cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validity Issues in Assessing Linguistic Minorities

Throughout the world, tests are administered to some examinees who are not fully proficient in the language in which they are being tested. It has long been acknowledged that proficiency in the language in which a test is administered often affects examinees’ performance on a test. Depending on the context and intended uses for a particular assessment, linguistic proficiency may be relevant to the tested construct and subsequent interpretations, or may be a source of construct-irrelevant variance that undermines accurate interpretation of the test performance of linguistic minorities who are not proficient in the language of the assessment. In this article, we highlight key validity issues to be considered when testing linguistic minorities, regardless of whether language is central or construct-irrelevant. We discuss examples of the different types of studies test users and developers could conduct to evaluate the validity of scores of linguistic minorities. These issues span test development and validat...
Distracting painful injuries associated with cervical spinal injuries in blunt trauma.

UNLABELLED: Distracting painful injuries (DPIs) may mask symptoms of spinal injury in blunt trauma victims and form an important element in a decision instrument used to identify individuals who require cervical spine radiography. OBJECTIVE: To identify the types and frequencies of injuries that actually act as DPIs among blunt trauma patients undergoing cervical spinal radiography. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of consecutive blunt trauma victims presenting to an urban Level 1 regional trauma center between April 1, 1998, and September 30, 1998. Prior to cervical spinal radiography, treating physicians evaluated each patient to determine whether a DPI was present or absent and, if present, what type of injury was sustained. Injuries were categorized as fractures, soft-tissue injuries and lacerations, burns, visceral injuries, crush injuries, or other injuries. RESULTS: Data were collected for 778 patients, between 1 month and 98 years old, of whom 264 (34%) were considered to have DPIs. Physicians were unable to determine the DPI status in 47 (6%) additional cases. Fractures accounted for a majority of DPIs (154, or 58%), 42 (16%) were soft-tissue injuries or lacerations, and 86 (34%) were due to a variety of other entities, including visceral, crush, burn, or other miscellaneous injuries. Among the 37 (5%) patients with an acute cervical spinal injury, 20 (54%) had a DPI, including three (8%) who had DPI as the only indication for cervical radiography. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of blunt trauma patients are believed by clinicians to have DPIs that can possibly mask the presence of cervical spinal injury. Fractures and trauma to soft tissues are the most common types of DPI. Language: en
Investigating Seepage Using Electrical Resistivity And Salt Tracing

Electrical resistivity and salt tracing measurements can be made to help analyze seepage conditions through dams and hydraulic structures. The measurements can be made using an earth resistivity meter in conjunction with an appropriate electrode spacing and ConPiguration. Salt tracing was used with acoustic emission testing (AET) to identify locations where seepage was occurring through a concrete core wall in an earth dam. Locations for salt tracing were chosen based on the AET results. Since the conduction of electrical current in the soil is through the electrolyte contained in the pores, resistivity is governed largely by the porosity and void ratio of the soil, the geometry of the pores, and the salinity of the water within the pore spaces.
Impact of a Health Promotion Nurse Intervention on Disability and Health Care Costs among Elderly Adults with Heart Conditions.

Context Patients with heart conditions in rural areas may have different responses to health promotion-disease Self-management interventions compared to their urban counterparts. Purpose To estimate the impact of a multi-component health promotion nurse intervention on physical function and total health care expenditures among elderly adults with heart conditions and to examine the impact of rural residence on the intervention effect. Methods We analyzed data on 281 community-living Medicare beneficiaries with heart conditions from the Medicare Primary and Consumer-Directed Care Demonstration (a randomized controlled trial). We estimated ordinary least squares (OLS) models to determine the effect of the intervention on the change in functional status and log-linear models to determine the impact of the intervention on total health care expenditures over a 2-year period. Results The OLS models showed that the nurse intervention resulted in fewer impairments in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (-0.307 on 0-6 scale, P = .055) at the end of 2 years. The effect of the intervention on ADL appeared to be stronger for rural than for urban participants (-0.490 vs -0.162, respectively). However, the difference was not statistically significant (P = .150). The effect of the intervention on Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) was not significant (P = .321). Average total health care expenditures were 6.5% ($1,981, 95% CI: -$8,048, $4,087) lower in the nurse group. Conclusions The nurse intervention led to better physical functioning and has potential to reduce total health care expenditures among high-risk Medicare beneficiaries with heart conditions.
Utility of Daily Routine Portable Chest Radiographs in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the Medical ICU

