cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
3PC-004 Automation of parenteral nutrition elaboration in a hospital pharmacy service

Background Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a high-risk medication. For this reason quality control must be guaranteed. Purpose To evaluate the impact of implementing an automated system (Exacta-Mix 2400® Baxa) on the quality of the elaboration of PN. Material and methods Retrospective study in which a comparative gravimetric control was performed between the PNs in the first week of December 2015 (manual procedure) and the same week one year later with the automated system. Gravimetric control is a strategy used for the quality control in the elaboration of PN. It consists of comparing the real weight with the theoretical weight (calculated according to the volume and density of each of its components). The gravimetric error was calculated as a percentage compared to the theoretical weight. Regulatory agencies establish an acceptable margin of error of 5%, and advise reducing it to 3%, especially in paediatric nutrition. The deviations from the theoretical weight and the percentage of preparations that exceeded 3% were analysed. For the comparison of means of deviation, a K-W test was performed using software R. Tricameral nutrition was excluded from the study because it is already elaborated and does not require manipulation. Results One hundred and fourty-four PNs (77 manuals and 77 automated) were analysed. The mean variation of the actual weight with respect to the theoretical weight was 3.37% and 0.73% with the manual and automated procedure respectively (p Conclusion Manual preparation of parenteral nutrition is associated with a greater gravimetric error due to human preparation. This is especially important in very low weight nutrition, such as neonatal nutrition. Automation means an increase in accuracy control and a decrease in the risk of exceeding acceptable limits. Despite the difficulties of implementing a new technological process, robotisation tends to become an essential in hospital pharmacy services and allows an improvement in the integral quality of care. Reference and/or Acknowledgements 1. Llop Talavera JM, et al. Automation of parenteral nutrition elaboration: adaptation to in force legislation. Nutr Hosp. 2006Mar–Apr;21(2):184–8. No conflict of interest
Prior Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Effects on Future Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background The impact of prior anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has rarely been studied. The objective of this study was to compare intraoperative characteristics in patients who underwent TKA with pre-existing hardware from prior ACL reconstruction with a matched cohort control group. Methods A retrospective study of patients who had undergone primary TKA with pre-existing hardware from prior ACL reconstruction was performed from June 2012 through June 2017. These patients were 2-to-1 matched to the ACL group based on similar patient demographic and provider variables. Outcomes investigated included operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), and postoperative complications. Results One hundred one patients met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The mean age was 54 ± 9 years, and the mean body mass index was 32.6 ± 6.5 kg/m2. The ACL group was divided into 4 subgroups: group 1, no pre-existing hardware removed (22 TKAs); group 2, pre-existing hardware removed from the femur only (8 TKAs); group 3, pre-existing hardware removed from the tibia only (45 TKAs); and group 4, pre-existing hardware removed from both the femur and tibia (26 TKAs). There was no statistical difference in EBL and postoperative complication between the ACL group and controls. Statistical differences were detected between 2 subgroups regarding mean operative time variables: ACL group 3 (74 ± 23 minutes; control: 64 ± 21 minutes, P = .020) and group 4 (79 ± 24 minutes; control: 65 ± 19 minutes, P = .010). Conclusion Hardware retained, especially on the tibia, from prior ACL reconstruction has a major impact on TKA surgical procedure operative time but not on EBL and/or complications.
Predictors of Seasonal Oxygen Levels in Small Florida Lakes: The Importance of Color

This study examines the relationship of profundal oxygen concentrations in 55 shallow Florida lakes to humic color, trophic state, and lake size during different seasons. The data set represented a broad range of color and trophic state. The percent saturation of dissolved oxygen remained relatively constant during the fall (mean 78.4%), winter (mean 81.3%), and spring (mean 82.5%), but declined markedly during summer (mean 65.2%). Chlorophyll a concentrations were highest during the winter (mean 2.52 mg m 3 ) and lowest during the fall (mean 1.17 mg m 3 ), while color peaked during the fall (mean 30.1 mg Pt l 1 ) and was lowest during the summer (mean 12.7 mg Pt l 1 ). The relative importance of lake size, chlorophyll a, and color in explaining variation in percent oxygen saturation was examined using multiple regression. Percent oxygen saturation was negatively correlated with color during the winter, spring, and summer, and positively correlated with lake size in the winter and spring. However, percent oxygen saturation showed no relationship with chlorophyll a during any season. These results suggest that colored Florida lakes are naturally oxygen depleted and that profundal oxygen values have little relationship to lake trophic state.
I Can't Type That! P@$$w0rd Entry on Mobile Devices

