theory for representative distributions with the given SCV---mixtures of exponentials for c2 ≥ 1, convolutions of exponentials for c2 ≤ 1, and gamma for all c2. We develop approximations for the asymptotic parameters and evaluate their performance. We show that there is a minimum threshold n*, depending on the underlying distribution, with n ≥ n* required for the asymptotic extreme-value approximations to be effective. The threshold n* tends to increase as c2 increases above one or decreases below one.
Building and Sustaining Buyer–Seller Relationships in Mature Industrial Markets

Abstract Empirical research in relationship management has tended to take a snapshot of a relationship at a given time and attempt to project its trajectory, despite agreement among researchers that a longitudinal perspective focused on process models advances the implications for practice. The authors use a field investigative approach to study, over time, the evolution of three industrial buyer–seller relationships in mature industrial markets. The relationships are characterized by various degrees of initial asymmetry and have evolved in dramatically different ways over time. Their findings suggest that weaker firms can structure and thrive in long-term relationships with powerful partners because initial asymmetries are subsequently redressed through the development of high levels of interpersonal trust across the dyad, which in turn leads to increased levels of interorganizational commitment.
Safety-I, Safety-II and Resilience Engineering

In the quest to continually improve the health care delivered to patients, it is important to understand "what went wrong," also known as Safety-I, when there are undesired outcomes, but it is also important to understand, and optimize "what went right," also known as Safety-II. The difference between Safety-I and Safety-II are philosophical as well as pragmatic. Improving health care delivery involves understanding that health care delivery is a complex adaptive system; components of that system impact, and are impacted by, the actions of other components of the system. Challenges to optimal care include regular, irregular and unexampled threats. This article addresses the dangers of brittleness and miscalibration, as well as the value of adaptive capacity and margin. These qualities can, respectively, detract from or contribute to the emergence of organizational resilience. Resilience is characterized by the ability to monitor, react, anticipate, and learn. Finally, this article celebrates the importance of humans, who make use of system capabilities and proactively mitigate the effects of system limitations to contribute to successful outcomes.
Optimized sgRNA design to maximize activity and minimize off-target effects of CRISPR-Cas9

CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic screens are a powerful new tool in biology. By simply altering the sequence of the single-guide RNA (sgRNA), one can reprogram Cas9 to target different sites in the genome with relative ease, but the on-target activity and off-target effects of individual sgRNAs can vary widely. Here, we use recently devised sgRNA design rules to create human and mouse genome-wide libraries, perform positive and negative selection screens and observe that the use of these rules produced improved results. Additionally, we profile the off-target activity of thousands of sgRNAs and develop a metric to predict off-target sites. We incorporate these findings from large-scale, empirical data to improve our computational design rules and create optimized sgRNA libraries that maximize on-target activity and minimize off-target effects to enable more effective and efficient genetic screens and genome engineering.
Shell model Monte Carlo calculations for 170Dy

Abstract We present the first auxiliary field Monte Carlo calculations for a rare earth nucleus, 170Dy. We calculate various static Hamiltonian is used to demonstrate the physical properties that can be studied in this region. We calculate various static observables for both uncranked and crancked systems and show how the shape distribution evolves with temperature. We also introduce a discretization of the path integral that allows a more efficient Monte Carlo sampling.
Functions and Graphs

This chapter is material preliminary to the study of calculus itself. For some it it differentreview, for others, new material. For all t will be a different way of looking at and learning mathematics.
Validation of a coding algorithm for intra-abdominal surgeries and adhesion-related complications in an electronic medical records database.