Study objectives: To determine whether there is any difference in diagnostic, therapeutic, and outcome efficacy between protocols utilizing daily ( ie , routine) chest radiographs (CXRs) and those utilizing clinically indicated ( ie , nonroutine) CXRs in mechanically ventilated patients. Design: Prospective, randomized, observational study. Setting: A 20-bed medical ICU at a university hospital. Patients: Adult patients who had been receiving mechanical ventilation for > 48 h. Interventions: None. Measurements and results: Ninety-four patients who had been intubated for at least 48 h were randomized to receive either routine or nonroutine CXRs and were observed until extubation or death. The percentage of CXRs with new findings was significantly larger in the nonroutine CXR group (53.1%; 120 CXRs) compared to that in the routine CXR group (33.4%; 98 CXRs; odds ratio [OR], 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 2.18; p=0.004). The number of CXRs with new findings that resulted in interventions was significantly larger in the nonroutine CXR group (26.5%; 60 CXRs) compared to that in the routine CXR group (13.3%; 39 CXRs; OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.29 to 3.08; p=0.002). There was no difference in the mean duration of mechanical ventilation (routine CXR arm, 7.93 days; nonroutine CXR arm, 6.76 days; p=0.2606), length of ICU stay (routine CXR arm, 11.93 days; nonroutine CXR arm, 9.55 days; p=0.1936), and total length of hospital stay (routine CXR arm, 19.34 days; nonroutine CXR arm, 16.45 days; p=0.2199) between the two groups. Although patients in the nonroutine arm of the study received fewer CXRs, adverse outcomes ( eg , length of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, length of ICU stay, and mortality) did not increase (p = 0.818). Using the number of CXRs per patient as a surrogate, there was a statistically significant cost savings and decreased radiation exposure in the nonroutine CXR group. Conclusions: For mechanically ventilated patients, a strategy calling for daily routine CXRs compared to CXRs obtained based on clinical indications alone was not associated with reduced ICU or hospital length of stay or with reduced mortality.
The Influence of Diets High and Low in Protein on the Growth Rates of Chickens Infected with the Tapeworm, Raillietina cesticillus

Abstract RETARDATIONS in the growth rates of chickens experimentally infected with the tapeworm, Raillietina cesticillus, were first reported by Harwood and Luttermoser (1938). Their observations, which extended over a period of four weeks, showed that the growth rates of 2-week-old to 4-week-old Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn chickens having infections at necropsy, ranging in numbers from 15 to 155 tapeworms each, were definitely retarded; these birds had been kept on a diet containing about 17 percent protein, the latter derived chiefly from plant byproducts. Ackert and Case (1938) reported weight retardations and reduced sugar and hemoglobin contents of the blood in 3-month-old to 4-month-old White Leghorn chickens having infections of 4 to 25 tapeworms each. In neither of the above reports was emphasis placed on dietary aspects. However, Harwood and Luttermoser observed a much more marked retardation in the growth of host birds on a manganese-deficient diet than in those . . .
Public perceptions of endometriosis: perspectives from both genders.

Objective. Many women with endometriosis experience significant delay between the onset of symptoms and definitive diagnosis. Much is published on physician awareness of endometriosis and on the experiences of women with the condition. There is a paucity of data, however, surrounding perceptions of endometriosis in the general population. This study aims to assess knowledge of endometriosis among individuals of both genders. Design. Survey study. Setting. Family waiting room of a large university hospital. Population. A total of 543 men and women. Methods. Surveys were distributed to men and women over the age of 18 in the family waiting room of a large university hospital. Main outcome measures. A series of questions regarding the etiology, symptoms, and treatments for endometriosis were combined into a composite knowledge score. Results. Knowledge of endometriosis was positively correlated with female gender, education level, regular health care, and exposure to individuals with the disease. Women diagnosed with endometriosis were more likely to have discussed symptoms of the condition with their physicians than women without the diagnosis. Conclusions. Individuals of both genders have limited knowledge of the signs and symptoms of endometriosis, which may contribute to the delay in diagnosis of the condition.
The influence of sex and sociality on parasite loads in an African ground squirrel

Male-biased parasite loads, which are common in vertebrates, could be a consequence of sexual selection, and for species that group, the costs of parasites could vary with group size or social structure. We examined sex-biased parasitism and the influence of group size on parasite loads in Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris), a highly social species that occurs in the arid regions of southern Africa. Group size did not affect numbers of ectoparasites or endoparasites. Males carried 3 times as many ectoparasites as females, but females harbored nearly 3 times as many endoparasites as males. Age class did not affect parasite loads in females, but in males, adults carried more ectoparasites than juveniles. Allogrooming was performed primarily by females, but no sex difference was found in autogrooming. Males in the subadult age class are becoming scrotal (indicating an increase in sex hormones) but typically remain in the natal group until adulthood, maintaining home range sizes comparable to adult females. Our results suggest that sexual selection does influence parasite loads in this species; increased androgen levels may reduce ectoparasite resistance in males, and smaller home ranges may increase females’ exposure to endoparasites. Allogrooming could reduce ectoparasite loads of the group and mitigate the costs of grouping. Key words: ectoparasite, endoparasite, fleas, group size, grooming, lice, sex-biased parasitism, sexual selection, ticks. [Behav Ecol]
Horizontal Transfer of Tetracycline Resistance among Chlamydia spp. In Vitro

