cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wheat‐Importing State Trading Enterprises: Impacts on the World Wheat Market

State trading emerged as one of the more contentious issues at the end of the Uruguay Round of negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and US. officials have said that state-trading is an important issue for further negotiation in the mini-round on agriculture scheduled to begin in 1999. The prevalence of state trading by wheat-importing countries is examined, and reasons for reform are explored. This paper investigates two hypotheses: *whether operation of a state trading enterprise is associated with a higher level of protection than with private traders and *whether decisions made by state traders regarding the source of wheat is made on a noncommercial basis. The effective level of protection, net import demand equations and a simple Armington model for U.S. and Canadian wheat exports are estimated to investigate these hypotheses. Behavior is compared across countries who differ in their institutional arrangements for importing wheat. It is also compared over time within countries who have reformed their state trading enterprise to assess whether reform leads to different market behavior. L'intervention directe de 1'Etat dans les echanges commerciaux exterieurs s'est imposee comme une les questions des plus controversees au terme de l' Uruguay Round des negociations du GATT, et des hauts responsables americains ont laisse entendre qu'il faudra s'y attaquer dans la mini-ronde de negociations sur l ‘agriculture qui doivent commencer en 1999. Nous examinons Vimportance du role de I'Etat chez les pays importateors de ble en explorant les raisons justifiant une reforme. Dewr hypotheses sont considerees: *le fonctionnement de l'agence d'Etat est liea un niveau de protection plus eleve qu'il ne l'est avec des interlocuteurs prives et *les decisions prises par l'agence d'Etat au sujet de la source d'approvisionnement de ble s'ap-puient sur des raisons non commerciales. Pour scruter ces hypotheses, nous calculons le niveau effectif de protection, les equations de demande a l'importation nette et un modele Armington simple des exportations de bleetats-uniennes et canadiennes. Nous comparons le comportement de pays differant par leurs structures offcielles d'importation du ble. Nous etudions aussi son evolution dans le temps chez les pays qui ont reforme leur agence centrale de commerce exterieur, afin de voir si ces reformes ont conduit a un comportement d'affaires different.
Fast and slow border traps in MOS devices

Convergent lines of evidence are reviewed which show that near-interfacial oxide traps (border traps) that exchange charge with the Si can strongly affect the performance, radiation response, and long-term reliability of MOS devices. Observable effects of border traps include capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis, enhanced 1/f noise, compensation of trapped holes, and increased thermally stimulated current in MOS capacitors. Effects of faster (switching times between /spl sim/10/sup -6/ s and /spl sim/1 s) and slower (switching times greater than /spl sim/1 s) border traps have been resolved via a dual-transistor technique. In conjunction with studies of MOS electrical response, electron paramagnetic resonance and spin dependent recombination studies suggest that E' defects (trivalent Si centers in SiO/sub 2/ associated with O vacancies) can function as border traps in MOS devices exposed to ionizing radiation or high-field stress. Hydrogen-related centers may also be border traps.
Estimation of thermochemical properties for ceramic oxides: a focus on PbZrO3

Accurate standard-state thermochemical data are necessary for the quantitative modeling of the synthesis of ceramic materials and other natural or industrial processes. In some cases, such data are not available from experimental measurements in the whole temperature range of interest. Therefore, techniques have been established for the prediction of standard-state Gibbs energies, entropies and heat capacities of perovskite-type crystalline solids. These techniques are based on linear relationships between the thermochemical properties of selected families of multicomponent oxides and those of constituent groups or simple oxides. In this way, accurate empirical correlations have been developed. These correlations have been utilized to predict the standard-state properties of lead zirconate, which are not known from experiment at temperatures below 800 K.
Jordanian dentists’ knowledge and implementation of eco‐friendly dental office strategies

Objective To investigate the implementation of eco-friendly dental office strategies by Jordanian dentists. Methods Self-designed questionnaires were provided to 150 dentists working in private dental practices in the city of Amman, the capital of Jordan. Dentists’ names and addresses were obtained from the Jordanian Dental Association. Results Overall, the level of knowledge about eco-friendly dental offices strategies was high for amalgam, radiology, paper waste, infection control and energy and water conservation. In terms of implementation, the majority of Jordanian dentists apply few eco-friendly dental offices strategies. The most frequently identified barriers to implementation of eco-friendly dental offices strategies were cost and lack of incentives from the government. Conclusion Most Jordanian dental practices are not eco-friendly. A continued focus on the impact of dental practices on the environment is needed through formal and continuing dental education. Results of this study can guide policy development to encourage implementation of eco-friendly strategies.
Developing a Research Agenda on Civic Service

