cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unconventional oil and gas extraction and animal health

The extraction of hydrocarbons from shale formations using horizontal drilling with high volume hydraulic fracturing (unconventional shale gas and tight oil extraction), while derived from methods that have been used for decades, is a relatively new innovation that was introduced first in the United States and has more recently spread worldwide. Although this has led to the availability of new sources of fossil fuels for domestic consumption and export, important issues have been raised concerning the safety of the process relative to public health, animal health, and our food supply. Because of the multiple toxicants used and generated, and because of the complexity of the drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and completion processes including associated infrastructure such as pipelines, compressor stations and processing plants, impacts on the health of humans and animals are difficult to assess definitively. We discuss here findings concerning the safety of unconventional oil and gas extraction from the perspectives of public health, veterinary medicine, and food safety.
Satisficing Learning Dynamics in the Stag Hunt

Satisficing game theory is an alternative to traditional game theory that allows players' utilities to be conditioned upon the preferences of others. This construction, however, requires that players have accurate information about each other's preferences. We discuss a learning mechanism for satisficing players to estimate other's preferences through repeated interactions. We apply this mechanism to the Stag Hunt game, and show that under most circumstances, players can indeed learn players' preferences sufficiently to make correct decisions.
Disordered eating, menstrual irregularity, and musculoskeletal injury in high school athletes: a comparison of oral contraceptive pill users and nonusers.

Background:The female athlete triad is the interrelatedness of energy availability, menstrual function, and bone density. Currently, limited information about triad components and their relationshi...
Approaching quantum-limited cw anti-Stokes conversion cavity-enhanced Raman-resonant four-wave mixing

Building on previous efficient Raman downconversion achievements, we show that the upconversion efficiency from a continuous-wave pump beam into a single anti-Stokes order can approach the fundamental quantum limit through severe cavity enhancement of Raman-resonant four-wave mixing.
FORTY YEARS LATER: WHAT HAVE WE ACCOMPLISHED?

. I examine the responses to John Caiazza's “Athens, Jerusalem, and the Arrival of Techno-Secularism” as part of Zygon's forty-year anniversary symposium. The responses reveal that issues of modernism and postmodernism are central to understanding the dynamic of the current science-religion/theology dialogue and that the resistance of many of the participants to the influences of postmodernism is a sign not of its backwardness but rather of some of the weaknesses inherent in the postmodern project. This does not mean that the many insights of postmodernism should be rejected. Rather, the science-religion/theology dialogue may be in an intellectually opportune place to construct successors to the worn label of postmodernism.
Improvement and evaluation

Two related papers1 ,2 in this issue of BMJ Quality & Safety provide interesting insights into the difficulties of evaluating improvement activities, and also illustrate why improvement is so hard. In a carefully crafted set of controlled, interrupted time series experiments, the authors examined the effectiveness in the operating theatre of two popular improvement interventions: standardised procedures and teamwork training. The primary outcomes in both were process measures: the theatre teams’ non-technical skills performance, and the count of ‘glitches’—omissions, interruptions or other untoward events that disrupted flow and had potential to affect safety or quality. In both experiments, the investigators took care to ensure the interventions were ‘owned’ by the frontline workers, and not imposed from without by managers disconnected with the realities of the workplace (although this also means that higher level support important for sustainability may have been lacking). The papers report insufficient evidence to support improved performance from introducing standard operating procedures, even when those procedures were developed and implemented by the frontline staff themselves.1 However, they also report a partial success, in that, when accompanied by teamwork training, the combination of standard operating procedures and teamwork significantly improved non-technical skills performance.2 Curiously, in the combined experiment, technical performance as measured by ‘glitches’ per hour improved in experimental and control groups. Taken as a whole, the two papers suggest an interaction, or synergism, between the two interventions. Standardisation alone was not effective, but standardisation in conjunction with teamwork training, was (although we cannot be certain whether teamwork alone might have been similarly effective). These two papers make a valuable contribution to the safety and quality literature by showing that the same intervention (standardisation) can be ineffective in one …
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in the Skeletally Immature Patient: Diagnosis and Treatment

Significant intra-articular knee injuries, including tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), are now being recognized more frequently in skeletally immature patients. Previously reported data on ACL tears in this age group are sparse, and studies have been of limited quality. Improvements in diagnostic techniques (e.g., physical examination signs, arthrometric testing, magnetic resonance imaging, and arthroscopy) have facilitated identification of such injuries. Hemarthrosis must be regarded as a herald of a major intra-articular injury. Surgical reconstruction options vary according to the specific diagnosis and the stage of maturity, and the available options for the very skeletally immature patient are limited. Therefore, treatment must be predicated on assessment of maturity, as determined on the basis of chronologic, radiologic, and physiologic criteria. An ACL injury in this age group is not a surgical emergency; therefore, time for discussion with the patient and his or her parents is available, so that all appropriate options can be considered. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 1995;3:146-158
Picosecond-pulsed diode ring laser gyroscope