There are no examples of stable tetracycline resistance in clinical strains of Chlamydia trachomatis. However, the swine pathogen Chlamydia suis is commonly tetracycline resistant, both in America and in Europe. In tested U.S. strains, this resistance is mediated by a genomic island carrying a tet(C) allele. In the present study, the ability of C. suis to mobilize tet(C) into other chlamydial species was examined. Differently antibiotic resistant strains of C. suis, C. trachomatis, and Chlamydia muridarum were used in coculture experiments to select for multiply antibiotic resistant progeny. Coinfection of mammalian cells with a naturally occurring tetracycline-resistant strain of C. suis and a C. muridarum or C. trachomatis strain containing selected mutations encoding rifampin (rifampicin) or ofloxacin resistance readily produced doubly resistant recombinant clones that demonstrated the acquisition of tetracycline resistance. The resistance phenotype in the progeny from a C. trachomatis L2/ofl(R)-C. suis R19/tet(R) cross resulted from integration of a 40-kb fragment into a single ribosomal operon of a recipient, leading to a merodiploid structure containing three rRNA operons. In contrast, a cross between C. suis R19/tet(R) and C. muridarum MoPn/ofl(R) led to a classical double-crossover event transferring 99 kb of DNA from C. suis R19/tet(R) into C. muridarum MoPn/ofl(R). Tetracycline resistance was also transferred to recent clinical strains of C. trachomatis. Successful crosses were not obtained when a rifampin-resistant Chlamydophila caviae strain was used as a recipient for crosses with C. suis or C. trachomatis. These findings provide a platform for further exploration of the biology of horizontal gene transfer in Chlamydia while bringing to light potential public health concerns generated by the possibility of acquisition of tetracycline resistance by human chlamydial pathogens.
The Economics Associated with Crawfish Production from Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin 1

Unpredictable water levels for the Atchafalaya River resulting from man's efforts to prevent flooding in South Louisiana lead to an unstable market for Louisiana's annual crawfish production. Empirical models presented show that yields from the basin can be estimated on a monthly basis using bimonthly changes in water level, unemployment rates, and crawfish harvests from ponds. The monthly demand model for basin crawfish yielded a price flexibility of –0.059 and a corresponding price elasticity of –16.94. These empirical results support hypotheses that substitutes for crawfish are available to consumers. Uncertain yields from the basin due to the sort of water level fluctuations documented in this study suggest that investment in this area of the Louisiana crawfish industry will continue to be hampered.
Preparation and characterization of silver-colloid/polymer-composite nonlinear optical materials

Composite nonlinear optical materials consisting of silver nanoparticles, approximately 11 nm in diameter, in a polymer host were prepared. The polymer used in the preparation of the composites was a polyurethane bearing a tricyanovinyl moiety. The composite preparation method and polymer pretreatment method as well as pretreatment of the silver colloids to control particle agglomeration are described. The (chi) (3)xxxx of a composite was measured by degenerate four-wave mixing as 3.65 X 10-10 (esu), 7.91 X 10-11 (esu) and 5.86 X 10-11 (esu) at 532 nm, 562 nm, and 570 nm, respectively. The interfacial chemical interactions between the silver colloid and polymer host in the composites were explored using Raman, infrared, UV- visible, and NMR spectroscopy.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Amazon floodplain water level changes measured with interferometric SIR-C radar

The authors find that interferometric processing of repeat-pass L-HH-band shuttle imaging radar (SIR-C) data reveals centimeter-scale changes in the elevations of water surfaces within flooded vegetation. Because radar pulses reflect specularly from the water surface, interferometric observations of open water are incoherent. However, within flooded forests and inundated shrubs, the L-band radar pulse penetrates the vegetation canopy and follows a double-bounce travel path that includes the water and vegetation-trunk surfaces. In these environments, the returned radar energy and associated phase coherence are both stronger than the surrounding nonflooded terrain, permitting determination of the interferometric phase. Phase errors related to atmospheric water vapor are usually longer in wavelength and spatially distinct from phase signatures related to stage changes in tributaries and floodplain lakes. The interferometrically measured stage decreases match gauge data, providing further verification. Water level changes across 150 m to 2.75 km-wide water bodies containing inundated vegetation can be reliably measured. The authors' results suggest that if future interferometric L-HH-band SAR missions are implemented with short temporal baselines, it is possible to measure the hydrologic response of wetlands and inundated floodplains to changes in mainstem water level.
How people talk when teaching a robot

