cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study on Short Term Efficacy between Dynamic Neutralization System and Posterior Intervertebral Fusion for Degenerative Spinal Stenosis

Objective: To compare short term efficacy between dynamic neutralization system and posterior interior intervertebral fusion for degenerative spinal stenosis. Methods: 70 Patients with intervertebral disc herniation with spinal canal stenosis or not were randomly divided into dynesys group(n=38) and posterior intervertebral fusion group(n=32), the former group was applied with vertebral decompression and dynesys internal fixation, and the latter was given decompression and posterior intervertebral fusion, follow-up for 24 months, and postoperative function recovery, intervertebral space height, motion range and degeneration of adjacent segment were compared between the two groups. Results: 1 All patients were successfully operated and followed up for 24 months. At the end of follow-up, ODI and VAS scores of patients in two groups were significantly decreased compared with preoperation(P0.05), but there was no significant difference between the ODI score and VAS score(P0.05). 2 The fixed segment spaces of the two groups were significantly increased compared with preoperation(P0.05), Range of motion of L4-5 segment and L5-S1 segment of dynesys group was significantly decreased(P0.05). However, the fusion segment of Fusion group fixed good and there was no activity. 3Cranial adjacent segment activity of prepost treatment had no obvious change in dynesys group, cranial adjacent segment activity of fusion group increased significantly compared with preoperation(t=2.286, P=0.026),the difference was statistically significant between the two groups(t=3.125, p=0.003). 4At the end of follow-up, One case(2.6%) in dynesys group had one screw loosening at S1 segment, no other adjacent segment was found degeneration; fusion group had four cases(12.5%) hadⅠ-Ⅱ degree adjacent segment degeneration,The difference was significant between the two groups(P=0.039). Conclusions: The short term effect of dynesys dynamic fixation operation and traditional posterior interior intervertebral fusion for degenerative spinal whose short-term efficacy postoperativly were similar, but adverse influence of the former on adjacent segment activity is less than fusion method.
Leveraging comprehensive baseline datasets to quantify property variability in nuclear-grade graphites

Abstract The full characterization of the physical and mechanical properties of candidate nuclear-grade graphites is highly dependent upon an understanding of the distribution of values that are inherent to graphite. Not only do the material properties of graphites vary considerably between grades owing to the raw materials sources, filler particle type and size, methods of compaction, and production process parameters, but variability is observed between billets of the same grade from a single batch and even across spatial positions within a single billet. Properly enveloping the expected properties of interest requires both a substantial amount of data to statistically capture this variability and a representative distribution capable of accurately describing the range of values. A two-parameter Weibull distribution is confirmed to be representative of the distribution of physical (density, modulus) and mechanical (compressive, flexure, and tensile strength) values in five different nuclear-grades of graphite. The fine-grained isomolded grades tend toward higher Weibull modulus and characteristic strength values, while the extruded grade being examined exhibits relatively large distributions in property values. With the number of candidate graphite specimens that can undergo full irradiation exposure and subsequent testing having limited feasibility with regard to economics and timely evaluations, a proper capture of the raw material variability in an unirradiated state can provide crucial supplementary resolution to the limited amount of available data on irradiated candidate grades.
TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF THE recA REGION OF E. COLI

ABSTRACT We have studied regulation of recA messenger RNA synthesis in E. coli. Transcription of the recA region is stimulated at least five-fold by UV-irradiation. Induction of mRNA formation is blocked by mutations in recA and lexA. Thus, the recA and lexA products are involved in transcriptional modulation of the recA region.
Patrick Branwell Brontë, [‘The Thorp Green Affair’] (1845), in The Shakespeare Head Brontë, vol. ii, pp. 72–3, 95–6, 98–9, 113–14, 123–5

my dear sir, — I send through yourself the enclosed scrap1 for the Halifax Guardian — and I ought to tell you why I wish anything of so personal a nature to appear in print.
Applications of Sub-Supersolution Theorems to Singular Nonlinear Elliptic Problems

The results presented here were motivated by several recent papers on singular boundary value problems for semilinear elliptic equations with convection terms. We present extensions which cover singular nonlinear equations (mainly equations involving the p−Laplacian) containing convection terms. The results obtained are proved using suband supersolution theorems (motivated by the results in [18, 19, 20, 23]) and the construction of a well-ordered pair of such using a principal eigenfunction of the p−Laplacian. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. 35B45, 35J60, 35J65.
Donor predictors of allograft utilization for pediatric heart transplantation.

