cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract WMP63: The Yield of Inpatient Cardiac Telemetry in Ischemic Stroke Patients With Ipsilateral Large Artery Stenosis

Introduction: The detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a crucial component of ischemic stroke secondary prevention. Inpatient cardiac telemetry is part of the structured inpatient workup for is...
Enhanced Generation of Induced Cardiomyocytes Using a Small‐Molecule Cocktail to Overcome Barriers to Cardiac Cellular Reprogramming

Background Given known inefficiencies in reprogramming of fibroblasts into mature induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs), we sought to identify small molecules that would overcome these barriers to cardiac ...
Reeds, river islands, and inter-imperial conflict on the early twentieth-century Sino-Korean border. (Special Issue on Water History in the time of COVID-19.)

This paper uses disputes over islands in the early twentieth-century Yalu River to examine how river environments critically shape border conflicts. Processes of riparian erosion and sedimentation along this historical border between China and Korea, accelerated by upstream deforestation, helped transform submerged sandbanks into islands known as Hwangch’op’yŏng. After Japan’s occupation of Korea in 1905, these islands in the lower Yalu delta—and the valuable reeds that grew on their marshy surface—became an unlikely battleground between Chinese and Korean reed harvesters, Japanese “continental adventurers,” and competing Japanese and Chinese empires. With the contemporary Sino-North Korean border still a geopolitical hotspot, it is imperative to understand the historical as well as ecological forces that shaped the contested geography of the Yalu River boundary. Such an understanding, this article argues, shows how both Japanese imperial violence and riparian sedimentation contributed to Hwangch’op’yŏng’s battleground status and its transformation, by the end of the twentieth century, into a Korean exclave on the Chinese bank of the Yalu River.
Icu admission and mortality prediction in severe COVID-19: A machine learning approach

RATIONALE. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and has expanded into a global pandemic. This mass casualty triage, while requiring tremendous resources, also required early decision-making and ultimately allocation of critical care resources. Primary Objective was to ascertain risk factors of COVID-19 patients requiring ICU admission. Identify biomarkers, clinical risk factors, and comorbid conditions that can predict clinical outcome. METHODS. Setting and Study Design. We performed a natural history/retrospective chart review of patient admissions (n=5,568) at our facility for patients admitted between March 1-May 1, 2020, over 18 years of age, with a positive test less than 15 days before admission. We examined their inflammatory biomarker profile and clinical phenotype collected as part of their standard of care (n=90 variables). Analysis. Random forests used as a variable selector were assessed via a modified hamming distance between variable importance rankings of models with identical hyperparameters. The top 10% of variables (n=9) by mean decrease accuracy (MDA) were then included in a gradient-boosted tree model (xgboost package, R-Project) to build classifiers of ICU admissions and mortality. A random hyperparameter space search determined a final model that maximized 5-fold cross-validated AUCROC. All data was collected in compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Part 11 and approved by the NYU IRB#20-00473. RESULTS. The classifiers of ICU admission and mortality had AUCROC = 0.93 and 0.90, and classification error = 15.6% and 20.2% based on the Youden's index-optimal probability threshold, respectively. Variables in the final predictive models of ICU admission and mortality are shown by rank (by MDA) in each model, with rank of 1 being the most important, Figure 1. In predicting ICU admission, the three most important variables were triglycerides, procalcitonin, and c-reactive protein;age, initial O2 flow (L/min), and blood O2 saturation were the three most important predictors of mortality. Procalcitonin, blood O2 saturation, lactate, and initial O2 flow (L/min) were predicted both ICU admission and mortality. CONCLUSION. Our models will be included in an online calculator that will be made available and can be used at point of care by providers to assist risk assessment and triage. Our analysis suggests that novel biomarker combinations may be important in assessment of COVID-19 severity. Future work will include validation of these models in other populations.
INELASTIC SCATTERING IN THE 2s-1d SHELL. I. EVEN-A NUCLEI.

The inelastic scattering of 17.5-MeV protons from a number of nuclei in the $2s\ensuremath{-}1d$ shell has been studied using lithium-drifted silicon detectors. Results for the even-$A$ nuclei ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$, ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{24}$, ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{26}$, ${\mathrm{Si}}^{28}$, and ${\mathrm{S}}^{32}$ are presented here. Angular distributions are obtained for up to twenty levels in each nucleus. While some of the angular distributions having the same $l$ value are similar, there were a number of cases where angular distributions to states in the same nucleus with the same spin and parity have very different angular distributions. The differential cross sections for the most strongly excited levels are compared with a distorted-wave Born-approximation calculation using collective form factors. Reasonable fits to the differential cross sections were obtained for the $l=2$ transitions to the first excited states of ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{24}$, ${\mathrm{Si}}^{28}$, and ${\mathrm{S}}^{32}$ and for the $l=3$ transitions to the lowest-lying ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states of ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$, ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{24}$, ${\mathrm{Si}}^{28}$, and ${\mathrm{S}}^{32}$. A previously unreported level in ${\mathrm{S}}^{32}$ at 6.76 MeV was observed.
The Importance of preventing bovine respiratory disease

