cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new approach to the small accelerator vacuum system

The incorporation of a titanium bulk sublimator in combination with a getter ion pump in a small accelerator vacuum system is shown to provide major advantages in pumping performance, reduction of the tritium hazard, and improvement in system reliability. A mode of operation is suggested for the sublimator which can greatly increase sublimator lifetime. Typical operating data for the vacuum system of a 300 kilovolt accelerator equipped with a sublimatorlion pump combination are presented. A proposal for the adaptation of a comparable vacuum system to a standard 150 kilovolt accelerator is made. Conclusion A combination of a titanium bulk sublimator (TBS) and a getter-ion pump has been applied to the vacuum system of a 300 kilovolt accelerator used for the production of neutrons and offers the following advantages: (1) Routine pumpdown from atmosphere to 10−7 torr in 1 hour. (2) A variable pumping speed of from several litres/sec to over 17,000 litres/sec depending upon pumping requirements for H2, O2, N2, CO and H2O. (3) It is estimated that a 400 gram loading in a TBS should last for 3½ years in a 300 kilovolt machine and over 10 years in a 150 kilovolt vacuum system. (4) System is completely sealed and provides for controlled venting for tritium absorbed during rough pumping. (5) Tritium released from the target is permanently buried in the walls of the sublimator as titanium tritide thus reducing substantially the hazard associated with pump maintenance. Operation of the titanium sublimator in the region where the deuterium gas leak into the vacuum system matches the diffusion of deuterium into the titanium substrate can signifi- cantly extend the life of the TBS. Use of this design criteria should prove extremely valuable when applied to high current low voltage accelerators that use highly loaded tritium targets.
Ownership Structure, Investment, and Liquidity Constraints: Evidence from German Manufacturing Firms

This paper presents evidence supporting the theory that informational and incentive problems in the capital markets affect firm investment. This hypothesis is tested by estimating investment equations for two groups of German manufacturing firms. The first group of firms are those with bank ownership, suggesting lower costs to banks of obtaining information and better access to capital for the firm. The second group contains independent firms, which are expected to face greater costs of external financing. Sensitivity to liquidity constraints is found to be greater for the independent firms. Findings also indicate divergence between groups in investment sensitivity over time.
Injuries at play.

The problem of toy-related injuries is a complicated one. The authors detail specific hazards related to toys, playgrounds, skateboards, and baby walkers. Guidelines are provided for toy suitability for children of all ages.
Dual probe microPET imaging of rodent pancreas

88 Objectives In-vivo PET imaging of pancreatic beta cell mass (BCM) in humans has been problematic. Using human CT, anatomical delineation of the human pancreas is possible, but in rodent CT studies it is difficult. In our pursuit to measure dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) in rodent pancreas in-vivo, we report the use of 11C-methionine as an anatomical marker of pancreas to assist in the detection of β-cell mass using 18F-fallypride, a specific D2R ligand, to image β-cells in a rat model. Methods Using Inveon MicroPET/CT, in-vivo studies were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were anesthetized using 2.5-4% isoflurane and positioned in the scanner. 18F-Fallypride was administered i.v. (0.8-1.0 mCi) and the rats were imaged for 2-3hrs. In some cases ex-vivo scans of pancreas and brains were also carried out. For the dual-probe PET studies, rats were first administered 11C-methionine (0.8-1.0 mCi) and imaged for 90 mins and subsequently, 18F-fallypride (0.8-1.0 mCi) was administered. PET data was analyzed using ASIPRO and PMOD. Results In-vitro and ex-vivo 18F-fallypride binding studies show that co-administration of haloperidol or depletion of β-cells by STZ decreases pancreatic 18F-fallypride activity. In-vivo 18F-fallypride showed significant uptake in the liver, gall bladder and GI making visualization of pancreas difficult. Following 11C-methionine, pancreas were clearly identifiable consistent with reported findings in humans. Quantification of 18F-fallypride activity in the same region of interest is consistent with pancreas having approx. 0.01 to 0.05% injected dose (4 hrs pi). The degree of 18F-fallypride activity in the exocrine versus endocrine regions remains to be determined. Conclusions 11C-Methionine serves as an excellent anatomical marker for the pancreas in rodents and can be used to identify location of pancreas for purpose of assessing BCM using 18F-fallypride and other radiotracers. Research Support NIH RC1 DK08735
Serologic Responses to Split and Whole Swine Influenza Virus Vaccines in Light of the Next Influenza Pandemic

dent Gerald Ford's emergency action to thwart wlhat appeared to constitute a threat of pandemic influenza. The events of the succeeding months have increasingly diminished the fear of pandemic spread and now justify thle belief tliat swine influenza at Fort Dix was a zoonosis that "just didn't make tile grade in man." The epidemic at Fort Dix, while unusual for swine influernza virus, appeared to result from the conditions of the human population (crowding and stress) and not from thle virus itself, which bore all the discernible attributes of a virus of swine.
Uncertainty Analysis of Integrated Thermal Protection System with Rigid Insulation Bars