This article evaluates the state of research on civic service as presented by the authors of this volume. The article reviews various issues related to the research, including definitions, the purposes of programs, the programs’ sponsors, and the forms and goals of civic service programs and recommends steps needed to develop a research agenda potentially leading to a new field of study.
A Comparison of Pair Versus Solo Programming Under Different Objectives: An Analytical Approach

This study compares the performances of pair development (an approach in which a pair of developers jointly work on the same piece of code), solo development, and mixed development under two separate objectives: effort minimization and time minimization. To this end, we develop analytical models to optimize module-developer assignments in each of these approaches. These models are shown to be strongly NP-hard and solved using a genetic algorithm. The solo and pair development approaches are compared for a variety of problem instances to highlight project characteristics that favor one of the two practices. We also propose a simple criterion that can reliably recommend the appropriate approach for a given problem instance. Typically, for efficient knowledge sharing between developers or for highly connected systems, the pair programming approach is preferable. Also, the pair approach is better at leveraging expertise by pairing experts with less skilled partners. Solo programming is usually desirable if the system is large or the effort needed either to form a pair or to code efficiently in pairs is high. Solo programming is also appropriate for projects with a tight deadline, whereas the reverse is true for projects with a lenient deadline. The mixed approach (i.e., an approach where both the solo and pair practices are used in the same project) is only indicated when the system consists of groups of modules that are sufficiently different from one another.
A Four-Channel Time-Interleaved ADC With Digital Calibration of Interchannel Timing and Memory Errors

An 11-bit 160-MS/s four-channel time-interleaved double-sampled pipelined ADC implemented in a 0.35-μm CMOS process is described. Digital calibration is used to correct mismatch errors between channels as well as the memory errors that arise from the use of double sampling. The signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio is improved from 45 to 62 dB after calibration with an 8.7-MHz input. The spurious-free dynamic range is increased from 47 dB to 79 dB.
Probing new gauge boson couplings via three-body decays

We examine the possibility of using rare, three-body decays of a new neutral gauge boson ${Z}_{2}$ to probe its gauge couplings at hadron colliders. Specifically, we study the decays ${Z}_{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{Wl}\ensuremath{\nu}$ and ${Z}_{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Z\ensuremath{\nu}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ and find that much knowledge of the ${Z}_{2}$ properties can be obtained from these processes. In particular, these decay modes can yield valuable information on the amount of ${Z}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{Z}_{2}$ mixing, on the generation dependence of the ${Z}_{2}$ couplings, and on the properties of the new generator associated with the ${Z}_{2}$, as well as being used to distinguish between possible extended models. Standard model backgrounds to these three-body decays are discussed, and we find that the rate for $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{ZZ}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Z\ensuremath{\nu}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ eclipses that of $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{Z}_{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Z\ensuremath{\nu}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ at hadron supercolliders. The analogous three-body decays into a new, heavy charged gauge boson, ${Z}_{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{W}_{2}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}{l}^{\ensuremath{\mp}}\ensuremath{\nu}$, are also investigated in models where this can occur.
Mathematical and computational approaches can complement experimental studies of host-pathogen interactions

Summary In addition to traditional and novel experimental approaches to study host-pathogen interactions, mathematical and computer modelling have recently been applied to address open questions in this area. These modelling tools not only offer an additional avenue for exploring disease dynamics at multiple biological scales, but also complement and extend knowledge gained via experimental tools. In this review, we outline four examples where modelling has complemented current experi- mental techniques in a way that can or has already pushed our knowledge of host-pathogen dynamics forward. Two of the modelling approaches pre- sented go hand in hand with articles in this issue exploring fluorescence resonance energy transfer and two-photon intravital microscopy. Two others explore virtual or 'insilico' deletion and depletion as well as a new method to understand and guide studies in genetic epidemiology. In each of these examples, the complementary nature of modelling and experiment is discussed. We further note that multi-scale modelling may allow us to integrate information across length (molecular, cellular, tissue, organism, population) and time (e.g. seconds to lifetimes). In sum, when combined, these compatible approaches offer new opportuni- ties for understanding host-pathogen interactions.
Strength vs aerobic training in children with cystic fibrosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Study objective: Exercise has the potential to improve the ability of a patient with cystic fibrosis (CF) to cope with the physical demands of everyday life, and may improve prognosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a home-based, semi-supervised, upper-body strength-training regimen with a similarly structured aerobic training regimen. Design: Data were collected during a 1-year randomized clinical trial. Setting: Counselors conducted in-home visits with the participants once per week for the first 8 weeks followed by monthly visits for the remainder of the study. Patients: Sixty-seven patients with CF, aged 8 to 18 years, participated in the trial. Intervention: Participants in both exercise conditions were encouraged to exercise at least three times per week for 1 year. Each child in the aerobic group was given a stair-stepping machine, and each child in the upper-body strength training group was given an upper-body-only weight-resistance machine. Measures and results: Aerobic fitness, pulmonary function, quality of life, and strength were measured at baseline, at 6 months, and at 12 months. Strength training increased the maximum weight lifted for biceps curls significantly more than aerobic training (p < 0.02). However, this differential did not remain significant after control for increase in height. Both training procedures were associated with increased strength (p < 0.002) and physical work capacity (PWC) [p < 0.033]. Conclusions: We concluded that strength and aerobic training may increase upper-body strength, and that both types of training may increase PWC for children with CF. Future trials should be conducted with no-training control subjects and larger samples to increase statistical power. (CHEST 2004; 126:1204 –1214)
Maximizing Utility of a Deployable Medical Team from an Academic Medical Center to a Disaster

