cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutrients: Use of Forest Fertilization and Nutrient Efficient Genotypes to Manage Nutrient Stress in Conifer Stands

Growth responses to fertilizers by many tree species across a wide range of stand and site conditions indicate that suboptimal nutrition frequently limits forest productivity. Much of the increase in stemwood growth following fertilizer additions is attributable to increased foliage production. Other mechanisms which may contribute to accelerated stem growth include increased productivity per unit of leaf area and altered dry matter partitioning among tree components. Several studies indicate that fertilization also improves tree-soil water relations. Even within a single region and species, the magnitude of fertilizer response varies greatly among stands and sites. Existing procedures for evaluating the nutritional status of forest trees and predicting responses to fertilizers leave much of this variation unexplained. Tree growth under low levels of soil nutrient availability and tree responses to fertilizers also vary among genotypes; however, mechanisms responsible for genotypic variation have not been identified. Genotypes with high rooting density may be best suited for uptake of poorly mobile ions, such as ammonium and phosphate, from soils with low nutrient availability.
Challenges as Game Changers for Collaborative Knowledge Incubation in the Public Sector

Harnessing the knowledge citizens and government employees are willing to share on social media applications in the public sector is one of the most difficult things to do in the era of Government 2.0. Every day thousands of citizens are commenting on government Facebook posts and blog entries or reshare information published on Twitter. Rarely has government the opportunity to harvest innovative ideas and knowledge that is published through these channels. The main reason for many agencies to set up an organizational account is still “to be where the people are.” Recently Open Innovation platforms have started to address this disconnect and are providing an easy access to participate in making government cool again.
Undergraduate laboratories-some comments on efficient use of students' time

Some sort of reportorial process is necessary for evaluation of undergraduate laboratory work. A variety of methods currently employed are not entirely satisfactory. Ideally, such a process should accomplish its purpose with a minimum expenditure of time and effort and, wherever possible, enhance the educational efficiency of the laboratory. Under certain conditions, verbal communication may be employed to these ends. In addition to more efficient use of time, other results include: more accurate evaluation, increased effectiveness of laboratory problems as teaching devices, and useful training in the use of verbal communication. In other terms, the communication channel between instructor and student may be given greater capacity, less noise, and changed more nearly into a closed loop.
The Takoradi Route: Roosevelt's Prewar Venture beyond the Western Hemisphere

IN the late spring of 1941, all of Britain's famous sea stations in the Mediterranean were either gone or under numbing attacks by Axis air power. German and Italian aircraft and Nazi U-boats could harass British supply ships en route to supply Great Britain's forces in the Middle East. In addition, German Major-General Erwin Rommel's mechanized troops, sent to Africa to rescue the Middle East, had by the end of March driven the British out of Libya and back into Egypt. Rommel paused at the EgyptLibya border only because he lacked supplies to move forward. The Middle East was now in double jeopardy: a formidable enemy confronted the Army of the Nile, while at the same time the sea lanes Britain had long controlled were almost completely closed down. Philip Guedalla, a British writer who viewed the scene from a post with Britain's desert air force, writes: "The sea route to India had been lengthened instantaneously by 4,000 miles...."1 Egypt was in the same predicament as India. Supplies could be shipped to Egypt from either England or the United States, but they would have to go all the way around the Cape, a distance from England of 12,000 miles. Moreover, as Britain's supply routes to Egypt became longer and more precarious, those of the Axis became shorter and more reliable. United States naval authorities believed it very likely that should the Axis manage to gain complete control of the Mediterranean the war would be over.2 More than anything else, the Army of the Nile needed air support for its ground troops. So much has been written about the tanks of the
Unusual angular momentum transfer in electron-impact excitation of neon

We report results from a joint experimental and theoretical study of the angular momentum transfer in electron-impact excitation of the $(2{p}^{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}6}){\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{1}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{S}_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}(2p{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}5}3s){\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{1}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{P}_{1}$ resonance transition in Ne. Both the measured and calculated data show the circular light polarization ${P}_{3}$ to be positive for an incident energy of 25 eV at scattering angles below 40${}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$. This observation implies a negative angular momentum transfer ${L}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, which is the opposite sign of orientation expected from a well-known propensity rule for $S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}P$ excitation at small scattering angles.
More Evidence on Interpersonal Yielding

The relative effectiveness of the foot-in-the-door and door-in-the-face techniques in inducing subjects to comply with a commercial request for information was assessed in a field experiment. Altho...
Structural Factors That Affect the Performance of Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

