cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public and occupational risks of the Nevada (USA) Test Site.

The Nevada Test Site (NTS), north of Las Vegas, was the scene of hundreds of nuclear weapons tests over four decades, both above- and belowground. There is considerable interest, both in neighboring communities and elsewhere, in the risks it poses. Overall, the greatest risks are nonradioactive in origin, with occupational risks to employees and accident risks in transporting low-level nuclear wastes to the NTS from other Department of Energy (DOE) sites ranking highest. For radiation risks, that to workers handling radioactive materials is much higher than that to the surrounding population, either present or future. Overall, annual risks are small, with all fatalities approximately 0.008% of total Nevada deaths. At the NTS, the government spends about 5000 times more on radiation as opposed to nonradiation deaths. This suggests that at least some resources may be misallocated towards cleanup of public risks and that the occupational risk of cleanup may be much higher than the public risk. Thus risk may be multiplied by well-meaning programs.
Nonlocal surface plasmon spectrum in quantizing magnetic field: Surface Bernstein mode branch (n=2)

Abstract The nonlocal surface plasmon spectrum in a quantizing magnetic field perpendicular to the surface has been found to have branches analogous to ‘Bernstein’ modes near multiples of the cyclotron frequency. The n=2 nonlocal surface ‘Bernstein’ mode is evaluated for low wavenumber, incorporating Landau quantization effects for degenerate and nondegenerate cases.
Clone banks of the mung bean, pea and spinach chloroplast genomes

Abstract All but one of the PstI restriction fragments from mung bean, pea, and spinach chloroplast DNAs have been stably cloned into pBR322. Large fragments (15–54 kb) were cloned at low efficiencies which decreased with increasing fragment length. However, plasmids containing fragments above 25–30 kb were too unstable to be useful. In particular, pBR322 derivatives containing the largest mung bean and spinach fragments (34 kb and 54 kb, respectively) are extremely unstable and rapidly delete parts of the plasmid sequence. The SalI fragments of mung bean chloroplast DNA which cover the 34-kb PstI fragment have been cloned into pBR322. Similarly, the XhoI fragments of spinach chloroplast DNA which cover all but 0.9 kb of the 54-kb PstI fragment have been cloned into pACYC177. After a search of several thousand recombinants we were unable to recover a clone containing a 12.2-kb pea chloroplast PstI fragment and suggest that some property of its sequence may be inimical to the cloning process. The identity of the cloned fragments to native chloroplast DNA restriction fragments is demonstrated by restriction analysis and by the ability to construct detailed restriction maps of the mung bean and pea chloroplast genomes.
Theophylline Metabolism: Variation and Genetics

Variation of theophylline metabolism in 54 healthy, nonmedicated adults (13 monozygotic [MZ] twin pairs, 11 dizygotic [DZ] twin pairs, and 6 single individuals) was assessed by kinetic study. Elimination rate constant, clearance (CI), t½, and apparent volume of distribution, as well as urine excretion of unchanged theophylline and of the three major metabolites (1-methyluric acid, 3-methyl-xanthine, and 1,3-dimethyluric acid) were studied. Smokers and men had increased theophylline elimination rates compared to nonsmokers and women. Identical (MZ) twins resembled each other more closely than nonidentical (DZ) twins in the various kinetic parameters, but mean intrapair differences between MZ and DZ twins for all but one of the serum and urinary parameters examined (including t½) were not statistically significant. Correspondingly, estimates of heritability and of intrapair correlation coefficients showed a smaller contribution of genetic factors to variation in theophylline metabolism than had been reported for other drugs investigated by twin studies. Nevertheless, in the family of the individual with the longest theophylline t½, the operation of a rare major gene retarding theophylline metabolism could not be excluded. A father and two out of four children had very slow Cls. This finding would be consistent with, but does not prove, monogenic inheritance. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1984) 35, 170–182; doi:10.1038/clpt.1984.23
Estimating the State-Level Supply of Cancer Care Providers: Preparing to Meet Workforce Needs in the Wake of Health Care Reform.

Increasing cancer incidence and improved access to cancer care through the Affordable Care Act could increase demand for cancer care workers. Lawmakers should consider these factors in policy making.
Acute effects of growth hormone in alcohol-fed rats.