Given the numerous constraints of onscreen keyboards, such as smaller keys and lack of tactile feedback, remembering and typing long, complex passwords  an already burdensome task on desktop computing systems becomes nearly unbearable on small mobile touchscreens. Complex passwords require numerous screen depth changes and are problematic both motorically and cognitively. Here we present baseline data on device- and age-dependent differences in human performance with complex passwords, providing a valuable starting dataset to warn that simply porting password requirements from one platform to another (i.e., desktop to mobile) without considering device constraints may be unwise.
On a Class of Dynamic Demand Functions

The idea that demand functions may involve time (or, more precisely, the notion of “earlier and later”) goes back a long time. It was elaborated in the theoretical work of Roos (1925) and Evans (1930), and its implications for empirical research were perhaps first brought out in studies of the demand for cars [De Wolff (1938); for other references see Houthakker and Haldi (1960)]. Recently the same idea has been applied more generally by Stone and Rowe (1957) and Nerlove (1959). While the general approach followed in these empirical studies has considerable intuitive appeal, the underlying theory has never been spelled out in any detail.The basic notion is that of a desired stock, actual demand during a time interval being related to the gap between the desired and the actual stock. Thus it is often assumed (partly by analogy with certain models of expectations) that the rate of demand is proportional to this gap, which leads to an exponential adjustment of actual to desired stock.
Cytochrome P450 Interactions

Cytochrome P450 was first described, independently, by Klingenberg (1958) and Garfinkel (1958) as a carbon monoxide binding pigment located in the microsomal fraction of mammalian liver cells. The name is derived from the position of the peak in the optical difference spectrum of the carbon monoxide complex with the reduced cytochrome. In the almost two decades that have elapsed since that time, an enormous literature relative to this cytochrome has appeared. Although the general features of its distribution and function are now apparent, it has, in spite of all efforts, resisted extensive purification and characterization and its reaction mechanism is not clearly understood.
Influence of air degradation on morphology, crystal size and mechanical hardness of perovskite film

Abstract Hybrid halide perovskite is attracting attention as an alternative solar cell material, but the air instability of perovskite is still a major research problem. The current work investigates how air degradation affects the crystal size, surface morphology, and mechanical hardness of the perovskite. Interestingly, we found that the crystal sizes of perovskite, PbI2 and I2 extracted from XRD measurements exhibited a dynamic variation with exposure to air. Particularly, it was found that the elastic modulus and hardness of the perovskite films increased for a 20 h exposure to air and then gradually decreased due to chemical decomposition and formation of pinholes in the perovskite film.
Effects of aging on the biomechanics of Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli): Evidence of robustness to senescence.

Abstract It is well-known that as humans age they experience significant changes in gait including reduction in velocity and ground reaction forces and changes in leg mechanics. Progressive changes in gait can lead to disability and frailty, defined as an inability to carry out activities of daily living. This topic is relevant to basic understanding of the aging process and for clinical intervention. As such, studies of frailty can benefit from nonhuman animal models, yet little is known about gait frailty in nonhuman primates. This study examines a nonhuman primate model to evaluate its relevance to understanding human aging processes. To test the null hypothesis that age-related changes in joint function and gait do occur in primate models in a similar fashion to humans, a detailed gait analysis, including velocity, footfall timings, and vertical ground reaction forces, on bipedal locomotion was performed in Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli), ranging in age from 5 years to 24 years. None of the spatiotemporal or kinetic gait variables measured was significantly correlated with age alone. There was a slight but significant reduction in locomotor velocity when animals were grouped into “young” and “old” categories. These data show that aging P. coquereli experience only subtle age-related changes, that were not nearly as extensive as reported in humans. This lack of change suggests that unlike humans, lemurs maintain gait competency at high levels, possibly because these animals maintain reproductive capacity close to their age of death and that frailty may be selected against, since gait disability would result in injury and death that would preclude independent living. Although nonhuman primates should experience age-related senescence, their locomotor performance should remain robust throughout their lifetimes, which raises questions about the use of primate models of gait disability, an area that deserves further investigation.
Mortality During Total Knee Periprosthetic Joint Infection