The performance of polymer:fullerene solar cells is strongly affected by the active layer morphology and polymer microstructure. In this Perspective, we review ongoing research on how structural factors influence the photogeneration and collection of charge carriers as well as charge carrier recombination and the related open-circuit voltage. We aim to highlight unexplored research opportunities and provide some guidelines for the synthesis of new conjugated polymers for high-efficiency solar cells.
Impact of Capture and Transportation Methods on Survival of Small Rodents During Relocation Events

Abstract Capture and transportation of wild rodents is needed to supply study animals for laboratory or enclosure studies and for translocation of threatened and endangered species. Stress of captured rodents must be minimized to maximize survival. Methods to limit stress include minimizing capture and transportation durations, providing sufficiently sized housing with adequate nesting materials and foods, and ensuring that animals are maintained in comfortable environmental conditions. We utilized these techniques to capture and transport California voles (Microtus californicus) and pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae) from California to Colorado to determine their rate of survival during this process. We captured pocket gophers through live-trapping; burrow excavation substantially reduced capture and holding times for voles. All 50 voles and 88 of 91 pocket gophers were still alive and in good condition 2 weeks postarrival. The techniques and materials described should provide a useful framework for other ...
COLONIALITY IN THE YELLOW-RUMPED CACIQUE AS A DEFENSE AGAINST NEST PREDATORS

Individuals of the colonial Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) in Amazo- nian Peru can defend their nests against predators in three ways. First, by nesting on islands and around wasp nests, caciques are safe from arboreal mammals such as primates, which destroy many more-accessible colonies. Caimans and otters that live in lakes also protect island colonies from snakes, which are vulnerable when crossing open water. Second, by clustering nests together and mobbing as a group, caciques can deter many avian predators, which take spatially isolated nests in small colonies. The effectiveness of mobbing increases with group size, which in turn is correlated with colony size. Third, by mixing their en- closed, pouchlike nests with abandoned nests, caciques can hide their nests from some predators. Overall, nests in clusters on islands and around wasp nests suffer the least pre- dation, largely because they are well protected against the cacique's major predators. Females switch colonies after losing nests to a predator, usually to sites that offer protection against that predator. By this mechanism, the best colony sites accumulate the largest numbers of nests. It is unclear, however, why all females do not nest in the safest colony sites. I argue that nest predation favors coloniality because of the scarcity of nest sites that are safe from mammals and the increased effectiveness of group defense. Received 15 June 1984, accepted 30 November 1984.
Studies of aging in cultured nervous system tissue.

Publisher Summary A central problem of human aging is the impact of the passage of time on the nervous system. Several requirements for the function of nervous system may contribute to its vulnerability to the aging process. The nervous system must have relatively fixed and constant components for efficient and stable function. This may lead to differentiation to the point of nondivision for the most fundamental units, the neurons. Axonal sprouting, the growth of new dendritic processes and synapses, and other less visible changes make possible considerable plasticity of the fully developed nervous system, despite a fixed or decreasing number of neurons. This chapter presents the studies of the effects of aging on the nervous system in tissue culture. The nervous system cultures permit studies of the preprogrammed properties of neurons and other nervous system cellular elements, their limitations and potentials. Their programming can be altered by an introduction of appropriate nucleoside analogs or other maneuvers.
Prevalence of COPD in a lung cancer case-control study: Variability by assessment method and by race.

1609 Background: The association between lung cancer risk and a history of self reported COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is well established, but the association is less consistent whe...
A comparator timing assisted SAR ADC technique with reduced conversion cycles

This paper presents a technique that utilizes comparator timing information to accelerate successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) conversion process. With the scaling down of power supply voltage, the comparator delay is exponentially increasing. Thus, more information can be potentially extracted from the comparator transient response. In the proposed approach, the comparator delay is compared with multiple timing reference levels. Based on such timing information as well as the comparator logic output, the search space can be more quickly refined compared to the conventional SAR ADC scheme that only relies on the comparator logic output. The paper also investigates how to optimally select such timing reference levels while considering their associated uncertainties. To demonstrate its effectiveness, the proposed technique is used in the design of a 0.5 V 10-bit SAR ADC with four auxiliary levels. Simulations show that the maximum number of conversion cycles of the ADC is 6 and in average it only takes 5.04 conversion cycles to complete the conversion process.
Stimulating Extracardiac Collaterals via Right Internal Mammary Artery Occlusion: Another Step Into an Undiscovered Country.

