cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Base excess and hematocrit predict response to indomethacin in very low birth weight infants with patent ductus arteriosus

The treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants remains a challenge. The ability to predict which infants will respond to indomethacin could spare some from the risks of unnecessary medications. Our objective was to determine if indicators of acid-base homeostasis could predict response to indomethacin treatment for ductal closure, and thus help guide treatment decisions. We performed a retrospective analysis of medical records of VLBW (< 1500 g) neonates with hemodynamically significant PDA born at our institution between January 2009 and December 2012; all infants included in the study were treated with indomethacin for ductal closure within the first 2 weeks of life. We extracted data for a number of clinical variables including gestational age, birth weight, blood chemistries, surfactant use, hematocrit, and blood gas parameters. Our primary outcome measure was successful closure of PDA following the first round of indomethacin. Using variables that were significant on initial testing, we created multivariable regression models to determine the independent association of selected variables with indomethacin response. Of the 91 infants included in the study, 62 (68%) responded to the first course of indomethacin with successful ductal closure. Multivariable regression modeling revealed that both base excess and hematocrit were independently associated with indomethacin response; odds of PDA closure increased with increasing base excess (OR [odds ratio]: 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36–2.60) and increasing hematocrit (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.01–1.45). The optimal cutoff value for base excess was − 4.56, with a sensitivity of 96.8% (95% CI: 89–100) and specificity of 79.3% (95% CI: 60–92); optimal cutoff value for hematocrit was 40, with 69.4% sensitivity (95% CI: 56–80) and 65.5% specificity (95% CI: 46–82). Base excess and hematocrit may be independent predictors of indomethacin response in VLBW infants with PDA. Low-cost and readily accessible, acid-base indicators such as base excess could help guide treatment decisions.
Classification of tracheal stenosis in children based on computational aerodynamics

Tracheal stenosis is a health condition in which local narrowing of the upper trachea can cause breathing difficulties and increased incidence of infection, among other symptoms. Occurring most commonly due to intubation of infants, tracheal stenosis often requires corrective surgery. It is challenging to determine the most effective surgical strategy for a given patient as current clinical methods used to assess tracheal stenosis are simplistic and subjective, and are not rigorously based on aerodynamic considerations. This paper summarizes a non-invasive approach based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and medical imaging to establish relationships between trachea anatomy and inspiration performance. Though patient-specific CFD analysis has gained recent popularity, an objective of this study is to computationally formulate dimensionless analytical correlations between anatomy and performance that are applicable to any member of a class of patients and that can be interpreted within the context of the Myer-Cotton stenotic airway classification system. These correlations can provide aerodynamics-based insight for the development of more robust stenosis evaluation methods and may allow for time-efficient assessment of corrective surgical strategies.
New Income Comparisons for the late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century

We provide current price GDP comparisons covering 13 Western economies for 1872 and 1910. The current price measures compare income with the prices of the comparison year rather than the fixed recent prices of earlier approaches. Our work fills a gap in the literature since current price GDP comparisons generally do not reach before 1950. As it turns out, the current price results differ from the familiar Maddison projections in constant 1990 prices as they raise relative income for the U.S. and Canada while they lower income for Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.K.
Eating our way through the Anthropocene.

Abstract This paper examines the complex interactions between food systems, diets, and the environment. We discuss the challenges facing the food system as a result of environmental degradation and climate change. We review the state of current diets and their effects on human health outcomes. As we consider paths forward, we examine holistic solutions that align nutrition, health, and environmental goals. Finally, we identify ethical questions relevant to the changing global food system. We consider our moral obligations to other people – both now and in the future – and the planet, and we posit that eating is an ethical act requiring reflection at all scales.
Arboviral Central Nervous System Infections

Arboviruses are transmitted to humans by the bites of infected arthropods, such as mosquitoes and ticks. While most arboviral infections are asymptomatic or result in a non-specific febrile illness, a small proportion cause neuroinvasive disease, presenting most often as meningitis, encephalitis, or myelitis. Some viruses also can cause immune-mediated neurologic complications, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome. Certain viruses and patient characteristics, particularly age and immunosuppression, can lead to greater risk of neuroinvasive disease. The major domestic neurotropic arboviruses are classified in the families Flaviviridae, Peribunyaviridae, and Togaviridae. There are no proven treatments for or licensed vaccines to prevent infections with the domestic arboviruses, and treatment is supportive. Human vaccines are available for a limited number of international neurotropic arboviruses. Prevention of arboviral infection primarily involves using personal protective measures to avoid exposure to the arthropod vectors.
Improving the Trustworthiness/Validity of Interview Data in Qualitative Nonprofit Sector Research: The Formative Influences Timeline:

Historically, bias has been viewed as a problem with qualitative research, in large part because the researcher is often a qualitative study’s primary (or, in some cases, only) research “instrument...
Fabrication and Testing of 18-mm-Period, 0.5-m-Long Nb 3 Sn Superconducting Undulator

The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with FNAL and LBNL, is developing a Nb3Sn superconducting undulator with the goal of installing this device on the APS storage ring and providing APS users with the novel radiation source. A series of short, ∼8-cm-long, 18-mm-period undulator prototype magnets have been designed, fabricated, and tested. The same design was scaled to fabricate a 0.5-m-long undulator prototype. Tests of this prototype showed that the designed peak magnetic field of 1.2 T at 850 A was successfully achieved. It represents at least a 20% improvement in comparison with a NbTi SCU having the same period and magnetic gap. Test results and lessons learned from the design process are reported.
Recruiting and training multilingual family therapists: A content analysis of COAMFTE‐accredited marriage and family therapy program websites

Among U. S. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) communities, language needs and preferences create significant barriers to accessing quality healthcare and contribute to growing physical and mental health disparities. To mitigate these barriers, it is critical to recruit and train a new generation of linguistically diverse providers, including marriage and family therapists (MFTs). This study examined how Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program website content promotes a commitment to recruiting and training multilingual MFTs. The study sample consisted of all currently accredited programs (N = 122) and included coding for the presence or absence of (a) an explicit commitment to multiculturally and linguistically informed training, (b) specialized multilingual training and supports, and (c) multilingual faculty involved in training multilingual students or engaged in related scholarship. Results indicate that a majority of MFT programs are communicating a commitment to multiculturally informed training, but the same is not true of linguistically responsive training.
Bond Premium Cyclicality and Liquidity Traps

Safe asset shortages can expose the economy to liquidity traps. The nature of these traps is determined by the cyclicality of the bond premium. Self-fulfilling liquidity traps are associated with a counter-cyclical bond premium. Small issuances of government debt crowd out private debt and exacerbate these pessimism-driven recessions. In contrast, fundamental liquidity traps arise under a pro-cyclical bond premium and government debt is expansionary. In the data, we find evidence of a counter-cyclical bond premium and a pro-cyclical supply of safe assets. We propose robust policies that prevent the existence of self-fulfilling traps and are expansionary in fundamental traps.
Towards prevention of re-entrant arrhythmias: Injectable hydrogel electrodes enable direct capture of previously inaccessible cardiac tissues

Re–entrant arrhythmias – the leading cause of sudden cardiac death – are caused by diseased and delayed myocardial conduction. Access to the coronary veins that cross the culprit scarred regions where re–entry originates provides improved pacing to prevent ventricular arrhythmias and circumvent the need for painful defibrillation, risky cardiac ablation, or toxic and often ineffective antiarrhythmic medications. To date, this goal has not been achieved due to the lack of pacing electrodes which are small or focal enough to navigate these tributaries. We have developed an injectable conductive hydrogel that can fill the epicardial coronary veins and their mid–myocardial tributaries. When connected to a standard pacing lead, these injected hydrogels can be converted into flexible electrodes that directly pace the previously inaccessible mid–myocardial tissue. In our two–component system, hydrogel precursor solutions can be injected through a dual lumen catheter in a minimally invasive deployment strategy to provide direct access to the diseased regions with relative precision and ease. Mixing of the two solutions upon injection into the vein activates redox–initiated crosslinking of the gel for rapid in situ cure without an external stimulus. An ex vivo porcine model was used to identify the requisite viscosity and cure rate for gel retention and homogeneity. Ionic species added to the hydrogel precursor solutions conferred conductivity above target myocardium values that was retained after implantation. Successful in vivo deployment demonstrated that the hydrogel electrode filled the anterior interventricular vein with extension into the septal (mid–myocardial) venous tributaries, far deeper than current technologies allow. In addition to successful capture and pacing of the porcine heart, analysis of surface ECG tracings revealed a novel pacing paradigm not observed in traditional single–point pacing: capture of extensive swaths of the native conduction system. This is the first report of an injectable electrode used to successfully pace the mid–myocardium and mimic physiologic conduction. As such, this injectable hydrogel electrode can be deployed to any region affected by prior myocardial infarction and consequent scar tissue to provide a reliable pacing modality that most closely resembles native conduction.
19 – PHASE TRANSITIONS

If the criteria of intrinsic stability are not satisfied, the system breaks up into one or more portions or phases, thus exhibiting the phenomena of phase transitions and the existence of critical states and critical points. To illustrate the theoretical aspects of the liquid–vapor or liquid–gas transition in water and other fluids semi-empirical van der Waals equation of state is referred. This equation is an extension of the second equation of state of the ideal gas. It models the behavior of real gases at moderately low temperatures and moderately high pressures. Similar considerations apply to other phase transitions such as the solid–liquid transition, the solid–vapor transition or solid–solid transitions among different crystalline forms of the same substance. A phase transition necessarily entails a change in entropy. The phase rule because of Gibbs connects the number of phases that are possible in any thermodynamic system with the number of components of the system and with the number of thermodynamic variables that characterize it.
PATTERNS OF EPIDERMAL CELL DIVISION. I. GENETIC BEHAVIOR OF THE G1-CELL POPULATION.