Deployable medical teams from academic medical centers (AMCs) can be a valuable adjunct to military and NGO response to disasters and humanitarian crises. In 2009, Johns Hopkins created and trained a scalable, rapidly deployable team of nearly 200 healthcare workers and staff from many disciplines. In 2010 the team deployed groups to the Haiti earthquake which provided valuable lessons regarding utility and implementation of such a team. Partnerships with established response organizations are key. Flexibility of the team's structure allows rapid response to evolving needs of requesting agencies, prevents institutional disruption, and sustains response. Careful management of team logistics is critical to the health, welfare, and security of the team. Complex human resource issues must be anticipated and addressed. Finally, AMCs must be willing and able to absorb some costs associated with the response, even when deploying with well-funded and highly resourced agencies.
Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase in macrophages by oxidized low-density lipoproteins.

Uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by monocyte/macrophages to form "foam" cells has been implicated in atherogenesis. Activated monocyte/macrophages synthesize nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine. NO is cytotoxic, antiproliferative, and a vasodilator that inhibits platelet and monocyte adhesion. NO synthase mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity were induced in J774.A1 macrophages activated with lipopolysaccharide and gamma interferon. When macrophages were incubated with oxidized LDL for 24 hours and activated, there was a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of NO synthesis, assessed as nitrite accumulation in the media. When activated cells were incubated with nontoxic doses of lipoprotein (25 micrograms/mL), neither native LDL nor acetyl LDL inhibited NO production, whereas oxidized LDL produced 50% inhibition. Levels of enzyme protein were unchanged by Western blot. Inhibition was a function of the degree of oxidation of LDL but was independent of cholesteryl esterification by the cells. Incubations of oxidized LDL with cells that had been pretreated with dextran sulfate or cytochalasin B yielded no evidence that inhibition was dependent on the scavenger receptor or directed endocytosis. Kinetic studies of inducible NO synthase from J774.A1 cells that were incubated with increasing doses of oxidized LDL indicated a pattern of noncompetitive inhibition. Inhibition of the enzyme was produced by lipids extracted from oxidized LDL but not by lipids extracted from native LDL. Because phosphatidylcholine (PC) is converted to lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) during the oxidation of LDL, the effects of LPC were investigated. PC vesicles containing LPC did not inhibit enzyme activity but produced modest reductions in nitrite accumulation from cells. In contrast, PC vesicles had no significant effect. The data indicate that oxidized LDL lipid inhibits the activity of inducible NO synthase in activated macrophages. NO production by this enzyme and its inhibition by oxidized LDL lipid may influence cell-to-cell interactions and vasomotor tone in atherosclerotic blood vessels.
Control of engines with fully variable valvetrains

To improve performance, fuel economy, and emissions of automotive engines, automakers have introduced a number of devices intended to vary a previously fixed engine parameter with operating condition. Such devices include variable cam timing and valve lift, variable compression ratio, intake manifold tuning, etc. Combining these devices in an engine promises improved fuel economy, but raises the issue of scheduling and coordination to achieve the benefit and prevent undesirable failure modes. This paper introduces the problem of controlling a fully variable valvetrain configuration, and shows an algorithm for synchronizing variables that have different rates of response with the goal of preventing potential piston-valve interference in mechanically unprotected engines.
Biological Availability of Phosphorus Sources in Prestarter and Starter Diets for Broiler Chicks