> But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn [boundary] No traveler returns, puzzles the will > > —The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Act III, Scene I > > —William Shakespeare (1564–1616) In their search to find ways to reduce ischemia and possibly prevent death in patients with refractory angina, Stoller and Seiler, in 2014, moved into an undiscovered country and advanced a novel therapeutic strategy involving stimulation of extracardiac collaterals through occlusion of the internal mammary artery.1 In this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions , Stoller and Seiler2 take another step from temporary internal mammary artery (IMA) occlusion now to report on the effects of permanent percutaneous right internal mammary artery (RIMA) occlusion. See Article by Stoller and Seiler In the current study,2 50 patients with coronary disease underwent 1-minute serial right and left coronary artery balloon occlusion at baseline and then again 6 weeks after placement of a distal RIMA vascular occluding device. The primary end point was the change in collateral flow index (CFI) derived from pressure, (CFIpressure, [ P occlusion− P venous]/[ P aorta− P venous]), using a pressure sensor guidewire distal to the balloon occlusion. Secondary end points included fractional flow reserve, degree of ST-segment elevation from an intracoronary electrogram, and anginal symptoms during the 1 minute of ischemia with coronary occlusion. After 6 weeks of follow-up, CFI increased in the right coronary artery (RCA) after RIMA occlusion (from 0.071±0.08 to 0.132±0.12; P <0.0001), whereas the left anterior descending coronary artery CFI was unchanged (0.11±0.09 to 0.08±0.08; P =NS). Concomitant with the increased RCA CFI was a decrease in the intracoronary ST-segment elevation during RCA occlusion, a response not demonstrated in the left anterior descending artery. Likewise, angina tended to be less in …
Numerical Issues in Computing the Stable Deflating Subspace of a Symplectic Pencil

Abstract Some numerical issues in computing a basis for the stable deflating subspace of a symplectic pencil are addressed. Such a basis is required in solving the discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation using the generalized Schur vector approach. An algorithm based on certain properties of the symplectic pencil is proposed as a viable alternative to the conventional approach. The algorithm is based on a recent method for computing the eigenvalues of a symplectic pencil and uses only orthogonal transformations
Characterizing In-Flight Temperature of Explosively Formed Projectiles in CTH

Abstract Code validation against experimental data is vital in building confidence for the use of simulation software in modeling and system design. Temperature data is of particular interest in the study of hypervelocity impact, however the experimental measurement of temperature in such a regime is difficult. Novel developments in measurement techniques have enabled the measurement of in-flight hypervelocity projectile temperature. This is done by saturating the projectile with a magnetic field, in flight, and tracking its decay, which is related to material conductivity and therefore temperature. This study seeks to use CTH to computationally model experiments conducted by Uhlig and Hummer in which in-flight temperature of an explosively formed projectile (EFP) was measured. Comparing CTH results to physical observations serves as a benchmark for the accuracy of internal temperature calculations. Transient temperature results were shown to vary greatly with chosen strength model, with highest accuracy (3.4%) being attained with the Johnson Cook model. These results were on the same order as previously done ALEGRA simulations, though with differing variations between strength models, and EFP structure matches well with experimental x-ray. SAND2017-3687C.
Characterizing Decisional Conflict for Caregivers of Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Without Tonsillar Hypertrophy.

Study Objectives:The goals of this study were to (1) evaluate the degree of decisional conflict (DC) experienced by caregivers of children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) without tonsillar hyper...
FERTILIZERS OF THE FUTURE AND FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR ROLE IN CROP PRODUCTION

World consumption of N, P2Os, and K2O was nearly 84 million metric tons in 1974. About 75% of this amount was consumed by Europe, Japan, North America, and the U.S.S.R. These countries also produced a similar percentage of the world's rice, wheat, and coarse grains The main factors that have influenced fertilizer use include economics, marketingdistribution systems, improved fertilizer production processes, and changes in croppingand management practices. New factors are being added - the need to conserve naturalresources and energy, plus increased concern over the environmental effects of fertilizers. It appears that urea use during the next decade will increase at the expense of ammoniumnitrate. Solid urea ammonium phosphate and urea ammonium sulfate willprobably replace mixtures containing nitrates and sulfates. However, urea-based productsdo not fit in well with the trend toward no-till farming. Suspension fertilizers, beingmade from merchant-grade acid, are energy conservers. Ultra-high-analysis N-P compounds, such as phosphonitrilic hexaamide, P3N3(NH2)6, and phosphoryl triamide, PO(NH2)3, are possible though not probable in the near future. While fertilizer use will be sharply increased to meet world food needs, new pressuresloom on the horizon that could influence changes in supply, kinds, and use of fertilizermaterials.
Methamphetamine Abuse in California: Correlates of Injection Use

Methamphetamine use has recently increased to epidemic proportions in California. In fiscal year 1995, almost 20,000 drug treatment clients reported methamphetamine as primary drug. Of these clients, about one in five reported injection as primary route of administration. This paper identifies correlates of injection among methamphetamine users in order to assist in targeting HIV prevention efforts. Clients reporting methamphetamine as primary drug were selected from the California Alcohol and Drug Data System for analysis. Descriptive statistics were compiled and a logistic regression was conducted to identify correlates of injection use. Latino and African-American methamphetamine users were less likely than White methamphetamine users to report injection as primary route of administration; males were more likely than females. Clients were more likely to report injection use with increasing age. Current heroin use and residence in an urban area were also related to injection status. In conclusion, California is home to a large number of methamphetamine users, a significant portion of whom inject. Data on this population are limited; needle sharing, cleaning of injection equipment, and sexual risk behaviors among this population should be closely studied. Treatment programs targeting methamphetamine users should include comprehensive HIV prevention components.
Cannabinoids stimulate and inhibit testosterone production in vitro and in vivo.