Purpose Epidemiological data on adhesion-related complications following intra-abdominal surgery are limited. We tested the accuracy of recording of these surgeries and complications within The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a primary care database within the UK. Methods Individuals within THIN from 1995 to 2011 with an incident intra-abdominal surgery and subsequent bowel obstruction (SBO) or adhesiolysis were identified using diagnostic codes. To compute positive predictive values (PPVs), requests were sent to treating physicians of patients with these diagnostic codes to confirm the surgery, SBO, or adhesiolysis code. Completeness of recording was estimated by comparing observed surgical rates within THIN to expected rates derived from the Hospital Episode Statistics dataset within England. Cumulative incidence rates of adhesion-related complications at 5 years were compared with a previously published cohort within Scotland. Results Two hundred seventeen of 245 (89%) questionnaires were returned (180 SBO and 37 adhesiolysis). The PPV of codes for surgery was 94.5% (95%CI: 91–97%). The 88.8% of procedure types were correctly coded. The PPV for SBO and adhesiolysis was 86.1% (95%CI: 80–91%) and 89.2% (95%CI: 75–97%), respectively. Colectomy, appendectomy, and cholecystectomy rates within THIN were 99%, 95%, and 84% of rates observed in national Hospital Episode Statistics data, respectively. Cumulative incidence rates of adhesion related complications following colectomy, appendectomy, and small bowel surgery were similar to those published previously. Conclusions Surgical procedures, SBO, and adhesiolysis can be accurately identified within THIN using diagnostic codes. THIN represents a new tool for assessing patient-specific risk factors for adhesion-related complications and long-term outcomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dental Student Attitudes Towards Communication Skills Instruction and Clinical Application

This study investigated dental students' attitudes towards communication skills instruction and clinical application and explored the impact of a one-semester course and year in school on students' attitudes, measured by the Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Demographic characteristics and self-assessment of communication skills were also analyzed. The study employed a pretest-posttest survey design combined with cross-sectional data. Participants were first- and fourth-year students at a U.S. dental school. Out of a possible 120 students, 106 (fifty-seven D1 and forty-nine D4) participated in the pretest, an 88 percent response rate; out of a possible 121 students, 115 (fifty-seven D1 and fifty-eight D4) participated in the posttest, a 95 percent response rate. In the results, D4 students consistently demonstrated less positive attitudes towards communication skills instruction and more negative attitudes regarding the importance of interpersonal skills in clinical encounters than did their D1 counterparts. A single communications course had no discernible effect on attitudes or self-assessments for either cohort. Females reported more positive attitudes towards clinical application of interpersonal skills than did males. Gender significantly interacted with two demographic variables: primary language and parent as health care professional. Female children of health care professionals reported poorer attitudes towards clinical communication skills training and application than did their male counterparts. Generally, parental occupation in health care moderated the decrease in positive attitudes over time towards clinical usefulness of communication skills. The D4 students rated their communication skills higher than did the D1 students. Students who demonstrated more positive attitudes towards communication skills training and application were more likely to say their own skills needed improvement.
Maintaining Physical Fitness

(1945). Maintaining Physical Fitness. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 16, No. 8, pp. 449-481.
Evidence for divergence of response in Indica, Japonica, and wild rice to high CO2 × temperature interaction.

High CO2 and high temperature have an antagonistic interaction effect on rice yield potential and present a unique challenge to adapting rice to projected future climates. Understanding how the differences in response to these two abiotic variables are partitioned across rice germplasm accessions may be key to identifying potentially useful sources of resilient alleles for adapting rice to climate change. In this study, we evaluated eleven globally diverse rice accessions under controlled conditions at two carbon dioxide concentrations (400 and 600 ppm) and four temperature environments (29 °C day/21 °C night; 29 °C day/21 °C night with additional heat stress at anthesis; 34 °C day/26 °C night; and 34 °C day/26 °C night with additional heat stress at anthesis) for a suite of traits including five yield components, five growth characteristics, one phenological trait, and four photosynthesis-related measurements. Multivariate analyses of mean trait data from these eight treatments divide our rice panel into two primary groups consistent with the genetic classification of INDICA/INDICA-like and JAPONICA populations. Overall, we find that the productivity of plants grown under elevated [CO2 ] was more sensitive (negative response) to high temperature stress compared with that of plants grown under ambient [CO2 ] across this diversity panel. We report differential response to CO2 × temperature interaction for INDICA/INDICA-like and JAPONICA rice accessions and find preliminary evidence for the beneficial introduction of exotic alleles into cultivated rice genomic background. Overall, these results support the idea of using wild or currently unadapted gene pools in rice to enhance breeding efforts to secure future climate change adaptation.
Democracy and Happiness: A True Correlation?