The present study examined whether administration in vivo of a maximally stimulating dose of growth hormone (GH) was capable of modulating selected aspects of the GH-insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system to the same extent in alcohol-fed and control animals. Rats were maintained on an alcohol-containing diet for 14 weeks, while control animals were fed isocalorically. After surgical implantation of a catheter in the carotid artery, rats were starved overnight. The next morning, rats were injected with recombinant human GH (500 microg/kg, s.c.) or an equal volume of saline at time 0 and 12 h. Blood samples were collected prior to GH and at 6, 12 and 24 h thereafter; tissues were collected at the end of the study. Time-matched control and alcohol-fed rats not receiving GH were also included. Although the plasma concentrations of both total and free IGF-I were decreased 30-40% in alcohol-fed rats, the ability of GH to elevate circulating IGF-I was not diminished. GH was equally effective at increasing IGF-I peptide levels in both liver and skeletal muscle. GH also produced comparable increases in IGF-I mRNA in muscle in both groups. Hepatic GH receptor (GHR) peptide levels were not significantly altered by either alcohol or GH. Alcohol feeding decreased plasma levels of IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and increased IGFBP-1, and GH did not significantly alter this profile. Hepatic expression of suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS-3) mRNA was not different between the groups. However, SOCS-3 mRNA was increased by approximately 50% in control animals in response to GH, but remained unchanged in alcohol-fed rats. These data indicate that the decrease in hepatic IGF-I synthesis and plasma IGF-I observed in alcohol-fed rats was independent of a change in GHR levels. In contrast, the ability of a maximally stimulating dose of GH to modulate selected biological responses in vivo was not impaired by chronic alcohol consumption and was associated with a lack of a GH-induced increase in SOCS-3 mRNA.
Esaki Diode NOT-OR Logic Circuits

A basic technique is presented which enables the development of Esaki diode NOT-OR logic circuits. Two embodiments of the basic scheme are discussed, which, when combined with an OR-DELAY circuit, provide a logically complete system. Emphasis is placed on the more economical of the two embodiments. A tolerance analysis is included, which demonstrates that the technique enables the practical design of logic circuits. The requirements placed on Esaki diode characteristics, and the speed limitations of the circuits, are discussed. Examples of working circuits are shown, including photographs of voltage wave shapes.
Information Filtering against Information Pollution and Crime

With the development and increasing popularity of information technology, how to effectively receive and manage the information from the internet becomes a more pronounced problem. According to certain standards, users can take some methods of information filtering to block the information they do not want and retrieve the information they want. In this way, people can effectively avoid false information, spam, commercial advertising, insulting, internet attacks, pornography, and other internet problems. This paper focuses on information filtering systems against information pollution and crime, describes the characteristics and methods of information filtering, and introduces some information filtering software.
Estimation of mean response via the effective balancing score

We introduce effective balancing scores for estimation of the mean response under a missing at random mechanism. Unlike conventional balancing scores, the effective balancing scores are constructed via dimension reduction free of model specification. Three types of effective balancing scores are introduced: those that carry the covariate information about the missingness, the response, or both. They lead to consistent estimation with little or no loss in efficiency. Compared to existing estimators, the effective balancing score based estimator relieves the burden of model specification and is the most robust. It is a near-automatic procedure which is most appealing when high dimensional covariates are involved. We investigate both the asymptotic and the numerical properties, and demonstrate the proposed method in a study on Human Immunodeficiency Virus disease.
Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma is a malignant lymphoma of children occurring with highest frequency in certain parts of Africa and New Guinea where malaria is hyperendemic. It is found in low frequency throughout the world and in nonmalarious areas.
Process considerations in the fabrication of fluoropolymer printed circuit boards

Fluoropolymer-based dielectric materials provide desirable electrical and mechanical properties when used as insulator materials for printed wiring boards (PWBs). However, along with the significant performance and reliability advantages of these insulator materials for microwave and high speed digital applications, there are also significant processing challenges. This paper reviews the significant electrical and mechanical properties of fluoropolymer-based packaging materials, and discusses the unique processing challenges encountered in the fabrication of PTFE printed circuit boards and modules. Key features of the TSM Microelectronics High Performance Carrier fabrication process will be described as they relate to those challenges. >
The Peter Effect Revisited: Reading Habits and Attitudes of College Students

Certainly a primary goal of literacy education is the creation of avid, enthusiastic, and highly motivated readers. However, in this article revisiting the Peter Effect (Applegate & Applegate, 2004), researchers surveyed more than 1,000 college sophomores and found strikingly low levels of enthusiasm for reading. Only 46.6% of surveyed students could be classified as Enthusiastic readers, and only 5.7% could be classified as Engaged and Avid readers. Thus, it appears that the Peter Effect still persists. The authors investigated the reading attitudes of college students, particularly those aspiring to be teachers, and found that 48.9% of teachers will be called on to inspire their students with a love of reading that they do not have. Finally, implications reveal that teacher educators must address the importance of enthusiasm for reading if teachers are to transcend their literacy dispositions to create positive impacts on their future students.
Transducing properties of Drosophila Frizzled proteins.