Abstract The major psychoactive Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the non-psychoactive cannabinol (CBN) of cannabidiol (CBD) can both stimulate and inhibit testicular testosterone (T) production in vitro and in vivo . At nanomolar concentrations, these cannabinoids stimulate T production by decapsulated mouse testes while, in micromolar amounts, the effects are markedly inhibitory.
Learning Deep Boltzmann Machines using Adaptive MCMC

When modeling high-dimensional richly structured data, it is often the case that the distribution defined by the Deep Boltzmann Machine (DBM) has a rough energy landscape with many local minima separated by high energy barriers. The commonly used Gibbs sampler tends to get trapped in one local mode, which often results in unstable learning dynamics and leads to poor parameter estimates. In this paper, we concentrate on learning DBM's using adaptive MCMC algorithms. We first show a close connection between Fast PCD and adaptive MCMC. We then develop a Coupled Adaptive Simulated Tempering algorithm that can be used to better explore a highly multimodal energy landscape. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed algorithm considerably improves parameter estimates, particularly when learning large-scale DBM's.
Heteronormativity: A Bridge Between Queer Migration and Critical Trafficking Studies

In February 2017, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly announced that immigration officials would criminally charge migrant parents or guardians with smuggling or trafficking if they paid for ...
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics: optical tweezers and chirped pulse amplification

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Arthur Ashkin (prize share ½), Gerard Mourou (prize share ¼), and Donna Strickland (prize share ¼) for “groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics.” This feature article summarizes the development of “optical tweezers and their application to biological systems” by Arthur Ashkin, as well as the Mourou/Strickland method of “generating high-intensity, ultrashort optical pulses” known as chirped pulse amplification. Further developments are also briefly discussed.
The role of Mexican immigration to the United States in improved workplace safety for natives from 1980 to 2015

Between 1980 and 2015, Mexican immigration to the United States and the share of Mexican immigrants in the labor force quintupled. We provide the first evidence examining whether this impacted one element of the work environment for native workers: workplace safety. To account for endogeneity and ensure that the change in Mexican immigration arose from supply shifts, we use 2SLS and instrumental variables. We show Mexican immigration over this period led natives to work in safer jobs; resulted in fewer workplace injuries for natives; and reduced WC benefit claims overall, which had a meaningful impact on employer costs for WC.
Evidence for Communal Roost Size Regulation in Heliconius erato Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Communal roosting behavior in Heliconius passion-vine butterflies has fascinated scientists for centuries. Despite recent research on the complex dynamics involved with this behavior, little work has been done to examine whether butterflies regulate their communal roost sizes and if there is preference to form roosts of a particular size. Here I present results from two studies, that tested 1) whether wild-captured Heliconius erato butterflies, exposed to different roost sizes in captivity, prefer to join small, medium, or large-sized roosts; and 2) whether established H. erato butterflies in natural wild populations abandon roosts when they become too large. In captivity, butterflies significantly preferred to join small- and medium-sized aggregations, and avoided large aggregations, when introduced to a new environment. In the wild, butterfly attendance decreased significantly as roost size increased, showing that butterflies leave natural roosts when they become too large or crowded. Although a number of potential explanations exist for the adaptive significance of communal roost size regulation in H. erato, one of the most striking details about these results are that preferred roost size by individual butterflies corresponds with the average number of butterflies found in natural roosts. This preferred roost size also overlaps with previous studies showing an experimentally optimal roost size with the same number of butterflies (for anti-predatory benefits), in this species in this same field location. These results combine multiple sources of evidence from old and new data suggesting that optimal communal roost sizes exist in Heliconius and that the butterflies regulate their roost sizes in their home ranges. Further studies are welcome to help understand the decision-making process used by these butterflies for joining – or abandoning – communal roosts.
Exacerbating Inequalities: Social Networks, Racial/Ethnic Disparities, and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: The disruption and contraction of older adults' social networks are among the less-discussed consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective is to provide an evidence-based commentary on racial/ethnic disparities in social network resources and draw attention to the ways in which disasters differentially impact social networks, with meaningful insight for the ongoing pandemic. METHODS: We draw upon prior research on social networks and past natural disasters to identify major areas of network inequality. Attention is given to how pre-pandemic racial/ethnic network disparities are exacerbated during the current crisis, with implications for physical and mental health outcomes. RESULTS: Evidence from the literature shows a robust association between strong social networks and physical and mental health outcomes. During times of crisis, access to social networks for older adults are disrupted, particularly for marginalized groups. We document pre-pandemic disparities in social networks resources and offer insight for examining the impact of COVID-19 on disrupting social networks among older adults. DISCUSSION: Importantly, racial/ethnic disparities in social networks both prior to and as a result of the pandemic intensify existing inequalities and demonstrate the necessity of better understanding social network inequalities for marginalized older adults, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 health crisis.
Fire Resistance Tests for Fluids and Lubricants — Their Limitations and Misapplication