We examine affective vocalizations provided by human teachers to robotic learners. In unscripted one-on-one interactions, participants provided vocal input to a robotic dinosaur as the robot selected toy buildings to knock down. We find that (1) people vary their vocal input depending on the learner's performance history, (2) people do not wait until a robotic learner completes an action before they provide input and (3) people naively and spontaneously use intensely affective prosody. Our findings suggest modifications may be needed to traditional machine learning models to better fit observed human tendencies. Our observations of human behavior contradict the popular assumptions made by machine learning algorithms (in particular, reinforcement learning) that the reward function is stationary and path-independent for social learning interactions.We also propose an interaction taxonomy that describes three phases of a human-teacher's vocalizations: direction, spoken before an action is taken; guidance, spoken as the learner communicates an intended action; and feedback, spoken in response to a completed action.
Blurring two conceptions of subjective experience: Folk versus philosophical phenomenality

Philosophers and psychologists have experimentally explored various aspects of people's understandings of subjective experience based on their responses to questions about whether robots “see red” ...
A peer-to-peer architecture for media streaming

Given that the Internet does not widely support Internet protocol multicast while content-distribution-network technologies are costly, the concept of peer-to-peer could be a promising start for enabling large-scale streaming systems. In our so-called Zigzag approach, we propose a method for clustering peers into a hierarchy called the administrative organization for easy management, and a method for building the multicast tree atop this hierarchy for efficient content transmission. In Zigzag, the multicast tree has a height logarithmic with the number of clients, and a node degree bounded by a constant. This helps reduce the number of processing hops on the delivery path to a client while avoiding network bottlenecks. Consequently, the end-to-end delay is kept small. Although one could build a tree satisfying such properties easily, an efficient control protocol between the nodes must be in place to maintain the tree under the effects of network dynamics. Zigzag handles such situations gracefully, requiring a constant amortized worst-case control overhead. Especially, failure recovery is done regionally with impact on, at most, a constant number of existing clients and with mostly no burden on the server.
The Stationary Values of Young's Modulus For Monoclinic and Triclinic Materials

The stationary values (maximum, minimum, saddle point) of Young modulus E(n) for a general anisotropic elastic materials is studied. The general results are then spcialized for monoclinic materials. Equations that provide the direction n for a stationary value are given. Some have an explicit solution. Other may require a numerical computation. The equations that required numerical solutions are two coupled polynomials of degree no more than four.
Flight Test Results for a Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Fuel cell -powered aircraft are an emerging and impo rta nt application of fuel cell and advanced aircraft technologies. This paper presents and analyzes test results for a fuel cell powered unmanned aerial vehicle. The aircraft under analysis is a fully functional technology demonstrator that uses a polymer ele ctrolyte fuel cell system fueled by compressed hydrogen . The tested performance of the fuel cell system, propulsion system and aircraft is critically evaluated using data from flight and laboratory testing.
Adaptive stabilization of single-input single-output delay systems

For the problem of adaptive stabilization of linear systems with unknown, noncommensurate, real delays, the existence of a smooth controller that regulates the output to zero is proven. The assumptions imposed on the system are natural generalizations of the familiar minimum phase and relative degree one conditions in nondelay systems.
Imagining nation, state, and order in the mid-twentieth century

This essay considers the relationship between the United Nations and the Third World. Using the apartheid debate as a framing device, it explores Indian and African nationalism in the mid-1940s and early 1960s. In focusing on themes of nationhood, statehood, and international order, the essay explicates the factors that separated Indian nationalists from their contemporaries in Africa, and hints at a novel portrait of the Third World as a contested political project in the mid-twentieth century.
Surface Water-Groundwater Interactions Between Irrigation Ditches, Alluvial Aquifers, and Streams

Improved descriptions of surface water–groundwater interactions are required for enhanced water resource management in irrigated areas of the western U.S. We are conducting a research project to determine surface water–groundwater interaction effects on hydrologic budgets and water quality along the upper Rio Grande in New Mexico. This article reports on the initial phase of the project to ascertain the effects of unlined irrigation ditch seepage on shallow groundwater at the Alcalde Science Center in north-central New Mexico. Results from two seepage tests in which 60- and 80 m-long impoundments were established in the Alcalde Ditch indicate that under normal ditch flow depths about 11 cm/day seeps out of the Alcalde Ditch. Based on flow estimates over the 9 km length of the Alcalde Ditch, at least 5% of the total ditch flow seeps out of the ditch bed and banks during the irrigation season. Water level measurements from monitoring wells showed that within 1 month of the beginning of ditch flow, irrigatio...
Effects of wood fiber esterification on properties, weatherability and biodurability of wood plastic composites

Abstract Poplar wood fibers were chemically modified by esterification (acetate, propionate, benzoate) and then compounded with high density polyethylene (HDPE) into wood plastic composites (WPC). The esterified fibers were characterized (spectroscopy, TGA and contact angle) and shown to be more thermally stable and hydrophobic than unmodified fibers. The WPC were characterized for their mechanical and rheological properties, adhesion factor, water resistance, accelerated weathering and biodurability performance. Color change, surface morphology and extent of oxidation on the surface of weathered WPC were monitored using colorimetry, microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. Benzoylated fiber based WPC experienced the least surface crazing and color change due to weathering. Esterification of fibers significantly reduced weight losses in the resulting WPC when it was exposed to brown-rot and white-rot fungi as compared to unmodified fiber WPC. Esterification of wood fibers resulted in more biodurable and photostable WPC.
Incidence of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in a General Hospital: Relation to Age, Sex, and Race