Abstract Background We sought to understand the mortality rate of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) of the hip undergoing 2-stage revision for infection. Methods Database search, yielding 23 relevant studies, totaled 19,169 patients who underwent revision for total hip PJI. Results One-year weighted mortality rate was 4.22% after total hip PJI. Five-year mortality was 21.12%. Average age was 65 years. When comparing the national age-adjusted risk of mortality and the reported 1-year mortality risk in this systematic review, the risk of death after total hip PJI is significantly increased (odds ratio 3.58, P Conclusion The mortality rate during total hip revision for infection is high. When counseling a patient regarding complications of this disease, death should be discussed.
Who Speaks for China?: Translating Geopolitics through Language Institutes in Costa Rica

Drawing on ethnographic analysis of a Confucius Institute and two private schools, this article analyzes how diverse Chinese language institutes in Costa Rica have sought to capitalize on a growing local interest in learning Mandarin Chinese. It argues that a shifting global geopolitics has increased the perceived value of Chinese language acquisition and, thus, the stakes for language institutes seeking to assert their cultural authority as legitimate purveyors of Chinese and Chineseness. Through analysis of these schools’ projected identities and pedagogical styles, I show how they distinguish themselves from one another on the basis of public versus private ownership, choice-based versus authoritarian instructional style, and Taiwanese versus Mainland or diasporic roots. Building on the concept of the “Sinophone,” I highlight both the diversity of the forms and locations of Chineseness these initiatives represent and their implications for who can legitimately speak for China in Costa Rica.本文从民族志研究的角度考察了哥斯达黎加的一所孔子学院和两所私立学校，进而显示了不同的语言学校是如何应对和利用当地逐渐增强的中文学习的兴趣的。中国在全球地缘政治中的决定性地位提高了学习中文的重要性，而中文学校又是中国文化和“中国性”的正当提供者。因此，对文化权威的争夺对中文学校来说变得更加重要。通过分析当地三所中文学校对自身形象的定位以及教学理念的不同，本文指出，这些学校将自己与竞争者区分开来的标准主要来自三个方面：是公立学校还是私立学校，授课风格以学生为中心还是以老师讲课为主，是台湾机构还是中国大陆或华侨机构。在“华语语系”理论的基础上，这篇文章突显了不同语言机构所代表的“中国性”在形式与地理坐标上的多样性，以及这种多样性暗指的谁具有在哥斯达黎加代表中国的合法性。This article is in English.
Clinical applications of small molecule inhibitors of Pregnane X receptor

The canonical effect of Pregnane X Receptor (PXR, NR1I2) agonism includes enhanced hepatic uptake and a concomitant increase in the first-pass metabolism and efflux of drugs in mammalian liver and intestine. In patients undergoing combination therapy, PXR-mediated gene regulation represents the molecular basis of numerous food-drug, herb-drug, and drug-drug interactions. Moreover, PXR activation promotes chemotherapeutic resistance in certain malignancies. Additional research efforts suggest that sustained PXR activation exacerbates the development of fatty liver disease. Additional metabolic effects of PXR activation in liver are the inhibition of fatty acid oxidation and gluconeogenesis. The identification of non-toxic and selective PXR antagonists is therefore of current research interest. Inhibition of PXR should decrease adverse effects, improve therapeutic effectiveness, and advance clinical outcomes in patients with cancer, fatty liver, and diabetes. This review identifies small molecule PXR antagonists described to date, discusses possible molecular mechanisms of inhibition, and seeks to describe the likely biomedical consequences of the inhibition of this nuclear receptor superfamily member.
Is there a role for prophylactic drainage of the abdominal cavity after laparoscopic appendectomy for non-complicated appendicitis in children?

Peritoneal drainage has been used to prevent infectious complications after either laparoscopic or open appendectomy. Unlike in complicated appendicitis, where intraoperative drainage at the end of the procedure has clear benefits, in un-complicated appendicitis, the usefulness of peritoneal drainage is still under debate. This study aims to clarify if intraoperative drainage of the peritoneal cavity during laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis in children has beneficial consequences for the postoperative course of the patient. In a 12-month period, we performed 120 consecutive laparoscopic appendectomies, for uncomplicated appendicitis. Postoperative drainage was used in 44 patients. We have collected and analyzed data concerning operating time, postoperative course and complications, need for analgesia, time to resumption of bowel movement and hospital stay. No significant incidents during surgery have been recorded. Postoperative intraabdominal abscesses occurred in two cases, one for each group. Mean hospital stay, operating time, the need for postoperative analgesia and regain of the gastro-intestinal transit were all longer for the drained group. Complication rate, postoperative pain, hospital stay are all higher after prophylactic drainage of the peritoneal cavity after laparoscopic appendectomy for non-complicated appendicitis. The prophylactic use of abdominal drainage after laparoscopic appendectomy for non-complicated appendicitis in children does not prevent postoperative complications and has no or even negative consequences for the postoperative course of the patients.
Robotics Education To and Through College.