Segmentation within the beef industry creates differing perspectives of the true worth of cattle. This is especially apparent for cattle that have been managed through some type of value-added health program. Understanding each segment?s role in value integration becomes increasingly important as vertical cooperation increases within the industry. Sickness, usually manifested as Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), in newly received calves illustrates the importance of preweaning health management to cattle buyers because it is directly related to economic risk. Morbidity rates can have a dramatic economic impact because of losses associated with mortality realizers, reduced performance and carcass value reduction. Health programs are designed to minimize morbidity risk of feeder cattle, and to provide some method of documenting the preventive management program conducted prior to sale. A variety of programs exist to compliment varying cow/calf management schemes. Preconditioning programs represent the most comprehensive tool to prevent morbidity upon arrival. Preconditioning programs address both sides of the morbidity equation: they are designed to reduce the incidence of BRD by increasing resistance, while simultaneously reducing stress prior to and after shipment. However, the cattle industry has been slow to adopt preconditioning programs. This has occurred primarily as a result of ranchers' efforts to reduce input costs, along with increasing consolidation within the feeding industry Nonetheless, source-verified, preconditioned calves generally are at reduced risk of morbidity, thereby potentially reducing feedyard operating costs. The cost of disease prevention programs and their effect on morbidity must be appropriately evaluated, however, within the given economic environment. Calf producers and practitioners are encouraged to understand the various factors that cause variability in feeder cattle prices in order to reduce exposure to excessive market risk, and maximize net return of the cattle that they produce.
De l’autre côté de la barrière. Franchir la frontière entre l’homme et l’animal avec le Roman de Renart

Ces dernieres annees ont vu se developper de maniere exponentielle les travaux sur la frontiere entre l’homme et l’animal, vieille question desormais soumise au prisme du posthumanisme. Metaphysique, cette frontiere est egalement materielle, car toute frontiere suppose une appropriation humaine de l’espace. Or que se passe-t-il quand c’est l’animal qui franchit la frontiere, qui investit les lieux qui lui ont ete barres par la cloture, et quand l’etre humain imagine lui aussi ce qui se passe derriere la barriere – dans le territoire sensoriel de la vie animale ? Dans cet article, j’interroge la cesure instable entre l’humain et la bete et ses modes de spatialisation, a travers l’investissement croise de l’humain dans le territoire animal et de l’animal dans l’espace humain. Je pars pour cela du Roman de Renart, qui met en scene une galerie d’animaux anthropomorphises evoluant alternativement entre territoire sauvage et espaces domestiques et passant constamment de traits humains a animaliers. Je propose d’aborder des textes theoriques contemporains sur l’animalite sous l’angle de la litterature medievale et, suivant l’invitation des auteurs du Renart, de voir notre monde par les yeux d’une bete. A rebours d’une demarche d’objectivite surplombante, j’envisage l’ecriture de l’animalite non comme depassement, mais comme reinvestissement de la frontiere entre l’humain et l’animal, par imagination et desappropriation de l’espace..
Development of a Secondary Crash Identification Algorithm and occurrence pattern determination in large scale multi-facility transportation network

Secondary crash (SC) occurrences are non-recurrent in nature and lead to significant increase in traffic delay and reduced safety. National, state, and local agencies are investing substantial amount of resources to identify and mitigate secondary crashes in order to reduce congestion, related fatalities, injuries, and property damages. Though a relatively small portion of all crashes are secondary, their identification along with the primary contributing factors is imperative. The objective of this study is to develop a procedure to identify SCs using a static and a dynamic approach in a large-scale multimodal transportation networks. The static approach is based on pre-specified spatiotemporal thresholds while the dynamic approach is based on shockwave principles. A Secondary Crash Identification Algorithm (SCIA) was developed to identify SCs on networks. SCIA was applied on freeways using both the static and the dynamic approach while only static approach was used for arterials due to lack of disaggregated traffic flow data and signal-timing information. SCIA was validated by comparison to observed data with acceptable results from the regression analysis. SCIA was applied in the State of Tennessee and results showed that the dynamic approach can identify SCs with better accuracy and consistency. The methodological framework and processes proposed in this paper can be used by agencies for SC identification on networks with minimal data requirements and acceptable computational time.
Substance and Method in the Year 2000

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/plr Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, Courts Commons, Criminal Law Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Evidence Commons, First Amendment Commons, Fourteenth Amendment Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, Jurisdiction Commons, Law and Society Commons, Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons, Legislation Commons, Litigation Commons, Religion Law Commons, Rule of Law Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons, and the Women Commons
Network element testing using TTCN-3: benefits and comparison