In Drosophila , two closely related serpentine receptors, Frizzled (Fz) and D-Frizzled2 (Fz2) are able to act as receptors for the secreted Wnt peptide, Wingless (Wg). In addition to transducing the Wg signal, Fz (but not Fz2) is able to transduce a second, unidentified signal that mediates planar polarity. Much attention has been focused on the structure of the N-termini of the Fz-class receptors and their role in ligand binding. Experiments using techniques of high-level expression have suggested a role for the C-termini in specifying which of the two second messenger systems the receptors are able to activate (M. Boutros, J. Mihaly, T. Bouwmeeste and M. Mlodzik (2000). Science , -1828) . We argue here that experiments involving high level expression of the receptors cannot be adequately interpreted and we have tested the ability of the receptors and chimeric forms when driven at moderate levels to rescue loss of function of the fz and fz2 genes. Under these conditions we find that all receptors tested will function as Wg receptors, but only a subset show the ability to rescue the polarity pathway. The presence of this subset implies that the N terminus is necessary but not sufficient and suggests that the ability to transduce the polarity signal is widely distributed throughout the protein.
Survival and growth of juvenile marine pejerrey, Odontesthes argentinensis, reared at different temperatures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of temperature on survival and growth of juvenile marine pejerrey, Odontesthes argentinensis. Juveniles were randomly distributed into plastic tanks (100 L) with 50 juveniles per tank. The growth experiment was carried out at four temperatures: 20, 23, 26, and 29 C with triplicate tanks for each treatment. Survival was not affected in the range of 20–26 C, but it was significantly reduced at 29 C. Pejerrey reared at 23 C showed significantly higher total length compared with the other treatments. Fish maintained at 29 C grew significantly slower than fish reared at all other temperatures, while weight of pejerrey reared at either 20 or 26 C did not differ after 28 d (P > 0.05); they were both significantly smaller than fish kept at 23 C (P < 0.05). Feed consumption increased significantly from 20 to 29 C. The relationships between specific growth rate and temperature, and feed conversion ratio and temperature were adequately fitted with a second-order polynomial equation. The results of this study show that juvenile pejerrey should be reared at around 23 C to maximize growth and food conversion.
Adaptive critic design based dynamic optimal power flow controller for a smart grid

An adaptive critic design (ACD) based dynamic optimal power flow control (DOPFC) is proposed in this paper as a solution to the smart grid operation in a high short-term uncertainty and variability environment. With the increasing penetration of intermittent renewable generation, power system stability and security need to be ensured dynamically as the system operating condition continuously changes. The proposed DOPFC dynamically tracks the power system optimal operating point by continuously adjusting the steady-state set points from the traditional OPF algorithms. The ACD technique, specifically the dual heuristic dynamic programming (DHP), is used to provide nonlinear optimal control, where the control objective is formulated explicitly to incorporate system operation economy, stability and security considerations. A 12 bus test power system is used to demonstrate the development and effectiveness of the proposed ACD-based DOPFC using recurrent neural networks.
Sensitivity to Confidence Cues Increases during the Second Year of Life

We investigated the emergence in infancy of a preference to imitate individuals who display confidence over lack of confidence. Eighteen- and 24-montholds (N = 70) were presented with an experimenter who demonstrated the use of several objects accompanied by either nonverbal expressions of confidence or lack of confidence. At 24 months, infants were more likely to imitate the actions when demonstrated by a confident experimenter than by an unconfident experimenter; 18-month-olds showed no such preference. The experimenter then presented an additional imitation trial and a word-learning trial while displaying a neutral expression. Twenty-four-month-olds persisted in preferentially imitating a previously confident experimenter, but prior confidence had no effect on their word learning. These findings demonstrate a developmental increase in infants’ use of confidence cues toward the end of the second year of life.
The space of all stereo images

A theory of stereo image formation is presented that enables a complete classification of all possible stereo views, including non-perspective varieties. Towards this end, the notion of epipolar geometry is generalized to apply to multiperspective images. It is shown that any stereo pair must consist of rays lying on one of three varieties of quadric surfaces. A unified representation is developed to model all classes of stereo views, based on the concept of a quadric view. The benefits include a unified treatment of projection and triangulation operations for all stereo views. The framework is applied to derive new types of stereo image representations with unusual and useful properties.
Taxonomy of genus Blepharisma with special reference to Blepharisma undulans.