Abstract Two of the most widely used phosphate sources for broiler diets are defluorinated tricalcium phosphate (DFP) and dicalcium phosphate (DCP). Reports in the literature have shown that the biological availability of P in DFP for broilers and laying hens is lower than that in DCP. If this difference in bioavailability is even greater in young chicks, it might preclude the inclusion of DFP in prestarter and possibly starter diets. To address this question, 2 experiments were conducted to compare the P bioavailability of DFP and DCP in young broilers during the prestarter (1 to 8 d) and starter (9 to 15 d) periods. In Experiment 1, the first 3 treatments contained DFP, DCP, or raw rock phosphate, which were added to the diets to meet 0.32% available P (AP). Additionally, in 3 other treatments that served as positive controls, K2 HPO4 was added to meet AP levels of 0.24, 0.32, and 0.40%. No significant difference was observed at 4, 8, and 15 d of age between the foot ash percentage of chickens fed the DFP and DCP diets, indicating that the biological availability of P in DFP was not significantly inferior to that of DCP. In Experiment 2, chick responses to 2 levels of either DFP or DCP, added to meet AP levels of 0.28 and 0.34%, were compared with those of chicks receiving K2 HPO4, which was added to meet 3 AP levels (0.22, 0.28, and 0.34%). Foot ash results at 6 and 15 d of age indicated that the P utilization of chickens fed diets containing DFP was not significantly different to that of chickens fed the DCP diets. The difference in P bioavailability between DFP and DCP at 6 or 15 d of age was not greater than 10%. These results indicate that DFP can be satisfactorily utilized by young chicks during the prestarter and starter period and do not support the view that DFP should be excluded from diets for young chickens.
A Psychiatric Medication Decision Support Guide for Social Work Practice with Pregnant and Postpartum Women

In their work in human services organizations and community agencies across service sectors, social workers encounter pregnant and postpartum women experiencing mental health challenges. This article offers an evidence-informed Decision Support Guide designed for use by social workers working with pregnant and postpartum women who are struggling with complicated decisions about psychiatric medication use. The guide is built on contemporary notions of health literacy and shared decision making and is informed by three areas: (1) research into the lived experiences of pregnant and postpartum women and health care providers around psychiatric medication decision making, (2) a critical review of existing decision aids, and (3) feedback on the strategy from social work practitioners who work with pregnant and postpartum women. Emphasizing the relational nature of social work in supporting effective health-related decision making, the guide relies on maintaining a collaborative practice milieu and using a decision aid that engages clients in discussions about mental health during and around the time of pregnancy. The guide offers social workers a practice tool to support responsive and compassionate care by embracing their roles in problem solving and decision making, providing emotional and psychosocial support, and making appropriate referrals to prescribers.
Tax Reform and the Political Economy of Transition: The Case of Paraguay

AbstractThis paper provides an evaluation of the Paraguayan tax reform law of 1991. In general, it is found that at a strictly statutory level the reform law represents an important advance in Paraguay's public finances. The law simplifies the system while eliminating important sources of inefficiency and distortion. At the same time, however, the reforms to date have not been successful in enabling the state to realize the revenues necessary to cover rising demands for public goods and services. The result has been that government budget deficits have increased in size and frequency. A number of alternative (second-stage) proposals for additional reforms are considered. It is argued that the Paraguayan case holds lessons for other economies undergoing transitions to political and economic openness.
Outcomes of Posterior Wall Fractures of the Acetabulum

Background: The Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (MFA) is a validated, reliable, self-administered questionnaire that is useful for determining functional status. The Merle d'Aubigne score is a clinical measure of hip function. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the outcome information provided by these two instruments after operative treatment of elementary posterior wall fractures of the acetabulum. Methods: Forty-six patients who had been followed for a minimum of two years after operative treatment of an elementary posterior wall fracture of the acetabulum were included in the study. Functional outcomes were assessed with use of the ten individual indices and total score of the MFA, and clinical outcomes were evaluated with use of the Merle d'Aubigne score. The MFA scores were compared with previously reported normative values and with previously reported values for similar patients with hip injuries. The duration of follow-up ranged from two to fourteen years (mean, five years). Results: The mean Merle d'Aubigne score was 17 (standard deviation, 1; range, 14 to 18), indicating overall good-to-excellent clinical results. However, the mean total MFA score was 23.17, which was significantly worse than the normative mean of 9.26 (p < 0.001). All MFA indices except hand/fine motor were similarly significantly worse than expected norms. The mean MFA total score was statistically similar to that reported by others for patients with hip injuries. The emotional category of the MFA score was found to be an important determinant of the total score. The Spearman rho correlation coefficient between the Merle d'Aubigne score and the MFA score was -0.62 (p < 0.001). However, the Merle d'Aubigne score data were asymmetric, demonstrating a ceiling effect (crowding of the scores at the upper end of the scale, limiting the ability of the score to demonstrate differences between patients with supposedly better clinical outcomes). Conclusions: The total MFA scores for patients with a posterior wall fracture of the acetabulum were significantly worse than normative reference values. Thus, complete recovery after a posterior wall fracture of the acetabulum is uncommon, with residual functional deficits involving wide-ranging aspects of everyday living that do not necessarily have an obvious direct connection to hip function. Although the modified Merle d'Aubigne score may be useful for evaluating isolated hip function in patients who have been treated for an acetabular fracture, its shortcomings limit its usefulness as a method for evaluating functional outcome in these patients. Research efforts should be directed toward the identification of the psychosocial and other underlying determinants of functional outcome and potential related treatment interventions.
Online Software Maintenance for Mission-Critical Systems