Integrated thermal protection systems (ITPS) are multi-functional structures that combine the functions of conventional TPS (heat shields) and load bearing structural panels of a hypersonic vehicle. Because of its complex design, an ITPS panel could fail due to multiple failure modes. This paper focuses on uncertainty characterization and uncertainty in failure prediction of an ITPS. Monte Carlo simulation is one of the ways to predict uncertainty in failure. Previous work suggests that the Separable Monte Carlo method (SMC) would efficiently handle multiple failure modes in predicting probability of failure. SMC takes advantage of statistical independence of limit state random variables of the response and capacity to provide an accurate estimate. In this paper the ITPS is analyzed under thermal load (heat flux) which is one of the critical loads during reentry of hypersonic vehicles. The ITPS geometry parameters are initially optimized deterministically for minimum mass. Under thermal loads an ITPS could fail due to excessive face sheet temperature, stresses, or buckling. Hence, the face sheet temperature, stresses and buckling loads are used as constraints. These constraints are also the response parameters in the uncertainty propagation and probability of failure estimation. With the optimized design, uncertainty propagation in the responses due to input uncertainties is studied. The probabilities of failure due to uncertainty such as variability in geometric dimensions, material properties and load, and error in modeling and simulation are predicted for the different failure modes. Bootstrapping method is employed to evaluate the error in the probabilities of failure.
Influence of Water Deprivation on Water Consumption, Growth, and Carcass Characteristics of Ducks

Two-week-old White Pekin ducks were granted access to water either 4, 6, 8, 16, or 24 hr per day for a period of 4 weeks. The effects of water deprivation on water consumption, growth parameters, and carcass traits were determined. Compared to all other treatments, ducks allowed access to water for 4 hr per day had significantly lower (P less than .05) water intake, body weight, and feed consumption. Increasing water access time to either 6, 8, or 16 hr per day significantly increased (P less than .05) water consumption. Further significant increases in water consumption were not found when ducks were granted access to water for 24 hr per day. Prediction equations are presented for estimating daily intake of water for each treatment. There were no significant differences in final body weight or total feed consumption among ducks on the 6, 8, and 16 hr treatments. Overall feed conversion did not differ significantly among the treatments. No distinct relationship between length of water deprivation and yield of breast meat were observed. The advantages and disadvantages of limiting commercial ducks access to water for 8 hr per day in order to reduce water consumption are discussed.
Management of Urban Parking Lot Energy Efficiency with the Application of Wind Turbine and LED lights

A study of a parking lot lighting of a large manufacturing company in Iowa was implemented to evaluate monthly energy consumption. Mercury light bulbs with 227W ratings on the light poles were replaced with low power energy efficient LEDs to increase the overall efficiency. Additionally, a small scale wind turbine was installed to supply power to experimental light poles. Migration from the current gas bulbs to the LED light results yielded about 60% energy savings, while capital gains due to the generation of wind energy returned about 80% savings per month which recovered initial investments on the assets. The environmental impact of this study cannot be neglected and it also provided opportunity for STEM education in colleges and wind energy awareness in the society in Iowa by showing benefits from current experiments. Details of the methods and analyses should be particularly useful to urban planners because they show how standard references on investment in automobile parking should be modified to include efficient energy management. The authors proposed new way to limit the cost of energy consumptions and environmental pollution on wildlife and human health. Research implications are discussed in terms of the impact of natural features in urban areas for reduction of green house gas emissions and promoting alternative energy sources.
Regional accents affect speech intelligibility in a multitalker environment.

The current understanding of listener sensitivity to regional accents comes from examination of speech processing in quiet and in noise. This study had two aims: 1) to examine the intelligibility of regional accents in a multitalker environment, and 2) to explore a methodological question of whether systematic regional features can be detected in the productions of only one representative talker or whether several talkers are necessary to provide the suitable sample. Two American English dialects, General American English and Southern American English, were systematically varied both in the target speech and in the masking babble at three sound-tonoise ratios. The results showed that regional accents did influence listeners’ performance in a multitalker environment. Intelligibility was hampered when the target and the masker shared common dialect features or when listeners’ heard their own dialect in the masking babble. Southern American was a more intelligible variety than General American, which can be attributable to a set of specific acoustic phonetic features. The study found that systematic regional features can be reliably detected in the production of only one representative talker.
Macroscopic rheological behavior of suspensions of soft solid particles in yield stress fluids