Abstract Fig. 2 provides a visual synopsis of the background information and of the main findings in the present report. The concept [5, 6] of separate G1- and G2-epidermal cell populations depicted in Fig. 2 was confirmed and extended. It now appears that G2-population cells can hold up in the G2 period of the cell cycle for as long as 5 days before entering mitosis. Experiments are in progress to determine the maximum length of time these epidermal cells can remain in the G2 phase. The answer to the main question in the present study is illustrated in the lower diagrams of Fig. 2. G1-population epidermal cells are genetically discrete—in the sense that they maintain and propagate the G1-pattern of cell division from one generation to the next. The results in the present study indicate that the epidermis also maintains a continuous supply of G2-population epidermal cells. Their origin and genetic behavior are under investigation. It was also noted that thymidine label remains metabolically available in the blood for a considerable period of time. In one experiment, 14C-thymidine was injected at least 45 min prior to stimulation of DNA synthesis and yet a full complement of appropriate epidermal cells were 14C-labeled. This observation supports several recent views on this question [3, 4, 7]. Finally, it was shown that proliferating epidermal cells do not necessarily leave the basal layer, differentiate and slough off after division [8, 9, 10], but that they are capable of repeated divisions. This was demonstrated by initiating and tracing two successive divisions in the same epidermal cells. The total cell generation time, from one mitosis to the next, can take place within 3 days and the G1 phase of the cycle can be reduced to less than 24 hr.
Effective Group Work with Young People by Westergaard, J.

The author of this fine book, Jane Westergaard, is a Senior Lecturer in Education in the United Kingdom. This book represents her distinguished view of a type of group work that has been shown to b...
Mapping landslide susceptibility in Travis County, Texas, USA.

A geographic information system (GIS) was used to construct a landslide hazard map for Travis County, Texas. The County is experiencing rapid growth, and development has encroached into unstable terrain that is vulnerable to landslides. Four layers of data were superimposed to create the landslide hazard map. Slope was given the most emphasis, followed by geology, vegetation, and proximity to faults. The final map shows areas of low, medium, and high landslide susceptibility. Areas of high susceptibility occupy stream and reservoir banks, rock escarpments, and agricultural land. The landslide hazard map can be a useful geologic criterion for land use planning. Planners can use the map to allocate appropriate land uses to unstable terrain, and to identify existing structures at risk from landslide activity. The methods presented in this paper can be adapted to other counties in the U.S. and elsewhere. Results of this study suggest that geographic information systems can effectively compile and overlay several data layers relevant to landslide hazards.
Deriving calculus with cotriples

We construct a Taylor tower for functors from pointed categories to abelian categories via cotriples associated to cross effect functors. The tower was inspired by Goodwillie's Taylor tower for functors of spaces, and is related to Dold and Puppe's stable derived functors and Mac Lane's Q-construction. We study the layers, D n F = fiber(P n F → P n-1 F), and the limit of the tower. For the latter we determine a condition on the cross effects that guarantees convergence. We define differentials for functors, and establish chain and product rules for them. We conclude by studying exponential functors in this setting and describing their Taylor towers.
Review - The Other Side of Nowhere: Jazz, Improvisation, and Communities in Dialogue

The dynamic musical and intellectual community that convenes each September for the Guelph Jazz Festival and Colloquium is a unique phenomenon – I am hard-pressed to find another example of a jazz festival (in the United States or elsewhere) that places a similarly extreme premium on intellectual and critical examinations of improvised music while in the midst of a full-fledged festival celebrating it. The interweaving of performances, round table discussions, keynote talks, workshops and paper presentations challenges listeners to think imaginatively and critically about the music they are hearing while scholars are encouraged to contextualize their work against the backdrop of the music. The collection of essays contained in this book stems in part from the 1998 installment of the colloquium, which shared its name – “The Other Side of Nowhere.” Apparently unknown to editors Daniel Fischlin and Ajay Heble at the time of the colloquium and in the early stages of this book, “the other side of nowhere” was also used by Sun Ra (on film in the 1980 documentary Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise) to question basic assumptions about ways in which improvisation challenges standard knowledges. In a similar way, Fischlin and Heble believe in the open possibilities empowered through improvisation; for them, the “other side of nowhere” is a “metaphor for the alternative sound-world of improvised music making, and perhaps more notably, for the new kinds of social relationships articulated in a music that, while seeming to come out of nowhere, has profoundly gifted us with the capacity to edge beyond the limits of certainty, predictability, and orthodoxy” (1). The implications of a dialogic social space articulated and empowered through improvisation, hybridity, code-switching, and mobility undermines interpretations of “nowhere” that characterize improvised music as random, meaningless and socially disconnected, as self-indulgent noise-making. Indeed, the risk, if any, of the title of this volume rests within interpretations of “improvisation” and “nowhere” that point to randomness, the lack of musical and social interaction, and more broadly, the separation of art and life, aesthetics and ethics. The complexities of Fischlin’s and Heble’s argument contradict this somewhat common view of improvisation as meaningless and detached:
Fate of commensalistic cultures in identical coupled bioreactors