As testing often consumes over 40% of the typical project development effort, there is great need for optimizing the testing effort. In addition, as the cost of fixing defects is dramatically lower when fixing those close to where they were introduced, finding defects in the early life-cycle phases is critical. TTCN-3 (Testing and Test Control Notation), developed at ETSI and standardized by the ITU-T, enables testers to specify test cases for the various types of testing, and supports reuse of test artifacts. We have used TTCN-3 as a complete test solution in the development of network element software. This paper presents the benefits we have observed during system development and provides a comparison with other testing practices deployed in our organization.
Computer surveillance of donor blood processing

Resume Un systeme qui satisfait les besoins de base, utilise des etiquettes dont les numeros, lisibles a l'œil, sont aussi lisibles par une machine (code de barres), soit a partir d'un crayon optique, soit a partir du balayage d'un pinceau laser. Il comprend une unite Groupamatic 360 connectee a un petit ordinateur. L'etiquetage final de l'unite de sang prelevee se fait a partir d'un crayon optique, d'un ecran de visualisation et d'un ordinateur. Des erreurs sont ainsi eliminees, et par la surveillance de l'ordinateur, et par un controle mecanique tout au long de la chaine. Le code de barres selectionne est le code « CODABARpour lequel des imprimantes et des lecteurs sont produits par la Compagnie Monarch. Ce code dispose de sept bits par caractere. Les caracteres sont bi-directionnels (lisibles avec balayage dans un sens ou dans l'autre). Le format de chaque caractere est concu de telle facon qu'il soit en mesure de detecter toute erreur, ce qui fait que la presence d'un digit de controle a la fin du numero n'est pas necessaire. Si les etiquettes sont propres et correctement appliquees, les lectures sont obtenues dans presque tous les balayages ; aucune lecture incorrecte n'a ete observee a ce jour. Il est souhaitable que d'autres Compagnies soient bientot en mesure de fabriquer de telles etiquettes, ainsi que les equipements correspondants. Ces etiquettes peuvent etre mises en place a l'avance sur les poches vides, ainsi que sur les tubes pilotes, puis controlees par un comparateur optique, afin de s'assurer que la poche et le tube pilote ont des numeros d'identification identiques. Le tube pilote peut etre attache a la tubulure d'un dispositif de prelevement pour eviter la separation du tube pilote et de l'unite de prelevement avant qu'elle ne soit remplie.
Statistical Control of Optimization.

Abstract : The paper provides a statistical solution to a very general problem in nonlinear programming. Specifically, it does not make any assumptions about the convexity (or, for that matter, quasiconvexity or pseudo-convexity) of any of the functions involved in the problem. On the other hand, it does not provide a guaranteed global optimum of the objective function, but is confined to the computation of a feasible and 'near optimum' solution, and the computation of confidence limits between which the global optimum is guaranteed to lie with a specified statistical confidence coefficient. (Author)
Racial Salience and the Consequences of Making White People Uncomfortable: Intra-Racial Discrimination, Racial Screening, and the Maintenance of White Supremacy

Most sociological research on racial discrimination has had an “inter-racial” focus. That is, researchers have been principally concerned with the disparate treatment that people of color receive relative to Whites in different social contexts. However, recent theoretical work emerging from legal studies suggests that an alternative conception of “intra-racial” discrimination exists that extends beyond colorism. This theory of intra-racial discrimination stipulates that many organizations in the “post-racial” era desire some measure of racial diversity. Yet, in their efforts to achieve this racial diversity they screen people of color based on their degree of racial salience. Whether a given person of color is hired, promoted, or in the case of college admissions, accepted, is a function of whether or not Whites within the organization consider them racially palatable, or not overly concerned with race. This creates an incentive for people of color to work their identity to allay any concerns among Whites that they may be too racially salient. In this paper I critically review this work and attempt to further buttress its claims by highlighting how this process has clear historical precedent. I conclude by showing how the audit method can be used to empirically examine this practice contemporarily.
Gastrointestinal angiodysplasia associated with aortic valve disease: part of a spectrum of angiodysplasia of the gut.

Twelve patients with angiodysplasia of the gastrointestinal tract who were seen at The Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital are presented. Six share the features of gastric or duodenal angiodysplasia, advanced age, and aortic valve disease. Of these 6 patients, 4 who bled repeatedly were treated with endoscopic coagulation of areas of gastric and duodenal angiodysplasia. Six patients with other types of gastrointestinal angiodysplasia are presented for comparison. Two had gastric angiodysplasia and no aortic valve disease, 2 had hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, 1 had received irradiation, and 1 could not be classified. We suggest that angiodysplasia of the gastrointestinal tract can be regarded as a spectrum with a clearly inherited etiology on one extreme and an acquired etiology on the other. A subset of these patients may be associated with aortic valve disease. Angiodysplasia of the upper gastrointestinal tract may account for a significant fraction of previously unexplained bleeding. It is hoped that this paper will aid in their more frequent recognition.
Spatiotemporal Chaos in Large Systems: The Scaling of Complexity with Size