Pediatric heart transplantations are limited by the supply of donor allografts. We sought to determine the cardiac allograft utilization rate for pediatric donors and identify donor factors that predict graft use for transplantation. The United Network for Organ Sharing deceased donor database was queried from April 30, 2006, to March 31, 2014. Donor risk factors that might affect graft use for cardiac transplantation were evaluated. The pediatric cardiac graft utilization rate was calculated, and logistic regression modeling was performed to determine the relationship of risk factors with graft use for transplantation. During the study period, 6682 eligible cardiac donors 1 year (OR 0.363), non-O blood type (OR 0.586), CDC 'high-risk' donor status (OR 0.676), use of inotropes (OR 0.718), use of >2 inotropes (OR 0.328), and donor left ventricular ejection fraction <50% (OR 0.045) were significantly associated with graft nonutilization. The pediatric cardiac allograft utilization rate and risk factors for graft use for transplantation have been identified. Additional studies will be needed to assess the donor-recipient relationship on pediatric transplant outcomes.
Gas and Oil Resources in Tight Formations

Natural gas and crude oil production in the United States has grown significantly in recent years as improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies have made it commercially viable to recover gas trapped in tight formations, such as shale and coal. The United States is now the number one natural gas producer in the world and, together with Canada, accounts for more than 25% of global natural gas production. Shale gas will play an ever-increasing role in this resource base and economic outlook of the United States. Furthermore, production of natural gas and crude oil is projected to increase over the next two decades, highlighting the significance of natural gas from shale formations and from tight formations in the future energy mix in the United States and other countries.
Other Cannabimimetic Lipid Signaling Molecules

The endogenous lipids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) play predominant signaling roles through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and at least one transient receptor potential channel (TRP). Additional structur- ally similar lipid signaling molecules that have cannabinoid-like (cannabimimetic) activity in which they produce similar cellular, physiological, and behavioral phe- notypes as anandamide and 2-AG have recently been discovered. Like the endog- enous cannabinoids, many of the actions of these structurally similar endogenous lipids are known to occur through both GPCRs and TRPs. The cannabimimetic lipid signaling molecules of N-arachidonoyl glycine, N-arachidonoyl dopamine, N-arachidonoyl serine, the family of N-acyl ethanolamines, and 2-acyl glycerols and their roles in cellular signaling and physiology are discussed here.
Robust Model Checking of Timed Automata under Clock Drifts

Timed automata have an idealized semantics where clocks are assumed to be perfectly continuous and synchronized, and guards have infinite precision. These assumptions cannot be realized physically. In order to ensure that correct timed automata designs can be implemented on real-time platforms, several authors have suggested that timed automata be stud- ied under robust semantics. A timed automaton H is said to robustly satisfy a property if there is a positive -- and/or a positive -- such that the automaton satisfies the property even when the clocks are allowed to drift by epsilon and/or guards are enlarged by delta. In this paper we show that, 1. checking omega-regular properties when only clocks are perturbed or when both clocks and guards are perturbed, is PSPACE-complete; and 2. one can compute the exact reachable set of a bounded timed automaton when clocks are drifted by infinitesimally small amount, using polynomial space. In particular, we re- move the restrictive assumption on the timed automaton that its region graph only contains progress cycles, under which the second result above has been previously established.
Analysis of inventory models with ramp type demand

AbstractWe study the inventory model of Mandal and Pal that published in 1998 of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics. Their paper is one of pioneer works for the inventory model with ramp type demand. Based on their paper, several papers had extended their paper to more generalized setting to develop more practical inventory models with ramp or trapezoidal demands. However, some questionable results in their original work did not discussed and revised in those previous papers. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, we point out those questionable results in Mandal and Pal. Second, we provide an alternative method to simplify their computations. Third, we discuss the comparison between the inventory model and its approximated model.
Constructing Networks from Matrices

Methods for defining an adjacency matrix are also known as network construction-, inference-, or deconvolution methods. The network adjacency matrix can be defined by transforming a similarity or dissimilarity matrix, a symmetric matrix, or even a general square matrix. Multiple similarity matrices can be combined into a single “consensus” network, which allows one to define consensus modules. A signed correlation network turns out to be rank-equivalent to a Euclidean-distance-based network between scaled vectors. Sample networks, which are often defined as distance-based networks, are useful for identifying outlying samples or observations. A distance-based adjacency function yields an adjacency matrix A for which \(dissA = 1 - A\) satisfies the triangle inequality and other distance properties. Distance-based adjacency functions are useful for generalizing the ARACNE algorithm to general networks. We describe how the Kullback–Leibler pre-dissimilarity can be used (a) for measuring the difference between matrices and (b) for network construction.
Physical Education Students' Ownership, Empowerment, and Satisfaction With PE and Physical Activity.