Purpose The purpose of this investigation is to determine the incidence of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) according to age, sex, and race in a tertiary care general hospital. Background Population-based investigations and autopsy studies have shown that acute PE occurs predominantly in middle-aged and elderly people. The incidence of PE according to age, race, and sex in a general hospital has been only sparsely studied. Methods Patients with PE diagnosed by a high-probability ventilation/perfusion lung scan or pulmonary angiography were identified in a tertiary care general hospital. The incidence of PE was determined according to age, sex, and race. Results The incidence of PE was 400 of 175,730 (0.23%; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.25%). The incidence was linearly related to age (r = 0.94). Among patients ≥ 50 years of age, the incidence of PE was higher among women (0.40% vs 0.29%; p Conclusion Acute PE in a tertiary care hospital is more frequent than previously reported among short-term hospitals. Occasionally, young adults and adolescents had PE, although PE occurred primarily among middle-aged and elderly patients. Among patients ≥ 50 years of age, the incidence of PE was higher among women. The incidence was not higher among women
Combined circuit-electromagnetic simulation using multiregion time domain integral equation scheme

A full-wave time domain integral equation based formulation for broadband modeling of finite conductors and dielectrics in high-speed microelectronics is presented. An efficient and accurate coupling scheme is developed to enable surface integral equations to couple to modified nodal analysis for combined circuit-electromagnetic systems such as those arising in microwave and RF circuits
Resting and exercise electrocardiographic abnormalities associated with sex hormone use in women: the Lipid Research Clinics Program Prevalence Study.

Prevalence rates for resting and exercise electrocardiographic abnormalities were determined according to the use or nonuse of oral contraceptives and exogenous estrogens in 1919 women participants from 10 defined North American study populations of the Lipid Research Clinics Program. Among women 30-49 years of age no significant differences in the prevalence of resting electrocardiographic abnormalities between oral contraceptive users and nonusers were seen after adjustment for age blood pressure cigarette smoking alcohol and obesity. Abnormal graded exercise electrocardiograms however were more prevalent among the oral contraceptive users (odds ratio=2.7 p0.05). Among women 50 years and older a significant deficit of abnormal Q waves on resting electrocardiogram and nonsignificant excess of abnormal S-T segment responses to exercise were noted in estrogen users compared with nonusers. Possible sources of bias and the pathophysiologic implications of these findings are discussed. (authors)
Things Are Seldom What They Seem

A 61-year-old man with a long history of heavy alcohol use went to the emergency room with symptoms of abdominal pain, early satiety, and a 10-lb weight loss. His wife had died seven months earlier, and he had been depressed ever since. He said that he was no longer drinking any alcohol. A man with a history of alcohol abuse is now reporting three new symptoms: abdominal pain, early satiety, and weight loss. Abdominal pain in an alcoholic can be caused by a number of things, including gastritis, pancreatitis, portal-vein thrombosis, and (if there is cirrhosis) a hepatoma. If I . . .
Design and Research on a New-type of Variable Diameter Paraffin Scraper

A new type of paraffin scraper applied in electric pump well is introduced,a four-bar linkage with several levels is adopted to fulfill the variable diameter design of scrapers ,the combined scrapers are pulled up by wire line unit,paraffin on the inner well wall with 360°angle can be scraped,the original difficulties such as running tool problem,poor scraping efficiency and high labor intense are solved.Field application performance is satisfactory,and a new method is provided for paraffin scraping in electric pump well.
Assessment of infectious disease events control effect by using report sensitivity index and control validity index,Anyang city,2004-2014

Objective To explore the valuation methodology of infectious disease events control effect by using report sensitivity index and control validity index,so as to provide basis for further improvement of assessment of infectious disease events effectiveness evaluation. Methods According to incubation period,the two assessment indexes of report sensitivity index(RSI)and control validity index(CVI)were established to quantify the report sensitivity and control validity of infectious disease events,and analyze the relationship between the two indexes in Anyang city,2004-2014. Results There were 23 infectious disease events with the RSI value of 0.13-4.50 and the CVI value of 0.26-5.33 in Anyang city,2004-2014.The number of events with RSI value between 0-1 were 11,and the other 12 events value greater than1.There was a different proportion of CVI value between them(P 0.05),and the trend analysis results(P 0.05)showed linear correlation in two index value. Conclusion The report sensitivity level influences the control validity of infectious disease events directly.It can be realized to quantify the report sensitivity and control validity of infectious disease events by using the two assessment indexes of RSI and CVI,and the method for effectiveness evaluation is rational and feasible.
Image Segmentation Based on Fast High Dimensional Characteristic Clustering Using Combination of Classifiers