The dynamics of a nonequilibrium system can become complex because the system has many components (e.g., a human brain), because the system is strongly driven from equilibrium (e.g., large Reynolds-number flows), or because the system becomes large compared to certain intrinsic length scales. Recent experimental and theoretical work is reviewed that addresses this last route to complexity. In the idealized case of a sufficiently large, nontransient, homogeneous, and chaotic system, the fractal dimension D becomes proportional to the system's volume V which defines the regime of extensive chaos. The extensivity of the fractal dimension suggests a new way to characterize correlations in high-dimensional systems in terms of an intensive dimension correlation length $\xi_\delta$. Recent calculations at Duke University show that $\xi_\delta$ is a length scale smaller than and independent of some commonly used measures of disorder such as the two-point and mutual-information correlation lengths. Identifying the basic length and time scales of extensive chaos remains a central problem whose solution will aid the theoretical and experimental understanding of large nonequilibrium systems.
The second moment of GL(3)×GL(2) L-functions, integrated☆

Abstract We consider the family of Rankin–Selberg convolution L -functions of a fixed SL ( 3 , Z ) Maass form with the family of Hecke–Maass cusp forms on SL ( 2 , Z ) . We estimate the second moment of this family of L -functions with a “long” integration in t -aspect. These L -functions are distinguished by their high degree (12) and large conductors (of size T 12 ).
Lead Nephropathy, Gout, and Hypertension

The EDTA (calcium disodium edetate) lead mobilization test revealed lead as the probable cause of renal disease in industrial lead workers and in patients with gout or essential hypertension. The data reviewed here demonstrate persistence of lead nephropathy in the contemporary scene despite the introduction of modern industrial and environmental exposure standards. Renal function and biopsy studies showed that lead nephropathy is a chronic tubulointerstitial renal disease with modest proteinuria which frequently presents with hyperuricemia, gout and hypertension. Only evaluation of body lead stores by either the EDTA lead mobilization test or by x-ray fluorescence is helpful in diagnosing lead nephropathy. While chelation therapy is safe and helpful in reversing early lead nephropathy, the best treatment is prevention. These studies further raise the possibility that chronic environmental lead poisoning and associated renal disease and hypertension may be a more widespread problem than suspected. Assessment of the true extent of chronic lead poisoning requires large scale epidemiological studies.
Stochastic spatiotemporal dynamics of stimulated Brillouin scattering in an optical fiber

We report transverse structure in the temporal dynamics of stimulated Brillouin scattering from single-mode pump pulses propagating through a two-mode fiber. Comparison of experiments and numerical simulations clarify the roles of thermal and pump fluctuations.
Reliability-Based Criteria for Load and Resistance Factor Design Code for Wood Bridges

Recently AASHTO adopted a load and resistance factor design code for highway bridges. The new code provides a rational basis for the design of steel and concrete structures. However, the calibration was not done for wood bridges. Therefore, there is a need to fill this gap. The development of statistical models for wood bridge structures is discussed. Recent test results provided a considerable amount of new data for sawed wood and glulam components. Statistical methods provide a good tool for development of rational models for loads and resistance. Because of the random nature of load and resistance, reliability is a convenient measure of structural performance that also provides a rational basis for comparison of wood and other structural materials. The results of a recent project that led to development of rational design criteria for wood bridges are presented. The structural reliability of selected wooden bridges designed by the AASHTO codes are determined, and inadequacies in load distribution and m...
Energy relationships between the redox and phosphorylation reactions in Mitochondria

Abstract The oxidation-reduction components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain fall into four groups with respect to their half-reduction potential ( U m values at pH 7.2. These groups have U m values of −280 ± mV, 10 ± 40 mV, 240 ± 40 mV and near 400 mV. When the oxidation-reduction potentials of the components are estimated during respiration controlled by the limitations in adenosine diphosphate and orthophosphate, they behave as isopotential groups (Δ U h →O within each group). Equilibrium is approached between the phosphorylation reactions and the oxidation-reduction reactions under respiring and non-respiring conditions such that the free energy change required for the synthesis of one mole of adenosine triphosphate is equal to that associated with the transfer of two moles of reducing equivalents from one isopotential group to the next isopotential group. Energy transduction appears to be associated with FeS center I a , cytochrome b r and cytochrome a 3 at sites I, II and III respectively.
Spin, Hyperfine Structure, and Nuclear Magnetic Dipole Moment of O 15