Online software maintenance (OSM) is performed while an application is running. It requires transforming the runtime state of the application to go along with updates of its software. The goal is to perform maintenance of mission-critical systems while they continue to run. This research presents dynamically evolvable C++ classes as a way to enable OSM. The associated implementation mechanism is called the OSM framework. We provide a high-level view of the OSM framework and then describe different types of object-oriented design transformations that are supported. The accompanying state transformations are described to evolve the live objects along with the software. We have implemented a prototype of the OSM framework; it works with the g++ and the Microsoft C++ compilers. Performance results are presented to assess the memory and processing overheads of the OSM framework. The proposed approach advances the state of the art in two ways: (a) it extends the notion of dynamic evolvability by including fission and fusion and other object-oriented design transformations, and (b) it provides a novel OSM framework that takes advantage of C++ templates
High-resolution spectrum estimation for non-coherent source location using the multi-frequency virtual correlation matrix

We explain how multiple frequencies can be used to extend the capabilities of the spectrum estimation method for high-resolution location of multiple non-coherent point sources. The techniques covered in this paper are MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC), Autoregressive (AR) spectrum estimation and Capon minimum variance spectrum estimation. Our approach uses coarray equivalence to construct a “virtual correlation matrix” with larger size than the correlation matrix that is directly obtainable from the physical array. The larger dimension of the virtual correlation matrix allows for more point sources to be resolved when the spectrum estimation methods are applied. This method will prove to be useful in situations where the number of antenna elements must be limited, but there are many sources.
Managing the Forecast Factory

The CORIE forecast factory consists of a set of data product generation runs that are executed daily on dedicated local resources. The goal is to maximize productivity and resource utilization while still ensuring timely completion of all forecasts. Many existing workflow management systems address low-level workflow specification and execution challenges, but do not directly address the high-level challenges posed by large-scale data product factories. In this paper we discuss several specific challenges to managing the CORIE forecast factory including planning and scheduling, improving data flow, and analyzing log data, and point out their analogs in the "physical" manufacturing world. We present solutions we have implemented to address these challenges, and present experimental results that show the benefits of these solutions.
Brief Amicus Curiae of People for the American Way Foundation in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellees, Hepting v. AT&T Corp., No. 06-17132 (9th Cir. 2007)

Brief amicus curiae in case arguing that legislative history of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act demonstrates that Congress intended that FISA be the exclusive means by which the Executive could conduct electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes.
An online premium? Characteristics and performance of online versus face-to-face students in Principles of Microeconomics

ABSTRACTThe author uses data from two Principles of Microeconomics courses to examine differences in characteristics and performance of online versus face-to-face students. The analysis indicates that even in a traditional institution, the two delivery modes may be serving students with distinctly different backgrounds and characteristics. In terms of performance, students in the online section on average scored higher on assessments given at different points in the semester. The differential remains when accounting for potential selection bias arising from course choice and when using alternate models and measures of performance.
Silicon carbide (SiC) micromechanical self-sustained Oscillator operating in liquid

This digest paper reports on the first experimental demonstration of self-sustained feedback oscillators referenced to silicon carbide (SiC) beam micromechanical resonators operating in liquid, showing greatly enhanced effective quality factors (Qeff) and good frequency stability. With optical excitation, opto-electrical readout and feedback control, a SiC doubly-clamped beam (dimensions: 100×15×0.5μm) is observed to attain self-sustained oscillation at its fundamental flexural mode of ∼345kHz in water with ∼700-fold Q improvement. For the first time, frequency stability is quantified in such an in-liquid feedback oscillator, with τ ∼10−4 in water for even relatively long averaging time (τ>100s). We also demonstrate the capability of the SiC oscillator for in-liquid microsphere sensing and estimate this oscillator has a mass responsivity of ∼17.2Hz/pg. Such SiC micromechanical self-sustained oscillators, together with the appealing mechanical, optical properties of SiC [1], plus its biocompatibility [2] and chemical stability in solutions, open new possibilities for real-time biosensing and in-situ monitoring of cells and molecules in liquid.
Current testing

Summary form only given. It is pointed out that current testing is and will increasingly become attractive as a main technique for testing static CMOS circuits. BIC (built-in current) testing can provide testing qualities achievable with other testing techniques. It is suggested that future testing approaches geared toward high-quality and/or reliability-oriented testing procedures will be formed using a combination of voltage and current testing methodologies. >
The Self-Confidence–Advertising Response Relationship: A Function of Situational Distraction:

The relationship between a receiver's self-confidence and his attitudinal acceptance of a television advertisement was found to be systematically dependent on the level of potential distraction con...
I deserve better and god knows it! Psychological entitlement as a robust predictor of anger at God.