A large number of tests are currently available for assessing the fire resistance of functional fluids and lubricants. Since it is extremely difficult to simulate fire conditions for fluids in laboratory tests, the main use for the different methods is a comparative assessment of the various fluids. The fluids in commercial use, where fire resistance is a critical feature, can be divided into those which depend on water for their performance and non-aqueous fluids, where the fire resistance depends on the chemical composition. Ideally a fire resistance test should be capable of assessing the behaviour of all candidate fluids on an equal basis, but because the two groups of fluids behave in totally different ways comparison in most tests is not valid. Although some tests suffer from indifferent precision or are unable to satisfactorily discriminate one type of fluid from another (within the same group), many rank the fluids in approximately the same order and therefore do not provide any additional information. The introduction of two new spray ignition tests which enable all the different fluids to be compared under similar conditions is a major step forward. These tests, however, cannot simulate a condition where the water content of aqueous fluids can volatilise and leave behind a flammable residue. As a result, for the minimum assessment of the behaviour of both groups of fluid it is advisable to obtain both spray ignition test performance and performance in a 'hot surface' test.
Studies of Postbuckled Shapes

The previous chapter considered the initiation of instabilities; we conclude this book with an introduction to postbuckled shapes. Postbuckling behavior is a large deformation problem initiated by a singularity and this singularity helps delineate between the pre- and post-phases. A buckling analysis can identify the region of this singular point; but the buckling analyses simplified the problem by assuming the membrane stress (axial force) is known a priori from a separate linear analysis. Here, we must determine the stress as an integral part of the nonlinear transition to the postbuckled state. This complicates the analyses considerably and we try to emphasize the distinction between this analysis and the buckling analysis.
Automated Generation of Multi-Material Structures Using the VoxelFuse Framework

Multi-material fabrication allows for the creation of individual parts which combine several distinct materials. It can make use of materials with very different properties, allowing for mechanisms to be integrated into monolithic components. However, multi-material structures can be difficult to design using traditional CAD programs due to high material counts or surface complexity. VoxelFuse was previously introduced as an extensible modeling framework to simplify the process of designing manufacturing-ready multi-material components. This paper presents our efforts to expand the VoxelFuse framework with approaches for generating structures including primitive solids, lattice structures, triply periodic surfaces, and dithered material distributions. We introduce two example applications that demonstrate the utility of this framework for generating an infill structure and a graded material transition. This framework provides a foundation for future work in material-aware design automation.
Savage Kin: indigenous informants and American anthropologists: by Margaret M. Bruchac, Tucson, AZ, University of Arizona Press, 2018, 280 pp., $35.00 (paperback), ISBN 9780816539390

Savage Kin is an enlightening read that both critiques the anthropological community for its reliance on historical texts whose authority on their subject is questionable and unveils the intellectu...
We need to do better: Readability analysis of online patient information on cancer survivorship and fertility preservation

Abstract Objective National Institute of Health recommends that patient education material should be written at no greater than 6th-grade level. Cancer survivorship and fertility preservation discussion with patients is recommended by many national societies and being done more frequently. We sought to analyze online patient information on cancer survivorship and fertility preservation to see if they meet the criteria set by national guidelines. Methods Online patient information on cancer survivorship and fertility preservation was collected and analyzed by six of the most common readability tests. Only websites in English and free to access were used. Results A total of 15 separate websites for cancer survivorship and fertility preservation was used. All websites failed to meet national guidelines. Cancer survivorship information was written at a high school senior and a 12th-grade level. Fertility preservation information was written at a high school-senior and junior college level. Conclusion Online patient information on cancer survivorship and fertility preservation did not meet national guidelines. Testing across six of the most used readability indexes showed that information is challenging to understand for the general patient population. Policy statement This article shares an insight into the complex and growing fields of cancer survivorship and fertility preservation. Educating patients about their condition is critical and improves outcomes and participation in shared decision making. Healthcare policy should focus on implementing a system that will provide culturally and linguistically appropriate information in the community for patients about their disease.
A Fuzzy MCDM Method Based on New Fermatean Fuzzy Theories

This paper presents a new Multi-criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method with Fermatean fuzzy sets (FFSs). The proposed method uses the entropy theory to determine the weights of criteria and utilize...
Influence of Pennsylvania liquor store closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol withdrawal consultations.