Abstract In this study, we present a homogenization model for the macroscopic rheological behavior of non-colloidal suspensions of initially spherical, viscoelastic particles in yield stress fluids, which are subjected to uniform flow conditions. The constitutive behavior of the suspending fluid is characterized by the Herschel–Bulkley (HB) model, and the particles are assumed to be neutrally buoyant solids characterized by the finite-strain Kelvin–Voigt viscoelastic model. We make use of the “linear comparison composite” variational technique of Ponte Castaneda (1991) to approximate the instantaneous response of the suspensions of viscoelastic particles in the HB fluid by that of a fictitious suspension consisting of the same particles distributed identically in a Newtonian fluid with a suitably-chosen viscosity. The response of the latter suspension is then estimated by the homogenization model recently developed by Avazmohammadi and Ponte Castaneda (2015), which, when combined with appropriate evolution laws for the relevant microstructural variables, provides a complete characterization of the time-dependent response of the actual suspensions. With the objective of illustrating the key features of our model, we consider the particular case of suspensions of elastic particles in HB fluids under shear flow conditions. The results provide a broad picture of the influence of the HB fluid and particle constitutive properties, as well as of the particle volume fraction on the effective time-dependent and steady-state behaviors of the suspensions. For the special case of non-deformable particles, our model predicts that the suspensions behave like HB fluids with modified properties, consistent with the results of Chateau et al. (2008).
Rat kidney band 3 mRNA modulation in chronic respiratory acidosis

Recent evidence indicates the existence of a protein related to the erythroid chloride-bicarbonate exchanger (band 3 protein) in the basolateral aspect of type A intercalated cells of the distal nephron. To probe the possible participation of this transporter in the renal adaptation to chronic hypercapnia, we examined the steady-state abundance of band 3 mRNA in the kidney during respiratory acidosis of variable duration. Total RNA was isolated from renal cortex and medulla of rats maintained in a 10% CO2 atmosphere for 2 or 5 days and from contemporaneous controls. The RNA was analyzed by Northern blot assay using cDNA probes for band 3 and beta-actin genes. Using a 3' cDNA probe encoding the membrane-associated domain of band 3 protein that is involved in anion exchange, we found a two- to threefold increase in steady-state mRNA levels (whether or not correction for the beta-actin signals was applied) in renal cortex and medulla at 5 days of hypercapnia. Similar, but less definitive, increases were obse...
Watermark-based authentication and decentralized recovery techniques for multimedia content preservation

The information age has brought unprecedented benefits to society, but at the same time, it has brought enormous technical challenges. The preservation of online digital content is one such formidable challenge. Preservation refers to safeguarding and providing continual access to document contents in their authentic original form, and document authentication procedures are an essential aid in ensuring preservation. Recently several commercial forums and government consortiums have been established to identify requirements for the preservation of online digital contents and the establishment of related standards. Most of the existing research efforts related to online content preservation have been aimed at preserving textual documents. Such techniques when applied to multimedia contents (video, image, audio) fail to address the issues peculiar to multimedia. Moreover, these efforts assume a managed networked environment where a consortium of trusted publishers or users collaborate together to preserve and authenticate the originality of a document. This dissertation investigates the design and development of a preservation system that specifically caters to the needs and structure of multimedia data. It exploits the perceptual nature of multimedia content, and proposes an authentication scheme that is based on watermarking the contents using content-based signatures. The major contributions of this dissertation include: (i) an efficient hashing based procedure to generate signatures that capture local and global document information, (ii) multiple Compensated Signature Embedding (CSE) schemes to robustly embed the signatures in the media as a watermark, such that perturbations introduced in the media due to embedding are compensated, and (iii) a highly scalable decentralized recovery procedure to recover the tampered/corrupted media. While technically a highly challenging endeavor, the proposed preservation system alleviates the explicit need for a third party authentication agent. For CSE schemes, both iterative and closed-form solutions have been devised. The iterative schemes employ set theoretic approach of Projections Onto Convex Sets (POCS) and additive compensation, and the closed-form scheme incorporates the Lagrange-multiplier based optimization. The proposed data recovery procedure exploits embedded signature information to identify the corrupted or tampered portions of the media and polls its peers in the network to recover the media, reflecting its applicability to preservation of multimedia contents in decentralized P2P networks.
Balancing theory and practicality: engaging non-ethicists in ethical decision making related to radiological protection

This paper discusses an approach for engaging radiation protection professionals in the ethical aspects of decision-making, with discussion on how this approach fits in with the existing system of radiological protection. It explores finding common ground between ethical and scientific theory, how to present relevant moral theory in accessible language, and provides a practical framework for dealing with real-world problems. Although establishing the ethical theory behind the system of radiological protection is an important ongoing endeavour within the community, it is equally important to communicate this information in a way that is useful to non-ethicists. Discussion of both ethical theory and a useful strategy for applying the theory makes ethics more accessible to those working in the field by providing them with the knowledge and confidence to apply ethical principles in decisions and practice.
Cardiac Causes of Acute and Chronic Limb Ischemia