Robotics education has made great strides to enable the next generation of engineers and workers with early education and outreach. This early education effort is able to engage students and promote interest, however an integrated pathway to and through college is needed. This pathway needs to build upon early experiences with opportunities to advance across age groups. This paper presents the authors experience developing robotics curriculum across age groups. Middle and high school education has been implemented in a summer camp environment utilizing two co-robotic platforms, a water sensing robot called GUPPIE and an assistive robot named Neu-pulator, engaging 201 total students between Summer 2014–2017. The university course is a senior level technical elective introducing autonomous systems through a mobile robotic platform, a smart car, with 72 total students in Spring 2017 and 2018. In this work, the survey results gathered from Summer 2017 pre-college and Spring 2018 college level activities are presented. Overall observations and lessons learned across age groups are also discussed to better create a pathway from young learners to practicing engineers. The key to success of robotics programs at any age are hands-on, exciting activities with sufficient expert support so that students are able to learn in a frustration free environment.
A Fateful Decision: Tgif1 and Cardiac Neural Crest Identity

Neural crest cells have different developmental potencies at different levels along the body axis of the embryo. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Gandhi et al. identify transcription factors that define one subtype of neural crest, the cardiac crest, and demonstrate their ability to reprogram trunk into cardiac crest.
Evolution of behavioral resistance in host-pathogen systems

Behavioral resistance to parasites is widespread in animals, yet little is known about the evolutionary dynamics that have shaped these strategies. Theory developed for the evolution of physiological parasite resistance can only be applied to behavioral resistance under limited circumstances. We find that accounting explicitly for the behavioral processes, including the detectability of infected individuals, leads to novel dynamics that are strongly dependent on the nature of the costs and benefits of social interactions. As with physiological resistance, the evolutionary dynamics can also lead to mixed strategies that balance the costs of disease risk and the benefits of social interaction, with implications for understanding avoidance strategies in human disease outbreaks.
Content analysis of instagram posts by leading cannabis vaporizer brands.

Abstract Background Cannabis vaporizer companies leverage social media to market their products, but little is known about the content of the messages being delivered to consumers. This study describes characteristics of Instagram posts from three popular cannabis vaporizer brands in the U.S. Methods A content analysis was performed on posts uploaded between October 2017 and October 2018 by the brands Kandypens (n = 731), G Pen (n = 454), and Pax (n = 71). Posts were coded for: characteristics of individuals pictured, health and risk statements, references to cannabis, co-marketing activities, cartoon images, and product price. Descriptive statistics highlight the prevalence of these characteristics and between-brand differences. Results Posts had a wide reach, with a total of 467,700 followers across brands. Two-thirds (68.0 %) of posts depicted someone using the product. Among posts featuring a person, (83.9 %) depicted female users. Overall, cannabis was rarely mentioned (8.9 %) or depicted (10.0 %) in posts. “Tagging” social media influencers (34.3 % of posts) and other companies or their products (31.9 % of posts) were popular promotional strategies. Few posts mentioned age restrictions (0.3 %), health risks (5.2 %), or health benefits (0.2 %). Conclusions Cannabis vaporizer companies reach thousands of consumers through brand-owned social media accounts. Strategies to promote their products on these channels include posts that may appeal to sociodemographic groups and leveraging social media influencers and other companies to increase overall reach. As legalized recreational cannabis expands and a range of consumption methods become popular, an understanding of brands’ social media marketing practices is needed to inform policies and interventions that promote population health.
A mixed-method study of stress and coping strategies among university social work students in the United States

The current study investigates perceived stress and coping styles among undergraduate students using a mixed-methods design. The quantitative study data came from a cross-section of 210 undergradua...
Finding Jack Michael’s Footprints in the Sand