An external ring cavity containing as its active medium a pair of InGaAsP diodes is modelocked to produce picosecond pulses. In such a laser, a small frequency difference proportional to the nonreciprocal phase shift (resulting from, e.g., the Sagnac effect) can be observed by beating together the counterpropagating laser arms; the device therefore acts as a rotation sensor. In contrast to a conventional (cw) ring laser gyroscope, the pulsed gyroscope can avoid gain competition, thereby enabling the use of homogeneously broadened gain media like semiconductor diodes. Temporal separation of the pulses within the cavity also discriminates against frequency locking of the lasers. The picosecond pulsed diode ring laser gyroscope is reviewed. Both active and passive modelocking are discussed.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Marine and terrestrial herbivores display convergent chemical ecology despite 400 million years of independent evolution

Chemical cues regulate key ecological interactions in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. They are particularly important in terrestrial plant–herbivore interactions, where they mediate both herbivore foraging and plant defense. Although well described for terrestrial interactions, the identity and ecological importance of herbivore foraging cues in marine ecosystems remain unknown. Here we show that the specialist gastropod Elysia tuca hunts its seaweed prey, Halimeda incrassata, by tracking 4-hydroxybenzoic acid to find vegetative prey and the defensive metabolite halimedatetraacetate to find reproductive prey. Foraging cues were predicted to be polar compounds but instead were nonpolar secondary metabolites similar to those used by specialist terrestrial insects. Tracking halimedatetraacetate enables Elysia to increase in abundance by 12- to 18-fold on reproductive Halimeda, despite reproduction in Halimeda being rare and lasting for only ∼36 h. Elysia swarm to reproductive Halimeda where they consume the alga’s gametes, which are resource rich but are chemically defended from most consumers. Elysia sequester functional chloroplasts and halimedatetraacetate from Halimeda to become photosynthetic and chemically defended. Feeding by Elysia suppresses the growth of vegetative Halimeda by ∼50%. Halimeda responds by dropping branches occupied by Elysia, apparently to prevent fungal infection associated with Elysia feeding. Elysia is remarkably similar to some terrestrial insects, not only in its hunting strategy, but also its feeding method, defense tactics, and effects on prey behavior and performance. Such striking parallels indicate that specialist herbivores in marine and terrestrial systems can evolve convergent ecological strategies despite 400 million years of independent evolution in vastly different habitats.
Universal features of personality traits from the observer's perspective: Data from 50 Cultures

To test hypotheses about the universality of personality traits, college students in 50 cultures identified an adult or college-aged man or woman whom they knew well and rated the 11,985 targets using the 3rd-person version of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. Factor analyses within cultures showed that the normative American self-report structure was clearly replicated in most cultures and was recognizable in all. Sex differences replicated earlier self-report results, with the most pronounced differences in Western cultures. Cross-sectional age differences for 3 factors followed the pattern identified in self-reports, with moderate rates of change during college age and slower changes after age 40. With a few exceptions, these data support the hypothesis that features of personality traits are common to all human groups.
Adverse reactions associated with autologous blood transfusion: evaluation and incidence at a large academic hospital.

BACKGROUND: It is acknowledged that autologous blood is the safest for the patient to receive. However, it is generally not appreciated that transfusion reactions to autologous blood may occur, despite the fact that it is the patient's own blood. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective review of all transfusion reactions reported to a hospital transfusion service from 1991 through 1996 was performed, and all reactions to autologous blood were further investigated. RESULTS: Reported adverse reactions to autologous blood composed 2.1 percent of all transfusion reactions investigated in the hospital, involving 0.16 percent (15/9,353) of all transfused preoperatively donated autologous red cell units and 0.027 percent (5/18,506) of all intraoperatively salvaged units. Further investigation revealed that 60 percent (12/20) of these adverse reactions were felt to be clinically important and directly attributable to the autologous blood transfusion. Adverse reactions included febrile nonhemolytic (5) and allergic (4) reactions, an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction secondary to a clerical error (1 intraoperatively salvaged unit), and other nonsignificant adverse reactions (2). Eight adverse reactions were determined these reactions to be unrelated to the autologous transfusion. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that the blood given is the patient's own blood, transfusion reactions to autologous blood do occur. As it is for allogeneic transfusion, any suspected adverse reaction to autologous blood transfusion should be investigated.
Context- and path-sensitive memory leak detection