A comprehensive analysis of static and dynamic behavior of a mixed culture in two identical coupled bioreactors is presented considering anaerobic digestion involving acidogens (X) and methanogens (Y) as the example bioprocess. A single continuous culture may operate at up to seven steady states, including up to four coexistence steady states, with only one coexistence steady state being locally stable. The one-way interaction between X and Y allows for compartmentalization of the system for a stand-alone bioreactor and two coupled bioreactors into two subsystems, which facilitates the analysis of steady state types and stability characteristics of these and classification of dynamic behavior. The bioreactors in the two-reactor system are identical only in terms of feed composition and reactor space time. A two-reactor system may admit up to forty nine steady states, which are comprised of up to forty coexistence steady states, at least at very low interaction rate (R). The static and dynamic analysis of the two-reactor system is facilitated by appropriate grouping of large number of steady states arising for very low R into nine clusters. Numerical illustrations reveal the rich steady state structure of the bioprocess in coupled bioreactors. While a single bioreactor can operate at only one locally stable coexistence steady state, the coupled bioreactors can operate at up to five locally stable coexistence steady states over certain ranges of R. The two-reactor system is operationally more flexible and more robust vis-a-vis single reactor as concerns maintenance of mixed culture. Emergence of four additional steady state clusters and additional coexistence and partial washout steady states at intermediate R reveals that the coupled bioreactors are an example of a complex system.
Cold-pressed peanut oils may contain peanut allergen

1. Kettelhut BV Metcalfe DD. Adverse reactions to foods. In: Middleton E Jr, Reed Ce, Ellis EF, Adkinson NF Jr, Yunginger JW, eds. Allergy: principles and practice. 3rd ed. St. Louis: CV Mosby, 1988:1481-1502. 2. Sampson HA. Food Allergy. J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL 1989;84:1062-7. 3. Chan-Yeung M, Lam S. State of art of occupational asthma. Am Rev Respir Dis 1986;136:686-707. 4. Bates DV, Gotsch AR, Brooks S, Landrigan PJ, Hankinson JL, Merchant JA. Prevention of occupational lung disease, Chest 1992;102(suppl):257S276S. 5. Subcommittee on Occupational Allergy of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology. Guidelines for the diagnosis of occupational asthma. Clin Exp Allergy 1992;22:103-8.
A Central Limit Theorem for the Sum of Generalized Linear and Quadratic Forms

A central limit theorem is established for the sum of stochastically dependent generalized linear and quadratic forms which is often seen in statistical applications. It is shown that a mild correlation type condition is sufficient to ensure that Liapounoff type conditions on the linear and quadratic forms individually will imply asymptotic normality of their sum.
On the chiral riccati equation

Chiral media is characterized by a particular handedness and subsequent coupling between electric and magnetic fields as evidenced by the constitutive equations. Wave propagation in stratified chiral media is examined through an initial-value approach which yields a matrix Riccati equation for the local reflection coefficient, valid for arbitrary angle of incidence. The first reported solution for reflection from an inhomogeneous chiral transition layer is given here.
A Variable-Register-Ratio Watt-Hour Meter

AS is generally recognized, electrical energy is a commodity, the sale of which should be subject to the same economic laws that apply to other commodities. The two most important economic laws which regulate the sale price are (1) the law of diminishing costs, and (2) the law of supply and demand.
Poly(4-vinylpyridine)-nitrating mixture complex (PVP-NM): solid nitrating mixture equivalent for safe and efficient aromatic nitration

Friedel–Crafts type aromatic nitration has served as an indispensable reaction within both industrial and academic applications. However, growing concern over the use of copious amounts of strong acids has prompted the search for more environmentally friendly alternatives. Polymer-bound Bronsted acids, on the other hand, have been shown useful as convenient alternatives to liquid acids. Nitric acid and sulfuric acids have, therefore, been combined, both individually and as a mixture, with poly(4-vinylpyridine). The new solid acid systems have been used to nitrate both activated and deactivated arenes under mild conditions and proved to be effective nitrating agent.
Rice chloroplast DNA molecules are heterogeneous as revealed by DNA sequences of a cluster of genes