Abstract Introduction Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a serious consequence of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic there was a closure of Pennsylvania (PA) liquor stores on March 17, 2020. Methods This is a retrospective, observational study of AWS patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital. We used descriptive statistics for continuous and categorical variables and compared AWS consults placed to the medical toxicology service for six months preceding liquor store closure to those placed between March 17, 2020 and August 31, 2020. We compared this to consults placed to the medical toxicology service placed from October 1, 2019 through March 16, 2020. Charts were identified based on consults placed to the medical toxicology service, and alcohol withdrawal was determined via chart review by a medical toxicologist. This study did not require IRB approval. We evaluated Emergency Department (ED) length of stay (LOS), weekly and monthly consultation rate, rate of admission and ED recidivism, both pre- and post-liquor store closure. Results A total of 324 AWS consults were placed during the ten month period. 142 (43.8%) and 182 (56.2%) consults were pre- and post-liquor store closure. The number of consults was not statistically significant comparing these two time frames. There was no significant difference by patient age, gender, or race or by weekly or monthly consultation rate when comparing pre- and post-liquor store periods. The median ED LOS was 7 h (95% Confidence Interval (CI) Larson et al. (2012), Pollard et al. (2020) [5, 11]) and did not significantly differ between pre- and post-liquor store periods (p = 0.78). 92.9% of AWS patients required admission without significant difference between the pre- and post-liquor store closure periods (94.4% vs. 91.8%, p = 0.36). There was a significant increase in the number of AWS patients requiring a return ED visit (Odds Ratio 2.49; 95% CI [1.38, 4.49]) post closure. Conclusion There were nearly 2.5 times greater odds of ED recidivism among post-liquor store closure AWS patients compared with pre-closure AWS patients.
Effect of data size on performance of free-text keystroke authentication

Free-text keystroke authentication has been demonstrated to be a promising behavioral biometric. But unlike physiological traits such as fingerprints, in free-text keystroke authentication, there is no natural way to identify what makes a sample. It remains an open problem as to how much keystroke data are necessary for achieving acceptable authentication performance. Using public datasets and two existing algorithms, we conduct two experiments to investigate the effect of the reference profile size and test sample size on False Alarm Rate (FAR) and Imposter Pass Rate (IPR). We find that (1) larger reference profiles will drive down both IPR and FAR values, provided that the test samples are large enough, and (2) larger test samples have no obvious effect on IPR, regardless of the reference profile size. We discuss the practical implication of our findings.
From Crowd-Sourcing Potholes to Community Policing: Applying Interoperability Theory to Analyze the Expansion of 'Open311'

The tragic Boston Marathon bombing and hair-raising manhunt that ensued was a sobering event. It also served as a reminder that emerging “civic technologies” – platforms and applications that enable citizens to connect and collaborate with each other and with government – are more important today than ever before. As commentators have noted, local police and federal agents utilized a range of technological platforms to tap the “wisdom of the crowd,” relying on thousands of private citizens to develop a “hive mind” that identified two suspects within a record period of time.In the immediate wake of the devastating attack on April 15th, investigators had few leads. But within twenty-four hours, senior FBI officials, determined to seek “assistance from the public,” called on everyone with information to submit all media, tips, and leads related to the Boston Marathon attack. This unusual request for help yielded thousands of images and videos from local Bostonians, tourists, and private companies through technological channels ranging from telephone calls and emails to Flickr posts and Twitter messages. In mere hours, investigators were able to “crowd-source” a tremendous amount of data – including thousands of images from personal cameras, amateur videos from smart phones, and cell-tower information from private carriers. Combing through data from this massive network of “eyes and ears,” law enforcement officials were quickly able to generate images of two lead suspects – enabling a “modern manhunt” to commence immediately.Technological innovations have transformed our commercial, political, and social realities. These advances include new approaches to how we generate knowledge, access information, and interact with one another, as well as new pathways for building social movements and catalyzing political change. While a significant body of academic research has focused on the role of technology in transforming electoral politics and social movements, less attention has been paid to how technological innovation can improve the process of governance itself.A growing number of platforms and applications lie at this intersection of technology and governance, in what might be termed the “civic technology” sector. Broadly speaking, this sector involves the application of new information and communication technologies – ranging from robust social media platforms to state-of-the-art big data analysis systems – to address public policy problems. Civic technologies encompass enterprises that “bring web technologies directly to government, build services on top of government data for citizens, and change the way citizens ask, get, or need services from government.” These technologies have the potential to transform governance by promoting greater transparency in policy-making, increasing government efficiency, and enhancing citizens’ participation in public sector decision-making.
Unsteady EHL: An inverse hydrodynamic formulation