A new image segmentation algorithm is proposed which is based on fast high dimensional characteristic clustering using combination of classifiers.In the algorithm,the clustering of high dimensional characteristic data is divided into optimal fuzzy classifying of grayscale (color) and statistical classifying of spatial constraint information. The classification results of the two different classifiers are integrated to obtain the final image segmentation result using combination of classifiers.Experiment result proves the good performance and computation simplicity of the algorithm.
Recombinant Human Erythropoietin

Erythropoietin is produced mainly by the kidneys and stimulates erythropoiesis in the bone marrow. Chronic renal failure is characterized by anemia, which is principally caused by erythropoietin deficiency. Recombinant human erythropoietin (r-hEPO) corrects the anemia of chronic renal disease and improves patient well-being, exercise tolerance, and cognitive function. The clinical pharmacology, efficacy, safety, and tolerance of r-hEPO are presented. Four major studies attest to r-hEPO's efficacy in the treatment of anemia of chronic renal disease and document potential toxicities of hypertension, iron deficiency, thrombosis, and bone pain. Careful attention to the extent of correction of the hematocrit, increased heparinization during hemodialysis therapy, and compliance with dietary restrictions may minimize the incidence and severity of adverse reactions. Resistance to r-hEPO may be due to iron deficiency, aluminum toxicity, or inflammation, including infection. Potential future uses of r-hEPO include the treatment of various other anemias, such as those seen in sickle cell anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and autologous blood donation. Controlled clinical studies in these areas have not been reported.
LEVELS IN $sup 205$Pb POPULATED BY THE DECAY OF $sup 205$Bi.

Chemically and isotopically separated sources of $^{205}\mathrm{Bi}$ were used to study the level structure of $^{205}\mathrm{Pb}$. $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray data were taken with Ge(Li) detectors in the singles mode, with a Compton suppression spectrometer, and with a Ge(Li)-Ge(Li) two-parameter analyzer system in a 4096 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 2048 coincidence mode. Conversion-electron data were taken with a Si(Li) detector. From these data 146 transitions were identified in the decay of $^{205}\mathrm{Bi}$, and 130 were placed in a level scheme which included 26 definite and 1 tentatively assigned levels. Previously suggested levels at 1575.26, 1705.03, 1965.9, and 2521.40 keV were confirmed from coincidence data, while a 1129.9-keV level was not. New levels at 1756.4 and 1842.01 are established and an 1818-keV level tentatively assigned. Several new spin and parity assignments are made. Experimental results are compared with recent shell-model calculations.
Blood-brain barrier disruption following CPR in piglets.

We studied blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in immature piglets during and following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As in our previous work in the dog, there was no disruption during CPR after eight minutes of cardiac arrest, or immediately following resuscitation using a small molecule, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid. However, unlike the dog, where the BBB remained intact, we found delayed disruption of the BBB four hours after resuscitation. Young animals may be more prone to a delayed increase in BBB permeability after cardiac arrest and CPR.
Using Conceptual Graphs to Represent Database Inference Security Analysis

This paper describes an approach to database inference analysis based on conceptual graphs. The database inference problem is briefly described. Previous approaches are summarized, followed by a presentation of our inference model, called AERIE. The notions of an inference target class and an inference method class are introduced with examples given. Conceptual graphs are introduced as our means of representing database inference knowledge, as a first step toward analyzing and detecting database inference problems. The classification of inference target classes and the use of conceptual graphs for database inference detection are two important contributions of this paper. Four examples are used to illustrate the approach. We discuss some interesting issues raised by this work, and offer conclusions and our plans for future research.
A study of the reliability and comparative validity of the cardia dietary history

This study evaluated the reliability and comparative validity of the dietary history survey method developed for CARDIA, a longitudinal investigation of life-styles and the evolution of cardiovascular risk factors in young adults. The method was tested in a sample of 30 white men, 33 white women, 33 black men, and 32 black women, aged 18 to 35 years, in four regions reflecting the race, sex, age, and geographical distribution of CARDIA participants. For 64 of the participants, two dietary history interviews, 1 month apart, were conducted by trained nutritionists. These data were used to examine the reliability of the method. For all participants, seven telephone- assessed 24-hour dietary recalls were randomly scheduled during a 28-day period and were followed by a dietary history interview. These data were used to examine the comparative validity of the method. Calories, total fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, dietary cholesterol, protein, carbohydrate, alcohol, potassium, calcium, and vitamin A were selected by the CARDIA Nutrition Working Group as the nutrients for comparison. Mean nutrient values from the first history tended to be higher than those obtained from the last history. However, for a majority of the nutrients, the differences were significant for blacks but not for whites. The correlations for the log-transformed nutrient values and calorie-adjusted nutrient values from the two histories were generally in the range of 0.50 to 0.80 for whites. For blacks, the correlations were lower, with a majority in the range of 0.30 to 0.70. The average nutrient values estimated from the histories were higher than those estimated from the average of the seven 24-hour recalls. The differences in blacks were larger than in whites. For both the log-transformed nutrient values and the calorie-adjusted nutrient values, the correlations between the two methods were generally larger than 0.50 for whites. However, for blacks, the correlations were lower, and for several macronutrients, the correlations were close to zero. These results suggest that the CARDIA dietary history is a reasonably reliable and valid dietary survey method for obtaining information about habitual intakes in whites. In blacks, the results are less consistent. The black-white differences remained when the analyses were stratified by education. These results raise a question about differences in reporting between blacks and whites.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence In Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea & Symptomatic BPH