Democracy has exploded in the 20th and 21st centuries, and while many assume that this would increase happiness, recently there has been evidence presented by critics that prove otherwise. Thus, one must ask the question, does democracy truly cause happiness? Literature suggests this is indeed the case, and through qualitative and comparative analysis it has been demonstrated that democracy does indeed cause happiness, but only if civil liberties are respected by their government. This was done by examining the arguments made by the critics of democracy and happiness. These arguments often focus on fledgling, illiberal democracies, instead of strong, established liberal democracies. These critics additionally use non-democracies who are economically powerful and stable to prove their point, instead of providing a more full view of non-democracies. These results are often cherry-picked, and it is clear that more democratic nations are happier on average than non-democracies. Additionally, in order to increase the happiness of liberal democracies, tenants such as direct democracy can help a country struggling to find happiness for its citizens. That way, democracy can provide the happiness through choice as it was intended to.
The effect of rearing condition on dominance and emotionality in rats

Group-raised Ss were compared to socially isolated Ss on measures of dominance (weight gain during food competition) and emotionality (open-field test). Group-reared Ss were less emotional than isolated Ss. Although the group-reared Ss were dominant on the early trials, difference between groups faded over the 12 days of testing.
Economic and optimal dispatching of power microgrid with renweable energy resources based on stochastic optimization

This paper proposes a stochastic optimization model considering the volatility of wind power and photovoltaic power in microgrid. The model optimizes the economic operation of a microgrid as well as minimizes the flow deviation at the point of common coupling(PCC) from scheduled values. First, the Latin hypercube sampling(LHS) and simultaneous backward reduction(SBR) technique are introduced to describe the stochastic nature of wind power and photovoltaic power. Then the random characteristic is introduced into the objective function of the stochastic model which is solved based on the genetic algorithm(GA). Simulation results demonstrate its rationality and effectiveness for day-ahead scheduling of a microgrid.
Generalized diffraction tomography

In this paper,the methodology of generalized diffraction tomography is presented in detail.The generalized diffraction tomography is a process of backpropagation plus deconvolution filtering using the resolving kernel in the scattering tomography in the local wavenumber domain.We use forward scattering renormalized Green′s function in the model and the forward modeling is based on the De Wolf approximation.Through numerical tests of data sets generated using both the Born approximation and the finite-difference simulations of scalar wave for low frequencies using background velocity model of v(z)media,the blind areas in the spectra domain are partially filled in with multi-frequency spectra and the qualities of the local spectra are considerably improved in both coverage and uniformity in the local wavenumber domain.Numerical tests demonstrate the capability of generalized diffraction tomography,it can recover the long wavelength components of velocity perturbations of up to 23% with respect to the background velocity in a simple square box model,and it can also reconstruct the Marmousi velocity model with low wavenumber component very well comparing the multi-scale representation ofthe exact Marmousi velocity model with those of the reconstruction results generated using different background velocity models.
Investigation on benzenes using in enterprises of Baoan District of Shenzhen City from 2006-2011

[Objective]To understand the benzenes using and health status of exposed workers in enterprises of Baoan District of Shenzhen City,and provide scientific evidence for control of acute and chronic occupational poisoning. [Methods]The occupational hazards monitoring data and health examination data from the occupational health service place in Baoan District of Shenzhen City from 2006-2011 were collected for statistical analysis of benzene series harm,damage characteristics and health status of benzene exposed workers. [Results] Benzene series were used in 61.5% enterprises.The industries with high proportion use of benzene series were electronics(29.3%) for electron,hardware(23.1%),furniture(21.3%) and printing(20.1%).Analysis showed that high level of benzene series exposure existed in the posts of oil injection,printing,painting,sticking and cleaning.A total of 146 624 workers received health examination,1 045 were detected occupational contraindication,and 35 with diagnosed occupational diseases. [Conclusion]Benzene series using exists in electron,hardware and other industries.Supervision and monitoring of benzene series,poisoning prevention and health surveillance of exposed workers should be enhanced.
Large scale research data archiving: Training for an inconvenient technology