Acute limb ischemia occurs from an abrupt interruption of blood flow to an extremity, usually because of embolic or thrombotic vascular occlusion. It can also result from trauma and dissection. With an embolic occlusion, a cardiac origin is the source of emboli in 80–90 % of cases, usually in the setting of atrial fibrillation/flutter or acute myocardial infarction (O’Connell and Quinones-Baldrich, Semin Vasc Surg. 22(1):10–16, 2009). The presence of rheumatic or prosthetic cardiac valves, endocarditis, and cardiac tumors (such as left atrial myxoma) is also associated with increased risk of embolic events. Furthermore, paradoxical embolism of venous thrombi through an intra-atrial communication (such as an atrial septal defect (ASD) or patent foramen ovale (PFO)), or less commonly an intraventricular communication, is also encountered in some patients. Hence, this chapter discusses cardiac causes of limb ischemia including dissection.
SOURCES AND MECHANISM OF CATALASE ACTIVITY IN THE CATALASE TEST FOR ABNORMAL MILK

Catalase scores of fat and cell-free milk were 25 ± 9% of the total catalase scores of whole milk. Relatively more free catalase was present in mastitic than in normal milk. Addition of H2O2 caused death and disintegration of leucocytes and addition of surfactants increased the rate of death of leucocytes and rate of O2 release from H2O2. Disruption of milk leucocytes by insonation released catalase without appreciable loss of activity. From these results it was concluded that, in the catalase test the H2O2 caused death and disintegration of leucocytes, thus liberating catalase which released O2 from H2O2. Enzyme activity of beef liver catalase was greater in the presence of heat-labile whey proteins of milk than in buffer. Presence of more than 2 × 105/ml of high catalase producing bacteria in milk contributed significantly to the catalase score of the sample.
Making Molecular Imaging a Clinical Tool for Precision Oncology: A Review.

Importance Individualized cancer treatment, tailored to a particular patient and the tumor’s biological features (precision oncology), requires a detailed knowledge of tumor biology. Biological characterization is typically performed on biopsy material, but this approach can present challenges for widespread and/or heterogeneous disease and for performing serial assays to infer changes in response to therapy. Molecular imaging is a complementary approach that provides noninvasive and quantitative measures of the in vivo biology of the full disease burden and is well suited to serial assay. Observations Molecular imaging can provide unique information to guide precision oncology that includes measuring the regional expression of therapeutic targets, measuring drug pharmacokinetics, measuring therapy pharmacodynamics, and providing a marker of therapeutic efficacy that is highly indicative of outcome. Thus far, most trials of novel molecular imaging in oncology have been small, single-center trials. Only a few methods have progressed to multicenter trials and even fewer have become part of clinical practice. Conclusions and Relevance Molecular imaging holds great promise for precision oncology, complementing tissue-based markers to guide more effective, less toxic, and more cost-effective cancer treatments. Beyond logistical and technical challenges, moving new imaging tests from the laboratory to the clinic requires a compelling use case that will benefit patients and/or improve cost-effectiveness, and it requires the collaboration of imagers, oncologists, and industry to reach its true clinical potential.
Hydrophobic Nanoparticles Modify the Thermal Release Behavior of Liposomes

Understanding the effect of embedded nanoparticles on the characteristics and behavior of lipid bilayers is critical to the development of lipid–nanoparticle assemblies (LNAs) for biomedical applications. In this work we investigate the effect of hydrophobic nanoparticle size and concentration on liposomal thermal release behavior. Decorated LNAs (D-LNAs) were formed by embedding 2 nm (GNP2) and 4 nm (GNP4) dodecanethiol-capped gold nanoparticles into DPPC liposomes at lipid to nanoparticle ratios (L:N) of 25,000:1, 10,000:1, and 5,000:1. D-LNA structure was investigated by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, and lipid bilayer permeability and phase behavior were investigated based on the leakage of a model drug, carboxyfluorescein, and by differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The presence of bilayer nanoparticles caused changes in the lipid bilayer release and phase behavior compared to pure lipid controls at very low nanoparticle to bilayer volume fractions (0.3%–4.6%). Arrhenius plot...
Six Steps to Effective Leadership

This note presents a six-step model of leadership effectiveness: (1) clarifying who you are (personal values and mission), (2) clarifying what you want (strategic vision), (3) clarifying what others can contribute (participative leadership), (4) supporting others so they can contribute (organizational redesign), (5) relentlessness, and (6) monitoring and celebrating progress.
Alternative approaches to mixed conifer forest restoration: partitioning the competitive neighborhood