We present a context- and path-sensitive algorithm for detecting memory leaks in programs with explicit memory management. Our leak detection algorithm is based on an underlying escape analysis: any allocated location in a procedure P that is not deallocated in P and does not escape from P is leaked. We achieve very precise context- and path-sensitivity by expressing our analysis using boolean constraints. In experiments with six large open source projects our analysis produced 510 warnings of which 455 were unique memory leaks, a false positive rate of only 10.8%. A parallel implementation improves performance by over an order of magnitude on large projects; over five million lines of code in the Linux kernel is analyzed in 50 minutes.
Solar Heating of Poultry Houses.3. Design and Testing of Research Facilities

Abstract A research facility is described in which totally enclosed, environmentally controlled research pens are used to study the feasibility of heating poultry houses with solar energy. The solar heating system uses water as the heat transfer medium. Approximately 65 m2 (700 ft2) of roof mounted, double glazed, flat plate collectors are divided into three separate systems, each having 12 collectors. Storage is in three insulated 3,785 liter (1,000 gal) steel tanks, one for each system. Plumbing is arranged to allow interconnection of systems. The delivery system is plumbed to be varied as the brooding system needs change. Data are presented to show collector system performance on two cold days with varying sunshine and fluid movement profiles.
Alveolar hypercapnia augments pulmonary C-fiber responses to chemical stimulants: role of hydrogen ion.

To determine whether the excitabilities of pulmonary C fibers to chemical and mechanical stimuli are altered by CO2-induced acidosis, single-unit pulmonary C-fiber activity was recorded in anesthet...
Storm Track Dynamics

This paper reviews the current state of observational, theoretical, and modeling knowledge of the midlatitude storm tracks of the Northern Hemisphere cool season. Observed storm track structures and variations form the first part of the review. The climatological storm track structure is described, and the seasonal, interannual, and interdecadal storm track variations are discussed. In particular, the observation that the Pacific storm track exhibits a marked minimum during midwinter when the background baroclinicity is strongest, and a new finding that storm tracks exhibit notable variations in their intensity on decadal timescales, are highlighted as challenges that any comprehensive storm track theory or model has to be able to address. Physical processes important to storm track dynamics make up the second part of the review. The roles played by baroclinic processes, linear instability, downstream development, barotropic modulation, and diabatic heating are discussed. Understanding of these processes forms the core of our current theoretical knowledge of storm track dynamics, and provides a context within which both observational and modeling results can be interpreted. The eddy energy budget is presented to show that all of these processes are important in the maintenance of the storm tracks. The final part of the review deals with the ability to model storm tracks. The success as well as remaining problems in idealized storm track modeling, which is based on a linearized dynamical system, are discussed. Perhaps on a more pragmatic side, it is pointed out that while the current generation of atmospheric general circulation models faithfully reproduce the climatological storm track structure, and to a certain extent, the seasonal and ENSO-related interannual variations of storm tracks, in-depth comparisons between observed and modeled storm track variations are still lacking.
A True Transient Hydrodynamic Force Prediction Method on a Descending and Oscillating Buoy

Disconnectable turret-moored Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) or Arctic Floating Drilling (AFD) units may operate in harsh environments for offshore oil and gas production. The turret buoy is designed to be disconnected from the FPSO or AFD to circumvent excessive loads on the mooring system in these harsh environments which could be driven by extreme waves or icebergs. Due to the large descending and oscillating motions after disconnect, the hydrodynamic force on the buoy is of transient nature (i.e. unsteady hydrodynamic force). To confidently predict the buoy motions during the disconnect event, it is necessary to understand and accurately predict the transient effects from the body’s instantaneous position and the water surface on the hydrodynamic force. However, no analytical or numerical methods have been successfully applied by current industry practice that accurately capture the forces on a descending buoy in this this transient phenomenon. In this work, we present a numerical analysis method developed by ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company (URC) to calculate the “true” transient hydrodynamic force on a descending buoy. A transient potential-flow mathematical model is developed in the time-domain through a transient free-surface Green’s Function by applying the instantaneous buoy position and velocity. The hydrodynamic force on the buoy is evaluated using a “fluid impulse” theory, which is computationally efficient. Computational results are presented and compared with model test results to illustrate the performance of the developed numerical approach on predicting the hydrodynamic force on a descending buoy for various disconnect scenarios.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Unexplained exertional dyspnea caused by low ventricular filling pressures: results from clinical invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing

To determine whether low ventricular filling pressures are a clinically relevant etiology of unexplained dyspnea on exertion, a database of 619 consecutive, clinically indicated invasive cardiopulmonary exercise tests (iCPETs) was reviewed to identify patients with low maximum aerobic capacity (Vo2max) due to inadequate peak cardiac output (Qtmax) with normal biventricular ejection fractions and without pulmonary hypertension (impaired: n = 49, Vo2max = 53% predicted [interquartile range (IQR): 47%-64%], Qtmax = 72% predicted [62%-76%]). These were compared to patients with a normal exercise response (normal: n = 28, Vo2max = 86% predicted [84%-97%], Qtmax = 108% predicted [97%-115%]). Before exercise, all patients received up to 2 L of intravenous normal saline to target an upright pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) of ≥5 mmHg. Despite this treatment, biventricular filling pressures at peak exercise were lower in the impaired group than in the normal group (right atrial pressure [RAP]: 6 [IQR: 5-8] vs. 9 [7-10] mmHg, P = 0.004; PCWP: 12 [10-16] vs. 17 [14-19] mmHg, P < 0.001), associated with decreased stroke volume (SV) augmentation with exercise (+13 ± 10 [standard deviation (SD)] vs. +18 ± 10 mL/m(2), P = 0.014). A review of hemodynamic data from 23 patients with low RAP on an initial iCPET who underwent a second iCPET after saline infusion (2.0 ± 0.5 L) demonstrated that 16 of 23 patients responded with increases in Qtmax ([+24% predicted [IQR: 14%-34%]), Vo2max (+10% predicted [7%-12%]), and maximum SV (+26% ± 17% [SD]). These data suggest that inadequate ventricular filling related to low venous pressure is a clinically relevant cause of exercise intolerance.
Simulations of Step Motion During Crystal Evaporation

The rate of decay of a macroscopic sinusoidal grating etched into a clean surface can be predicted from its surface and volume diffusion coefficients and the partial pressure of the material. The microscopic theory of crystal growth and evaporation of Hirth and Pound has produced an expression for the step velocity for a surface in equilibrium with its own vapor, which was used to simulate the decay of a sinusoidal surface. The macroscopic decay rate was determined from the measured surface diffusion coefficient and the equilibrium vapor pressure of the Ni (100) surface. The rate of decay of a model sinusoidal grating surface using the microscopic step velocities was inconsistent with the observable mnacroscopic results. Reasons for this are discussed.
Current evaluation of drugs for treating arthritis.

Current treatment of arthritis involves many old and new drugs, including chloroquines, gold, indomethacin, phenylbutazone, adrenocortical steroids, cyclophosphamide and others. Salicylates, however, remain the chief medication in a program of total management of the arthritis patient. Success with salicylates depends on use of a high-dosage schedule.
Current status and regulatory measures for the ethics committee of drug clinical trial institutions in China

The construction for the ethics committee is still being standardized in China.This paper explored the regulatory measures for the ethics committee of drug clinical trial institutions according to the current status and problems faced by the ethics committee of drug clinical trial institutions in China,and the aim was to gradually regulate the construction and development.
Genome sequences published outside of Standards in Genomic Sciences, December 2011

The purpose of this table is to provide the community with a citable record of publications of ongoing genome sequencing projects that have led to a publication in the scientific literature. While our goal is to make the list complete, there is no guarantee that we may have omitted one or more publications appearing in this time frame. Readers and authors who wish to have publications added to subsequent versions of this list are invited to provide the bibliographic data for such references to the SIGS editorial office.
Beneficial effects of SPM-5185, a cysteine-containing NO donor in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion.

Intravenous administration of SPM-5185 [N-nitratopivaloyl-S-(N'-acetylalanyl)-cysteine ethyl ester], a cysteine-containing nitric oxide (NO) donor, or SPM-5267 [pivaloyl-S-(N'-acetylalanyl)-cysteine ethyl ester], an analogue of SPM-5185 that lacks the NO moiety, was studied in a feline myocardial ischemia-reperfusion model. Administration of SPM-5185 (1 mg/kg), followed by a 2-mg.kg-1.h-1 infusion starting 10 min before reperfusion, resulted in significant protection 4.5 h postreperfusion. In the myocardial ischemia (MI)+SPM-5267 group, 38 +/- 4% of the area at risk was necrotic, whereas the necrotic area/area at risk was only 7 +/- 2% in the MI+SPM-5185 group (P less than 0.01). Moreover, SPM-5185 treatment markedly attenuated the endothelial dysfunction observed in the left anterior descending coronary artery after reperfusion by 50%. These beneficial effects occurred despite the absence of a significant change in myocardial oxygen demand, as measured by the pressure-rate index. In vitro experiments demonstrated that SMP-5185, but not SPM-5267, decreased adherence of neutrophils to the coronary vascular endothelium and decreased production of superoxide radicals. Therefore, a likely mechanism of the observed cardioprotection by SPM-5185 involves attenuation of polymorphonuclear leukocyte-induced endothelial dysfunction.
A new way of thinking about IT project management practices: Early empirical results

