cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Geometric visibility of mirror-mounted turn signals

Turn signals mounted on exterior rearview mirrors are increasingly being used as original equipment on passenger cars and light trucks. The potential for mirror-mounted turn signals (MMTS) to improve the geometric visibility of turn signals is examined in this report. A survey of U.S. and European regulations showed that the turn signals of a vehicle that is minimally compliant with U.S. regulations are not visible to a driver of a nearby vehicle in an adjacent lane. Measurements of mirror location and window geometry were made on 74 passenger cars and light trucks, including 38 vehicles with European-style side repeaters. These data were combined with data on driver eye locations from two previous studies to assess the relative visibility of MMTS and conventional signals. Simulations were conducted to examine the potential for signals to be obstructed when a driver looks laterally through the passenger-side window. With a vehicle population that is 50% light trucks, MMTS are visible 52% more often than European side repeaters in this scenario. Based on the lateral visibility analysis, the optimal height for geometric visibility of a signal in the adjacent-vehicle scenario is 124 cm above the ground, approximately the average height of a light truck mirror. A plan-view eccentricity analysis showed that an MMTS is much closer to the viewing driver's forward-directed line of sight than rear-mounted turn signals when the viewing driver's vehicle is in or near the blind zone between the signaling driver's mirror and direct peripheral fields of view. The report concludes that MMTS can improve the geometric visibility of turn signals in the adjacent-vehicle scenario that is believed to precede many lane-change/merge crashes. Further research will be necessary to determine if improved geometric visibility is accompanied by improved detection of turn signals by viewing drivers, and whether improved detection of turn signals has important safety implications.
Student reflections on learning cross-cultural skills through a 'cultural competence' OSCE.

Background: Medical schools use OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations) to assess students’ clinical knowledge and skills, but the use of OSCEs in the teaching and assessment of cross-cu...
Why are the elderly so susceptible to pneumonia

Very young children and the elderly (65 years and older) are most at risk for pneumonia due to infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcal pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death ...
How missed temporal deadlines influence consumption behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore how and why consumption behavior changes across time in reference to a temporal deadline, such as a meeting start time or scheduled appointment. Design/methodology/approach – The authors present findings from two experiments that manipulate distance to/from a deadline and assess behavioral intentions and consumer choice, both before a deadline is reached (i.e. the individual is early) and after a deadline has passed (i.e. the individual is late). Findings – Results demonstrate that, while individuals are more likely to refrain from consumption in favor of being on time as a deadline approaches, they are more likely to engage in consumption activities once they have already missed their deadline. Support is shown for an underlying process of affect regulation; when they are late (vs on time), consumers are likely to regulate affect via the selection of more indulgent options. Practical implications – These studies provide insight into the both the beneficial and detrimental nature of deadlines. Further, they provide insight as to how deadlines impact consumer behavior by demonstrating differential patterns of consumption based on whether an individual is early vs late. Originality/value – Documenting the effect of meeting and missing deadlines on consumption contributes to the literature on time usage and offers insights into individuals’ efforts to prioritize multiple activities that conflict due to time constraints.
The Law and Economics of Incomplete Contracts

▪ Abstract Individual actors want to make their promises enforceable in order to motivate mutually profitable investments. But parties cannot easily design contracts that maximize beneficial investments and also respond appropriately to changing conditions. Although economists have designed theoretical models that maximize joint welfare both ex ante and ex post, these mechanisms depend on a perfectly functioning and costless system of enforcement. In the real world, parties must expend substantial resources to enforce commitments legally, and, in many cases, courts lack information to assess the parties' actions. This review examines one of the main insights of the theory of incomplete contracts: that legal enforcement alone cannot ensure the full realization of jointly beneficial cooperative ventures. Legal enforcement, supported by the coercive power of the state, is only one mechanism for inducing cooperation, and in many relationships it typically has only a limited role to play. Complex contracts do ...
Condensation on and evaporation from droplets by a moment method

The moment method proposed by Lees (1959) is applied to the problem of vapour condensation on and evaporation from spherical liquid droplets when the droplet is not in equilibrium with its surrounding. Using a four-moment solution, an analytical expression is derived for the mass flux to or from the droplet surface when the droplet is surrounded by a pure vapour. By neglecting changes in temperature, an analytical solution is also obtained for the mass flux when the droplet is immersed in a vapour-gas mixture. The results of both of these analyses are applicable in the range from λ/R → 0 to λ/R ∞, where λ is the mean free path and R the droplet radius, and it is shown that in the limits the results reduce to the appropriate free molecule and continuum expressions.
Yields of Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum decline with stand age in the Midwestern USA