Jack Michael left a legacy of fine discriminations among technical terms, a careful parsing of theoretical concepts, and a variety of behavioral interpretations of complex behavioral phenomena. When pushing into relatively unfamiliar territory in areas such as “memory,” automatic reinforcement, multiple control, and additivity of response strength, I have been surprised and delighted to find evidence that Jack had once explored the same topics, in the same way, and had come to the same conclusions toward which I was groping.
Gastric secretion rate and protein concentration impact intragastric pH and protein hydrolysis during dynamic in vitro gastric digestion

Abstract Gastric secretions are crucial for food breakdown during digestion. Changes in intragastric pH due to gastric secretions are influenced by meal properties, such as composition, particle size, structure, buffering capacity, and mixing of the meal with gastric secretions. The use of in vitro digestion models has increased recently, however more physiologically-relevant digestion models are needed to better mimic the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this study was to examine different gastric secretion conditions using a dynamic in vitro digestion model to understand their impact on intragastric pH and protein digestion. Whey protein dispersions were made at two protein concentrations (10% w/v and 30% w/v) and were subjected to gastric digestion. Gastric secretions were set to be at constant rate (2.75 mL/min) or variable rate (1.5 – 9.0 mL/min; based on the intragastric pH). In digestions of 30% w/v dispersion, the digesta pH after 60 min was high (average 4.3 ± 0.3), resulting in low pepsin activity (5.6 ± 0.1% of the maximum) and protein degree of hydrolysis (0.3 ± 0.0% degree of hydrolysis), compared to digestions of 10% w/v dispersions. After 90 min of digestion, the pepsin activity in digesta of 30% w/v dispersions increased to 56.1 ± 0.2%, mainly due to the decrease in the emptied digesta pH (average 2.7 ± 0.2). Protein concentration and gastric emptying played an important role on intragastric pH. Further work is needed to develop a mechanistic understanding between food initial properties, gastric emptying rate, gastric secretions, pH changes, and nutrient digestibility during digestion to study the impact of hydrocolloid dispersions properties on human health.
Event-triggered Self-learning Control Scheme For Power Electronics Dominated Grid

The growing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) requires renovation of the conventional power grid into a new paradigm, so-called power electronics dominated grid (PEDG). Alongside the features introduced within this new concept, the PEDG is more prone to cyber-physical malicious activities because of the distributed communication infrastructure and accessibility of the resources. Some of these malicious activities e.g., stealthy attacks, are unobservable for the supervisory system until the control system diverges. Some of these attacks might result in loss of DER generation that could cause frequency deviations beyond permissible boundaries specified by the DERs’ grid integration standards. To fulfill frequency restoration in the event of stealthy attacks, this paper proposes an artificial-intelligence-based shadow control for inverter-interfaced DERs to improve the grid’s resiliency. During the normal operation of the PEDG, all DERs inject active power considering various criteria including, maximum available power, state of the charge, rate of power reserve, etc. As an unusual deviation on the frequency or its rate of change occurs, the artificial-intelligence-inspired shadow control of the grid cluster is activated to re-balance active power across the grid within a short timeframe while slow-response synchronous generators are trying to catch up. The ANN module of the proposed shadow control provides accurate feedbacks for the DER controller to support the grid frequency for any potential disturbances. The proposed shadow control framework is verified on a 14-bus PEDG system.
Frequency Standards Utilizing Penning Traps

Ion traps have a number of characteristics that make them attractive candidates for frequency standards [1]. Ion confinement times from a few hours to a few days permit long interrogation times and therefore narrow linewidths and large line Q’s. In addition, ion traps typically do not suffer from the usual Perturbations associated with confinement. For example, collisions of hydrogen atoms with the confining walls of a hydrogen maser can produce fractional frequency shifts greater than 1 × 10−11 on the masing transition [2]. Stark shifts due to the confining electrostatic field of a Penning trap can, in many cases, be made less than 1 × 10−15 [3,4].
Differences in active center reactivity of trypsin homologs. Specific inactivation of thrombin by nitrophenyl p-amidinophenylmethanesulfonate.