Purpose To determine the short-term and long-term adherence rates with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in sleep apnea patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) compared to matched controls. Methods A case–control retrospective analysis was performed in a veterans affairs hospital. All symptomatic patients with BPH (n = 107) ever started on CPAP therapy between 2006 and 2012 were compared with controls matched for severity of sleep apnea (AHI). Adherence measures were obtained at the third and twelfth month visits. The cases included symptomatic BPH patients on active medical therapy. Diuretic use among cases and controls, and severity of nocturia among the cases were also analyzed. Results The mean AHI among cases and controls was 35.6 ± 27.3 and 35.5 ± 31 (p = 0.96). The population was male and predominantly Caucasian. There was no statistically significant difference in percent days CPAP device use ≥4 h. between symptomatic BPH patients and controls at 3-month (51.6 ± 38 vs. 47.2 ± 36; p = 0.43) and 1-year (64 ± 40.5 vs. 64.7 ± 31.3; p = 0.90) visits. The use of diuretics in the cases and controls, and the severity of nocturia in the cases did not influence adherence with CPAP therapy. Conclusions BPH or diuretic use did not affect adherence with CPAP therapy in obstructive sleep apnea. Severity of nocturia did not have any influence on adherence among the cases. BPH, regardless of the severity of nocturia, and diuretic use does not influence CPAP adherence in patients with OSA.
Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Cognitive Dysfunction Correlations in Spinocerebelellar Ataxia Type 6 (SCA6)

Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between resting state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) activity and motor and cognitive impairment in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6). Methods Twelve patients with genetically confirmed SCA6 and 14 age matched healthy controls were imaged with RS-fMRI. Whole brain gray matter was automatically parcellated into 1000 regions of interest (ROIs). For each ROI, the first eigenvariate of voxel time courses was extracted. For each patient, Pearson correlation coefficients between each pair of ROI time courses were calculated across the 1000 ROIs. The set of average control correlation coefficients were fed as an undirected weighted adjacency matrix into the Rubinov and Sporns (2010) modularity algorithm. The intranetwork global efficiency of the thresholded adjacency sub-matrix was calculated and correlated with ataxia scores and cognitive performance. Results SCA6 patients showed mild cognitive impairments in executive function and visual-motor processing compared to control subjects. These neuropsychological impairments were correlated with decreased RS functional connectivity (FC) in the attention network. Conclusions Mild cognitive executive functions and visual-motor coordination impairments seen in SCA6 patients correlate with decreased resting-state connectivity in the attention network, suggesting a possible metric for the study of cognitive dysfunction in cerebellar disease. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3001–3010, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
IVC filter placements in children: nationwide comparison of practice patterns at adult and children’s hospitals using the Kids’ Inpatient Database

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement in children has been described in literature, but there is variability with regard to their indications. No nationally representative study has been done to compare practice patterns of filter placements at adult and children’s hospitals. To perform a nationally representative comparison of IVC filter placement practices in children at adult and children’s hospitals. The 2012 Kids’ Inpatient Database was searched for IVC filter placements in children <18 years of age. Using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) code for filter insertion (38.7), IVC filter placements were identified. A small number of children with congenital cardiovascular anomalies codes were excluded to improve specificity of the code used to identify filter placement. Filter placements were further classified by patient demographics, hospital type (children’s and adult), United States geographic region, urban/rural location, and teaching status. Statistical significance of differences between children’s or adult hospitals was determined using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. A total of 618 IVC filter placements were identified in children <18 years (367 males, 251 females, age range: 5–18 years) during 2012. The majority of placements occurred in adult hospitals (573/618, 92.7%). Significantly more filters were placed in the setting of venous thromboembolism in children’s hospitals (40/44, 90%) compared to adult hospitals (246/573, 43%) (P<0.001). Prophylactic filters comprised 327/573 (57%) at adult hospitals, with trauma being the most common indication (301/327, 92%). The mean length of stay for patients receiving filters was 24.5 days in children’s hospitals and 18.4 days in adult hospitals. The majority of IVC filters in children are placed in adult hospital settings. Children’s hospitals are more likely to place therapeutic filters for venous thromboembolism, compared to adult hospitals where the prophylactic setting of trauma predominates.
RoboSim: a simulation environment for programming virtual robots