Anger at God has begun to receive empirical attention as a psychological construct. Studies have shown that anger at God is common, and is often associated with various indicators of psychological distress. Past research has demonstrated that multiple aspects of personality, including psychological entitlement, are related to anger at God. The goal of the present study was to evaluate whether psychological entitlement is robustly associated with anger at God, even when diverse aspects of personality are statistically controlled. We tested this hypothesis in two groups: an undergraduate sample (n 413) and an adult web sample (n 148). Results provided strong, consistent support for our hypothesis: psychological entitlement consistently emerged as a unique predictor of anger at God, even when controlling for the Big Five factors of personality and narcissistic entitlement. These findings strongly demonstrate that psychological entitlement is a robust predictor of anger toward God, beyond previously established predictors.
Gender differences in polysubstance use among those who misuse prescription opioids

s / Drug and Alcohol Dependence 146 (2015) e202–e284 e203 Conclusions: Only in Slovenia were gender-specific services offered to women. For the other 7 countries, improvement is needed as such programs tend to produce better outcomes. In particular, priority should be given to specialized care for pregnant women. Financial support: No support. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.09.019 Gender differences in polysubstance use among those who misuse prescription opioids Abenaa Acheampong1, Denise C. Vidot2, Linda Cottler1 1 Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States 2 Pediatrics, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United
Management of dissecting aneurysm of the aorta.

Drug therapy greatly increases the chances for survival in patients with dissecting aortic aneurysm. Trimethaphan is used to relieve stresses on the aortic wall by reducing the force of myocardial contraction and mean aortic pressure. Life-threatening complications or lack of response to drug therapy may necessitate surgery. Dissection occurs most frequently in the ascending aorta, and early mortality is higher in these cases than when only the descending aorta is involved.
Autophagy in Toxicology: Defense against Xenobiotics

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that can degrade cellular proteins and damaged organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. It is generally agreed that autophagy is a cellular protective mechanism against cell death, but in certain cases, it has been reported that autophagy also contributes to cell death. Although the role of autophagy in toxicology has not been extensively studied, I here discuss the current knowledge regarding the role of autophagy in xenobiotic-induced cell death. I also discuss the role of autophagy in the regulation of redox homeostasis and tumorigenesis.
Can Democracy Be Collaborative? Examining Patterns of Collaboration

“We tried to bring everyone together so that each person would give their opinion about the project and to address solutions for the improvement.” – Female Deputy, Mendoza, 2013 In 2012, a group of eight female deputies from across the political spectrum in Mendoza worked together to develop legislation that would create a Special Prosecution Unit for Crimes of Gender. The unit would exist within the Ministry of Public Prosecutions and be staffed with personnel trained to assist female victims of violence against women. Although there is a strong national law addressing violence against women, many provinces are not equipped to enforce the law because they lack the resources and infrastructure to provide victims with assistance. To address this challenge, one deputy explained, legislators needed to learn more about the “kind of problems public officials encountered when they wanted to assist the women.” To this end, the deputy spearheading the project in Mendoza brought together a number of experts from different branches of government, including specialists from the provincial courts, the provincial executive branch, the municipalities, and nongovernmental organizations such as the National Institute Against Discrimination and Xenophobia. Female deputies interested in addressing violence against women met with these experts on multiple occasions to identify the challenges the experts faced when implementing the national legislation, to develop solutions, and to fine-tune the proposed legislation. The project, cosponsored by eight female deputies, was officially proposed in May 2012 and is making its way through the legislative process. The deputy leading the project explained: “This project has been going for one year and I am fighting to sanction it. We have a bicameral system. So it is necessary for it to be approved by both chambers. I have been fighting for the house's approval.” In May 2014, the project finally advanced from the General Legislation and Constitutional Issues Committee but did not go to a vote on the house floor. In the meantime, female deputies collaborated with female senators in the Bicameral Committee for Gender and Diversity in the Mendoza Legislature, and arranged for a female Senator to introduce the same bill in the Mendoza Senate. The legislation was approved in the Senate on May 27, 2015 along with three other bills designed to address violence against women.
First Self-Consistent Full-Band 2D Monte Carlo 2D Poisson Device Solver for Modeling SiGe Heterojunction p-Channel Devices

In this work we are concerned with proper calculation of the valence band-structure of Si and strained SiGe material systems. The hole band-structure is complicated by the strong anisotropy, nonparabolicity and warping of the heavy-hole and light-hole bands. As the spin-orbit splitting is about 44.2 (296) meV in Si (Ge), one also needs to take the split-off band into account to account for inter and intra-band scattering events to model transport properly. Thus, ignoring the contribution of the distant conduction bands in Si, one has to consider at the very minimum six bands (the heavy-hole, the light hole and the split-off bands multiplied by 2 due to spin degeneracy).
Antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of low intensity direct current activated silver-titanium implant system prototype.