ABSTRACTDespite decades of efforts to improve the management of Information Technology (IT) projects, failure rates remain high. This article first reviews literature about information systems success and IT project success. Most of the improvement efforts have focused on advancing variations of the traditional project management paradigm, such as embodied by the Project Management Body of Knowledge. This article describes a new way of thinking about managing IT project called Value-Driven Change Leadership (VDCL), and reports the results of an initial empirical exploration to identify project success factors stemming from VDCL as well as the traditional paradigm. The results are based on data collected from 16 medium-sized IT-intensive projects at eight Chicago-based organizations from six different industries. The results, although not based on a large sample, point to several project management practices associated with project success that stem from both the traditional paradigm as well as VDCL. For e...
Robust goal programming using different robustness echelons via norm-based and ellipsoidal uncertainty sets

Abstract The notion of robust goal programming (RGP) using cardinality-constrained robustness via interval-based uncertainty was first examined over a decade ago. Since then, the RGP methodology has not been widely researched, specifically when considering different uncertainty sets to implement. Within this context, this paper compares interval-based and norm-based uncertainty sets using cardinality-constrained robustness. Strict robustness using ellipsoidal uncertainty sets is also examined in the RGP realm. The aforementioned methods are demonstrated for a simple instance from the literature, and the results are summarized. Conclusions are made regarding the proposed RGP models when likened to a similar RGP model seen in the literature. Further, the suitability of each RGP model is offered when a decision maker's risk preference or computing availability are taken into consideration. Inferences are made regarding the effectiveness of each uncertainty set in the context of solutions that are relatively unaffected by data uncertainty – that is, robust solutions.
Matched Comparison of Flow Diversion and Coiling in Small, Noncomplex Intracranial Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND Flow diversion is typically reserved for large, giant, or morphologically complex aneurysms. Coiling remains a first-line treatment for small, morphologically simple aneurysms. OBJECTIVE To compare coiling and flow diversion in small, uncomplicated intracranial aneurysms (typically amenable to coiling). METHODS Forty patients treated with the pipeline embolization device (PED) for small (<10 mm), morphologically simple aneurysms that would have also been amenable to coiling were identified. These patients were matched in a 1:1 fashion with 40 patients with comparable aneurysms treated with coiling. Matching was based on age, gender, aneurysm size, and aneurysm morphology. RESULTS The 2 groups were comparable with regard to baseline characteristics including age, gender, and aneurysm size. The complication rate did not differ between the 2 groups (2.5% with coiling vs 5% with PED; P = .6). Multivariate analysis did not identify any predictor of complications. Complete occlusion (100%) at follow-up was significantly higher in patients treated with PED (70%) than coiling (47.5%, P = .04). In multivariate analysis, treatment with PED predicted aneurysm obliteration ( P = .04). A significantly higher proportion of coiled patients (32.5%) required retreatment compared with flow diversion (5%, P = .003). In multivariate analysis, coiling predicted retreatment ( P = .006). All patients achieved a favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale: 0-2) regardless of group. CONCLUSION This matched analysis suggests that flow diversion provides higher occlusion rates, lower retreatment rates, and no additional morbidity compared with coiling in small, simple aneurysms amenable to both techniques. These results suggest a potential benefit for flow diversion over coiling even in small, uncomplicated aneurysms.
Emergency Physician Use of Cognitive Strategies to Manage Interruptions.

Study objective The purpose of this study is to examine whether emergency physicians use strategies to manage interruptions during clinical work. Interruption management strategies include immediately engaging the interruption by discontinuing the current task and starting the interruption, continuing the current task while engaging the interruption, rejecting the interruption, or delaying the interruption. Methods An observational time and motion study was conducted in 3 different urban, academic emergency departments with 18 attending emergency physicians. Each physician was observed for 2 hours, and the number of interruptions, source of interruptions, type of task being interrupted, and use of interruption management strategies were documented. Results Participants were interrupted on average of 12.5 times per hour. The majority of interruptions were in person from other staff, including nurses, residents, and other attending physicians. When participants were interrupted, they were often working on their computer. Participants almost always immediately engaged the interruption task (75.4% of the time), followed by multitasking, in which the primary task was continued while the interrupting task was performed (22.2%). Physicians rejected or delayed interruptions less than 2% of the time. Conclusion Our results suggest there is an opportunity to introduce emergency physicians to the use of interruption management strategies as a method of handling the frequent interruptions they are exposed to. Use of these strategies when high-risk primary tasks are performed may reduce the disruptiveness of some interruptions and improve patient safety.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Alpha and Beta Subunit mRNAs: Translatable Levels During Pregnancy and Molecular Cloning of DNA Sequences Complementary to hCG

One of the important functions of the human placenta is to produce peptide hormones during pregnancy. The major ones elaborated by the trophoblast are human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL). The appearance of the hormones in maternal serum during pregnancy is quite different. Whereas hCG peaks in the first trimester, hPL reaches maximal levels near term. Since the levels of these hormones differ during the course of gestation, it is apparent that the factors controlling their synthesis are not the same. Thus the human placenta represents a convenient and unique tissue for studying expression of human hormonal genes during development.
Sensory over-responsivity in trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder).