For the C4 perennial grasses, Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) to be successful for bioenergy production they must maintain high yields over the long term. Previous studies under the less conducive climate for productivity in N.W. Europe found little or no yield decline in M. × giganteus in the long term. This study provides the first analysis of whether yield decline occurs in M. × giganteus under United States. Midwest conditions in side-by-side trials with P. virgatum over 8–10 years at seven locations across Illinois. The effect of stand age was determined by using a linear regression model that included effects of weather. Miscanthus × giganteus produced yields more than twice that of P. virgatum averaging 23.4 ± 1.2 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 10.0 ± 0.9 Mg ha−1 yr−1, respectively, averaged over 8–10 years. Relationships of yield with precipitation and growing degree days were established and used to estimate yields corrected for the stochastic effects of weather. Across all locations and in both species, yield initially increased until it reached a maximum during the fifth growing season and then declined to a stable, but lower level in the eighth. This pattern was more pronounced in M. × giganteus. The mean yields observed over this longer term period of 8–10 years were lower than the yields of the first 5 years. However, this decline was proportionately greater in M. × giganteus than in P. virgatum, suggesting a stronger effect of stand age on M. × giganteus. Based on the average yield over the period of this study, meeting the United States Renewable Fuel Standard mandate of 60 billion liters of cellulosic ethanol by 2022, would require 6.8 Mha of M. × giganteus or 15.8 Mha of P. virgatum. These appear manageable numbers for the United States, given the 16.0 Mha in the farmland Conservation Reserve Program in addition to another 13.0 Mha abandoned from agriculture in the last decade.
Compensatory Connection: Mothers’ Own Stakes in an Intensive Mother-Child Relationship

In the past several decades, mothering has intensified by a number of measures. Explanations for this intensification tend to forefront women’s concerns about others, such as concerns about their children’s future economic security. This qualitative 3-year longitudinal study of U.S. mothers of young children looks at women’s own needs in relation to their mothering intensity. It finds an additional factor contributing to this intensity is “compensatory connection,” or increasing the attention and prioritization given to one element of one’s life in order to make up for insecurity experienced in other realms. Specifically, women who experience their partnerships or work lives to be insecure are the women most prone to draw on ideals of the centrality of the mother-child relationship and to exhibit pronounced attachment behaviors with their children. As partnership and work insecurities can occur across class, this study nuances prior work on class differences in mothering.
Patas monkey copulations: One mount, repeat if necessary.

Early, anecdotal reports of patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) sexual behavior suggested that these primates were series-mount copulators. In 1975, limited evidence was presented in favor of single-mount copulations as the species-typical pattern for patas. The situation remained confused, however, as indicated by statements in a recent review article. This paper adds to our knowledge of patas sexuality by presenting quantitative data on the copulatory behavior of two additional adult males. Both males usually gave pelvic thrusts to intravaginal ejaculation once they had mounted a female and gained intromission. Mounts without ejaculation were clearly failed attempts at copulation, rather than segments of a stereotyped series-mount pattern. All of the available quantitative data indicate that the species-typical mating pattern for patas monkeys is copulation in a single mount.
Innovative emergency defibrillation methods for refractory ventricular fibrillation in a variety of hospital settings

This article reviews the ability of innovative rescue defibrillation techniques for the treatment of refractory ventricular fibrillation. These data were obtained in a variety of hospital settings at the University of California, San Francisco, from 1986 to 1992. Innovative rescue defibrillation techniques were applied to 15 patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation having failed > or = 2 high-energy transthoracic shocks in a variety of hospital settings. Intracardiac defibrillation was performed from a right ventricular catheter to a posterior patch in nine patients who had refractory ventricular fibrillation in the course of invasive electrophysiologic testing. Emergency simultaneous transthoracic and epicardial defibrillation was successfully performed with standard paddles placed over the thorax in contact with epicardial patch or pacing lead connectors in two patients in the operating room who underwent implantable cardioverter-defibrillator insertion and failed standard rescue defibrillations. Transesophageal defibrillation was performed in four patients in the emergency department who had a refractory ventricular fibrillation in the field. Intracardiac defibrillation successfully terminated refractory ventricular fibrillation in 9 of 9 patients in the electrophysiology laboratory. Similarly, emergency simultaneous transthoracic and epicardial defibrillation restored sinus rhythm in two patients in the operating room. Transesophageal defibrillation performed after 50 minutes of cardiac arrest successfully terminated ventricular fibrillation in each patient. Thus alternative methods now exist that permit rescue defibrillation in a variety of hospital emergency settings. These techniques are performed with simple-to-use equipment that is compatible with standard defibrillators.
Electrophysiological Responses in the Human Amygdala Discriminate Emotion Categories of Complex Visual Stimuli