SYNOPSIS. Three new species of Blepharisma are presented: B. seshachari sp. nov., B. intermedium sp. nov., and B. tropicum sp. nov. Two sub-species of Suzuki are elevated to specific rank, B. undulans americanum to B. americanum and B. undulans japonicum Suzuki to B. japonicum Suzuki. Stein's taxa for the species Blepharisma undulans are considered to be diagnostic for that species. Important features of morphology and life-cycle of the above mentioned species are given. Discussion and position of the species Blepharisma undulans are presented and a proposal for the reorganization of the species is made. The possibility of a new key derived from a hypothesis of the phylogeny on an evolutionary basis of the genus is presented. This hypothesis has been extended to include ciliates like Stentor and Spirostomum and its implications discussed.
Effect of composition on the low-cycle fatigue of Pb alloy solder joints

Low-cycle fatigue tests in shear at 300 K (total strain control, reversed ramp cycling at a frequency of 0.1 Hz) were performed on solder joints of Pb-Sn alloys with 10-75 wt.% Sn, a 36Pb-62Sn-2Ag alloy, and a 50Pb-50In alloy. The fatigue results (based on 95% lead-drop failure criterion) followed the Coffin-Manson (C-M) equation with a C-M exponent q approximately=0.4 which decreased slightly with volume fraction of the beta -phase (f/sub beta //sup v/) and a C-M constant C approximately=1 which decreased slightly with F/sub beta //sup v/. Plots of the decrease in load and increase in plastic strain range with cycling exhibited stage-I behavior only for F/sub beta //sup v/>0.7 and total strain range >
Asymptotic theory of guided modes in two parallel, identical dielectric waveguides

The guided modes supported by two parallel, identical planar dielectric waveguides are investigated exactly by a quasi-optical technique and approximately by using the improved coupled-mode theory. The wave numbers obtained by the two methods are expanded into asymptotic series in terms of a suitable small parameter. By comparing the asymptotic series obtained by the two methods term by term, it is shown that the improved coupled-mode theory is asymptotically exact in the limit of weak coupling and not so in the strong-coupling regime. The merits and the defects of the improved coupled-mode theory are discussed.
Generation of uniform amplitude complex code sets with low correlation sidelobes

The performances of generated test code sets are compared to other phase coding and theoretical limits. The results presented show that the generation algorithm produces uniform amplitude complex code sets with low autocorrelation sidelobes and low cross-correlation outputs. The mainlobe to peak sidelobe ratio (MPSR) gains over binary codes could lead to significant performance improvements in both communication and radar systems that require multiple codes. The Doppler characteristics of the generated codes are comparable to those of binary phase codes. Although the generation times are long, they are not impractical given current and projected processing technology. >
Accelerating pattern matching in neuromorphic text recognition system using Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor

Neuromorphic computing systems refer to the computing architecture inspired by the working mechanism of human brains. The rapidly reducing cost and increasing performance of state-ofthe-art computing hardware allows large-scale implementation of machine intelligence models with neuromorphic architectures and opens the opportunity for new applications. One such computing hardware is Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor, which delivers over a TeraFLOP of computing power with 61 integrated processing cores. How to efficiently harness such computing power to achieve real time decision and cognition is one of the key design considerations. This work presents an optimized implementation of Brain-State-in-a-Box (BSB) neural network model on the Xeon Phi coprocessor for pattern matching in the context of intelligent text recognition of noisy document images. From a scalability standpoint on a High Performance Computing (HPC) platform we show that efficient workload partitioning and resource management can double the performance of this many-core architecture for neuromorphic applications. Accelerating Pattern Matching in Neuromorphic Text Recognition System Using Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessor by Khadeer Ahmed B.E., Visvesvaraya Technological University, 2006 Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science Computer Engineering. Syracuse University May 2014 Copyright © Khadeer Ahmed 2014 All Rights Reserved
A Numerical Study of Sea Level and Current Responses to Hurricane Frederic Using a Coastal Ocean Model for the Gulf of Mexico

A three-dimensional, nonlinear, primitive equation ocean general circulation model is used to study the response of the Gulf of Mexico to Hurricane Frederic. The model has free surface dynamics and a second order turbulence closure scheme for the mixed layer. Realistic coastlines, bottom topography and open boundary conditions are used in the study. The model has a vertical sigma coordinate with 18 levels, and a horizontal resolution of 0.2 ° × 0.2° for the entire Gulf. The study focuses on hurricane generated sea level, current, and coastally trapped wave (CTW) responses of the Gulf. Time series of sea levels from U.S. coastal tide gauge stations and the numerical model simulation of sea levels and currents on the shelf are used to study sea level, current and CTW responses. Both model sea levels and observations from tide gauge stations show a westward progression of the surge as a CTW response. The results of the study of sea levels and currents indicate that CTW propagate to the west with phase speeds of 7‐10 m s ‐1 . There is also a strong nonlinear interaction between the Loop Current and hurricane induced currents. The surface current attains a maximum of ~200 cm s ‐1 in the eastern Gulf. The model surface elevation at several locations is compared with tide gauge data. The current meter data at three moorings are also compared with the model currents. The model simulations show good agreement with observed data for the hurricane induced coastally trapped wave, storm surge, and current distribution in the Gulf.
Political economy and business ethics

AbstractIn contemporary discussions of business ethics in particular and political economy in general, three important factors are often given short shrift: history, power and critique. Present-oriented studies that elide the place of power and the role of critique risk becoming ideological justifications for the status quo.
Sharpening the boundaries - 3D terracing applied to physical property inversions

Terracing was invented as a way to convert 2D grids of potential-field data into pseudo-geologic maps with sharp boundaries separating domains of near-constant field values (Cordell and McCafferty, 1989). The approach was based on the observation that the horizontal gradient of a gravity (or pseudogravity) field is maximized over a vertical density (or magnetization) contact. Early algorithms (Phillips, 1992) focused on first identifying the locations of horizontal gradient maxima using the approach of Blakely and Simpson (1986), then iteratively steepening the gradients until the field reached a local maximum on one side and a local minimum on the other.
How Do Bacterial Growth Rates Relate to Evolutionary Fitness Landscapes for Energy-Efficiency?