Forest restoration efforts in the intermountain west of North America generally seek to promote the continuation of pine dominance, enhance wildlife habitat, and decrease hazardous fuels, thereby mitigating catastrophic losses from various stressors and disturbances. We propose a method of focal tree release thinning that partitions the competitive neighborhood to provide alternative approaches to managers. Specifically, we sought to examine how competition index (CI) derived harvest simulations alter forest structure, composition, and variability, and evaluate the ecological implications and efficacy of achieving management recommendations. We used a tree inventory collected across 38 experimental plots in the mixed conifer forest of the Sierra Nevada and simulated post-harvest structure using common silvicultural prescriptions to the ownership and cover type. We calculated competition values for all trees using 10 CIs and simulated harvests from two defined integrals of each corresponding probability density function to compare with the standard marking scenario, for a total of 21 harvest simulations. We assessed post-harvest structure through tree density and diameter distributions, basal area by species, and a structural diversity index. Post-harvest conditions exhibited differences in levels of structural diversity and species dominance; however we did not detect any influence on tree density across diameter classes. Most simulations resulted in a decline of non-pine species basal area relative to the default, while only 3 thinning scenarios showed concomitant increases in pine. Every simulation resulted in greater variance of structural diversity than the default marking guidelines. Review of this method highlighted the variability in tree ranked competitive status across indices. We emphasize that no harvest simulation by CI was clearly superior in all aspects of achieving desired objectives, and there was no clear benefit to incorporating inter-tree distances to calculate CI. We consistently observed favorable outcomes in harvest simulations derived from an open-grown crown width parameter which averts the need for tree distance measurements. This approach can be tailored across multiple individual plots, each maintaining unique competitive environments that reflect local tree neighborhoods.
Hormonal Management of Small Bowel Failure.

Guarantor of the article: Robert Carroll, MD. Specific author contributions: Literature review and writing of the manuscript: Kumkum S. Patel; editing and finalizing the manuscript: Robert Carroll. Financial support: None. Potential competing interests: None.
Visual intelligence education as an innovative interdisciplinary approach for advancing communication and collaboration skills in nursing practice

Abstract Background Recognizing the relationship of keen observation to communication, critical thinking, and leadership in evidence-based literature, educators have expanded the use of art museums to augment visual intelligence skills. The purpose of this pilot intervention was to evaluate an innovative, interdisciplinary approach for integrating visual intelligence skills into an advanced communications and collaboration course. Method Collaborating with museum educators, the intervention for doctoral students was conducted at the National Gallery of Art. The aims were to explore and evaluate observation skills, use of intentional language in communication, impact of visual intelligence on perception, and role of visual intelligence with empathy. Results Descriptive and nonparametric statistics highlighted significant differences in pre- to post-assessment scores related to the expansiveness of intentional visual observation, alternate views, perception and empathy, suggesting that visual intelligence training's impact can be identified and evaluated. Conclusion Healthcare providers' ability to communicate effectively, including observing, listening, explaining, and empathizing, significantly impacts healthcare outcomes and patient perceptions of satisfaction. All educators have access to a variety of two-dimensional art and the opportunity to implement interdisciplinary learning experiences to enhance visual intelligence. The intervention was considered a successful new learning modality for advanced communications skills and was integrated into the curriculum.
Vision Digitised Automotive Industry 2030

New framework conditions and the opportunities offered by digitisation are now encouraging new competitors from other sectors to push aggressively into the automotive market. For the established automotive companies, it is therefore vital to address the necessary changes with a comprehensive digitisation strategy and roadmap. The starting point is an analysis of the future expectations of the market and the customers, as well as a brief assessment of the current strategies of selected manufacturers. This will be compared with a vision of how the automotive industry could develop and how it could look in 2030 with the implementation of digitisation initiatives. Electric cars, autonomous driving in flexible mobility options and also Connected Services in the complete alignment between vehicles and smartphones are discussed as well as a completely changed customer experience in sales and service and the efficiency enhancement of business processes through automation, for example, in development, production and administration.
Non-Ohmic dissipative regime in the superconducting transition of polycrystalline Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O x

We have measured the low-field magnetoresistance and current-voltage characteristics of polycrystalline ${\mathrm{Y}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ near the superconducting-normal transition. The development of a fully superconducting state occurs via an intermediate phase about 2 K in width. Within this intermediate phase, sample dissipation is highly non-Ohmic and exhibits extreme sensitivity to small magnetic fields. The nonlinear I-V characteristics describe a new phase with zero resistance and zero critical current which seems to arise from the presence of strong junction disorder.
Further studies on mitochondrial propionyl carboxylase.