The human amygdala has been shown to participate in processing emotionally salient stimuli related to threat, danger, and aversion, data that have come primarily from functional imaging and lesion studies. Recording intracranial field potentials from five amygdalas in four patients with chronically implanted depth electrodes, we analyzed responses in the gamma frequency range, a region of the power spectrum thought to reflect especially the contribution of neuronal activity to cognitive processes. Significant changes in the power amplitude of responses were obtained selectively to visual images judged to look aversive but not to those judged to look pleasant or neutral. Several possible confounds were addressed: all four patients had been carefully selected so that the amygdalas from which recordings were obtained were distal to epileptogenic foci, making it likely that we recorded from healthy tissue, and the observed responses could not be attributed to luminance or color differences between the stimuli. A further analysis of differences in power between the high and low gamma bands revealed an additional structure that discriminated those stimuli related to bodily injury from those related to disgust. Despite the increased power amplitude in the gamma range, there was no stimulus-locked phase coherence. The observed responses in the gamma frequency range may reflect the role of the amygdala in binding perceptual representations of the stimuli with memory, emotional response, and modulation of ongoing cognition, on the basis of the emotional significance of the stimuli.
The tissue matrix: cell dynamics and hormone action

THE SPECIFIC response of individual tissues to a single steroid receptor cannot be explained simply by DNA sequence alone. For example, in the same animal a given steroid receptor is capable of interacting with the nucleus of two different cell types, resulting in unique gene expressions despite the presence of a similar genome. Historically, these differences in response to a single type of steroid receptor within target tissues in the same animal have been suggested to occur through different alterations in chromatin structure. However, the molecular mechanisms of this tissue specificity remain unexplained. It is possible that in different cell types the specific three-dimensional organization of the genome and cell skeletal elements interplay may vary to accomplish the hormonal regulation of specific gene expression. It is the purpose of this review to address the potential role of cell structure as a central component of hormone action.
Effects of Biorational Pesticides on Four Coccinellid Species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) having Potential as Biological Control Agents in Interiorscapes

Abstract The direct toxicity of insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, Azatin, an extract from the Neem tree containing azadiractin, and BotainiGard, a commercial formulation of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, was assessed on adults of four species of coccinellids—Hippodamia convergens (Guerin-Meneville), Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), Harmonia axyridis Pallas, and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant. All biorationals caused less mortality than a conventional pesticide, carbaryl (Sevin). Horticultural oil (Sunspray ultrafine oil) consistently had no effect on beetle survivorship. Insecticidal soap (M-Pede) significantly reduced survival in all replicates for C. maculata and in at least one of the three replicates for the other three coccinellid species. Beauveria bassiana (BotaniGard) significantly reduced survival of C. montrouzieri at 72 h after spray in all three replicates. Azatin reduced survivorship in only one species, C. maculata, in only one of the three replicates.
Activated neutrophils increase microvascular permeability in skeletal muscle: role of xanthine oxidase

To determine the role of xanthine oxidase in the microvascular dysfunction produced by activated granulocytes, we examined the effect of xanthine oxidase depletion or inhibition on the increase in microvascular permeability produced by infusion of the neutrophil activator phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Changes in vascular permeability were assessed by measurement of the solvent drag reflection coefficient for total plasma proteins (sigma) in rat hindquarters subjected to PMA infusion in xanthine oxidase-replete and -depleted animals, in animals pretreated with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor oxypurinol, and in animals depleted of circulating neutrophils by pretreatment with antineutrophil serum (ANS). Xanthine oxidase depletion was accomplished by administration of a tungsten-supplemented (0.7 g/kg diet) molybdenum-deficient diet. In animals fed the tungsten diet, muscle total xanthine dehydrogenase plus xanthine oxidase activity was decreased to less than 10% of control values. Estimates of sigma averaged 0.84 +/- 0.04 in control hindquarters, whereas PMA infusion was associated with a marked increase in microvascular permeability (decrease in sigma to 0.68 +/- 0.03). PMA infusion also caused an increase in the amount of the radical-producing oxidase form of xanthine oxidase (from 3.9 +/- 0.05 to 5.6 +/- 0.4 mU/g wet wt). ANS pretreatment attenuated this permeability increase (sigma = 0.77 +/- 0.04) and diminished the rise in xanthine oxidase activity (4.9 +/- 0.5 mU/g wet wt). Xanthine oxidase depletion with the tungsten diet or pretreatment with oxypurinol had no effect on this neutrophil-mediated microvascular injury (sigma = 0.69 +/- 0.06 and 0.67 +/- 0.03, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Chapter 9: On Privatizing the Public Domain

As we all know, the institution of private property has been a constant source of debate, even of wars. One group of protagonists has been the communists. This group does not accept either the form or the substance of private property. The original liberals, or what are today authentic conservatives, represent the opposite group. Authentic conservatives believe that private property - both in its form and substance - provides the cornerstone for a free society. An alleged member of this group, President Reagan - in his address of June 8, 1982, before both Houses of the British Parliament - asked the following question: "Who would voluntarily... opt for land to be owned by the state instead of those who till it..."
Reply to Sparrow: Martial Courage – or Merely Courage?