We are interested in energy flows in bacteria, and how energy gets trafficked between producing ribosomal and nonribosomal proteins under different growth conditions. We describe an analytical model that leverages extensive data on experimental growth laws to infer the underlying fitness landscape in E. coli. This model gives insight into some of the complex nonlinear relationships between energy utilization and ribosomal and non-ribosomal production as a function of cell growth conditions. We draw inferences about what evolution has optimized in E. coli. Is E. coli optimized for growth speed or for energy efficiency? Experimental data shows that at its replication speed limit, E. coli produces 4 mass equivalents of non-ribosomal proteins for every mass equivalent of ribosomes. The model shows that this ratio is expected if the bacterial fitness function is the energy efficiency of fast-growing cells. We conclude that a principal evolutionary driving force for bacteria is the energy efficiency of the fastest growing cells.
Impacts of Intergovernmental Financial Incentives on State Welfare Policymaking and Interstate Equity

Welfare policy in the United States is strongly influenced by intergovernmental factors. This analysis traces the effects of federalfinancial incentives on state welfare policy decisions across programs and examines how changes in federal incentives affect state policy choices over time. The data indicate that higher levels of federal participation are associated with substantial reductions in variance of welfare grants among the states and with higher levels of interstate equity. These findings imply that significant shifts in welfare outputs would result from a devolution of responsibility for welfare to the states.
Forceps compared with vacuum: rates of neonatal and maternal morbidity.

OBJECTIVE:To compare perinatal outcomes between forceps- and vacuum-assisted deliveries. Our hypothesis was that the force vectors achieved in forceps delivery will lead to fewer shoulder dystocias, but greater perineal lacerations.METHODS:This was a retrospective cohort study of 4,120 term, cephali
Supervised and unsupervised learning: how machines can assist quantitative seismic interpretation

In this study, we use an example in a Barnett Shale play to demonstrate how supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques provide the right leverages for seismic interpreters. By analyzing seismic facies map generated by unsupervised self-organizing map, gamma ray estimated by artificial neural network, and brittleness index estimated by supervised proximal support vector machine, we arrive at frackability and lithofacies interpretation of the Lower Barnett Shale. We find strong agreement between interpreted frackability in the Lower Barnett Shale with microseismic events.
Effect of individual, small group, and large group method of presentation on modal performance in college men and women.

Summary.-The present study investigated individual, small group, and large group methods of presentation in inter- and intra-modal functioning within auditory and visual modes along a temporal dimension. Subjects were 52 men and 70 women, ranging in age from 17 to 36 yr. Auditory and visual stimuli were presented by electronic means in a same-different matching task. Four separate conditions were investigated: auditory-auditory, visual-visual, auditory-visual, and visual-auditory. An analysis of variance, conducted for three methods of presentation, indicated no significant differences. Thus, group testing is feasible in modal research.
Mapping Educational Equity and Reform Policy in the Borderlands: LatCrit Spatial Analysis of Grade Retention

ABSTRACTThe purpose of our study is to investigate reform policy, specifically a proposed third grade reading retention policy within the Borderlands. Under this policy, students not performing proficiently on the third grade reading standardized exam will be automatically retained in the third grade. The research methods and approach used in this study include an equity analysis formed by combining two steps across a Borderland county in New Mexico. The first step is a regression analysis to answer if access to early childhood education and access to highly qualified teachers inform differences in third grade reading scores, and the second step uses a LatCrit informed Spatial Analysis to create an equity index, to see how equity varies across the spaces of elementary schools. This allows us to essentially map Third Grade Reading Retention Reform Policy in the Borderlands. The setting of the study is in the U.S. Southwest Borderlands, specifically Dona Ana County, which borders Texas and Mexico, in southe...
Implementation of smoking cessation treatment in substance use disorder treatment settings: a review