Abstract At small scales, storage is straightforward to afford and to use, but at large scales – from several Terabytes (TB) to many Petabytes (PB) and soon Exabytes (EB) – tradeoffs must be made between cost and convenience, and training for use of such resources needs to take such inconveniences into account. A large scale, long term (over 10 year) institutional research data storage archive is described, focusing on both hardware and software. The technology choices give rise to inconveniences, which in turn not only lead to a crucial requirement for training on the proper use of the archive, but also inform the specifics of that training, as does each individual use case.
State Education Agencies and the Implementation of New Teacher Evaluation Systems

It has been three years since Race to the Top grant-winning states piloted new teacher evaluation systems and many of them have made considerable progress, yet according to media coverage and a Government Accountability Office report published in April 2015, struggles remain and most grantees have asked to extend the timetables for completing this work. Given the enormous importance and complexity of these reforms — and the fact that states vary widely in the timing, approach, and success of their implementation work — this is an excellent opportunity to assess the progress that has been made and identify where challenges persist. It is imperative that states learn from one another during this implementation stage, and this brief from Patrick McGuinn (Drew University) serves to facilitate the discussion by highlighting what is and is not working in the Race to the Top states.
Metformin Suppresses Diabetes-Accelerated Atherosclerosis via the Inhibition of Drp1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission.

Metformin is a widely used antidiabetic drug that exerts cardiovascular protective effects in patients with diabetes. How metformin protects against diabetes-related cardiovascular diseases remains poorly understood. Here, we show that metformin abated the progression of diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis by inhibiting mitochondrial fission in endothelial cells. Metformin treatments markedly reduced mitochondrial fragmentation, mitigated mitochondrial-derived superoxide release, improved endothelial-dependent vasodilation, inhibited vascular inflammation, and suppressed atherosclerotic lesions in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic ApoE−/− mice. In high glucose–exposed endothelial cells, metformin treatment and adenoviral overexpression of constitutively active AMPK downregulated mitochondrial superoxide, lowered levels of dynamin-related protein (Drp1) and its translocation into mitochondria, and prevented mitochondrial fragmentation. In contrast, AMPK-α2 deficiency abolished the effects of metformin on Drp1 expression, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis in diabetic ApoE−/−/AMPK-α2−/− mice, indicating that metformin exerts an antiatherosclerotic action in vivo via the AMPK-mediated blockage of Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission. Consistently, mitochondrial division inhibitor 1, a potent and selective Drp1 inhibitor, reduced mitochondrial fragmentation, attenuated oxidative stress, ameliorated endothelial dysfunction, inhibited inflammation, and suppressed atherosclerosis in diabetic mice. These findings show that metformin attenuated the development of atherosclerosis by reducing Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission in an AMPK-dependent manner. Suppression of mitochondrial fission may be a therapeutic approach for treating macrovascular complications in patients with diabetes.
The Democracy Aid Calculus: Regimes, Political Opponents, and the Allocation of US Democracy Assistance, 1981–2009

ABSTRACTTo encourage the spread of democracy throughout the developing world, the United States provides targeted aid to governments, political parties, and other non-governmental groups and organizations. This study examines the calculations behind the allocation of democracy assistance, with special attention to the role of regime conditions and policy compatibility in the provision of aid. We argue that both concerns—the opportunity for successful democratization and critical goals related to containing and countering political opponents—are central to democracy aid allocations. We theorize how these two concerns determine the amount of aid allocated, operationalizing these concepts using measures of the original democracy level, change in the democracy level, and policy compatibility. We find support for our argument in tests of US democracy aid allocations by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1981–2009.