We describe the isolation of two rice chloroplast HindIII fragments (9.5 kb and 5.3 kb) each containing a gene cluster coding for the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), beta and epsilon subunits of ATPase (atpB and atpE), tRNAmet (trnM) and tRNAval (trnV). All five genes contained in the 9.5 kb fragment are potentially functional, whereas in the 5.3 kb fragment, rbcL is truncated and atpB is frame-shift mutated. The copy number of the 9.5 kb fragment is 10 times that of the 5.3 kb fragment, indicating that the two fragments are probably located on different chloroplast genomes and represent two different (major and minor) genomic populations. Thus, the rice chloroplast genome appears to be heterogeneous, contrary to general belief. We also describe the isolation of a rice mitochondrial HindIII fragment (6.9 kb) which contains an almost complete transferred copy of this chloroplast gene cluster. In this transferred copy, the coding sequences of rbcL, atpE and trnM contain perfectly normal reading frames, whereas atpB has become grossly defective and trnV is truncated.
Enhanced Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing for Assessment of DNA Methylation at Base Pair Resolution

DNA methylation pattern mapping is heavily studied in normal and diseased tissues. A variety of methods have been established to interrogate the cytosine methylation patterns in cells. Reduced representation of whole genome bisulfite sequencing was developed to detect quantitative base pair resolution cytosine methylation patterns at GC-rich genomic loci. This is accomplished by combining the use of a restriction enzyme followed by bisulfite conversion. Enhanced Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (ERRBS) increases the biologically relevant genomic loci covered and has been used to profile cytosine methylation in DNA from human, mouse and other organisms. ERRBS initiates with restriction enzyme digestion of DNA to generate low molecular weight fragments for use in library preparation. These fragments are subjected to standard library construction for next generation sequencing. Bisulfite conversion of unmethylated cytosines prior to the final amplification step allows for quantitative base resolution of cytosine methylation levels in covered genomic loci. The protocol can be completed within four days. Despite low complexity in the first three bases sequenced, ERRBS libraries yield high quality data when using a designated sequencing control lane. Mapping and bioinformatics analysis is then performed and yields data that can be easily integrated with a variety of genome-wide platforms. ERRBS can utilize small input material quantities making it feasible to process human clinical samples and applicable in a range of research applications. The video produced demonstrates critical steps of the ERRBS protocol.
The relevance of the distributional form of common stock returns to the construction of optimal portfolios

In this paper, we compare the robustness in application of the Gaussian assumption of security return distributions to the robustness of the general stable assumption. Using actual stock return data to simulate the â€œreal world,â€ a stock market is constructed in which stock returns conform to a Gaussian distribution as well as to a stable Pareto-Levy distribution. Using these two sets of stock returns, efficient frontiers are generated under both assumptions of parametric environments. It is shown that the Gaussian assumption, and its incumbent statistical techniques, is preferable to the general stable assumption.
THE INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE: STRATEGIES FOR ACTION IN HIGHLY‐ORDERED CONTEXTS*

Writers in the management literature use one of three general concepts of culture: homogeneous organizational culture, heterogeneous subgroup cultures, and ambiguous cultures. In spite of their differences, each of these conceptualizations focuses attention primarily on the context in which the individual member of an organization acts, and suggests that the latitude for individual action increases as the orderliness of that context decreases. In doing so, the culture literature has underestimated the role of individual actors as active agents in their contexts, regardless of the degree of orderliness prevailing in them. By incorporating a more dynamic perspective of action into the cultural analysis of organizations, this article develops a framework which focuses attention on how individuals not only adhere to, but also depart from even highly-ordered organizational and subgroup cultures. This framework is then used to investigate managerial interactions during a planning meeting in HAPCO (a pseudonym), a Fortune 500 company. Two general conclusions emerge from these analyses. First, the normative force of HAPCO culture suppresses conflict, as well as the discussion of alternative ideas during decision-making meetings. Thus, this particular organizational culture severely limits the range of individual action. Second, even in large, highly-ordered organizations such as HAPCO, culture never completely dominates action because individuals comment critically on their situation. Consequently, individuals possess the capacity not only to adapt to, but also to challenge and depart from cultural rules. Four general types of strategies for individual action are empirically observed and conceptually distinguished.
HEAT TRANSFER IN A SERPENTINE CHANNEL WITH A SERIES OF RIGHT-ANGLE TURNS

Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a serpentine channel with a series of right-angle turns are studied numerically for two-dimensional steady laminar flow with constant properties. Con...
Gold contacts to semiconductor devices