ABSTRACTBackground: The high prevalence of smoking among individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) has led to repeated calls for integrating smoking cessation treatment into these settings. Objectives: This review summarizes key findings from the research on the implementation of smoking cessation in SUD treatment. Methods: PubMed searches of articles published from 2000 to 2015 yielded 48 empirical studies that focused on the delivery of smoking cessation in the US specialty SUD treatment settings in which organizations and counselors were the unit of analysis. Most studies used observational designs to gather data from organizations and counselors. Organizational studies show that few SUD treatment programs offer cessation counseling or pharmacotherapy. Organizational barriers include limited training, inadequate resources, and cultural norms that do not recognize smoking cessation as part of the organization’s mission. Smoking cessation services are more likely to be available in...
NGO Policy in Pre- and Post-Mubarak Egypt: Effects on NGOs’ Roles in Democracy Promotion

This article examines the Egyptian government’s evolving policy toward Egypt’s NGO sector and its effects on organizations’ efforts to support democratic political reform. The January 25, 2011 uprisings that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak seemed to present an opportunity for Egypt’s NGO sector to break free from decades of government co-optation and repression and lead Egyptian civil society’s political reform efforts. NGOs did initiate democracy promotion projects immediately following the uprisings, and for a few months it seemed that NGOs would be torchbearers of political reform. By the summer of 2014, however, NGO employees were predicting the looming “death of civil society” in Egypt. Drawing upon data from over 90 interviews, this article analyzes the ways in which authoritarian adaptation, through both discourse and policy toward the NGO sector, constrained NGOs’ capacities to advance political reform efforts.
Hours and Miles: Patient and Health System Implications of Transfer for Psychiatric Bed Capacity

Introduction: An increasing number of behavioral health (BH) patients are presenting to the emergency department (ED) while BH resources continue to decline. This situation may lead to more external transfers to find care. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients presenting to a tertiary care academic ED from February 1, 2013, through January 31, 2014. Patients were identified through electronic health record documentation of psychiatric consultation during ED evaluation. Electronic health records were reviewed for demographic characteristics, diagnoses, payer source, ED length of stay, ED disposition, arrival method, and distance traveled to an external facility for inpatient admission. Univariable and multivariable associations with transfer to an external facility in comparison with patients admitted internally were evaluated with logistic regression models and summarized with odds ratios (ORs). Results: We identified 2,585 BH visits, of which 1,083 (41.9%) resulted in discharge. A total of 1,502 patient visits required inpatient psychiatric admission, and of these cases, 177 patients (11.8%; 95% CI, 10.2%-13.5%) required transfer to an external facility. The median ED length of stay for transferred patients was 13.9 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 9.3-20.2 hours; range, 3.0-243.0 hours). The median distance for transport was 83 miles (IQR, 42-111 miles; range, 42-237 miles). In multivariable analysis, patients with suicidal or homicidal ideation had increased risk of transfer (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI], 1.93 [1.22-3.06]; P=.005). Children younger than 18 years (OR [95% CI], 2.34 [1.60-3.40]; P<.001) and adults older than 65 years (OR [95% CI], 3.46 [1.93-6.19]; P<.001) were more likely to require transfer and travel farther to access care. Conclusions: Patients requiring external transfer for inpatient psychiatric care were found to have prolonged ED lengths of stay. Patients with suicidal and homicidal ideation as well as children and adults older than 65 years are more likely to require transfer.
Soil lead contamination decreases bee visit duration at sunflowers

Legacies of lead contamination present challenges in the management of urban greenspaces for beneficial insect conservation. In particular, the sublethal effects of lead contamination on bee foraging behavior could negatively impact plant-pollinator interactions and the sustainability of urban agriculture. It is difficult, however, to distinguish between differences in foraging behavior caused by lead contamination directly as compared to differences resulting from variation in floral traits, which can also be affected by contamination. We compared the foraging behavior of bees, specifically the number of visits and visit duration, at sunflowers grown in lead-contaminated and uncontaminated soils. We also measured soil lead contamination’s effects on sunflower morphological traits. While the number of visits a sunflower head received was not affected by soil lead contamination, bee visit duration was shorter at sunflowers grown in lead contaminated soil. This effect of lead contamination on visit duration was not mediated by sunflower floral traits, which were themselves affected by lead contamination. The inability of bees to distinguish between sunflowers grown in contaminated vs. uncontaminated soil prior to visitation suggests a possible bioaccumulation pathway for lead in bees.
Mini-MAC: Raising the bar for vehicular security with a lightweight message authentication protocol

Abstract We propose Mini-MAC, a new message authentication protocol that works in existing automotive computer networks without delaying any message or increasing network traffic. Deployed in many vehicles, the CAN bus is a low-speed network connecting electronic control units, including those that control critical functionality such as braking and acceleration. The CAN bus is extremely vulnerable to malicious actors with bus access, including wireless access. Traditionally, Message Authentication Codes (MACs) help authenticate the sender of a message, and variants prevent message replay attacks; however, standard MACs are unsuitable for use on the CAN bus because of small payload sizes. Restrictions of the CAN bus, including the need not to delay messages or increase bus traffic, severely limit how well this network can be protected. Mini-MAC is based on a counter-seeded keyed-Hash MAC (HMAC), augmented with message history and truncated to fit available message space. It does not increase bus traffic and incurs a very small performance penalty relative to the provably secure HMAC. It is the first proposal to combine these two tenets for vehicle networks. The message history feature protects against all transient attackers, even if they know the keys. Though the CAN bus cannot be properly secured against a dedicated attacker, Mini-MAC meaningfully raises the bar of vehicular security, enhancing the safety of drivers and others.
RE in the Age of Continuous Deployment