Individuals experiencing a highly caring, task-involving, and low ego-involving exercise climate have reported greater ownership in exercise class and empowerment to exercise in general. Purpose: T...
Selection and Maturation of the Dominant Follicle and Its Ovum in the Menstrual Cycle

The specialized investments of the growing preovulatory follicle, and its successor the corpus luteum, establish and maintain the changing hormonal milieu which nurtures the ovum through maturation, fertilization, and the initial stages of embryogenesis. Indeed, it is the ovarian cycle which modulates hypothalamic-pituitary function through both negative and positive feedback on gonadotropin release, as well as temporal regulation of proliferative and secretory phases within the uterus during the menstrual cycle. No wonder, then, that the sequelae to aberrancies during folliculogenesis (spontaneous or induced) include abnormalities of the cervical mucus, endometrium, circulating gonadotropins, the corpus luteum, and even the ovum. Accordingly, fertility in the female depends most fundamentally on an underlayment of intra-ovarian processes which account for timely follicular growth culminating in ovulation of a fertilizable oocyte.
Does the U Stand for Useless? The Urine Drug Screen and Emergency Department Psychiatric Patients

Abstract Background Behavioral emergencies account for a significant portion of emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Substance abuse is common in this population and may precipitate or exacerbate preexisting psychiatric illness. Contrary to ED policy guidelines, many behavior health centers (BH) require a urine drug screen (UDS) in stable patients prior to transfer. Objective We sought to determine the role of the UDS in ED length of stay (LOS), cost, and charges to patients and inpatient psychiatric care. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients transferred to an in-network BH from September 1–30, 2014. Clinical data were extracted and analyzed from our electronic medical record, including records from both the ED visit and the BH stay. Results There were 205 patient encounters identified; 89 patients had a UDS performed in the ED and 89% were obtained after the ED medical clearance. LOS were similar between the two groups, however, time to ED departure from time of medical clearance was delayed in the UDS group. BH providers mentioned UDS results Conclusion The UDS did not seem to have any significant effect on inpatient psychiatric care; whereas ED LOS and cost were both negatively affected. Based on these results, the UDS seems to be of little-to-no benefit in the setting of acute psychiatric illness.
The rise and fall of a speculative bubble: geostrategic concerns, public debate and the promotion of an American trans-oceanic canal in the 1820s

ABSTRACTThe article examines the interest in the United States for the construction of a trans-oceanic canal in Central America. In 1820, William Davis Robinson published a book, Memoirs of the Mex...
Mathematical model of hypertension-induced arterial remodeling: A chemo-mechanical approach

The development of chronic hypertension is a poorly described process involving many chemical and structural changes to the artery. Typically, mathematical models of this disease focus primarily on the mechanical aspects such as arterial geometry, elasticity, and tissue content, or alternatively on the chemical drivers of vasoactivity such as nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. This paper presents a model that considers the powerful interaction between mechanical and biochemical drivers of hypertension and arterial remodeling. Based on biological processes thought to be involved in the development of hypertension, we have built a system of algebraic, differential, and integral equations. Endothelial dysfunction, which is known to limit vasodilation, is explicitly considered in the model and plays a vital role in the development of chronic hypertension. Numerical solutions to the system are consistent with available experimental data for normal and spontaneously-hypertensive rats.
Making more sense of "minimal risk".

Some clarification is required to understand this definition. First, it should be clear that risk and harm are not the same concepts. Beauchamp and Childress note that harm is the "normatively neutral sense of thwarting, defeating, or setting back the interests of one party by causes that include self-harming conditions as well as the (intentional or unintentional) actions of another party."3 Thus though they may not be bad in an absolute sense, harms are, in general, perceived as prima facie wrong to inflict on others.4 Risk is "commonly expressed as the magnitude of some harm multiplied by the probability of its occurrence,"s and can be represented in the following product formula:
Overview of terahertz spectral characterization for biological identification

Abstract: The progress in research on several aspects of vibrational resonance spectroscopy in the low terahertz (THz) region as a technique for characterizing and fingerprinting biological molecules and microorganisms is discussed. A computational modeling approach using molecular dynamic simulations to predict absorption spectra from macromolecules including DNA, RNA, proteins and other molecular components of bacterial cells and spores is described. An experimental method for THz transmission/ absorption spectroscopic characterization of biological materials is discussed. Fundamental controversial issues and challenges in the field are described and clarified. Frequency domain, highly sensitive spectroscopy with a spectral resolution of ~1 GHz and spatial resolution below the diffraction limit is introduced. Experimental and simulated results demonstrate the enhanced identification capability of this technique.
HIV and Depressive Symptoms Among Low-Income Illicit Drug Users