Abstract In the hope of obtaining a reagent capable of discriminating among trypsin-like enzymes and inactivating one of them, nitrophenyl m - and p -amidinophenylmethanesulfonate were synthesized as potential affinity labels. Both reagents are competitive inhibitors of trypsin, thrombin, plasmin, chymotrypsin, and plasma kallikrein. However, in the case of thrombin alone, the p -isomer achieves a covalent modification irreversibly inactivating the enzyme. The results demonstrate the selectivity possible with active-site-directed reagents even among enzymes with homologous active centers.
Can User Agents Accurately Represent Privacy Policies

The Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) is a W3C specification that provides a standard computer-readable language for web sites to encode their privacy policies. This standardization allows for the creation of web browsers and other user agents that can display privacy warnings and signals that are meaningful to users or that automate actions in accordance with user instructions. This paper shows that P3P user agents will necessarily include judgmental design decisions and that the accuracy of the P3P user agent interactions becomes a critical matter. The accuracy of P3P user agents raises significant legal concerns about privacy agreements, inadvertent deception, and liability. The technological mediation designed to make it easier for users to understand the privacy practices of web sites risks adding ambiguity, confusion and legal uncertainty. This paper argues that one way to avoid having privacy practices represented inaccurately by P3P user agents is to certify P3P user agents for the accuracy of their representations of web site P3P policies. While there are some things that P3P user agents might do that would be readily identified as inaccurate or misleading, there is a large gray area in which user agents might present factual information side-by-side with subjective judgments. These judgments may be deemed misleading by some people but not others. Many of the issues raised here are new, but this is not likely to be the last time that these issues arise. As work progresses on computer-mediated search and negotiation technologies with a wide variety of applications, these issues are likely to surface repeatedly. In this paper we explore these issues and suggest some possible solutions, as well as a number of open questions.
Does physical activity protect against drug abuse vulnerability

Abstract Background The current review examined recent literature to determine our state of knowledge about the potential ability of physical activity serve as a protectant against drug abuse vulnerability. Methods Both preclinical and clinical studies were examined using either associational or random assignment study designs. In addition to examining drug use as an outcome variable, the potential neural mediators linking physical activity and drug abuse vulnerability were examined. Conclusions Several important conclusions may be drawn. First, the preclinical evidence is solid in showing that physical activity in various forms is able to serve as both a preventive and treatment intervention that reduces drug use, although voluntary alcohol drinking appears to be an exception to this conclusion. Second, the clinical evidence provides some evidence, albeit mixed, to suggest a beneficial effect of physical activity on tobacco dependent individuals. In contrast, there exists only circumstantial evidence that physical activity may reduce use of drugs other than nicotine, and there is essentially no solid information from random control studies to know if physical activity may prevent initiation of problem use. Finally, both preclinical and clinical evidence shows that various brain systems are altered by physical activity, with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) serving as one potential node that may mediate the putative link between physical activity and drug abuse vulnerability. It is concluded that novel neurobehavioral approaches taking advantage of novel techniques for assessing the physiological impact of physical activity are needed and can be used to inform the longitudinal random control studies that will answer definitively the question posed.
Effect of Methylmalonyl Coenzyme A, a Metabolite Which Accumulates in Vitamin B12 Deficiency, on Fatty Acid Synthesis

Abstract We have proposed that the accumulation of methylmalonyl-CoA, which occurs when a deficiency of B12 coenzyme exists, may lead to its incorporation into fatty acids in place of malonyl-CoA. This lead to the production of fatty acids, which are not usually produced and which may be physiologically undesirable. As a first step in the test of this hypothesis, we have examined the effect of methylmalonyl-CoA on fatty acid synthesis in vitro, in rat liver supernatant fractions. It was shown that methylmalonyl-CoA inhibits fatty acid synthesis and is incorporated into fatty acids.
High frequency noise generation from components in sliding contact: flutter instabilities including the role of surface roughness and friction

Abstract One type of troublesome friction-induced noise, common in brakes, clutches and mechanical seals, is high frequency chirp or squeal. Chirp frequencies typically range from around 1 kHz to more than 10 kHz. We have found that the essential physical ingredients needed to model this problem are two finite distributed mass elastic systems coupled by friction and an interfacial contact stiffness, transverse to the direction of sliding. The contact stiffness is associated with the roughness of the sliding surfaces and, sometimes, with the presence of wear particles within the contact. Lumped parameter models are not adequate to capture the dynamics. Our approach is to perform an eigenvalue analysis, using finite elements, of pairs of coupled sliding elastic rings. Due to the presence of friction, the stiffness matrix is asymmetric and mode coupling or mode splitting can occur. Typically, around ten per cent of the first forty or so vibratory modes appear prone to instability. Generally one or two of these show up as instabilities in the actual physical system. No stick-slip action needs to be invoked and these instabilities can occur with a single constant coefficient of friction.
Quality of public sector care for schizophrenia in Arkansas.