Rob Sparrow raises some valid concerns and objections to my article ‘Drones and the Martial Virtue Courage’; I am very grateful for his taking the time to do so. I should also add that Sparrow was ...
Searches for Monopoles with Track-Etch Detectors

Unless additional signals in SQUIDs or independent evidence is forthcoming, grand unification monopoles (GUMs) of enormous mass and very low velocity may prove to have been a passing fad. It is appropriate, therefore, to include in this review a discussion of searches for monopoles with conventional masses, capable of being sought at accelerators, as well as searches for GUMs that employ very large area x time factors. To avoid repeating material readily available in other reviews1,2 or in these proceedings, I shall discuss only recent or planned searches for tracks in dielectric detectors left by monopoles in flight.
Effects of ACE inhibition and beta-blockade on skeletal muscle fiber types in dogs with moderate heart failure.

The proportion of slow-twitch, fatigue-resistant type 1 skeletal muscle (SM) fibers is often reduced in heart failure (HF), while the proportion of fatigue-sensitive type-II fibers increases. This ...
Using gas clouds to probe the accretion flow around Sgr A*: G2's delayed pericentre passage

We study the dynamical evolution of the putative gas clouds G1 and G2 recently discovered in the Galactic center. Following earlier studies suggesting that these two clouds are part of a larger gas streamer, we combine their orbits into a single trajectory. Since the gas clouds experience a drag force from background gas, this trajectory is not exactly Keplerian. By assuming the G1 and G2 clouds trace this trajectory, we fit for the drag force they experience and thus extract information about the accretion flow at a distance of thousands of Schwarzschild radii from the black hole. This range of radii is important for theories of black hole accretion, but is currently unconstrained by observations. In this paper we extend our previous work by accounting for radial forces due to possible inflow or outflow of the background gas. Such radial forces drive precession in the orbital plane, allowing a slightly better fit to the G1 and G2 data. This precession delays the pericenter passage of G2 by 4-5 months relative to estimates derived from a Keplerian orbital fit; if it proves possible to identify the pericenter time observationally, this enables an immediate test of whether G1 and G2 are gas clouds part of a larger gas streamer. If G2 is indeed a gas cloud, its closest approach likely occurred in late summer 2014, after many of the observing campaigns monitoring G2's anticipated pericenter passage ended. We discuss how this affects interpretation of the G2 observations.
No Justice, No Peace

Based on available data, successful excessive-force prosecutions against police officers in New York City typically have been limited to the most publicized cases of deadly force or torture. It is thus unsurprising that the routine, gratuitous use of force that accompanies arrests and street encounters typically goes entirely unpunished and often unrecognized. When excessive-force allegations come to the attention of prosecutors, institutional pressures (some structural, others informal) can work against successful prosecution. When a police officer is indicted on excessive-force charges, typically the officer waives a jury trial and proceeds before a judge as the trier of fact. In urban bench trials, judges have shown themselves to have complicated responses to police witnesses, responses that work to the advantage of police officers charged with crimes. The chapter examines the situation in New York City in the 1990s with respect to prosecution of police officers and considers how institutions that fail to address police violence reproduce all-too-familiar patterns of exclusion within the legal order. The chapter acknowledges the limitations of relying solely on criminal prosecution as a response to police brutality; a remedial system that emphasizes individual instances of past misconduct cannot get at the root of systemic racial and gender/sexuality bias. However, the chapter concludes that the symbolic and deterrent effects of the criminal law are needed to begin to repair the damage to communities whose experience of the legal system has offered no sense of justice or occasion for peace.
Enhancing a Virtual SCADA Laboratory Using Simulink

This chapter describes a virtual supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) security laboratory and the improvements made using Simulink. The laboratory was initially constructed using virtual devices written in Python that simulate industrial processes, emulate control system ladder logic functionality and utilize control system communications protocols. However, given the limitations of Python programs with regard to modeling industrial processes, an improved model was constructed using the Simulink modeling environment. Custom and commercially-available human-machine interfaces used in real-world SCADA environments were deployed in the new laboratory. In addition, various attacks were developed and implemented against the virtual SCADA system. The behavior of the improved laboratory and its earlier version are compared against the physical system after which both were modeled.
AN INTEGRATED AHP-QFD APPROACH FOR EVALUATING COMPETING TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES

A major challenge for decision makers in business organization is making appropriate choices among competing high-tech projects. The objective of this paper is to explore a multi-criteria analytical model that can be used for the selection and management of competing manufacturing technologies. The model uses an integrated approach combining Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) as the basis for selecting a preferred alternative from a set of competing projects. Integration of the two techniques helps to provide a more effective selection process. Two competing chemical processes to produce drugs are used as a case study to demonstrate and validate the AHP â€“ QFD model. The policy makers of pharmaceutical and chemical organizations can use this model as a part of their strategic planning and decision-making process.
Altered brain function, structure, and developmental trajectory in children born late preterm.