The study sought to assess the associations of HIV status, physical health status, current drug use, and gender with depressive symptoms in former and current illicit drug users. In 1994–1995, 503 individuals (188 HIV-infected; 191 females; 279 current drug users) were interviewed. Of HIV-infected participants, 70 were women and 96 were current drug users. Physical health status was measured by physical functioning (instrumental activities of daily living), CD4 count, AIDS, and HIV-related symptoms. Depressive symptoms were measured by the CES-D. Nearly two fifths (38%) reported a high level of depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16). In multivariate analysis, impaired functioning (OR = 4.09, p < .001), HIV-related symptoms (OR = 3.09, p < .001), current drug use (OR = 1.59, p < .05), and history of mental illness (OR=3.22, p < .001) were independently associated with depressive symptoms. Gender and HIV status were not statistically significant. Detection and treatment of depression in drug using populations may improve quality of life and adherence to medical regimens.
The Food-Derived Heterocyclic Amines and Breast Cancer: A 1995 Perspective

It is generally recognized that environmental factors influence the incidence of human cancers. Many of these environmental factors are associated with personal lifestyle habits and include smoking, exposure to sunlight, intake of alcohol, and diet (Wynder and Gori 1977). The single most important environmental factor influencing the incidence of human cancer is diet. Upwards of 40% of cancer incidence in males and 60% in females may be associated with diet alone (Wynder and Gori 1977).
Wasting the Corporate Waste Doctrine: How the Doctrine Can Provide a Viable Solution in Controlling Excessive Executive Compensation

In the midst of the global recession of the late 2000s, there was an outcry against corporate executives and what the public deemed to be their excessive compensation. Although this anger is still fea tured in today's headlines, it is nothing new. In fact, excessive executive compensation complaints arose when the very concept of a corporation was still new. Most of the complaints that the public has leveled have had little effect on boards of directors' decisions. Occasionally, however, the outcry is so great that the public com pels a company's leadership to take action. This happened early in 2009 when American International Group ("AIG") stated that it was paying its top executives $165 million in bonuses. Within days, AIG, a company most Americans had not heard of, was at the cen ter of the excessive compensation debate. Under enormous political and public pressure, fifteen of the top twenty AIG executives agreed to give back their bonuses. This compromise is not typical, how ever; for every AIG-type controversy, many other payment plans some consider excessive are never publicly discussed. Both private and public proposals are currently under consideration that will limit excessive executive compensation in one way or another. This Note contends that the already existing corporate waste doctrine can serve as a preferable alternative to legislative or executive ac tions. While the corporate waste doctrine is rarely used by plaintiffs, it could be effectively enforced by using a legislative tool, the say-on-pay provision, as a gatekeeper for the courts. This judi cial solution using a legislative act would allow those who are actually affected by the excessive compensation?the sharehold ers?to pursue effective legal action against the corporation. The corporate waste doctrine would be enforced more narrowly than a statutory scheme, avoiding the possible unintended consequences of a broadly applicable legislative or regulatory action.
Producción de lo común en cuatro organizaciones sociales autónomas

Los actuales horizontes de transformacion social a escala planetaria y la crisis de participacion politica estado-centrica han repercutido en las nociones de espacio publico y lo comun. En esta investigacion cualitativa analizamos los significados en relacion al espacio publico y la accion politica en el relato oral de cuatro organizaciones sociales autonomas de Valparaiso enfocadas en la amplificacion y cuidado de espacios comunes. El analisis de contenidos y una posterior interpretacion desde lo ch'ixi -como recurso epistemologico y metodologico- revelaron una nocion de espacio publico contenciosa, caracterizada como campo de apertura tactica en la relacion con la politica masculino dominante para el despliegue de politicas autonomas de gestion, decision y usufructo comun de la riqueza disponible en los espacios, en una dinamica que desborda las logicas capitalistas y estado-centricas impuestas sobre los mismos. Finalmente, se sugiere profundizar estudios para rastrear las capacidades colectivas y autonomas de gestion de los espacios, asumiendo la critica al eurocentrismo y al patriarcado, en aras de comprender los horizontes de deseo y potencial practico de las organizaciones de base comunitaria mas alla de perspectivas estado-centricas.
Chapter 309 - Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Responses

Eukaryotic cells must adapt to wide variation in the load of client proteins that their endoplasmic reticulum (ER) must process. They do so by modulating the synthesis of client proteins and the expression of genes whose products determine the folding capacity of the organelle. The signaling pathways activated to effect these adaptations are part of the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is similar in many ways to the cytoplasmic heat-shock response. In mammalian cells, signaling is initiated by three known ER resident transmembrane proteins (IREl, ATF6, and PERK) that can sense the stress caused by imbalance between capacity and demand in the ER. IREl and PERK are transmembrane protein kinases whose activity is repressed by free chaperones in the ER lumen. The mammalian UPR consists of rapid and transient translational repression, which is completely PERK dependent. This short-term adaptation is supplanted by up-regulation of genes that enhance the capacity of ER to deal with increased load. All three known signaling components of the UPR (PERK, IREl, and ATF6) participate in this latter adaptation. Additional signaling downstream of these and other ER stress responders effects important and poorly understood life and death decisions.
Computing Minimal Presentations and Bigraded Betti Numbers of 2-Parameter Persistent Homology