A novel and rigorous ‘inverse hydrodynamic’ approach is proposed for problems of unsteady elastohydrodynamic lubrication. Spatial discretization via the finite element method results in a canonical dynamical systems problem with (interior) nodal film thicknesses as state variables. The formulation is illustrated by the prototypical example of lubricated approach of a rigid indenter to an elastic half-space.
Theoretical in-Solution Conformational/Tautomeric Analyses for Chain Systems with Conjugated Double Bonds Involving Nitrogen(s)

Conformational/tautomeric transformations for X=CH–CH=Y structures (X = CH2, O, NH and Y = NH) have been studied in the gas phase, in dichloromethane and in aqueous solutions. The paper is a continuation of a former study where s-cis/s-trans conformational equilibria were predicted for analogues. The s-trans conformation is preferred for the present molecules in the gas phase on the basis of its lowest internal free energy as calculated at the B97D/aug-cc-pvqz and CCSD(T)CBS (coupled-cluster singles and doubles with non-iterative triples extrapolated to the complete basis set) levels. Transition state barriers are of 29–36 kJ/mol for rotations about the central C–C bonds. In solution, an s-trans form is still favored on the basis of its considerably lower internal free energy compared with the s-cis forms as calculated by IEF-PCM (integral-equation formalism of the polarizable continuum dielectric solvent model) at the theoretical levels indicated. A tetrahydrate model in the supermolecule/continuum approach helped explore the 2solute-solvent hydrogen bond pattern. The calculated transition state barrier for rotation about the C–C bond decreased to 27 kJ/mol for the tetrahydrate. Considering explicit solvent models, relative solvation free energies were calculated by means of the free energy perturbation method through Monte Carlo simulations. These calculated values differ remarkably from those by the PCM approach in aqueous solution, nonetheless the same prevalent conformation was predicted by the two methods. Aqueous solution structure-characteristics were determined by Monte Carlo. Equilibration of conformers/tautomers through water-assisted double proton-relay is discussed. This mechanism is not viable, however, in non-protic solvents where the calculated potential of mean force curve does not predict remarkable solute dimerization and subsequent favorable orientation.
Exercise flow-volume loops in children & adolescents with congenital heart disease

BACKGROUND: Airflow limitation may be an occult cause of exercise intolerance in congenital heart disease (CHD). We examined exercise tidal flow-volume loop analysis to determine the presence or absence of ventilatory limitation to exercise. METHODS: Subjects performed a maximal cycle ergometer test to voluntary exhaustion. Gas exchange was measured breath-by-breath using a MedGraphics CPX/D (Breeze software, Medical Graphics Corp) which also computed percent flow limitation (%FL, percentage of exercise V t where flow equaled or exceeded the maximum expiratory flow-volume envelope). 4/5 patients had chest CT to examine tracheal calibre. Routine spirometry included MVV by 12-sec sprint method. RESULTS: Sample exercise tidal flow-volume loops is shown in Figure View this table: Patients, diagnoses, and maximal exercise data. ![Figure][1] CONCLUSION: Convential mesurement of maximal exercise V e /MVV failed to identify exercise airflow limitation. Flow limitation occurs CHD patients with enlarged/malpositioned great vessels and is best determined by analysis of exercise flow-volume loop. [1]: pending:yes
Heterogeneity and lability of endogenous digitalis-like substances in the plasma of the toad, Bufo marinus

Three major groups of endogenous digitalis-like substances (EDLS) have been identified in the plasma of the toad, Bufo marinus. One group of compounds, present in fresh plasma, is composed of chromatographically homogeneous polar conjugates, principally bufadienolide 3-sulfates, which exhibit relatively weak Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) inhibitory activity. A second and larger group of compounds, also found in fresh plasma, includes chromatographically heterogeneous conjugates, which are effective inhibitors of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase; these compounds possess properties similar to those of bufotoxins. The third group of EDLS consists of free unconjugated bufadienolides, which are also effective Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase inhibitors. These unconjugated bufadienolides are present in relatively low concentrations in fresh toad plasma, but appreciable quantities are enzymatically generated from conjugates (believed to consist principally of bufotoxins) during the in vitro incubation of plasma. We suggest that the extent to which circulating polar EDLS are enzymatically deconjugated in vivo may be important in the regulation of the digitalis-sensitive Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase of toad brain, the only known digitalis-sensitive Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in the toad.
SCREAMER V4.0 — A powerful circuit analysis code