In this paper, the design of RoboSim, a simulation environment for programming virtual Linkbot and Lego Mindstorms NXT/EV3 robots, is described in detail. RoboSim integrates into the Ch programming environment, a C/C++ interpreter that provides the ability to remotely control robots through interpreted C/C++ code. The same Ch code can control either hardware or virtual robots without any modification. Open source software projects Open Dynamics Engine, OpenSceneGraph, and Qt are employed to produce the virtual environment and user interface which provide the capability of running on all major software platforms. The design of the software includes multiple modules each specific to a particular task; therefore, the simulation library and graphical user interface (GUI) utilize the common pieces. The GUI provides an interactive view of RoboSim to add robots, obstacles, and graphical objects to preview the environment before executing code for the robots. Execution of Ch code designed for the robots generates a new RoboSim window which has the identical scene from the GUI with dynamic simulation capabilities. The interpreted code controlling the simulation can be paused and resumed as necessary to fully understand how the robots are moving.
Human Population and the Hotspots Revisited: A 2010 Assessment

Using updated global population datasets from what was available in 2000, this chapter presents a revised assessment of human population numbers and growth rates in the biodiversity hotspots and tropical wilderness areas (TWAs). From 2000 to 2010, human population in the hotspots is projected to have increased by 187 million, to a total of almost 1.5 billion people. Human density in the hotspots in 2010 is estimated at 99 people per square kilometer, up 15% from 2000. While the TWAs are less densely populated than the hotspots, averaging 13 people per square kilometer in 2010, the human populations there are growing much faster: the annual growth rate averaged 3% per year – more than twice the rate for the hotspots. Despite the increases in absolute numbers and growth rates that are above the global average, the growth rates in both the hotspots and TWAs have declined over the last decade. The aggregate numbers are somewhat misleading, however, because the demographic patterns are heterogeneous from one region to another. This analysis examines both the inter- and intra-regional differences in population trends within the hotspots and TWAs, and concludes with a discussion of the relationship between population growth and development and how we as a species may influence these trends in the future.
Here, There, and (Almost) Everywhere: Civil Religion and Cultural Competency.

Students coming to study in the US know full well that religion plays a significant role in American lives, but they are often surprised to discover not only the pervasiveness of religious sensibility in American culture but also the extent to which an acceptance--and even expectation--of fairly specific religious ideas or practices suffuses American national identity. This paper argues that education about civil religion should be part of cultural competency preparation for study abroad students, whether coming to the US or going abroad from it, and no matter their own religious orientation or lack thereof. In most cases, civil religion represents a fusion of national pride and identity with a historically dominant religion, e.g., Calvinism (why the Dutch don't draw their curtains at night), Confucianism (why vertical rather than horizontal social relations are paramount in Chinese society), or Shinto (why the Japanese emphasize notions of ritual cleanliness and purity). Manifested not by attendance or participation in traditional religious rituals but by generally unexamined everyday actions and situations, civil religious sensibilities and expectations can pervade even a seemingly secular society, rendering certain customs and "habits of the heart" opaque to the uninitiated.
Gas-Phase Radical-Ion Cycloadditions : Experiment and Theory

The importance of cycloaddition pathways in ion-molecule reactions has been the subject of recent investigations [1]. This is in some measure because of the importance of cycloaddition reactions in the synthesis of organic neutrals [2]. Indeed, the selection rules which govern the reactivity as well as regio- and stereo-selectivity of organic neutrals in solution are well established [31. There are now enough data available to test applicability of some of these selection rules to the cycloaddition reactions of radical cations and neutrals. Some of these concepts have been incorporated into a simple theory, a Frontier Molecular Orbital approach modified to take into account the unique features of radical cations [4].
Two-, three-, and four-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of protein pharmaceuticals.

In the past decade, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and related computational techniques have evolved to such a degree that it is now possible to completely assign the [1H]-NMR spectrum and, using this information, determine the three-dimensional structure of a protein of more than 100 residues (Clore and Gronenborn, 1991a; Inagaki, 1990; Wagner et al., 1992; Wuthrich, 1986, 1989a,b, 1990). Consequently, it has become as important a tool in the structural determination of proteins as X-ray crystallography. The interest in NMR has been further accelerated by the advent of biotechnology, where it is now possible to produce proteins for use as therapeutic agents.
Experiments to investigate the effect of flight path on direct containment heating

The limited flight path experiments investigate the effect of reactor subcompartment flight path length on direct containment heating (DCH) in a severe reactor accident. The test series consists of...