Motivated by applications to topological data analysis, we give an efficient algorithm for computing a (minimal) presentation of a bigraded $K[x,y]$-module $M$, where $K$ is a field. The algorithm takes as input a short chain complex of free modules \[ F^2 \xrightarrow{\partial^2} F^1 \xrightarrow{\partial^1} F^0 \] such that $M \cong \ker{\partial^1}/\mathrm{im}{\partial^2}$. It runs in time $O(\sum_i |F^i|^3)$ and requires $O(\sum_i |F^i|^2)$ memory, where $|F^i|$ denotes the size of a basis of $F^i$. We observe that, given the presentation computed by our algorithm, the bigraded Betti numbers of $M$ are readily computed. Our algorithm has been implemented in RIVET, a software tool for the visualization and analysis of two-parameter persistent homology. In experiments on topological data analysis problems, our implementation outperforms the standard computational commutative algebra packages Singular and Macaulay2 by a wide margin.
Correlates of Trial of Labor and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean in the United States.

Abstract Background: Little is known about trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) uptake and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) success on the national level, which is important as national-level d...
Avocado Intake, and Longitudinal Weight and Body Mass Index Changes in an Adult Cohort

Avocados contain nutrients and bioactive compounds that may help reduce the risk of becoming overweight/obese. We prospectively examined the effect of habitual avocado intake on changes in weight and body mass index (BMI). In the Adventist Health Study (AHS-2), a longitudinal cohort (~55,407; mean age ~56 years; U.S. and Canada), avocado intake (standard serving size 32 g/day) was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Self-reported height and weight were collected at baseline. Self-reported follow-up weight was collected with follow-up questionnaires between four and 11 years after baseline. Using the generalized least squares (GLS) approach, we analyzed repeated measures of weight in relation to avocado intake. Marginal logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds of becoming overweight/obese, comparing low (>0 to <32 g/day) and high (≥32 g/day) avocado intake to non-consumers (reference). Avocado consumers who were normal weight at baseline, gained significantly less weight than non-consumers. The odds (OR (95% CI)) of becoming overweight/obese between baseline and follow-up was 0.93 (0.85, 1.01), and 0.85 (0.60, 1.19) for low and high avocado consumers, respectively. Habitual consumption of avocados may reduce adult weight gain, but odds of overweight/obesity are attenuated by differences in initial BMI values.
The utility of prognostic indices, early events, and histological subtypes on predicting outcomes in non-follicular indolent B-cell lymphomas.

Indolent B-cell lymphomas other than follicular lymphoma account for up to 10% of all B-cell neoplasms. While they typically follow a slowly progressive course, some patients experience rapid progression and early mortality. Prognostic scoring systems have not been adopted, hindering the ability of clinicians or researchers to predict outcomes, or risk-stratify patients during clinical trials. To address this, we evaluated the utility of existing prognostic indices and novel, early disease-related outcomes, to predict subsequent long term survival. Baseline characteristics and outcomes data were generated from a longitudinal cohort study that prospectively enrolled 632 patients newly diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas, or B-cell lymphomas not otherwise specified, beginning in 2002. The International Prognostic Index (IPI), Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI), and MALT International prognostic index (MALT-IPI) demonstrated c-statistics that ranged from 0.593-0.612 for event-free survival (EFS), and 0.683-0.714 for overall survival (OS). Patients who attained event-free survival at 12 months (EFS12) experienced similar mortality to the US general population (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] 1.19; 95% CI 0.95-1.46). Patients who did not attain EFS12 had subsequent worse morality (SMR 3.14 (95% CI 2.05-4.59). The MALT-IPI demonstrated utility in predicting subsequent long-term outcomes among patients with non-follicular indolent B-cell lymphomas. This index should be used by clinicians giving guidance to patients at the time of initial diagnosis, and risk stratification during clinical studies. The divergent long-term outcomes experienced by patients who do or do not attain EFS12 suggest there exists a subset of patients who harbor high-risk disease. Future research efforts should focus on methods to identify these patients at the time of diagnosis, in order to enable risk-tailored therapy.
Identifying Psychological, Physiological, and Environmental Barriers and Facilitators to Exercise Among Older Low Income Adults

Little is known regarding barriers and facilitators to exercise among older adults in general, and low income and minority older adults in particular. This report summarizes the results of four focus group sessions with low income adults aged 55–70: one session each with African-American males and females, and White males and females. None of the participants was exercising at the aerobic level or frequency recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The type of physical activity and exercise most preferred by all groups was walking. Barriers and facilitators of walking varied considerably by gender, but tended to be similar for African-Americans and Whites. Environmental barriers (e.g., time, places for activity, sidewalk conditions, and weather) generally were not as commonly mentioned or apparently as influential as physiological and psychological barriers. These barriers were numerous among women and included perceived ability, and social discomforts and bodily pain or fear of pain. Men discussed motivation as their primary barrier, although shortness of breath was clearly an issue. Women, but not men, overwhelmingly endorsed group exercise, but only if the group consisted of “like” individuals. By virtue of its anticipated impact on motivation and self-efficacy, exercise prescription that assures some initial success appears to be the most promising facilitator.
Patient classification systems used to classify nursing intensity and assess nursing staffing resources in home health care: A scoping review