Late preterm birth (34–36 wk gestation) is a common occurrence with potential for altered brain development. This observational cohort study compared children at age 6–13 y based on the presence or absence of the historical risk factor of late preterm birth. Children completed a battery of cognitive assessments and underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Late preterm children (n = 52) demonstrated slower processing speed (P = 0.035) and scored more poorly in visual-spatial perception (P = 0.032) and memory (P = 0.007) than full-term children (n = 74). Parents of late preterm children reported more behavioral difficulty (P = 0.004). There were no group differences in cognitive ability or academic achievement. Imaging revealed similar intracranial volumes but less total tissue and more cerebrospinal fluid (P = 0.004) for late preterm children compared to full-term children. The tissue difference was driven by differences in the cerebrum (P = 0.028) and distributed across cortical (P = 0.051) and subcortical tissue (P = 0.047). Late preterm children had a relatively smaller thalamus (P = 0.012) than full-term children. Only full-term children demonstrated significant decreases in cortical tissue volume (P < 0.001) and thickness (P < 0.001) with age. Late preterm birth may affect cognition, behavior, and brain structure well beyond infancy.
Needle Aspiration of the Pneumothorax

NOTE: To learn to perform a procedure, there are both cognitive and procedural steps that should be followed. These steps are explained and demonstrated in this month’s Video Corner and are summarized for quick reference in the list below.⇓ Figure 1. Click here to view the video. Below are the steps to follow for this procedure. ### 1. Indications Evacuation of a pneumothorax diagnosed clinically and/or radiographically. Evacuation of a suspected pneumothorax in a neonate who has persistent bradycardia despite resuscitation according to the guidelines of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program. Needle aspiration may be the definitive therapy or may be performed before inserting a chest tube. ### 2. Contraindications If a decision to redirect from intensive to compassionate care has been made after discussions with the parents, this procedure may then be contraindicated. This decision to perform the procedure would depend on the limits of interventions set during those discussions between the parents and the health-care team. ### 3. Consent No consent (written or verbal) is obtained before the procedure. The procedure is explained to parents before the procedure is performed in neonates who have a pneumothorax who are hemodynamically stable. ### 4. Time out (pause)
Skin lesions associated with systemic granulomas.

Cutaneous alterations that can occur in the following systemic granulomatous diseases are described: histiocytosis X, nevoxantho-endothelioma, multicentric reticulohistiocytosis, allergic granulomatosis, Wegener's granuloma, sarcoidosis, leprosy and tuberculosis. A classification of cutaneous reactions to the tubercle bacillus is incorporated in the discussion of tuberculosis.
Driving mechanism and 3-D circulation of plate tectonics

A conceptual shift is overdue in geodynamics. Popular models that present plate tectonics as driven by bottom-heated whole-mantle convection, with or without plumes, are based on obsolete assumptions, are contradicted by much evidence, and fail to account for observed plate interactions. Subduction-hinge rollback is the key to viable mechanisms. The Pacific spreads rapidly yet shrinks by rollback, whereas the subduction-free Atlantic widens by slow mid-ocean spreading. These and other first-order features of global tectonics cannot be explained by conventional models. The behavior of arcs and the common presence of forearc basins on the uncrumpled thin leading edges of advancing arcs and continents are among features requiring that subduction provides the primary drive for both upper and lower plates. Subduction rights the density inversion produced when asthenosphere is cooled to oceanic lithosphere: plate tectonics is driven by top-down cooling, but is enabled by heat. Slabs sink more steeply than they dip and, if old and dense, are plated down on the 660-km discontinuity. Broadside-sinking slabs push all sub-lithosphere oceanic upper mantle inward, forcing rapid spreading in shrinking oceans. Down-plated slabs are overpassed by advancing arcs and plates and, thus, transferred to enlarging oceans and backarc basins. Plate motions make sense in terms of this subduction drive in a global framework in which the ridge-bounded Antarctic plate is fixed: most subduction hinges roll back in that frame, plates move toward subduction zones, and ridges migrate to tap fresh asthenosphere. This self-organizing kinematic system is driven from the top. Slabs probably do not subduct into, nor do plumes rise to the upper mantle from, the sluggish deep mantle.
Diarrhea in solid organ transplant recipients

Purpose of reviewDiarrhea is a common complaint in the solid organ transplant recipient. Unlike the immune-competent patient, diarrhea in an organ transplant recipient may result in dehydration, increased toxicity of medications, and rejection. There is a wide range of causes for diarrhea in transpl
Predicting length of children's psychiatric hospitalizations: an "ecologic" approach.