Objective: Using process-of-care indicators, we examined the quality of care provided to 139 individuals receiving treatment for schizophrenia in public sector systems. Methods: Longitudinal data on services use and medication management were abstracted from medical records. Medication adherence data were obtained by self- and informant reports. Results: Overall, 39% of participants had less than monthly contact with community-based service (CBS) providers. When participants in day treatment or partial hospitalization programs were excluded, less than monthly CBS contact increased to 70%. Of participants, 40%–60% were prescribed medications outside guideline-recommended dose ranges. Up to half of participants reported taking half or less of prescribed antipsychotics. The adverse impact on patient outcomes of these practice patterns is well established. Conclusions: Public sector organizations face powerful challenges to the behavioral changes needed to sustain best practice care. Overcoming these challenges to assure high-quality care for schizophrenia will require tremendous creativity and commitment.
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Adjunctive Metformin Therapy in Overweight/Obese Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

Context Insulin resistance has been proposed as one of the causes of poor glycemic control in overweight/obese youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, the role of adjunctive metformin, an insulin sensitizer, on glycemic control in these patients is unclear.
How to prepare and deliver pharmacy presentations

Advice to pharmacists on the preparation and delivery of oral presentations is given. First, a topic must be selected that is appropriate for the speaker, the audience, and the situation or occasion. The audience's educational level, prior knowledge of the topic, and beliefs or attitudes toward the topic must be considered, as well as the time allotted. A title should be chosen to succinctly describe the presentation and to arouse interest. Next, the information should be organized into an outline. Preparing learning objectives helps to identify concepts that the speaker should emphasize; the objectives can also be used to assess the audience's knowledge after the presentation. Visual aids should be prepared in draft form before the text is written, so that the oral presentation will expand upon material presented through the visual aids. Guidelines are given for preparing and presenting overhead transparencies and slides. Although no more than 25% of the speaker's allotted time should be spent on the introduction and conclusion, the introduction is crucial because it must tell the audience the purpose and the topics to be covered, as well as stimulate the listeners' interest. The conclusion should summarize and clarify the information and answer any questions posed in the introduction. Delivery involves effective use of eye contact and body language. The presentation should be spoken in a voice that is intelligible and uses appropriate stress, variation, quality, and pace. Tips for polishing and rehearsing the presentation are given. Pharmacists can enhance communication with an audience by paying close attention to topic selection, organization, visual aids, preparation of the text, and methods for effective delivery.
Effects of High Infusion Pressure and Large-bore Tubing on Intravenous Flow Rates

An in vitro study was conducted to determine the maximum flow rates that can be obtained with commercially available intravenous (IV) catheters, when infusion pressure and IV tubing size are modified. Standard tubing (3.2 mm ID) and two sizes of experimental large-bore tubing (5.0 mm and 6.4 mm ID) were tested with tap water and diluted packed cells (hematocrit 45) at 600 mm Hg, 300 mm Hg, and gravity flow infusion pressure. The maximum flow rate obtained was 3,158 ml/min for tap water and 3,000 ml/min for diluted packed cells. The increases in flow rates from gravity to 300 mm Hg and from gravity to 600 mm Hg are significant (P < 0.05) and provide up to 197% and 341% increases, respectively, for all catheter/tubing combinations tested. Large-bore tubing is most effective when used in conjunction with large-bore catheters. For the 8.5 French catheter, a change from standard (3.2 mm ID) to large-bore (6.4 mm ID) tubing resulted in a statistically significant (P < 0.05) increase in flow rate of more than 200% regardless of infusion pressure.
Secure coding in C and C

Although the flexibility and performance of C and C++ aren't in question, security has increasingly become an issue. The C and C++ communities have recognized this and have taken steps to improve security at all levels, including improved standards, compiler implementations, and static and runtime analysis tools.
Factors affecting injury severity to rear-seated occupants in rural motor vehicle crashes.