The electronics revolution led by computers and microprocessors is based on the silicon integrated circuit. Gold contacts play a key role in the fabrication of integrated circuits. For microwave devices and integrated circuits made from compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide, gold metallization is used for both ohmic and rectifying contacts.
The CN Stretching Band of Aliphatic Thiocyanate is Sensitive to Solvent Dynamics and Specific Solvation

Infrared absorption spectra in the C⋮N stretching frequency region were collected for methyl thiocyanate, the simplest model aliphatic thiocyanate, in several common solvents to establish the dependence of the C⋮N spectral band of aliphatic thiocyanate on its local solvation environment. Systematic changes in the C⋮N bandwidth indicate that it reports on fast solvation dynamics. Anomalous asymmetry and temperature dependence of the C⋮N band in fluorinated alcohol solvents indicates that these solvents participate in formation of a discrete hydrogen-bonded complex with the C⋮N end of methyl thiocyanate. These observations indicate that the C⋮N band of thiocyanate could be an effective site-specific probe of both specific hydrogen bonding and local dynamics in more complex systems, such as peptides and proteins.
Modeling the combined conduction : Air infiltration through diffusive building envelope

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive study of the thermal performance of the diffusive building envelope. As the infiltration air moves through the building envelope, it exchanges heat with the solid matrix. The temperature profile in the building envelope deviates from that of pure conduction, because of the heat exchange between infiltrated air and solid matrix. Numerical study was carried out to determine the contribution of air infiltration to the heat gain/loss through the diffusive building envelope. The model validation process was carried out at two different levels: inter-model comparison; validation with experimental data. At the inter-model level, the infiltration heat exchange efficiency of a wall was compared with the infiltration heat exchange efficiency predicted by an existing model in the literature. The results show good agreement between two models. The second level of validation compares the model's prediction with the existing experimental data. The results confirm that there are excellent agreement between prediction made by the numerical model and the experimental data. Furthermore, a simplified analytical model was developed to the prediction of the thermal performance of the diffusive building envelope. In the model, the whole wall was divided into ventilated and non-ventilated areas, and the ventilated area was modeled by adopting a uniform velocity distribution. By comparing the results obtained by the validated numerical model and the analytical model, it was shown that the analytical model can accurately predict the performance of a diffusive building envelope.
International multi-unit franchising: an agency theoretic explanation

Abstract In spite of its considerable popularity, multi-unit franchising has been considered an anomaly from an agency theory perspective. This paper addresses this anomaly by attempting a comprehensive agency theoretic explanation of international multi-unit franchising. Although past agency theoretic examinations have mostly focused on single-unit franchising, a closer examination of the international context, which is characterized by significant geographic and cultural distance between franchisors and franchisees, suggests that multi-unit franchising may be more appropriate. This paper examines several agency problems inherent in multi-unit franchising. These include: bonding, adverse selection, information flow, shirking, inefficient risk-bearing, free-riding, and quasi-rent appropriation. Consideration of each of these problems using agency theory perspective leads to the suggestion that multi-unit franchising might address agency problems better than single-unit franchising in the international context.
Reconsidering 'appropriate technology': the effects of operating conditions on the bacterial removal performance of two household drinking-water filter systems

We examined the performance of two household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) systems, the Danvor plastic biosand filter and the Potters for Peace Filtron ceramic filter, under ideal as well as modified operating conditions using systematic and comparable measurements. The operating variables for the biosand filter were (i)?pause times between filtration runs, (ii)?water-dosing volumes and (iii)?the effluent volume at which a filtered water sample was collected. For the ceramic filter we examined overflow filtration versus standard filtration. We used the bacterial indicators of total coliforms and Escherichia coli to quantify microbiological removal. With the biosand filter, a 12?h pause time had significantly higher total coliform removal than a 36?h pause time at the 20?l collection point (79.1% versus 73.7%; p < 0.01) and borderline significance at the 10?l collection point (81.0% versus 78.3%; p = 0.07). High-volume filtration (20?l) had significantly lower total coliform removal efficacy than low-volume (10?l) filtration at the 10?l collection point (81.0% versus 84.2%; p = 0.03). We observed a decreasing trend in total coliform removal by sample collection volume with the highest removal efficacy at the 5?l sample collection point (versus at the 10 and 20?l collection points). Using the ceramic filter, mean total coliform and E. coli removal were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in overflow filtration than in standard filtration. The findings indicate that operating conditions can reduce the effectiveness of the systems in a field-based setting and increase environmental risk exposure.
Endomorphin 1 and 2, endogenous μ-opioid agonists, decrease systemic arterial pressure in the rat