The nuclear spin and hfs splitting of ${\mathrm{O}}^{15}({\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\frac{1}{2}}=124 sec)$ in the $^{3}P_{2}$ atomic ground state have been determined by the atomic beam magnetic resonance method. ${\mathrm{O}}^{15}$ was produced in the reaction ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}(d, n){\mathrm{O}}^{15}$ by allowing a 5-MeV deuteron beam from the Columbia Van de Graaff accelerator to impinge upon a gaseous ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ target. The radioactive gas flowed continuously from the target chamber into the microwave discharge source of the atomic beam apparatus. A rotating-wheel deposition detector specially suited for shoft-lived radioactive atoms was used to detect the beam. The spin is found to be \textonehalf{}, in agreement with the shell-model prediction. The hfs splitting of ${\mathrm{O}}^{15}$ in the $^{3}P_{2}$ state is observed to be 1037.23\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07 Mc/sec, and the nuclear magnetic dipole moment of ${\mathrm{O}}^{15}$ is deduced to be 0.7189\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0008 nm.
Implications for behaviour therapy of an acquired drive based on conflict

Abstract The conflict model proposed by Miller and Brown is outlined and evidence described which supports the concept of an acquired drive based on conflict. On the basis of these two lines of evidence a model of conditioned anxiety based on conflict is outlined and its therapeutic implications considered.
Room-temperature Si single-electron memory fabricated by nanoimprint lithography

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of room-temperature Si single-electron memories using nanoimprint lithography (NIL). The devices consist of a narrow channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor and a sub-10-nm storage dot, which is located between the channel and the gate. The memories operate at room temperature by charging and discharging one electron in or out of the dot. The charge retention time is up to two days. NIL is shown to be tailored for nanodevice fabrication. By using NIL as a nanolithography tool, the single-electron memory is more feasible for mass production.
Excitation Energy Transfer in Model Light-Harvesting Antennae

Applications of light-harvesting arrays range from alternative sources of energy to the field of photonic and optoelectronic devices. Antenna arrays can absorb and transfer light energy to do electrochemical work. Photosynthetic light-harvesting units that are found in nature exhibit highly efficient utilization of solar energy. Recently, biomimetic arrays have successfully been designed. Several questions pertaining to light harvesting arrays still need to be addressed and studied fully. For example, do various antenna geometries give rise to radically different excitation energy transfer, and are the structures in nature especially well-suited for energy transfer? If not, how should specific monomeric structures be arranged to optimize light harvesting? This paper simulates the energy transfer dynamics in several model systems based on monomeric units of the photosynthetic light-harvesting complex, LH2, of purple bacteria using the Haken−Strobl parametrization of the Stochastic Liouville equation. It is...
Correlation of Doppler US tumor signals with neovascular morphologic features

Abnormal Doppler ultrasound signals were detected in 44 of 47 patients with primary malignant tumors of the liver, kidney, adrenal gland, or pancreas (94%). Two different signal types were noted: a high-velocity signal (n = 38) with Doppler shifts exceeding 3 kHz (at an insonating frequency of 3 MHz) and a very low-impedance signal (n = 9) demonstrating little systolic-diastolic variation. In three patients, both types were present. In 19 patients, histologic (n = 12) and/or angiographic (n = 16) correlation was available. Among 13 patients with angiographic studies and signals over 3 kHz, arteriovenous shunting was demonstrated in six. The ratio of the systolic to diastolic Doppler shift is a function of vascular impedance. This systolic/diastolic index was less than 3 in eight patients with histologic correlation. All eight had prominent vascular spaces, and the flow in such thin-walled, endothelium-lined spaces would account for the low-impedance signals. Of nine patients with systolic/diastolic indexe...
Appendix B—A note on the relation between consumptive use of water and free‐water accretion below the root zone

The movement of surface water to ground-water levels is conditioned upon at least four things: (1) the occurrence of water upon the land surface; (2) permeability at the surface great enough to permit entry into the soil of appreciable quantities of water; (3) the amount of consumptive use of water by plants; (4) permeability of the profile below the root zone so that downward rather than lateral movement of water occurs. Among these several conditions none is more susceptible of misunderstanding than (3), because very little is known at the present time about either the magnitude of consumptive use of water by various kinds of plants occurring in different climates and upon different kinds of soils, or its relation to amount of infiltration and downward movement of free water.
Addressing Self-Selection Effects in Evaluations of Mutual Help Groups and Professional Mental Health Services: An Introduction to Two-Stage Sample Selection Models.

Abstract Because random assignment to conditions is often neither possible nor desirable in longitudinal evaluations of mutual help organizations, the influence of self-selection effects must be assessed in order to accurately interpret outcome data. One approach to adjusting for self-selection effects is to control for covariates that predict outcome using statistical procedures such as analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), partial correlations, and hierarchical regression. This approach has considerable power, but is less useful when an evaluator is interested in directly modeling the process of entry into a program and incorporating information on the factors affecting self-selection into estimation of program effects. Two-stage sample selection models are designed to address such situations. These models rely on regression procedures in which program participation is modeled in an initial equation, which yields a sample selection correction factor. The correction factor is included with participation in a second equation that predicts outcome. This two-stage procedure allows the evaluator to interpret the observed effects of a professional service or a self-help group in the context of the magnitude and direction of selection effects. We compare and contrast the covariate control and sample selection models in a longitudinal study of the effects of participation in Alcoholics Anonymous on drinking behavior.
Religious Conversion and Treatment Outcome: An Examination of Clients in a Faith-Based Residential Substance Treatment Program