This article describes the development and validation of a simple and modestly successful model for predicting inpatient length of stay (LOS) at a state-funded facility providing acute to long term care for children and adolescents in Ohio. Six variables--diagnostic group, legal status at time of admission, attending physician, age, sex, and county of residence--explained 30% of the variation in log10LOS in the subgroup used to create the model, and 26% of log10LOS variation in the cross-validation subgroup. The model also identified LOS outliers with moderate accuracy (ROC area = .68-0.76). The authors attribute the model's success to inclusion of variables that are correlated to idiosyncratic "ecologic" factors as well as variables related to severity of illness. Future attempts to construct LOS models may adopt similar approaches.
Neuro-Ophthalmology of Space Flight.

Background:To describe the history, clinical findings, and possible pathogenic etiologies of the constellation of neuro-ophthalmic findings discovered in astronauts after long-duration space flight and to discuss the terrestrial implications of such findings.Evidence Acquisition:Retrospective review
Major Bladder Trauma: Mechanisms of Injury and a Unified Method of Diagnosis and Repair

We reviewed 51 cases of bladder trauma seen at our hospital between 1976 and 1981. There were 32 nonpenetrating, 13 penetrating, 1 spontaneous and 5 iatrogenic injuries. Rupture of the bladder was confirmed at operation in all but 1 case. Extraperitoneal rupture was noted in 32 patients (62 per cent), intraperitoneal rupture in 13 (25 per cent), and combined intraperitoneal and extraperitoneal rupture in 6 (12 per cent). The most frequent clinical features were gross hematuria, abdominal tenderness and shock. Associated pelvic fractures were present in 30 of the 31 nonpenetrating ruptures. The most common area of bladder rupture was the dome in nonpenetrating injuries (35 per cent) and the lateral wall in penetrating injuries (42 per cent). Associated organ injuries were common (62 per cent of penetrating injuries and 93 per cent of nonpenetrating injuries). Cystography, including the use of drainage films, was accurate in all cases for which it was used. Mortality in this series was 22 per cent and reflects the severity of associated organ injury. Risk factors include older age status, pedestrian injuries and extensive associated organ injury rather than type of bladder rupture. To minimize mortality and morbidity in this high risk group of patients strict attention should be directed to rapid resuscitation, early diagnosis including cystography with drainage films and anticipation of associated organ injury at operation.
The impact of estimation uncertainty on covariate effects in nonlinear models

Covariate effects are a key consideration in model evaluation, forecasting, and policy analysis, yet their dependence on estimation uncertainty has been largely overlooked in previous work. We discuss several approaches to covariate effect evaluation in nonlinear models, examine computational and reporting issues, and illustrate the practical implications of ignoring estimation uncertainty in a simulation study and applications to educational attainment and crime. The evidence reveals that failing to consider estimation variability and relying solely on parameter point estimates may lead to nontrivial biases in covariate effects that can be exacerbated in certain settings, underscoring the pivotal role that estimation uncertainty can play in this context.
Trends in Using Technology to Achieve Better Health Outcomes

Advances in technology, particularly continued and rapid developments in smart technologies, offer great potential for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to help access and direct their own health care resources. These smart technologies—tablets and touch screen devices with built-in audio and video, as well as a growing number of software applications—offer people with IDD as well as their families and caregivers the ability to access and deliver information when- and wherever a Wi-Fi link or high speed phone network is available. They have features that promote their ease of use and accessibility for people with cognitive, sensory, physical or other functional limitations. They also have features that can deal with the critical issue of achieving effective health literacy among people with IDD, and thus show great promise as a resource in supporting improved health outcomes.
Operators and Expressions

A constant is an explicit data value written by the programmer. Thus, it is a value known to the compiler at compile time. The compiler may deal with this value in any of several ways, depending on the type of constant and its context. For example, the binary equivalent of the constant may be inserted directly into the output code stream. The value of the constant may be stored in a special data area in memory. The compiler may decide to use the constant’s value for its own immediate purposes—e.g., to determine how much storage it should allocate to a data array.
The Coptown Case: Inviolable Status and Desert

Francis Kamm has proposed a concept of inviolable status as a reason to value goods like life or deserved punishment that precludes maximizing trade-offs, but without resorting to agent relative constraints. According to this idea, one has an inviolable status in so far as one holds an entitlement that cannot be violated in order minimize violations of that entitlement. By sacrificing one person’s entitlement to protect the entitlements of others, one extinguishes the inviolable status of all. This concept is offered to explain deontological ethics as a practice of respecting the equal dignity of others. By presenting a series of hypothetical problems about the imposition of deserved punishment in the face of uncertainty, this paper denies that the deontologist can avoid trade-offs. In addition, the paper denies that inviolability offers any dignitary advantage over having one’s welfare counted in the utilitarian calculus.
Novel Insights on Understanding of Keloid Scar: Article Review