Silver-based devices activated by electric current are of interest in biomedicine because of their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. This study investigates the in vitro antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of a low intensity direct current (LIDC)-activated silver–titanium implant system prototype designed for localized generation and delivery of silver ions at the implantation site. First, the antibacterial efficacy of the system was assessed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) over 48 h at current levels of 3 and 6 µA in Mueller–Hinton broth. The cytotoxicity of the system was then evaluated over 48 h in two phases using an in vitro model with in which the activated electrodes were suspended in growth medium in a cell-seeded tissue culture plate. In phase-1, the system was tested on human osteosarcoma (MG-63) cell line and compared to titanium controls. In phase-2, the cytotoxicity characteristics were validated with normal human diploid osteoblast cells. The LIDC-activated system demonstrated high antimicrobial efficacy against MRSA, but was also toxic to human cells immediately surrounding the electrodes. The statistical analysis showed that the cytotoxicity was a result of the presence of silver, and the electric activation did not make it worse.
Role of active site conformational changes in photocycle activation of the AppA BLUF photoreceptor

Blue light using flavin adenine dinucleotide (BLUF) proteins are essential for the light regulation of a variety of physiologically important processes and serve as a prototype for photoinduced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). Free-energy simulations elucidate the active site conformations in the AppA (activation of photopigment and puc expression) BLUF domain before and following photoexcitation. The free-energy profile for interconversion between conformations with either Trp104 or Met106 closer to the flavin, denoted Trpin/Metout and Trpout/Metin, reveals that both conformations are sampled on the ground state, with the former thermodynamically favorable by ∼3 kcal/mol. These results are consistent with the experimental observation of both conformations. To analyze the proton relay from Tyr21 to the flavin via Gln63, the free-energy profiles for Gln63 rotation were calculated on the ground state, the locally excited state of the flavin, and the charge-transfer state associated with electron transfer from Tyr21 to the flavin. For the Trpin/Metout conformation, the hydrogen-bonding pattern conducive to the proton relay is not thermodynamically favorable on the ground state but becomes more favorable, corresponding to approximately half of the configurations sampled, on the locally excited state. The calculated energy gaps between the locally excited and charge-transfer states suggest that electron transfer from Tyr21 to the flavin is more facile for configurations conducive to proton transfer. When the active site conformation is not conducive to PCET from Tyr21, Trp104 can directly compete with Tyr21 for electron transfer to the flavin through a nonproductive pathway, impeding the signaling efficiency.
Best Practices in Assessing Those Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

According to the author of this chapter, experts in the psychological and educational assessment of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HoH) clients have long recommended the use of nonverbal assessment approaches. In fact, most experts would argue that they are essential tools in the psychological and educational assessment of any D/HoH client. However, these assessment strategies, while necessary, are not sufficient. Emerging low-inference, high-context approaches may provide stronger evidence of positive outcomes for individual (and eventually, groups of) D/HoH clients.
COMPARISON OF 3 MM × 3 MM VERSUS 6 MM × 6 MM OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY SCAN SIZES IN THE EVALUATION OF NON-PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY.

PURPOSE To evaluate the utility of different optical coherence tomography angiography scan protocols in evaluating retinal changes in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. METHODS Patients were imaged with the RTVue XR Avanti OCT 3 mm × 3 mm and 6 mm × 6 mm "Angio Retina" scan protocols. Ability to clearly delineate the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), FAZ remodeling, microaneurysms, capillary nonperfusion, motion, and doubling artifacts were evaluated. RESULTS Forty-six eyes from 27 patients were enrolled. Eighty-nine percent of 3 mm × 3 mm versus 59% of 6 mm × 6 mm scans clearly delineated the FAZ (P = 0.001). Eighty percent of 3 mm × 3 mm versus 43% of 6 mm × 6 mm scans demonstrated FAZ remodeling (P = 0.0002). Microaneurysms were detected by 57% of 6 mm × 6 mm and 35% of 3 mm × 3 mm scans (P = 0.003). Capillary nonperfusion was detected in 87% of 3 mm × 3 mm scans versus 89% of 6 mm × 6 mm scans (P = 0.99). No significant differences were noted in the incidence of artifacts between the scan sizes (motion artifact P = 0.29 and doubling artifact P = 0.29). CONCLUSION 3 mm × 3 mm scan delineated FAZ and remodeling better than 6 mm × 6 mm scan, likely because of its higher scan density. 6 mm × 6 mm scans detected microaneurysms more readily than 3 mm × 3 mm, likely because of its larger scan area. There were utility for both 3 mm × 3 mm and 6 mm × 6 mm scans when evaluating these patients.
Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories. By F. William Lawvere & Steven Schanuel