SUMMARY Propionyl carboxylase from bovine liver mitochondria has been further purified by the use of diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)- cellulose ion exchange chromatography. 2 Report by Dr. S. Ochoa at the Symposium on Metabolic Re- actions Involving Biotin, 137th meeting of the American Chemical Society, Cleveland, 1960. Methybnalonyl-CoA-3-W decarboxylated’ m~moles 0 0 1 2 27 28 8 8 19 17 %t 0 4 83 24 55 * Following incubation, acidified aliquots of the reaction mix- ture were plated and counted acaording to the procedure used for the Cl402 fixation assay (4). The residual radioactivity was con- verted to mpmoles by dividing by the specific activity of methyl- malonyl-CoA-3-W. t Average of duplicates. TABLE VI Effect of arsenate on carboxylation oj propionyl-CoA The reaction mixture contained (in rmoles) : Tris, pH 8.5, 100; propionyl-CoA, 1; ATP and MgC12, 4; GSH, 5; KHW03, 15; and ammonium sulfate-purified carboxylase, 0.05 mg. NazHAs04 added as indicated. Final volume, 1.5 ml. Incubated 20 min- utes at 37”.
An Investigation of Religion and Spirituality of Sexual Minorities in the United States: Exploring Perceptions, Intrinsic Religiosity, and Outness to Religious Communities

ABSTRACTWe investigated how sexual minority participants in the United States (N = 217; M age = 36.36 years) viewed organized religion and their relationships with a higher power. In addition, we examined the associations between levels of outness in religious communities, internalized heterosexism (IH), intrinsic religiosity, and depression. Open-ended responses revealed that views of organized religion fell into three categories—negative (57.9%), positive (9.1%), and ambivalent (33%)—and participants reported a variety of relationships to a higher power—existing relationship (61.5%), no relationship (19%), fractured relationship (4.6%), and some who felt unsure (10.8%). Participants with greater outness to a religious community reported less IH and higher intrinsic religiosity. Also, outness to a religious community moderated the association between IH and depression, such that there was not a significant association between IH and depression for individuals with low levels of outness. However, at avera...
Congenital complete absence of tracheal rings with trifurcate carina: Case report of a rare clinical and endoscopic presentation.

Abstract We describe the case of a child with isolated absence of cartilaginous tracheal rings and a trifurcate carina. At 6 months of age, the patient presented to our multidisciplinary airway clinic with stridor and recurrent severe respiratory infections requiring hospitalization. Radiographs showed airway narrowing. Exam demonstrated biphasic stridor. Flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy demonstrated only mild laryngomalacia. Operative bronchoscopy demonstrated severe tracheomalacia with absence of any visible tracheal rings and a trifurcate carina. Subsequent CT imaging corroborated these findings and did not demonstrate any other major abnormality. The patient did not require operative intervention and his subsequent course was uncomplicated.
Noninvasive diagnostic test in breast cancer; utopia or option with serum proteomics?

21118 Background: With a lifetime risk currently estimated 1 in 9, breast cancer is among the most common diagnosed malignancies. Proteomic expression profiling generated by mass spectrometry has b...
Pain relief by supraspinal gabapentin requires descending noradrenergic inhibitory controls.

Author(s): Juarez-Salinas, Dina L; Braz, Joao M; Hamel, Katherine A; Basbaum, Allan I | Abstract: Introduction:Gabapentin regulates pain processing by direct action on primary afferent nociceptors and dorsal horn nociresponsive neurons. Through an action at supraspinal levels, gabapentin also engages descending noradrenergic inhibitory controls that indirectly regulate spinal cord pain processing. Although direct injection of gabapentin into the anterior cingulate cortex provides pain relief independent of descending inhibitory controls, it remains unclear whether that effect is representative of what occurs when gabapentin interacts at multiple brain loci, eg, after intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection. Methods:We administered gabapentin i.c.v. in a mouse model of chemotherapy (paclitaxel)-induced neuropathic pain. To distinguish spinal from supraspinally processed features of the pain experience, we examined mechanical hypersensitivity and assessed relief of pain aversiveness using an analgesia-induced conditioned place preference paradigm. Results:Paclitaxel-treated mice showed a preference for a 100-μg i.c.v. gabapentin-paired chamber that was accompanied by reduced mechanical allodynia, indicative of concurrent engagement of descending controls. As expected, the same dose in uninjured mice did not induce place preference, demonstrating that gabapentin, unlike morphine, is not inherently rewarding. Furthermore, a lower dose of supraspinal gabapentin (30 μg), which did not reverse mechanical allodynia, did not induce conditioned place preference. Finally, concurrent injections of i.c.v. gabapentin (100 μg) and intrathecal yohimbine, an α2-receptor antagonist, blocked preference for the gabapentin-paired chamber. Conclusion:We conclude that pain relief, namely a reduction of pain aversiveness, induced by supraspinal gabapentin administered by an i.c.v. route is secondary to its activation of descending noradrenergic inhibitory controls that block transmission of the "pain" message from the spinal cord to the brain.
Secular Stagnation and Income Distribution Dynamics