Keloid scar, dermal benign fibro-proliferative growth that extends outside the original wound and invades adjacent dermal tissue due to extensive production of extracellular matrix, especially collagen, which caused by over expression of cytokines and growth factors. Although many attempts were made to understand the exact pathophysiology and the molecular abnormalities, the pathogenesis of keloid scar is yet to be determined. Even though there are several treatment options for keloid scars include combination of medical and surgical therapies like combination of surgical removal followed by cryotherapy or intralesional steroid therapy, the reoccurrence rate is still high despite the present treatment. In this review, PubMed, clinical key and Wright State Library web site have been used to investigate any update regarding Keloid disease. We used Keloid, scar formation, hypertrophic scar and collagen as key words. More than 40 articles have been reviewed. This paper reviews literature about keloid scar formation mechanism, the most recent therapeutic options including the ones under research.
The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia: From Indifference to Interdependence by Christopher Davidson (review)

Davidson, Christopher. The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia: From Indifference to Interdependence . New York: Columbia University Press, 2010. Review by Zenel Garcia.
Effect of a 12-Week Summer Break on School Day Physical Activity and Health-Related Fitness in Low-Income Children from CSPAP Schools

Background. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 12-week summer break on school day physical activity and health-related fitness (HRF) in children from schools receiving a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). Methods. Participants were school-aged children (N = 1,232; 624 girls and 608 boys; mean age = 9.5 ± 1.8 years) recruited from three low-income schools receiving a CSPAP. Physical activity and HRF levels were collected during the end of spring semester 2015 and again during the beginning of fall semester 2015. Physical activity was assessed using the Yamax DigiWalker CW600 pedometer. HRF measures consisted of body mass index (BMI) and the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER). Results. Results from a doubly MANCOVA analysis indicated that pedometer step counts decreased from 4,929 steps in the spring to 4,445 steps in the fall (mean difference = 484 steps; P < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.30) and PACER laps decreased from 31.2 laps in the spring to 25.8 laps in the fall (mean difference = 5.4 laps; P < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.33). Conclusions. Children from schools receiving a CSPAP intervention had lower levels of school day physical activity and cardiorespiratory endurance following a 12-week summer break.
High Levels Of Capitation Payments Needed To Shift Primary Care Toward Proactive Team And Nonvisit Care

Capitated payments in the form of fixed monthly payments to cover all of the costs associated with delivering primary care could encourage primary care practices to transform the way they deliver care. Using a microsimulation model incorporating data from 969 US practices, we sought to understand whether shifting to team- and non-visit-based care is financially sustainable for practices under traditional fee-for-service, capitated payment, or a mix of the two. Practice revenues and costs were computed for fee-for-service payments and a range of capitated payments, before and after the substitution of team- and non-visit-based services for low-complexity in-person physician visits. The substitution produced financial losses for simulated practices under fee-for-service payment of $42,398 per full-time-equivalent physician per year; however, substitution produced financial gains under capitated payment in 95 percent of cases, if more than 63 percent of annual payments were capitated. Shifting to capitated p...
Diagnostics of machine tool linear axes via separation of geometric error sources | NIST

Manufacturers need automated, efficient, and robust methods to diagnose the condition of their machine tool linear axes with minimal disruptions to production. Recently, a method was developed to use data from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to measure changes in geometric error motions. A linear axis testbed, established for verification and validation purposes, revealed that the IMU-based method was capable of measuring translational and angular deviations with acceptable test uncertainty ratios. In this study, a rail of the linear axis testbed was mechanically degraded to simulate spalling, a common degradation mechanism that can occur during machine tool operations. The rail was degraded in discrete steps from its nominal state (no degradation) to its final state (a failure state of the rail), and IMU and laser-based reference data was collected at each test stage. The contribution of geometric errors from the rail-based degradation were then separated with a technique that utilizes the various data for each run. Diagnostic metrics can then be defined for use with the IMU to facilitate industrial applications by informing the user of the magnitude and location of wear and any violations of performance tolerances.
Measurement of engineered nanoparticles in consumer products by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and neutron activation analysis