(1997). Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories. By F. William Lawvere & Steven Schanuel. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 104, No. 10, pp. 985-987.
Prospective assessment of short-term quality of life after total, distal or proximal gastrectomy for gastric cancer

15020 Background: Few studies have systematically examined the short-term quality of life (QOL) of patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer. This is due to a lack of consistent prospectiv...
Data Mining Problems Classification and Techniques

Data mining techniques are widely used to uncover hidden knowledge that cannot be extracted using conventional information retrieval and data analytics tools or using any manual techniques. Different data mining techniques have evolved over the last two decades and solve a wide variety of business problems. Different techniques have been proposed. Practitioners and researchers in both industry and academia continuously develop and experiment with variety of data mining techniques. This article provides a consolidated list of problems being solved by different data mining techniques. The author presents up to three techniques that can be used to address a particular type of problem. The objective is to assist practitioners and researchers to have a holistic view of data mining techniques, and the problems being solved by them. This article also provides an overview of data mining problems solved in the healthcare industry. The article also highlights as to how big data technologies are leveraged in handling and processing huge amounts of complex data from data mining perspectives.
New Frameworks for Financing and Governance of Loss and Damage

Financing and cost-sharing for compensation mechanisms largely centers around developed countries for their historic contributions even since industrialization started. However, using the UNFCCC charter (see also Muller et al., 2009),especially Article 3.1 which refers to ‘contribution’ ‘respective capabilities’ and ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’, suggests considerable need for precise application of the norms with a good degree of empiricism. This is not a part of this Monograph. Among the estimates of burden sharing offered for financing CCA an estimate of about $100 billion per year has been suggested for supporting CCA (Dellink et al., 2009); it is also suggested that a combination of ability to pay and historical contributions might be relevant, and the per capita burden for compensation in this context among industrial countries ranges $43–82 per year. Suffice it state that if the order of magnitude for compensation for L and D (beyond CCA financing) is about $120 per year the per capita may not be high for the developed countries. These magnitudes and higher levels of support could involve co-financing of insurance coverage and other risk spreading mechanism, concessional transfer of technology that bring in economies of scale, and related measures that promote the businesses in the developed countries as well. Thus a set of win–win strategies are relevant in this context.
Division closed lattice-ordered rings and commutative L*-rings

The paper continues the study of division closed lattice-ordered rings and commutative L*-rings. More interesting properties of division closed lattice-ordered rings are presented and it is shown t...
Efficient and Collision-Free Anticipative Cruise Control in Randomly Mixed Strings

Connected intelligent vehicle following can improve safety and efficiency compared to today's road transport, but real traffic in the near future will not provide an ideal setting for its deployment. Unconnected human-driven vehicles will follow variable behavior patterns that combine with differences in dynamic capability to create heterogeneous scenarios. In this paper, connected automated vehicles employ model predictive control for following in traffic that may include both heavy and passenger vehicles at quasi-random positions. Adding further realism, some quasi-randomly mixed vehicles are completely unconnected and equipped with the reactive intelligent driver model using pseudorandom parameters. A mixed-integer quadratic programming formulation adapts the predictive algorithm to diverse powertrain operating point constraints. The preceding vehicle's control input is estimated from velocity and brake light observations and used to probabilistically generate a preview for the ego vehicle. A terminal constraint designed using particle kinematics prevents collisions due to shortsightedness. Results are simulated at various heavy and predictive vehicle concentrations in the presence of packet loss. Linear fuel economy improvements between 1.4% and 1.9% per 10% increase in predictive vehicle penetration rate are shown.
Clinical Evaluation and Management of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most leukemia in the United States and is characterized by clonal expansion of CD5-positive B cells. The diagnosis of CLL requires the presence of greater than or equal to 5 × 109/L clonal B-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Most patients with CLL do not need treatment at the time of diagnosis. Common indications for treatment include worsening lymphadenopathy, organomegaly, or development of cytopenias. Chemoimmunotherapy has been the standard treatment for patients with CLL. In the last few years, several novel targeted therapy agents have been developed targeting CLL cells. With the introduction of these agents such as ibrutinib, idelalisib, and venetoclax, the role of chemotherapy for patients with CLL has declined.