Abstract Objective This study was an initial investigation of sensory-over responsivity (SOR) to external sensations among individuals with trichotillomania (TTM). Methods Adults endorsing DSM-5 TTM criteria (N = 609) and a non-affected comparison sample (N = 268) completed a self-report survey. Results The majority of the TTM group endorsed SOR symptoms; three-quarters endorsed at least mild tactile and auditory SOR. About 15% endorsed SOR symptoms in the severe to extreme range. TTM participants had significantly higher mean scores in both auditory (t (652.89) = −6.51, p Conclusion This study expands prior work in obsessive-compulsive related disorders by contributing the first data about associations between TTM and over-responsivity to external sensations. Findings collectively suggest SOR may be related to maladaptive emotion regulation processes in TTM. A novel measure of SOR was developed and administered in this study.
Small-Signal Modeling and Stability Analysis of Hybrid AC/DC Microgrids

The deployment of hybrid ac/dc microgrids is a promising alternative for using local distributed energy resources to serve both ac and dc loads. Hybrid ac/dc microgrids, like other types of microgrids, are subjected to dynamic instability when operated in island mode. This paper analyzes the small-signal stability of islanded hybrid ac/dc microgrids and proposes a droop-based control mechanism to coordinate the operation of ac and dc sections. A general approach is presented which uses a linearized state-space model of microgrids for establishing adequate stability margins in hybrid ac/dc microgrid operations. The proposed case studies are conducted to investigate the small-signal behavior of a hybrid ac/dc microgrid based on time-domain simulations and frequency-domain analyses.
Roadmap for Sustainable Digitisation

A comprehensive digitisation roadmap should not be established in isolation, but rather developed as an integral part of a long-term company-wide strategic planning process. Therefore a holistic framework for structuring digital transformation is being proposed, which comprises four focus areas and two cross-cutting themes. For each theme, the necessary steps for implementation are deepened in this chapter. For example, a solution concept for an integration platform as a basis for Connected Services and new digital products is presented, and is also developed for in-house platforms for financial, purchasing and personnel services. Prototype-free development and Industry 4.0 are further focal themes to be addressed in a structured manner.
Implementation of Credit Card Fraud Detection System with Concept Drifts Adaptation

There is a large number of credit card payments take place that is targeted by fraudulent activities. Companies which are responsible for the processing of electronic transactions need to efficiently detect the fraudulent activity to maintain customers’ trust and the continuity of their own business. In this paper, the developed algorithm detects credit card fraud. Prediction of any algorithm is based on certain attribute like customer’s buying behavior, a network of merchants that customer usually deals with, the location of the transaction, amount of transaction, etc. But these attribute changes over time. So, the algorithmic model needs to be updated periodically to reduce this kind of errors. Proposed System provides two solutions for handling concept drift. One is an Active solution and another one is Passive. Active solution refers to triggering mechanisms by explicitly detecting a change in statistics. Passive solution suggests updating the model continuously in order to consider newly added records. The proposed and developed system filters 80% fraudulent transactions and acts as a support system for the society at a large.
Effects of gut-derived endotoxin on anxiety-like and repetitive behaviors in male and female mice

Gut dysbiosis is observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders exhibiting increases in anxiety behavior, and recent work suggests links between gut inflammation and such disorders. One source of this inflammation may be lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toxic component of gram-negative bacteria. Here, we (1) determine whether oral gavage of LPS, as a model of gut-derived endotoxemia, affects anxiety-like and/or repetitive behaviors; (2) test whether these changes depend on TLR4 signaling; and (3) test the extent to which gut-derived endotoxin and TLR4 antagonism affects males and females differently. In experiment 1, male wild-type (WT) and Tlr4−/− mice were tested for locomotor, anxiety-like, and repetitive behaviors in an automated open field test apparatus, 2 h after oral gavage of LPS or saline. In experiment 2, male and female WT mice received an oral gavage of LPS and an injection of one or two TLR4 antagonists that target different TLR4 signaling pathways ((+)-naloxone and LPS derived from R. sphaeroides (LPS-RS)). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify effects of treatment, sex, and genotype and their interaction. In experiment 1, oral gavage of LPS increased anxiety-like behavior in male WT mice but not in Tlr4−/− mice. In experiment 2, oral gavage of LPS increased anxiety-like and decreased repetitive behaviors in WT mice of both sexes. Neither antagonist directly blocked the effects of orally administered LPS. However, treatment with (+)-naloxone, which blocks the TRIF pathway of TLR4, had opposing behavioral effects in males and females (independent of LPS treatment). We also identified sex differences in the expression of interleukin-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, in the gut both in basal conditions and in response to LPS. In spite of the ubiquitous nature of LPS in the gut lumen, this is the first study to demonstrate that intestinally derived LPS can initiate behavioral aspects of the sickness response. While an increased enteric load of LPS increases anxiety-like behavior in both sexes, it likely does so via sex-specific mechanisms. Similarly, TLR4 signaling may promote baseline expression of repetitive behavior differently in males and females. This study lays the groundwork for future interrogations into connections between gut-derived endotoxin and behavioral pathology in males and females.
A FATAL MODE SWITCH

Episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) are observed in patients with dual chamber pacemakers. These events usually involve a pre-programmed switch to an atrial non-tracking mode. Maintaining synchronous atrial and ventricular activation during these mode switch episodes may be essential in some
Uremic Toxin Clearance and Cardiovascular Toxicities

Uremic solutes contribute to cardiovascular disease in renal insufficiency. In this review we describe the clearance of selected uremic solutes, which have been associated with cardiovascular disease. These solutes—indoxyl sulfate (IS), p-cresol sulfate (PCS), phenylacetylglutamine (PAG), trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO), and kynurenine—exemplify different mechanisms of clearance. IS and PCS are protein-bound solutes efficiently cleared by the native kidney through tubular secretion. PAG and TMAO are not protein-bound but are also cleared by the native kidney through tubular secretion, while kynurenine is not normally cleared by the kidney. Increases in the plasma levels of the normally secreted solutes IS, PCS, TMAO, and PAG in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are attributable to a reduction in their renal clearances. Levels of each of these potential toxins are even higher in patients on dialysis than in those with advanced chronic kidney disease, which can be accounted for in part by a low ratio of dialytic to native kidney clearance. The rise in plasma kynurenine in CKD and dialysis patients, by contrast, remains to be explained. Our ability to detect lower levels of the potential uremic cardiovascular toxins with renal replacement therapy may be limited by the intermittency of treatment, by increases in solute production, and by the presence of non-renal clearance. Reduction in the levels of uremic cardiovascular toxins may in the future be achieved more effectively by inhibiting their production.
Quantitative detection of whey cream in sweet cream and butter

A simple and sensitive assay is described that can detect trace amounts of whey cream in sweet cream and in butter made from that cream. The method is based on the detection of sialic acid and involves a color reaction between Ehrlich's reagent and sialic acid. The procedure is faster than other methods for detection of whey. The method could be termed semiquantitative because of the seasonal variability of sialic acid in cow's milk. However, with a calibration curve, the method is quantitative and can easily detect as little as 1% whey cream in sweet cream and in the resulting butter. With 1% whey cream in sweet cream, the purple color indicating the presence of sialic acid is visible to the naked eye.
Foreign Investment, Economic Growth, and Theories of Value: Evidence from Economic History

This chapter advances two propositions: (1) foreign investment is not needed for economic growth; and (2) foreign investment is wrongly thought of as a requirement for growth because of a deep confusion of machines and of financial claims on those machines. I begin by reexamining evidence for the first proposition and then try to explain why this evidence has not altered the view that monetary foreign investment is required for growth.
BCG immunotherapy for recurrent malignant melanoma - A study of delayed hypersensitivity to recall antigens and relationship to prognosis

A study was made of immunologic parameters obtained from patients with stage IIIB malignant melanoma who were treated with BCG. Patients with the longest disease-free interval and survival times were those who had small initial skin test reactions and developed larger reactions during the course of BCG treatment. Of these patients, those with less than five involved nodes had the longest disease-free interval and survival times. Patients who had increases in skin test reactivity generally showed these increases by the first visit after initiation of BCG therapy.
Beyond the backchannel: tweeting patterns after two educational conferences

Mathematics teachers are using Twitter as a backchannel at conferences. Understanding whether teachers are using Twitter differently at traditional conferences like the National Council of ...
Impact of acculturation on depression, perceived stress and self-esteem in young Middle Eastern American adults

Background: Human biologists have a longstanding interest in understanding the biological and health impacts of migration. Acculturation, the cultural adjustment that a group or individual experien...
Analysis of Railway Accidents' Narratives Using Deep Learning

Automatic understanding of domain specific texts in order to extract useful relationships for later use is a non-trivial task. One such relationship would be between railroad accidents' causes and their correspondent descriptions in reports. From 2001 to 2016 rail accidents in the U.S. cost more than $4.6B. Railroads involved in accidents are required to submit an accident report to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). These reports contain a variety of fixed field entries including primary cause of the accidents (a coded variable with 389 values) as well as a narrative field which is a short text description of the accident. Although these narratives provide more information than a fixed field entry, the terminologies used in these reports are not easy to understand by a non-expert reader. Therefore, providing an assisting method to fill in the primary cause from such domain specific texts (narratives) would help to label the accidents with more accuracy. Another important question for transportation safety is whether the reported accident cause is consistent with narrative description. To address these questions, we applied deep learning methods together with powerful word embeddings such as Word2Vec and GloVe to classify accident cause values for the primary cause field using the text in the narratives. The results show that such approaches can both accurately classify accident causes based on report narratives and find important inconsistencies in accident reporting.
Repairing Multiple Failures for Scalar MDS Codes