There has been an increasing number of consumer and food products sold on the market that contain various engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). These nanomaterials possess novel physical and chemical properties that can be used for wide applications in agriculture and food safety. However, current analytical methods to detect and measure ENMs are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. The objective of this study was to develop a novel, simple, rapid, and accurate method to detect AgNPs and AuNPs in consumer products using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). SERS measurement was conducted to detect AgNPs and AuNPs using an effective Raman indicator, 4-aminothiophenol (pATP). The pATP can strongly bind onto nanoparticles, generating greatly enhanced Raman signals that can be used for measurement. The pATP was combined with Ag or Au stock solution, AgNO3, citrate-coated AgNPs, citrate-coated AuNPs, AuCl, AgNPs, AuNPs, and five commercial products to study the differences in their SERS spectral data. The observed spectra of AgNPs and AuNPs have similar peaks at ~ 390, ~ 1087, and ~ 1590 cm−1 that can be attributed to the C–S stretching vibration, C–C stretching vibration, and C–H stretching vibration, respectively. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) and electron microscopy was used to characterize and quantify AgNPs and AuNPs in the consumer products. The results demonstrate that SERS method in combination with NAA can be an effective method for detection of ENMs, and it can easily distinguish AgNPs and AuNPs from other non-nanoparticle species in the complex matrices.
A technique for the salvage of megafistulas allowing immediate dialysis access.

Abstract Objective Almost two million individuals are undergoing renal replacement therapy worldwide, with hemodialysis being the common form. Many factors influence the primary patency of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), including vessel size, fistula flow rates, cannulation practice, and thrombotic tendencies. Excess dilation of the AVF, resulting in the development of a megafistula, is a complication that can result in a need for AVF revision and subsequent failure. Methods The charts of patients who underwent autogenous AVF revision because of the development of a megafistula with aneurysmectomy and vein transposition by a single surgeon during a 7-year period from 2009 through 2016 were reviewed. A technique is described in which after aneurysmorrhaphy, the repaired venous component of the AVF is transposed through a new tunnel while the vein is rotated 90 degrees. This allows the AVF to be accessed immediately, making placement of a tunneled dialysis catheter unnecessary. Results There were 102 patients included in the study, with follow-up ranging from 7 to 95 months. In our cohort, 92 of the 102 revised AVFs (90.2%) maintained primary functional patency. Of the 102 patients who underwent this revision technique, there were 10 fistulas that subsequently failed after a mean of 29 months. There were only seven patients who experienced recurrent fistula dilation requiring repeated aneurysmectomy. Conclusions We describe a technique for management of the development of a megafistula that uses only autogenous tissue and, perhaps most important, eliminates the need for temporary dialysis catheter placement.
The effect of first clinical assignments on prelicensure nursing students’ attitudes toward older people: an observational study

Background: With the global population growth of older people, health care needs nurses interested in caring for this population. Studies have found a relationship between attitudes toward older people and career choices.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect first clinical experiences had on nursing students’ attitudes toward older people.Design/method: Using an observational research design, first-semester nursing students (n = 53) from the United States were assigned to one of two groups based on sequencing of clinical assignments. Participants completed the Refined Aging Semantic Differential scale three times their first semester.Results: Students with exposure to long-term and then the acute care setting showed linear improvement in their attitudes toward older people. In addition, a significant improvement in attitudes over time was found (F[2, 96] = 3.56, p = .032) at two time measurements.Conclusion: This study showed that novice students may not recognize the differences in acute...
Approved Anti-cancer Drugs Target Oncogenic Non-coding RNAs

Summary Potential RNA drug targets for small molecules are found throughout the human transcriptome, yet small molecules known to elicit a pharmacological response by directly targeting RNA are limited to antibacterials. Herein, we describe AbsorbArray, a small molecule microarray-based approach that allows for unmodified compounds, including FDA-approved drugs, to be probed for binding to RNA motif libraries in a massively parallel format. Several drug classes bind RNA including kinase and topoisomerase inhibitors. The latter avidly bound the motif found in the Dicer site of oncogenic microRNA (miR)-21 and inhibited its processing both in vitro and in cells. The most potent compound de-repressed a downstream protein target and inhibited a miR-21-mediated invasive phenotype. The compound's activity was ablated upon overexpression of pre-miR-21. Target validation via chemical crosslinking and isolation by pull-down showed direct engagement of pre-miR-21 by the small molecule in cells, demonstrating that RNAs should indeed be considered druggable.
The Participation Interest

Lack of participation is a primary problem with money in politics. Relatively few people make political contributions -- less than one-half of one percent of the population provides the bulk of the money that politicians collect from individual contributors. This Article introduces and details the state’s interest in expanding citizen participation in financing politics. Rather than focus solely on pushing an incomplete anticorruption framework to restrict special interest influence, reformers should also embrace a strategy of giving more people influence. Reformers should accept that money produces speech and that “special interests” in the form of grassroots organizations are a democratic good that can stimulate participation. Increased participation makes government more accountable and responsive, and citizens who give even small financial contributions are more likely to become vested and participate in nonfinancial ways. The Article also presents policies that allow federal, state, and local legislatures to advance the state’s interest in participation. Such policies include tax credits, donor matching funds, exemptions from disclosure for donors of $500 or less, and relaxed restrictions on political action committees (PACs) and parties funded by small donors.