Abstract Objectives To identify the patient classification systems used to classify nursing intensity in the assessment of nursing staffing resources currently used in home health care, with a special emphasis on validity, reliability and staff allocation. Design Scoping review of internationally published and grey literature, based on a methodological framework by Arksey and O’Malley. Data sources Searches of the electronic databases Cinahl, Medline, Embase and SweMed, the websites Google and Google Scholar and hand searches of reference lists occurred. Eligibility criteria included (A) a focus on patient classification systems measuring nursing intensity and workload in home health care and (B) published in English between January 2007 and March 2019. In level one testing two team members screened titles and abstracts, in level two testing two team members determined which papers should undergo a full text review. Data were extracted using structured extraction by one team member and verified by two other members. Results Thirteen peer-reviewed articles and grey literature documents were identified, from Canada, Ireland, the UK, the USA, Scotland, Turkey and the Netherlands. Four patient classification systems had been tested for both validity and reliability. Validity was tested through face validity, predictive validity, concurrent validity or content validity index. Reliability was tested through stability, internal consistency, observer agreement or inter rater reliability. One patient classification system had been tested only for reliability, through interrater reliability and observer agreement. Two patient classification systems had been evaluated through summative evaluation; one qualitatively through focus group interviews and one through semi-structured interviews. Only one patient classification system had been validity and reliability tested and evaluated. Overall, the patient classification systems in the included papers (13) were considered to have benefits and to be appropriate for the measurement of patients’ needs, workload and allocation of staff, although specific information was not always given. Conclusion Little has been published on validity or reliability tested patient classification systems linked to staffing allocation in home health care in the past decade. Limited research was seen where a patient classification system was considered to be fully operational in home health care.
Approximating Economic Dispatch by Linearizing Transmission Losses

We study a non-convex Transmission-Constrained Economic Dispatch (TCED) problem that uses the traditional linear DC model of the transmission system together with a non-linear representation of losses. This problem is typically approximated by the convex problem obtained by linearizing the constraints around some base-case state. Electricity prices and dispatch decisions are then chosen based on the resulting linearly-constrained economic dispatch (LCED) problem. Different LCED problems have been suggested in the literature and they are all derived using one of two linearization techniques, which we call direct and indirect linearization, respectively. An LCED problem often used in practice that uses Loss Distribution Factors (LDFs) is derived using indirect linearization and is termed the common LCED problem. This paper studies the assumptions required to recover the optimal dispatch of the non-convex TCED problem from the solution of the common LCED problem. We show that the common LCED problem may have multiple minimizers, in which case small perturbations of the base-case state may result in large dispatch approximation error. Furthermore, even if the base-case state matches a minimizer of the non-convex TCED problem, it is proven that there does not always exist a choice of LDFs such that the optimal dispatch of the TCED problem is also optimal for the common LCED problem. On the other hand, such LDFs do exist and are identified for the special case where no line limits are binding.
chapter 26 – ELECTRIC CHARGE

Publisher Summary The modern view of electric charge is that it is a basic property of atoms. Electrical forces play a dominant role in the structure of atoms and molecules and an important role in the structure of nuclei. Unlike mechanical phenomena, electrical phenomena are often beyond the direct perception of our senses. Consequently, electrical phenomena are more difficult to comprehend than mechanical phenomena. To study electricity, one relies on experimental evidence and insists on operational definitions of quantities. This chapter presents electrostatic attraction and electrostatic repulsion. It describes the electrical force quantitatively by the expression called Coulomb's law. There is a principle of superposition for electrical forces just as there is a principle of superposition for mechanical forces. The chapter presents a study of electromagnetism. It describes the progressive development of two central themes of electricity that is, fields and energy, including the principle of conservation of energy.
Overcoming Reporting Delays Is Critical to Timely Epidemic Monitoring: The Case of COVID-19 in New York City

Abstract During a fast-moving epidemic, timely monitoring of case counts and other key indicators of disease spread is critical to an effective public policy response. We describe a nonparametric statistical method – originally applied to the reporting of AIDS cases in the 1980s – to estimate the distribution of reporting delays of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York City. During June 21 – August 1, 2020, the estimated mean delay in reporting was 5 days, with 15 percent of cases reported after 10 or more days. Relying upon the estimated reporting-delay distribution, we project COVID-19 incidence during the most recent three weeks as if each case had instead been reported on the same day that the underlying diagnostic test had been performed. The statistical method described here overcomes the problem of reporting delays only at the population level. The method does not eliminate reporting delays at the individual level. That will require improvements in diagnostic technology, test availability, and specimen processing. This study relies exclusively on publicly available, aggregate health data that contain no individual identifiers. The author has no competing interests and no funding sources to declare. This article represents to the sole opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National Bureau of Economic Research, Eisner Health, or any other organization.
pH-Controlled Nanoparticle Catalysts for Highly Selective Tandem Henry Reaction from Mixtures.