The endogenous opioid peptides, endomorphin 1 and 2, are newly isolated, potent, and selective mu-opioid receptor agonists. In the present study, responses to endomorphin 1 and 2 were investigated in the systemic vascular bed of the rat. Endomorphin 1 and 2 induced dose-related decreases in systemic arterial pressure when injected in doses of 1-30 nmol/kg i.v. In terms of relative vasodepressor activity, endomorphin 1 and 2 were approximately equipotent with each other and with the ORL1 ligand, nociceptin (orphanin FQ), and were about 10-fold more potent than met-enkephalin in decreasing systemic arterial pressure. Vasodepressor responses to endomorphin 1 and 2 and met-enkephalin, but not to nociceptin, were inhibited by the opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone. These results demonstrate that endomorphin 1 and 2 produce significant naloxone-sensitive decreases in systemic arterial pressure.
Angiostoma carettae n. sp. (Nematoda: Angiostomatidae) from the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta (Testudines: Cheloniidae), Florida, U.S.A

Angiostoma carettae n. sp. from the lungs of the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, is described and illustrated. Angiostoma carettae is most similar to Angiostoma onycodactyla and Angiostoma stammeri in that lateral alae are absent, and there are 8 pairs of caudal papillae. Differences are that A. onycodactyla has only postcloacal papillae and that the 5 postcloacal papillae of A. stammeri are arranged differently from the 5 postcloacal papillae of A. carettae, with A. stammeri having 2 papillae near the cloaca and 3 distant, and A. carettae having with 3 papillae near the cloaca and 2 distant.
3D displays and eye movements

Fusional vergence eye movements depend upon the interocular correlations of stimuli viewed on a video "3-D" display. The display was driven by a special computer interface herein described.
Amino acid composition of cytochrome P-450SCC from bovine corpus luteum

Summary The amino acid composition of cytochrome P-450 SCC , purified from bovine corpus luteal mitochondria was determined and expressed on the basis of the molecular weight 48,000, determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. The composition was similar to that reported for P-450 SCC from adrenocortical mitochondria, but different from P-450 11β from bovine adrenal mitochondria, P-450 LM from liver microsomes and P-450 cam from Pseudomonas putida . The molecule is composed of about 400 amino acids, 49% of which are non-polar.
Irish (Republic) versus British (North West) orthopaedic trainees: what are the differences?

Abstract British Trainees have gradually had their working week curtained over the last 8 years. The Republic of Ireland Trainees have not been subjected to the European Working Time Directive prior to 2009 and have therefore worked on average, more hours than their British counterparts. We wanted to see if the differing schemes had an impact on recruiting and training orthopaedic surgeons. We surveyed Republic of Ireland orthopaedic specialist registrars (SpRs) and North West (NW) British SpRs/specialist trainees (ST3 and above) to see if there were any discernable differences in working patterns and subsequent training exposure. A standard proforma was given to Irish Trainees and to NW SpRs/STs at their National or regional teaching (January/February 2009). 62% of Irish and 47% of British NW Trainees responded. Irish trainees were more likely to have obtained a post-graduate degree ( p = 0.03). The Irish worked more hours per week ( p p = 0.003) and more total cases per 6 months than the NW British ( p = 0.003). This study suggests that more hours worked, equals more operative exposure, without detriment to the academic side of training. Obviously it is not possible to say whether fewer operations make for a poorer surgeon, but the evidence suggests that it may be true.
X-ray tube-based phase CT: spectrum polychromatics and imaging performance

Owing to its advantages in differentiating low-atomic materials over the conventional attenuation-based CT, the x-ray refraction-based phase contrast CT implemented with grating interferometer (namely grating-based differential phase contrast CT) has drawn increasing attention recently. Through the Talbot-effect, the phase variation of an object is retrieved and reconstructed to characterize the object's refraction property. The Talbot-effect is wavelength dependent, and a quantitative investigation into the influence of x-ray source spectrum polychromatics on the imaging performance of the grating-based differential phase contrast CT can provide guidelines on its architecture design and performance optimization. In this work, we conduct a computer simulation study of the x-ray grating-based differential phase contrast CT imaging under the condition of both monochromatic and polychromatic x-ray sources. The preliminary data shows that, the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a grating-based differential phase contrast CT with polychromatic source changes little in comparison to that with a monochromatic one. Furthermore, it is shown that the spectrum polychromatics leads to a remarkable improvement in the contrast-to-noise ratio of a grating-based differential phase contrast CT, which implies that a commercially available x-ray tube can be well suited to build a differential phase contrast CT with a grating-based interferometer to image the refractive property of an object.
Propellantless spin-up of tethered or electromagneticallycoupled sparse apertures