This paper contributes to the literature on secular stagnation by estimating a measure of potential output growth for the post-war US economy derived from a novel model specification that allows fo...
Admission NarxCare Narcotics Scores are not Associated With Adverse Surgical Outcomes or Self-reported Patient Satisfaction Following Elective Spine Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study OBJECTIVE.: The aim of this study was to investigate how elective spine surgery patient preoperative opioid use (as determined by admission NarxCare narcotics use scores) correlated with 30-day perioperative outcomes and postoperative patient satisfaction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The effect of preoperative narcotics usage on postoperative outcomes and patient satisfaction following spine surgery has been of question. The NarxCare platform analyzes the patients' state Physician Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) records to assign numerical scores that approximate a patient's overall opioid drug usage. METHODS Elective spine surgery cases performed at a single institution between October 2017 and March 2018 were evaluated. NarxCare narcotics use scores at the time of admission were assessed. Patient characteristics, as well as 30-day adverse events, readmissions, reoperations, and mortality, were abstracted from the medical record. Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey data were also abstracted when available.Cases were binned based on the following ranges of admission NarxCare scores: 0, 1 to 99, 100 to 299, 300 to 499, and 500+. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to compare the odds of having an adverse events, readmission, reoperation, and mortality between the different narcotics groups. One-way analysis of variance analyses were performed to compare HCAHPS survey response rates and HCAHPS survey results between the different narcotics score groups. RESULTS In total, 346 patients met criteria for inclusion in the study (NarxScore 0: n = 74, 1-99: n = 58, 300-499: n = 117, and 500+: n = 21). Multivariate logistic regressions did not detect statistically significant differential odds of experiencing adverse events, readmission, reoperation, or mortality between the different groups of admissions narcotics scores. Analyses of variance did not detect statistically significant differences in HCAHPS survey response rates, total HCAHPS scores, or HCAHP subgroup scores between the different narcotics score groups. CONCLUSION Although there are many reasons to address preoperative patient narcotic utilization, the present study did not detect perioperative outcome differences or patient satisfaction based on the narcotic use scores as stratified here. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Exploring the gel phase of cationic glycylalanylglycine in ethanol/water. I. Rheology and microscopy studies

Abstract Hypothesis The cationic tripeptide glycylalanylglycine (GAG) self-assembles into long, thick crystalline fibrils in an ethanol/water solution. At sufficiently high concentrations, the fibrils form a volume spanning hydrogel network. We report an extensive rheology and microscopy-based study regarding the self-assembly of GAG in ethanol/water solutions to understand the conditions for fibril formation as well as the thermal stability for future developments of this material. Experiments By systematically varying GAG concentration and ethanol fraction, we observe a two-dimensional fibril aggregate phase diagram. Microscopy studies shed light on the shape and size of fibrils as well as the macroscopic packing depending on conditions. The kinetics and evolution of the macroscopic fibril microstructure was investigated using rheology. Findings The mechanism of fibril formation is put into the context of a solubility framework, where ethanol reduces peptide solubility and induces self-assembly. The rate of fibril formation and strength of the gel can be controlled by peptide concentration and ethanol fraction. The faster rate of fibril formation leads to inhomogeneous packing of fibrils denoted by discrete dense fibril clusters. The solubility of the fibrils can be manipulated by temperature making the gel thermo-switchable, a property of interest for biomedical systems.
Así son los cubanos: narratives of race and ancestry

This paper will focus on the ways in which conceptualizations of race are (re)produced through Cuban genealogical narratives in Western Cuba. Ethnographic interviews collected among eleven Cubans i...
Anonymous Prediction of Mental Illness in Social Media

The early detection of many forms of mental illnesses that people are struggling with (e.g. Psychosis) can result in better chances for successful treatment. Unfortunately, symptoms of such illnesses are not easy to be discovered and that makes the diagnosis difficult. Some people are not even aware that they are suffering from illnesses such as psychosis. In this work we are proposing a method to predict if someone potentially is dealing with psychosis and help with its detection through posts and texts one would leave on social media. We have examined our model with real-world samples from patients' posts on social media and used experts' opinion to verify our findings. Our method can be potentially used for other mental illnesses that have similar patterns.
Effects of COVID-19 on Food Security, Safety and the Supply Chain

COVID-19 has heightened all factors leading to food insecurity globally. Currently, governments and food charity organizations are working to alleviate the outbreak’s adverse effects on food security. To combat the heightened food insecurity, the focus needs to be on safely reopening workplaces for the purpose of increasing household incomes, expanding the food supply distribution network, and providing food for children who typically receive subsidized lunches at school. Concern for food safety has risen during the pandemic due to the hypothesis that the disease stems from a similar strain of coronavirus found in bats. Regulating safe food is difficult due to stay-at-home orders but is more important now than ever. Production, accessibility, and sustainability are taken more seriously because of COVID-19 to ensure there is enough food available while keeping society healthy and safe. COVID-19’s effects on the food supply chain vary drastically within developed and developing countries. Overall, in more developed countries, the food supply chain remained resilient to delays, understaffing, and demand switches thanks to increased automation within the supply chain and innovations within the “consumer” stage. Due to the dependence on labor-intensive methods in developing countries, the supply chain has been detrimentally affected at all levels. Through different integrations of technology, developing countries will rely less on labor and be better prepared to withstand similar situations in the future. This paper reports the results of the research done to investigate various ways in which community and government assistance can counteract the effects of COVID-19 on food.
Using Price Regulation Instead of Competition to Reduce Prices after Patents Expire