Screamer is a fast, highly optimized circuit-analysis code that was originally developed at Sandia National Laboratories in 1985. Screamer is written in Fortran 77 (with some extensions) and is highly optimized for speed. Screamer V3 solved electrical circuits having a limited, in-line circuit topology with restricted branches. This restricted circuit topology allowed for a very efficient matrix solver. We will describe the mathematical basis of Screamer and show how the topology leads to a very sparse matrix. We will describe the evolution of Screamer V4.0 and show how the development of powerful (> 0.1 TFlops) PCs with large amounts of memory (> 8 GB) enables major extensions to Screamer's circuit topology without a significant loss in speed. Screamer incorporates many physics-based models such as dynamic loads, gas switching, water switching, oil switching, magnetic switching, and vacuum transmission lines, which are important to the high-voltage, pulsed-power community. Additional circuit models or modifications to existing models can be readily implemented in Screamer. Screamer runs on the Macintosh OS (9 & 10), LINUX, and Windows 7 & 8.
An evaluation of the Bausch & Lomb Zywave aberrometer

Purpose: The Bausch & Lomb Zywave uses Shack‐Hartmann aberrometry to determine wavefront aberrations of the human eye and provide an estimate of refractive error. We investigated the effect of pup...
Reversible megaloblastic and sideroblastic marrow abnormalities in alcoholic patients.

Summary: A reversible type of sideroblastic anaemia was detected in a group of severe alcoholic patients with liver disease. All the patients exhibiting the marrow ring-sideroblast abnormality (24 of the 33) were found to have folate deficiency, hypomagnesaemia and hypokalaemia. The clinical and biochemical findings in these patients are discussed in relation to the development of the marrow sideroblastic abnormality.
Services for Substance Abusers in a Changing Health Care System

Many managed care plans may need to modify their coverage to address substance abusers' multidimensional physical, mental, and social problems. Such adjustments are particularly important for public sector clients whose addiction-related problems are typically more severe than those of private sector patients. Data from a sample of 161 medical emergency, primary care, mental health, and substance abuse treatment programs in Dade County, Florida, reveal highly varied perceptions of managed care. They illustrate that the relevance of provider organization ownership, type of services, and populations served for behavioral managed care analysis. Further implications are the need to provide “wrap-around” or enabling services and to coordinate care for substance abusers to avoid displacement of responsibility for critical aspects of their care onto overwhelmed “safety net” agencies.
Low noise, 0.4–3 GHz cryogenic receiver for radio astronomy

We present the design and measurement of a radio telescope receiver front end cooled to 100 K physical temperature, and working over 400 MHz to 3 GHz frequency band. The system uses a frequency independent feed developed for operation as a feed for parabola using sinuous elements and integrated with an ultra-wideband low noise amplifier. The ambient temperature system is tested on the 43 m radio telescope in Green Bank, WV and the system verification results on the sky are presented. The cryogenic receiver is developed using a Stirling cycle, one stage cryocooler. The measured far field patterns and the system noise less than 80 K over a 5:1 bandwidth are presented.
Impact of prior hospital mortality versus surgical volume on mortality following surgery for congenital heart disease.

Objective Our objective was to assess the relationships of a hospital's past adjusted in-hospital mortality and surgical volume with future in-hospital mortality after surgery for congenital heart disease. Methods Using the Pediatric Health Information Systems database, we (1) calculated hospital surgical volume and standardized mortality ratio (= observed number of deaths/expected number of deaths adjusted for surgery type) for January 2004 through June 2006 for children (0-18 years) after surgery for congenital heart disease at 38 hospitals and (2) assessed the relationship between these values and subsequent mortality during July 2006 through December 2008. We constructed Poisson regression models to estimate risk of mortality, adjusting for age, race, sex, genetic syndrome, insurance type, and surgery type (using the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery method). Results There were 49,792 hospital encounters during 2004 through 2008 for pediatric patients having surgery for congenital heart disease, with an overall in-hospital mortality of 3.45%. For the 24,112 eligible encounters during July 2006 through December 2008, a hospital's prior standardized mortality ratio was significantly associated with postoperative in-hospital mortality ( P P = .0792). On stratified analysis, past standardized mortality ratio was associated with mortality for both lower- and higher-risk surgical risk categories ( P = .0105 and .0015, respectively). Hospital surgical volume was not significantly associated with mortality for lower-risk categories ( P = .4122), but it was borderline significant for higher-risk categories ( P = .0678). Conclusions In this data set, prior hospital surgical volume tended to be associated with improved mortality after higher-risk operations in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease, whereas prior hospital postoperative mortality was significantly associated with mortality across all risk strata of congenital heart surgery.