Sparse aperture arrays use rotation as a method of filling the u-v plane for interferometric image construction. Tethers and electromagnetic coupling are two methods that have been proposed to hold these arrays of spacecraft in formation without the use of on-board propellant. Tethers and electromagnetic coupling can also be used to tailor the aperture velocity profile and re-target the array without any propellant usage. In the case of the electromagnetic coupling, complete control of all relative degrees of freedom within an array can be achieved. This paper will describe these two methods and demonstrate how they can be used to control the angular momentum of the arrays while deployed. The dynamics of each method are explained with examples to demonstrate performance.
Market power in cap-and-trade auctions: A Monte Carlo approach

Abstract Recent greenhouse gas auctions have resulted in base level prices while remaining significantly concentrated. How do dominant firms receive such a large share of emissions allowances without bidding up the market price? This paper provides a Monte Carlo simulation analysis based on a contemporary regional greenhouse gas market in the United States. It introduces a C # simulation software environment, Oligopsony 1.0 that simulates uniform-price emissions auctions in repeated iterations. The results of these simulations indicate that there can be significant non-linearities between profit and market power as exercised through strategic demand reduction. This analysis finds the optimum point of strategic demand reduction that enables firms to exploit these non-linearities. The use of auctions to distribute tradeable pollution rights to firms in heavily concentrated markets can have significant unintended consequences, as it can exacerbate the problems of market power that exist within those markets.
A note on the secular variation of the geomagnetic field

Abstract Geomagnetic variations with (apparent) periods from 13 to 30 y have been reported by Alldredge (1977) who has argued that the origin of these signals must be found in the core of the Earth rather than outside the Earth. It is shown in this paper that a portion of these geomagnetic variations (perhaps most of the variations) might well be due to geomagnetic signals of much longer period, originating in the core, that appear to have periods of 13–30 y because of an artifact of the data processing. Much of the remainder of these variations could well be of external origin. A method for processing these data is suggested that is superior to Alldredge's method in minimizing the generation of spurious waves by long-period secular variation.
Age-dependent changes in expression of alpha1-adrenergic receptors in rat myocardium

The expression of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors within ventricular myocardium of rats ranging in age from 21 days of fetal life to 24 months after birth was measured from [125I] 2-(beta hydroxy phenyl) ethylaminomethyl tetralone binding isotherms. No difference was observed in binding affinity between any of the age groups studied. The number of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors was found to be 60-120% higher in membranes from fetal or immature rats up to 25 days of age when compared with adult animals. The increased expression of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in the developing heart relative to that observed in adult heart is consistent with the hypothesis that alpha 1-adrenergic receptor stimulation may modulate protein synthesis and growth in mammalian myocardium.
Autoradiographic Localization of [3H]Gentamicin in the Proximal Renal Tubules of Mice

The site of localization of [ 3 H]gentamicin within mouse kidney is shown to be the proximal renal tubule by coincidence of the radioactivity, as visualized by autoradiography, and the mucopolysaccharide-rich microvilli characteristic of proximal convoluted tubules, as visualized by histochemical staining. Images
Stimulus-response characteristics of CO2-induced air hunger in normal subjects

Hypercapnia evokes an uncomfortable sensation, termed 'air hunger'. We examined the relationship between PETCO2 and ratings of air hunger intensity under three conditions in 16 subjects: 1) mechanical ventilation with hyperoxic gas mixtures at fixed frequency and tidal volume (twice resting ventilation), 2) the same mechanical ventilation, but with hypoxic gas mixture, 3) spontaneous breathing with hyperoxic gas mixture. In each case, PETCO2 was varied randomly among several levels, each held for 5 min. During hyperoxic mechanical ventilation, the mean threshold for air hunger sensation was 43 Torr, i.e., 4 Torr above resting PETCO2; intolerable air hunger was evoked by 50 Torr. The threshold and tolerable levels of PETCO2 varied among individuals, but were not well correlated with their ventilatory responses to CO2. Hypoxia (PETO2 60-75 Torr) shifted the PETCO2 at both threshold and tolerance down by only 2 Torr. Breathing greatly reduced the air hunger experienced at any given PETCO2 (threshold increased 5 Torr, and sensitivity decreased 50%).
Elaborate Isolation: Metastructures of Knowledge About Women

This paper examines the category of "Woman" within the metastructure of a system of knowledge organization. We trace the subject scheme used to list books about women in a standard bibliographic guide over the first three-quarters of the twentieth century.Building on the feminist critique of subject representation, our analysis documents how the category was continually constructed over time, providing evidence of multiplication, isolation, and confusion in the process. The outcome is a framework that fails to capture the complex nature of knowledge about women and conceals relationships to the larger body of knowledge. The case of this legacy system exemplifies problems associated with representing the complexity and integration of knowledge and provides a basis for considering the potential residual impacts of current information organization and navigation systems.