Religious conversion has been the core of religion-based treatment models (e.g., Teen Challenge programs in the United States and Operation Dawn in Taiwan). This study aims to assess the impact of ...
Nitric oxide modulates interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α synthesis, and disease regression by alveolar macrophages in pulmonary tuberculosis

Pretreatment with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors profoundly increases mortality, bacterial burden and pathological tissue damage in mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nitric oxide (NO) production is enhanced in alveolar macrophages (AM) of tuberculosis (TB) patients. Interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha released from AM are involved in the immune response to mycobacterial infection. The aim of the present study was to examine whether NO is implicated in IL-1beta and TNF-alpha synthesis by AM and related to the resolution of disease activity in TB patients. Purified AM were retrieved by bronchoalveolar lavage from TB patients and normal subjects, and cultured in the presence or absence of a NO inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). The release of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha, and their mRNA expression were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and northern analysis, respectively. The level of nitrite released into the culture medium was determined. The rate of disease regression was evaluated by serial chest radiography. The release of nitrite, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha was much greater from AM of TB patients than normal subjects. NG-monomethyl-L-arginine inhibited the production of nitrite as well as IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in TB patients. The mRNA expression for IL-1beta and TNF-alpha was upregulated in TB patients and was depressed by L-NMMA. Immunocytochemistry using a monoclonal antibody against nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunit p65 showed NF-kappaB was highly expressed and translocated to the nuclei of AM in TB patients, and was inhibited by L-NMMA. An inhibition of NF-kappaB by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate attenuated IL-1beta and TNF-alpha synthesis. More generation of NO from cultured AM increased the disease regression in TB patients. We conclude that the enhanced NO generation by AM of TB patients may play an autoregulatory role in amplifying the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines, probably through the activation of NF-kappaB. Nitric oxide may also play an important role in resistance to M. tuberculosis infection.
Public health and the Transatlantic trade and investment partnership

What would you do for an extra €120 billion a year? That’s an extra 0.5 % GDP across the European Union (EU), or an extra €545 per household per year.1 If you are a European politician facing poor economic conditions, you might be tempted by an international agreement that promises growth, political capital and campaign finance contributions—all with minimal pain. The EU is currently negotiating such an agreement with the United States: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Public health advocates should be wary of TTIP, which carries the risk that important public health protections and principles—from access to essential medicines and medical procedures to tobacco control, food and medical device regulation—could be hampered in exchange for the promise of economic gains. To call TTIP a ‘trade deal’ is to ignore some of its most important features with big consequences for health: regulatory convergence, measures allowing foreign investors to sue governments and strong intellectual …
A parallel algorithm for preemptive scheduling of uniform machines

Abstract In this paper we describe a fast parallel algorithm for preemptive scheduling of n independent jobs on m uniform machines. Each job has a processing requirement, and each machine processes jobs at a different rate. The goal of the scheduling algorithm is to find a schedule which minimizes the time at which the last job is completed. T. Gonzalez and S. Sahni have developed a sequential algorithm which solves this problem in O(n + m log m) time. We develop a parallel version of this algorithm for a Concurrent Read Exclusive Write (CREW) shared memory computer. The algorithm runs in O(log n + log3m) time using n processors.
Reductions in Arctic sea ice cover no longer limited to summer

Summer sea ice in the Arctic has shown a significant downward trend of 8% per decade since the late 1970s, leading to a reduction of approximately 20% in sea ice extent in September (when the annual minimum occurs) (Stroeve et al., 2005). The past three summers (2002–2004) have been among the lowest on record, and 2002 was the extreme minimum. Despite decreasing summer extents, the sea ice extent has typically rebounded to near-normal levels during the winter season, yielding an annual average trend of only −3%. This is not surprising since as temperatures drop below freezing, sea ice quickly forms.
O-Methylhydroxylamine as a New Trapping Reagent for Quantitative Studies of 4-Hydroxycyclophosphamide and Aldophosphamide

31P- and 1H-NMR spectroscopy were used to demonstrate that the primary metabolites of the anticancer drug cyclophosphamide (4-hydroxycyclophosphamide and its acyclic tautomer, aldophosphamide) are quantitatively converted by O-methylhydroxylamine, at pH 7.4 and 37o, into the E and Z isomers of aldophosphamide O-methyl oxime. These trapping products are readily extracted from aqueous media with either chloroform or ethyl acetate, are stable at pH 6-8 toward oxime hydrolysis and elimination of phosphoramide mustard (a secondary metabolite of cyclophosphamide), and showed no evidence for transox-imination with either ketone or aldehyde acceptors. All of these features support the use of aldophosphamide O-methyl oxime in quantitative studies related to cyclophosphamide metabolism.
A comparison of simulation and metamodelling approaches for production rate determination