A panel discussing the role of requirements engineering (RE) in agile software development is organized at the 25th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE’17) taking place in Lisbon, Portugal during September 4-8, 2017. Agile software practices introduce important changes to traditional understandings about requirements, such as how much to elicit and model, in which form to document, and what serves as good stopping criteria for doing RE. This panel invites members who have a significant presence in the field of RE, and engages them in a serious debate. The objective of the panel is to shed light on how to embrace agile into the RE community by sharing a diversity of views from the panelists.
Clinical Utility of Prognostic Scoring Systems in Patients with Hematological Malignancies Who Require Mechanical Ventilation

Patients with hematological malignancies can develop acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to lung injury by chemotherapeutic agents and blood product transfusion, infection, neuromuscular weakness, and fluid overload. At the time of ICU admission, it can be difficult to predict which of these patients will benefit from invasive mechanical ventilation and will survive their episode of ARF. In this chapter, we review prognostic scoring systems that have been applied to this set of clinical circumstances, the results of studies evaluating mortality risk factors for critically ill patients with hematological malignancies, and unanswered questions regarding the provision of invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilatory support to these patients.
A Hybrid Electric and Thermal Solar Receiver

Summary Solar energy offers a promising renewable energy source; however, it is expensive to store electricity from photovoltaics (PV), the most widely deployed solar electricity technology. Solar thermal energy technologies can be paired with inexpensive thermal storage, but are more expensive overall. We have developed a solar receiver that combines PV and solar thermal systems to efficiently convert solar radiation to electricity (to be used immediately) and thermal energy (to be stored and converted to electricity on demand). This paper describes the Hybrid Electric And Thermal Solar (HEATS) receiver and models its performance. An idealized model predicts high solar-to-electricity efficiency (35.2%) with high dispatchability (44.2% of electricity from thermal energy) at an operating temperature of 775 K. Modeling using measured performance values for HEATS subcomponents predicts 26.8% efficiency and 81% dispatchability with silicon PV and 28.5% efficiency and 76% dispatchability with gallium arsenide PV, both operating at 700 K.
Implementing Alcohol Misuse SBIRT in a National Cohort of Pediatric Trauma Centers-a type III hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.

The American College of Surgeons mandates universal screening for alcohol misuse and delivery of an intervention for those screening positive as a requirement for certification as a level 1 trauma center. Though this requirement has been mandated for over a decade, its implementation has been challenging. Our research team completed an implementation study supporting seven pediatric trauma centers’ compliance with the requirement by developing and implementing an institutional alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) policy for adolescent trauma patients. A mixed-methods approach indicated that SBIRT adoption rates increased at all sites; however, providers’ fidelity to the SBIRT intervention was variable, and providers reported a number of barriers to SBIRT implementation. The goal of this study is to conduct a fully powered type III hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial to test the effectiveness of a comprehensive implementation strategy in increasing the implementation of SBIRT for alcohol and other drug use (AOD) in pediatric trauma centers. Our implementation strategy is based on the Science to Service Laboratory (SSL), an approach developed by the SAMHSA-funded Addiction Technology Transfer Centers that consists of three core elements (i.e., didactic training + performance feedback + leadership coaching). Utilizing a stepped wedge design, a national cohort of 10 pediatric trauma centers will receive the SSL implementation strategy. At six distinct time points, each of the 10 sites will provide data from 30 electronic medical records (n = 1800 in total). A subset of adolescents will also report on fidelity of intervention delivery and linkage to care (i.e., continued AOD discussion and/or treatment with a primary care provider) 1 month after hospital discharge. In addition, nurses, social workers, and leaders will report on organizational readiness for implementation at four distinct time points. This protocol proposes a unique opportunity to examine whether a comprehensive implementation strategy can improve the fidelity of SBIRT delivery across a national cohort of pediatric trauma centers. With injured adolescents, this could optimize the detection and intervention of AOD use and improve adolescent health. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03297060 .
Abstract P168: Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with Aspirin: Self-Reported and Validated Aspirin use in a Minnesota Community

Introduction: Aspirin (ASA) is recommended for the primary prevention (PP) of cardiovascular disease (CVD, defined as a first myocardial infarction or stroke) by the American Heart Association, Cen...
Software Vulnerabilities in Java