In limiting the patent term to twenty years, Congress sought to use competition to make patented products available to the public at low prices once inventors have reaped the fruits of the exclusivity provided by the patent grant. But competition has in practice proven an unreliable method of achieving low prices for off-patent products. Patentholders reap supra-competitive profits, and consumers pay supra-competitive prices, long after expiration of the patent term. That is because, as antitrust scholars recognized decades ago, the primary effect of competition is not to drive down prices but to stimulate innovation. Congress should stop relying on competition alone to drive down off-patent prices and instead give the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office authority directly to set the prices of off-patent products equal to marginal cost.
Intraspecific variation stabilizes classic predator-prey dynamics

ABSTRACT In 1920, Alfred J. Lotka found that, to his “considerable surprise”, the dynamics of a simple predatorprey model he had devised led “to undamped, and hence indefinitely continued, oscillations” 1,2— which he thought epitomized the “rhythm of Nature” dear to the Victorians. In 1926, the same model was proposed independently by mathematician Vito Volterra 3,4, who was inspired by the work of his son-in-law, fish biologist Umberto D’Ancona 5. For over a century, the equations that now bear their names have served as a template for the development of sophisticated models for population dynamics 6–10. Coexistence in this classic predator-prey model is fragile—stochasticity or temporal variability in parameter values result in extinctions. The dynamics can be stabilized by intraspecific competition or other forms of self-regulation, but the prevalence of these processes in large food webs has been questioned 11,12. Here we show that when we consider populations characterized by intraspecific variability, dynamics are stable—despite the absence of any direct self-regulation. Our results can be generalized further, defining a new class of consumer-resource models 8,13. By accounting for intraspecific variation, which is manifest in all biological populations, we obtain dynamics that differ qualitatively and quantitatively from those found for homogeneous populations—challenging a central assumption of many ecological models.
Not Quite a Civilian, Not Quite a Soldier: How Five Words Could Subject Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to Military Jurisdiction

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/naalj Part of the Administrative Law Commons, Conflicts of Law Commons, Courts Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Government Contracts Commons, Jurisdiction Commons, Law and Society Commons, Legal History, Theory and Process Commons, Legislation Commons, Military, War and Peace Commons, National Security Commons, and the Politics Commons
Nuclear Matrix Proteins Distinguish Normal Diploid Osteoblasts from Osteosarcoma Cells

Interrelationships between nuclear architecture and gene expression were examined by comparing the representation of nuclear matrix proteins in ROS 17/2.8 rat and MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells with those in normal diploid osteoblasts. The tumor-derived cells coexpress genes which are expressed in a sequential and mutually exclusive manner during the progressive stages of osteoblast differentiation. In osteosarcoma cells two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis indicates a composite representation of nuclear matrix proteins characteristic of both the proliferative and postproliferative periods of osteoblast phenotype development. In addition, nuclear matrix proteins unique to the tumor cells and the absence of nuclear matrix proteins found only in normal diploid osteoblasts are observed. Tumor-specific nuclear matrix proteins include those expressed in a proliferation-dependent and independent manner. There is a parallel relationship between nuclear matrix proteins and the expression of cell growth and tissue-specific genes during osteoblast differentiation and in osteosarcoma cells where the developmental sequence of gene expression has been abrogated. Nuclear matrix proteins therefore provide markers reflecting defined periods of bone cell differentiation and phenotypic characteristics of an osteosarcoma.
Private and Social Returns to Education

Investment in human capital generates significant private returns. Why do governments use public funds to subsidize an investment that has significant private benefits? In this paper, I explore the theoretical rationales for public intervention in education, with a particular focus on human capital externalities. I also describe the existing empirical evidence on the relevance of each of these rationales.
Polynome und trigonometrische Polynome

Setzt man cosϑ = x, dann sind $${T_n}\left( x \right) = \cos n\vartheta ,{U_n}\left( x \right) = \frac{1}{{n + 1}}{T'_{n + 1}}\left( x \right) = \frac{{\sin \left( {n + 1} \right)\vartheta }}{{\sin \vartheta }},n = 0,1,2,...$$ Polynome n ten Grades von x (Tschebyscheffsche Polynome), und zwar ist der hochste Koeffizient von T n (x) gleich 2n−1, der von U n (x) gleich 2 n , n = 1,2,3,... .
Die level CDM testing duplicates assembly operation failures

Field induced charged device model (FCDM) testing on individual dice has shown that die sort operations can cause electrostatic discharge (ESD) failures. CDM pulses as low as 100 volts to the back side of a die duplicated production failures. Static generated by the separation of dice from the wafer saw mounting film was found to be the underlying cause.