Nature has a remarkable ability to perform selective transformation of complex biological mixtures into desired products using enzymatic catalysts. We report the preparation of nanoparticle catalys...
Crystallization and structure of ebselen bound to Cys141 of human inositol monophosphatase

Inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) is inhibited by lithium, which is the most efficacious treatment for bipolar disorder. Several therapies have been approved, or are going through clinical trials, aimed at the replacement of lithium in the treatment of bipolar disorder. One candidate small molecule is ebselen, a selenium-containing antioxidant, which has been demonstrated to produce lithium-like effects both in a murine model and in clinical trials. Here, the crystallization and the first structure of human IMPase covalently complexed with ebselen, a 1.47 A resolution crystal structure (PDB entry 6zk0), are presented. In the complex with human IMPase, ebselen in a ring-opened conformation is covalently attached to Cys141, a residue located away from the active site. IMPase is a dimeric enzyme and in the crystal structure two adjacent dimers share four ebselen molecules, creating a tetramer with approximate 222 symmetry. In the crystal structure presented in this publication, the active site in the tetramer is still accessible, suggesting that ebselen may function as an allosteric inhibitor or may block the binding of partner proteins.
Spectral attenuation coefficients from measurements of light transmission in bare ice on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Abstract. Light transmission into bare glacial ice affects surface energy balance, biophotochemistry, and light detection and ranging (lidar) laser elevation measurements but has not previously been reported for the Greenland Ice Sheet. We present measurements of spectral transmittance at 350–900 nm in bare glacial ice collected at a field site in the western Greenland ablation zone (67.15 ∘ N, 50.02 ∘ W). Empirical irradiance attenuation coefficients at 350–750 nm are ∼ 0.9–8.0 m −1 for ice at 12–124 cm depth. The absorption minimum is at ∼ 390–397 nm, in agreement with snow transmission measurements in Antarctica and optical mapping of deep ice at the South Pole. From 350–530 nm, our empirical attenuation coefficients are nearly 1 order of magnitude larger than theoretical values for optically pure ice. The estimated absorption coefficient at 400 nm suggests the ice volume contained a light-absorbing particle concentration equivalent to ∼ 1–2 parts per billion (ppb) of black carbon, which is similar to pre-industrial values found in remote polar snow. The equivalent mineral dust concentration is ∼ 300–600 ppb, which is similar to values for Northern Hemisphere warm periods with low aeolian activity inferred from ice cores. For a layer of quasi-granular white ice (weathering crust) extending from the surface to ∼ 10 cm depth, attenuation coefficients are 1.5 to 4 times larger than for deeper bubbly ice. Owing to higher attenuation in this layer of near-surface granular ice, optical penetration depth at 532 nm is 14 cm (20 %) lower than asymptotic attenuation lengths for optically pure bubbly ice. In addition to the traditional concept of light scattering on air bubbles, our results imply that the granular near-surface ice microstructure of weathering crust is an important control on radiative transfer in bare ice on the Greenland Ice Sheet ablation zone, and we provide new values of flux attenuation, absorption, and scattering coefficients to support model development and validation.
Verifying Distributed Programs via Canonical Sequentialization

We introduce canonical sequentialization, a new approach to verifying unbounded, asynchronous, message-passing programs at compile-time. Our approach builds upon the following observation: due the combinatorial explosion in complexity, programmers do not reason about their systems by case-splitting over all the possible execution orders. Instead, correct programs tend to be well-structured so that the programmer can reason about a small number of representative executions, which we call the program's canonical sequentialization. We have implemented our approach in a tool called Brisk that synthesizes canonical sequentializations for programs written in Haskell, and evaluated it on a wide variety of distributed systems including benchmarks from the literature and implementations of MapReduce, two-phase commit, and a version of the Disco distributed file-system. We show that unlike model checking, which gets prohibitively slow with just 10 processes Brisk verifies the unbounded versions of the benchmarks in tens of milliseconds, yielding the first concurrency verification tool that is fast enough to be integrated into a design-implement-check cycle.
Politics and the Earthly City in Augustine’s City of God, Veronica Roberts Ogle, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021, 201 pp., ISBN: 978-1-108-84259-4.: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge: 2021), 201 Pages

In her admirably bold Politics and the Earthly City in Augustine’s City of God, Veronica Roberts Ogle tackles head-on several of the most important (and vexed) questions in contemporary scholarly d...
Non-Spatial Tree Models for the Assessment of Competitive Market Structure: An Integrated Review of Marketing and Psychometric Literature

Competitive market structure refers to a configuration of competing products/brands which are perceived as substitutes by consumers.
Decreased Osteogenic Activity of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Corticosteroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head.