Abstract : Java is essentially a safe language with good security features, However there are several Java features and facilities that can compromise safety if they are misused or improperly implemented. This report briefly describes these potential software vulnerabilities in the current version of Java, Java 5. This brief report is concerned with software vulnerabilities in the current version of Java that is Java 5. Java is essentially a safe language: there is no explicit pointer manipulation; array and string bounds are automatically checked; attempts at referencing a null pointer are trapped; the arithmetic operations are well defined and platform independent as are the type conversions. The built-in byte code verifier ensures that these cheeks are always in place. Moreover there are comprehensive fine-grained security mechanisms available in Java that can control access to individual files sockets and other sensitive resources. To take advantage of the security mechanisms the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) must have a security manager in place. This is an ordinarily Java object of class Java. language. SecurityManager (or a subclass) that can be put in place programmatically but is more usually specified via a command line parameter. There are however some ways in which Java program safety can be compromised. These are described in Section 2.
Approaches to Antiterrorism

A democratic society, although dedicated to the peaceful settlement of dissent and disagreement, must devise and implement legislation which permits its police to conduct antiterror operations, otherwise it may one day come to realize that it has ceased to govern a free people. Some Latin American countries, for example, unable to control the extension and development of a terrorist organization through the use of traditional police methods, have devised and implemented state-of-siege legislation which prohibits all public dissent, and utilizes military courts martial to handle a wide range of offenses, from kidnapping to guerrilla ambushes of police personnel. Although a generally successful counterterrorist technique, a state-of-siege decree often results in a shift of power to the armed forces who use it to overturn or control most civilian institutions, arguing that a terrorist movement is only a manifestation of the decay of a nation’s political and social structure. Democracy as a viable institution, therefore, ceases to exist.
A Novel Anti-LILRB4 CAR-T Cell for the Treatment of Monocytic AML

To effectively improve treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), new molecular targets and therapeutic approaches need to be identified. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells targeting tumor-associated antigens have shown promise in the treatment of some malignancies. However, CAR-T cell development for AML has been limited by lack of an antigen with high specificity for AML cells that is not present on normal hematopoietic stem cells, and thus will not result in myelotoxicity. Here we demonstrate that leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor-B4 (LILRB4) is a tumor-associated antigen highly expressed on monocytic AML cells. We generated a novel anti-LILRB4 CAR-T cell that displays high antigen affinity and specificity. These CAR-T cells display efficient effector function in vitro and in vivo against LILRB4+ AML cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate anti-LILRB4 CAR-T cells are not toxic to normal CD34+ umbilical cord blood cells in colony-forming unit assays, nor in a humanized hematopoietic-reconstituted mouse model. Our data demonstrate that anti-LILRB4 CAR-T cells specifically target monocytic AML cells with no toxicity to normal hematopoietic progenitors. This work thus offers a new treatment strategy to improve outcomes for monocytic AML, with the potential for elimination of leukemic disease while minimizing the risk for on-target off-tumor toxicity.
Superior detection of metastatic cystic lymphadenopathy in patients with papillary thyroid cancer by utilization of thyroglobulin washout

Background Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology has been the standard of care in the workup of cervical lymph nodes (LNs) in patients with recurrent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and suspicious cervical LNs. Recently, FNA thyroglobulin (TG) washout measurement has been proposed as an adjunct in the management of these patients. We hypothesize that using FNA-TG washout for suspicious cervical LNs would increase the accuracy of diagnosing metastatic disease especially in cystic and highly vascular cervical LN in patients with recurrent PTC. Methods This is a retrospective study of a prospectively collected database for patients with thyroid cancer who underwent preoperative FNA followed by selective neck dissection by one surgeon at an academic institution. FNA-cytology and FNA-TG washout were performed simultaneously. A total of 138 patients were included in our study, of which 92 (66.7%) had undergone surgical intervention. Results of both methods were then correlated with the final surgical pathology. Results FNA-cytology alone showed a sensitivity of 80.0%, specificity of 100.0% with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 60.0%. By contrast, FNA-TG washout had a sensitivity of 95.8%, specificity of 90.5% with a NPV of 86.4%. Combination of the FNA-cytology with FNA-TG washout of cystic/highly vascular LN increased the accuracy of diagnosis with a sensitivity of 98.2%, specificity of 100.00% with a NPV of 95.0%. All 14 malignant cervical LNs with false-negative FNA-cytology showed elevated FNA-TG washout, 10 (71.4%) of which were cystic in nature and 4 were highly vascular on ultrasonography. Conclusion FNA-TG washout increases the diagnostic accuracy in detecting metastatic disease in patients with recurrent thyroid cancer. FNA-TG washout may be of special diagnostic importance in cystic or highly vascular LNs, which might have falsely negative cytology. Level of evidence 2B.