Decision-making using simulation can be difficult, if day-to-day decisions have to be made using lengthy simulation runs. In situations where decisions are required quickly, an auxiliary model of a simulation model, called the metamodel, can be used. This metamodel is a regression model developed using the inputs and outputs of the simulation model developed for a problem. In this study, simulation and metamodels of a real-life production scenario were developed and validated for the purpose of comparing the two methodologies. The validation results justified that the metamodel could be used to estimate the response variable accurately and quickly. Along with modelling and analysing the present operation, four alternative scenarios were developed and validated to explore the possibility of improving the operation. The metamodels developed can be used for effective decision-making without the need for any specialised software or training.
Acquired eventration of the diaphragm in the newborn

Abstract Twelve neonates with traumatic paralysis of the phrenic nerve and diaphragmatic eventration are described. There were a number of associated lesions, especially Erb's palsy, which occurred in 11 cases. Eight children with paradoxical respiration and marked shift of the mediastinum were treated by operative plication of the diaphragm; all recovered and are well 2–11 yr after operation. Four children with less severe lesions were treated conservatively. Three are well but one died unexpectedly some weeks later of bronchopneumonia and atelectasis.
High Power and High Efficiency Blue InGaN Light Emitting Diodes on Free-Standing Semipolar (3031) Bulk GaN Substrate

High power and high efficiency semipolar (3031) nitride light emitting diodes (LEDs), fabricated on low extended defect bulk GaN substrates, are reported for the first time. The LEDs were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at atmospheric pressure. The peak wavelength was 452 nm, and a minimal redshift of <1 nm was observed between 5–100 mA, in comparison to large blueshifts in c-plane LEDs. The output power and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the packaged 200 ×500 µm2 was 14.48 mW and 26.5%, respectively, at 20 mA.
Measurement of the Microscopic Dynamics of Photoprotection in Living Cells of Green Algae

Photosynthetic organisms reduce inhibition of photosystem II (PSII) in variable light conditions by using a suite of photoprotective mechanisms called nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), in which excess absorbed light is dissipated safely as heat. The primary, rapidly reversible component of NPQ is energy-dependent quenching (qE), which is induced by a low pH in the thylakoid lumen. Measuring the change in chlorophyll excited state lifetime in PSII due to specific physical processes involved in qE has been difficult because of multiple NPQ components and the difficulty of measuring ultrafast processes on a sample whose photophysical decay pathways change in response to actinic light. Using time-resolved fluorescence, we measured the lifetime of excited chlorophylls in PSII of live cells of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as they adapted to variable light conditions. The average trajectory to a qE site, τqE, was measured to be 276 ps for any quenched PSIIs in wild-type cells. This result provides direct evidence that PSII has two primary conformations - unquenched and quenched - and that it switches between these two states based on the pH of the lumen. The appearance of the fast lifetime had a 200 ms delay and 400 ms rise time. We attribute these timescales to changes in the lumen pH, with the first timescale being the time for protons to begin building up in the lumen and the second timescale being the time for the lumen pH to drop to the pKa of the pH sensing residues of PSII. We anticipate that these methods will be useful for probing the photophysical mechanism of qE quenching and using the dynamics of NPQ induction as a probe of chloroplast dynamics.
Evaluation of a model to predict nutrient uptake by field-grown rice

The Barber-Cushman model has not been evaluated under flooded conditions. A field study was conducted on a Crowley silt loam to evaluate the ability of the model to predict NH 4 + , P, and K uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L.). Total nutrient uptake and root and soil parameters were measured at vegetative (active tillering, maximum tillering, and 1.25-cm internode elongation) and reproductive (booting and heading) stages of development of three cultivars (Katy, Mars, and Lemont). The model accurately predicted nutrient uptake during vegetative growth but underpredicted nutrient uptake during reproductive growth. About 90% of the total NH 4 + , P, and K uptake and root length of the rice cultivars occurred within the surface 20 cm of soil, suggesting that samples collected for routine soil tests should be from the top 20 cm. Ammonium and P uptake in the 0- to 20-cmm soil depth were most sensitive to root competition, root radius nutrient solution concentration, and buffer power. However, K uptake was most sensitive to maximum influx rate, root radius, Michaelis constant, and root growth rate throughout the top 40-cm soil depth. These findings indicate that NH 4 + and P uptake can be enhanced by increasing levels of fertilization in the top 20 cm of soil where these nutrients are found to be limiting. Fertilization should increase the NH 4 + and P solution concentrations, thus reducing root competition for these elements. Potassium soil levels were not low enough to limit uptake by the cultivars selected for this study
Black Political Economy in the 21st Century: Exploring the Interface of Economics and Black Studies—Addressing the Challenge of Harold Cruse