In distributed storage, erasure codes (like Reed–Solomon Codes) are often employed to provide reliability. In this setting, it is desirable to be able to repair one or more failed nodes while minimizing the repair bandwidth . In this paper, motivated by Reed-Solomon codes, we study the problem of repairing multiple failed nodes in a scalar MDS code. We extend the framework of (Guruswami and Wootters, 2017) to give a framework for constructing repair schemes for multiple failures in general scalar MDS codes in the centralized repair model. We then specialize our framework to Reed–Solomon codes, and also extend and improve upon recent results of (Dau et al. , 2017).
Impact of Clinical, Unit-Specific Guidelines on Dornase Alfa Use in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients Without Cystic Fibrosis:

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of pharmacist-guided, unit-specific dornase alfa utilization guidelines for patients without cystic fibrosis in an academic medical institution. The study reviewed the prescribing patterns in the institution's pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) before and after the implementation of these guidelines. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of the guidelines on the number of dornase alfa doses prescribed in critically ill pediatric patients without cystic fibrosis. We also evaluated the pharmacoeconomic effect of the guidelines and the impact on clinical outcomes in these critically ill patients. Methods: This study was a single-center, retrospective evaluation of the implementation of pharmacist-guided, unit-specific dornase alfa guidelines. The guidelines were piloted on November 1, 2015. Pre-guideline implementation data were collected from February 1, 2015 to October 31, 2015. Post-guideline implementation data were collected from December 1, 2016 to August 31, 2016. We included patients admitted to the PICU and PCICU who had received at least 1 dose of dornase alfa and did not have a medical history or suspicion of cystic fibrosis. Results: During the pre-guideline data collection period, 1067 doses of dornase alfa were administered, and following guideline implementation, 239 doses were administered. The average total admission length of stay for patients admitted to the PICU or PCICU before guideline implementation and after implementation was 16.22 and 13.14 days, respectively (P = .042). Conclusions: The implementation of pharmacist-guided, unit-specific dornase alfa guidelines within the PICU and PCICU resulted in a 77.6% reduction in the use of dornase alfa among these units. The implementation of these guidelines led to a cost reduction of approximately US $87 707.76 over a 9-month period for the health system. During the study, the length of stay for patients admitted to the PICU and PCICU did not increase, indicating that the reduction in use of dornase alfa did not negatively affect the overall hospital length of stay for patients.
Identifying child, parent, and school correlates of stress among parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience a high degree of stress due to child (e.g., age and type of disability) and parent (e.g., self-mastery and optimism) ...
Status Characteristics, Implicit Bias, and the Production of Racial Inequality:

Racial stratification is well documented in many spheres of social life. Much stratification research assumes that implicit or explicit bias on the part of institutional gatekeepers produces dispar...
American Justice at a Crossroads: Opening Remarks

This is an important conference, and you honor us by your presence. The American Constitution begins very elegantly, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,” and then there is set forth a series of goals. Common defense, national security, peace at home, and domestic tranquility are all there, but as each person here knows, the first goal identified is to establish justice. When one reflects on that, it was purposeful because if there is not justice there will be no domestic tranquility, and there would probably be nothing to defend. So to reflect on our justice system, to improve it, to ensure its health, is a very noble undertaking. Conferences such as this are an integral part of that. We come together, mindful of what Hugo Black called our federalism: that there are two systems of justice. And so today, we will be reflecting on the federal system and the state system. How timely it is to reflect on the state system, especially here in California, although we are gathered together from many states, but California at times is a harbinger of things to come in other states. So when we, with a sense of lamentation and loss, see such things as furloughs, court holidays, and courthouse closures, we see that obviously budgetary considerations can very seriously impact the ability of our court system to provide for justice. But we also know, as we gather here under the umbrella of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, that we need to be very smart. Echoed in virtually all if not every single state’s rules of civil procedure, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure number one says this is to provide, or the rules are to be construed so as to provide, for the speedy and efficient resolution of disputes. We have seen at the federal level the Supreme Court of the United States struggling—and somewhat controversially—within bench and bar and others very concerned about issues of access to the justice system and how we do civil justice and be smart about it. Interpretations of Rule 8(a), the federal pleading rule, have been the subject of much litigation, and very controversial decisions