Abstract Background Osteonecrosis (ON) of the femoral head occurs when cells of trabecular bone spontaneously die. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been introduced into the femoral head in an attempt to halt progression of the disease. The purpose of this study was to functionally compare MSCs in patients with ON of the femoral head with patients without. Methods Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from 20 patients with corticosteroid-induced ON and 10 controls without. Colony-forming unit and proliferation assays were used to assess MSC proliferation. Mesenchymal stem cells were differentiated into bone, fat, and cartilage. Functional assays were used to quantify the differentiation capacity. Results Control MSCs demonstrated greater cellular growth potential and improved ability to differentiate into bone. Conclusion The decreased ability to differentiate into bone may be a reason why patients treated with autologous MSC infusion fail regenerative treatment strategies and progress to collapse.
Dynamic Thermal Model of Li-Ion Battery for Predictive Behavior in Hybrid and Fuel Cell Vehicles

Li-Ion battery is attractive for HEVs and FCEVs because of its high power density and lack of memory effect. However, high battery temperatures during operation result in a short battery lifespan and degraded performance.To address this issue, battery manufacturers and OEMs have used different pre-set cooling strategies. Unlike the pre-set cooling strategy this thermal model forecasts battery temperatures, allows a better usage of the battery system, responds to battery power demand and maintains battery temperature limits. This paper discusses the real-time control of the battery cooling including battery stress analysis. The authors present a dynamic thermal model for the Li-Ion battery system using the finite-volume method and discuss transient battery thermal characteristics and real-time battery cooling control under various battery duty cycles. Validation results of the model are presented in this paper.
Multiparameter Projection Theorems with Applications to Sums-Products and Finite Point Configurations in the Euclidean Setting

In this chapter we study multiparameter projection theorems for fractal sets. With the help of these estimates, we recover results about the size of \(A \cdot A + \cdots+ A \cdot A\), where A is a subset of the real line of a given Hausdorff dimension, \(A + A =\{ a + a^{\prime} : a,a^{\prime} \in A\}\) and A ⋅A={ a ⋅a′ :a,a′∈A}. We also use projection results and inductive arguments to show that if a Hausdorff dimension of a subset of ℝ d is sufficiently large, then the \(({ k+1 \atop 2} )\)-dimensional Lebesgue measure of the set of k-simplexes determined by this set is positive. The sharpness of these results and connection with number theoretic estimates are also discussed.
The effects of realistic reward and risk on simulated gambling behavior.

Laboratory studies on gambling may not represent an accurate analog of actual gambling behavior because they typically fail to model a meaningful level of risk and reward that is given in real-world settings. The current study sought to address this problem. One hundred and twenty college students were given the opportunity to bet valued experimental credits required for passing an introductory psychology course on the outcome of a videotaped horse race while their heart rate was monitored. Of those, 67 decided to wager, whereas 53 did not. Individuals who wagered course credits demonstrated a larger increase in heart rate and reported more subjective excitement during the race compared to individuals who did not bet. While the bettors’ heart rates remained elevated after the end of the race, reports of subjective excitement depended on whether individuals had won or lost their wager. Significant gender differences and differences in personality were also found between the groups of bettors and nonbettors. These findings demonstrate that arousal in response to gambling is related to the potential for both risk and reward. (Am J Addict 2011;20:120–126)
In vivo human amyloid imaging.

PET imaging agents such as Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) allow detection of fibrillar β-amyloid (Aβ) in vivo. In addition to quantification of Aβ deposition in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, PiB has also increased our understanding of Aβ deposition in older adults without cognitive impairment. in vivo Aβ deposition has been studied in relation to genotype, structural and functional brain changes, as well as alterations in biomarker levels. To date, several studies have reported changes in Aβ burden over time. This, together with investigation of the relationship between Aβ deposition and cognition, sets the stage for elucidation of the temporal sequence of the neurobiological events leading to cognitive decline. Furthermore, correlation of Aβ levels detected by PiB PET and those obtained from biopsy or postmortem specimens will allow more rigorous quantitative interpretation of PiB PET data in relation to neuropathological evaluation. Since the first human study in 2004, in vivo amyloid imaging has led to advances in our understanding of the role of Aβ deposition in human aging and cognitive decline, as well as provided new tools for patient selection and therapeutic monitoring in clinical trials.