In The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, Harold Cruse challenged Black intellectuals, and Black economists in particular, to a “studied creation” of new economic forms not limited by the ideologies...
Changes in Water Quality in an Urban Stream Following the Use of Organically Derived Deicing Products

Abstract Willow Brook receives runoff from Cooperstown, NY and flows into Otsego Lake, a phosphorus limited, mesotrophic waterbody. Between 1992 and 1998, the Village of Cooperstown's winter road management policy included plowing and applying abrasives (particulate material intended to increase traction) mixed with enough salt to minimize clumping. Between 1998 and 2002, Ice Ban Magic™ and Magic Minus Zero™, both organic deicers mixed with magnesium chloride, were applied experimentally in conjunction with abrasives and salt. During the winter of 2002/2003, road treatment consisted solely of applications of salt which had been treated with Magic Minus Zero™. Precipitation-based monitoring on Willow Brook conducted between 1991 and 2003 revealed significant declines in the export of total phosphorus, despite elevated phosphorus levels in Ice Ban Magic™ and Magic Minus Zero™, and suspended sediment as the volume of abrasives applied to roads was reduced. Chloride levels are increasing, however. The implici...
Development of a Throttleless Natural Gas Engine: Final Report

Subcontract report describing a project to investigate methods to increase the efficiency of natural gas engines, especially under part-load conditions. Report contains details on the development of a natural gas-fueled engine capable of throttleless operation to improve part load efficiency.
Electric and magnetic field exposure

The possible health hazards of low-level, power line frequency (50/60 Hz) electric and magnetic fields are considered. The historical background to this concern is briefly discussed. The types of studies being carried out and the results so far are summarized. It is concluded that while the scientific evidence on field effects is inconclusive, inferences of health effects justify further evaluation. >
Cerebral arterial diameters during changes in blood pressure and carbon dioxide during craniotomy

Forty-five measurements of diameters of 12 human cerebral arteries were performed during 10 craniotomies under moderate changes in mean blood pressure and end tidal CO2. The mean change in blood pressure was 30 +/- 16 mm Hg (standard deviation) and that of end tidal CO2 was 14 +/- 6 mm Hg (standard deviation). These changes were induced with nitroprusside, phenylephrine, and adjustment of ventilator rate. Measurements were made through the operating microscope focused at the highest power, with meticulous attention to constant angle and distance from the artery. The mean diameter change in the large cerebral arteries (carotid, middle cerebral artery, vertebral artery) was less than 4%, but the smaller arteries (anterior cerebral artery, M2 segment of middle cerebral artery) showed diameter changes as large as 29% and 21% to end tidal CO2 and blood pressure changes, respectively. These data suggest that at the time of craniotomy, diameters of the large cerebral vessels do not significantly change during moderate variations in blood pressure and CO2, but that larger changes may occur in smaller vessels. This constancy of diameter suggests that the transcranial Doppler velocities obtained during intraoperative monitoring of craniotomies may closely reflect blood flow through the insonated artery.
Assessment of the Productivity of Nighttime Asphalt Paving Operations

AbstractPerforming highway construction operations during nighttime hours has emerged as a response to traffic congestions caused by daytime lane closures. Work zone conditions at night may be different from those during the day, and nighttime factors that affect project metrics (i.e., safety, quality, and productivity) should be carefully considered during the planning of nighttime projects. Currently, there is no methodology for quantifying the effects of nighttime factors on the productivity of construction operations. The objective of this study therefore is to create such a methodology, specifically for asphalt paving projects, focusing on visibility, personnel fatigue, and glare. The methodology is demonstrated using an example case. First, nighttime qualitative (subjective) factors affecting the productivity of asphalt paving operations are identified. A productivity index (PI) is then estimated to account for these factors. The PI value is subsequently used to modify the baseline productivity simu...
The interplay of conflict and analogy in multidisciplinary teams.

Creative teamwork in multidisciplinary teams is a topic of interest to cognitive psychologists on the one hand, and to both social and organizational psychologists on the other. However, the interconnections between cognitive and social layers have been rarely explored. Drawing on mental models and dissonance theories, the current study takes a central variable studied by cognitive psychologists—analogy—and examines its relationship to a central variable examined by social psychologists—conflict. In an observational, field study, over 11 h of audio–video data from conversations of the Mars Exploration Rover scientists were coded for different types of analogy and micro-conflicts that reveal the character of underlying psychological mechanisms. Two different types of time-lagged logistic models applied to these data revealed asymmetric patterns of associations between analogy and conflict. Within-domain analogies, but not within-discipline or outside-discipline analogies, preceded science and work process conflicts, suggesting that in multidisciplinary teams, representational gaps in very close domains will be more likely to spark conflict. But analogies also occurred in reaction to conflict: Process and negative conflicts, but not task conflicts, preceded within-discipline analogies, but not to within-domain or outside-discipline analogies. This study demonstrates ways in which cognition can be bidirectionally tied to social processes and discourse.