Injury to rear-seat occupants (RSOs) has received little systematic study in the literature. Past studies have focused on patterns of injury presented to the emergency department, various aspects of restraint usage and injury, or specific populations of RSOs. This is the first systematic analysis of injury severity to RSOs. RSOs involved in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) sustain injuries of equal severity as do front-seated occupants (FSOs) involved in the same crash. The setting was a rural North Carolina emergency department where patients were evaluated at the sole hospital for the county. The design was a 2-year retrospective review of all MVCs with RSOs occurring in Pitt County North Carolina in calendar years 1988 and 1989. The Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test and Logistic Regression Analysis with Injury Severity Score (ISS) as the dependent variable were performed. Three hundred forty-six crashes involving 367 vehicles with RSOs and 1,273 occupants that sent 222 patients to the hospital. ISS was higher for unrestrained occupants (1.87 versus 0.51), occupants of vehicles driven by legally intoxicated drivers (4.04 versus 0.73), occupants between the ages of 30 and 59 years (1.06 versus 0.65) and FSOs (1.04 versus 0.85) (Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test P 60 years (OR 1.25). In our rural population, RSOs sustain less severe injuries than FSOs. Restraint usage and sober drivers provide a greater protective effect however. Seat location does not replace restraint usage or sobriety.
Hope and Substance Abuse Recovery: The Impact of Agency and Pathways within an Abstinent Communal-Living Setting

Hope is commonly divided into two constructs: agency, defined as goal-directed energy, and pathways, defined as the ability to create paths to a goal. To date, only two studies have examined the utility of hope in substance abuse recovery, and the present investigation buildings on this small literature by assessing hope beliefs within a larger and more diverse sample of adults in recovery. This study examined how two hope constructs of agency and pathways related to substance use abstinence among 90 new residents of communal-living recovery homes (i.e., Oxford Houses) who completed two waves of data assessment. Results indicated that agency scores significantly predicted alcohol use at Wave 1 but pathway scores failed to predict drug or alcohol use at this time point. Additionally, agency and pathway scores predicted drug (but not alcohol use) at an 8-month follow-up assessment. These findings indicated that participants' hope may be linked to substance use at later stages of recovery. In addition, these results suggested a stronger relationship between hope and drug as opposed to alcohol use at this time point. Implications for substance abuse recovery are discussed.
New paleontologic evidence constraining the age and paleotectonic setting of the Talladega slate belt, southern Appalachians

The Talladega slate belt in the southern Appalachian orogen of Alabama and Georgia is a thick sequence of lower greenschist-facies metaclastic, metacarbonate, and metavolcanic rocks thrust above miogeoclinal rocks of the foreland and overthrust by higher grade metamorphic rocks of the eastern Blue Ridge terrane(s). The age assignments and tectonic affinities of this sequence have been highly controversial. Recent fossil discoveries in key stratigraphic units, however, combined with confirmed fossil occurrences in the Jemison Chert, have established a firm correlation with the Appalachian foreland, thus stratigraphically linking the Talladega belt with Laurentia. The lower predominantly clastic sequence, tectonically bounded at its base by the frontal Blue Ridge thrust system, grades upward into a 3.5-km-thick marble sequence. The basal carbonate unit (Jumbo Dolomite) contains Early Cambrian archaeocyathids, and these fossils, in addition to the stratigraphic position and carbonate lithofacies, establish correlation of this unit with the Lower Cambrian Shady Dolomite. The uppermost unit in the marble sequence (Gantts Quarry Formation) contains Early Ordovician (middle to late Canadian; = early to middle Arenigian) conodonts that confirm correlation of this unit with the Newala Limestone and Kingsport and Mascot Formations of the Appalachian foreland. The carbonate platform sequence is unconformably overlain by a thick clastic sequence that accumulated in a deep successor basin; the Lay Dam Formation is a marine fanlike deposit at the base of this sequence. Conodont molds from the top of the Lay Dam and fossils from the stratigraphically higher Jemison Chert indicate a Silurian to Early Devonian age for the Lay Dam Formation. Paleontologic data and the stratigraphic and structural setting indicate that the Talladega slate belt is the most distally preserved and relatively complete fragment of the Appalachian miogeocline; thus, the tectonic evolution of the Talladega belt is crucial to understanding the western margin of Iapetus. Linkage of the Talladega slate belt rocks with those of the western Blue Ridge to the northeast suggests that the latter once contained a thick Cambrian to Devonian cover sequence which subsequently has been mostly removed.
Tell me when and why to do it!: run-time planner model updates via natural language instruction

Robots are currently being used in and developed for critical HRI applications such as search and rescue. In these scenarios, humans operating under changeable and high-stress conditions must communicate effectively with autonomous agents, necessitating that such agents be able to respond quickly and effectively to rapidly-changing conditions and expectations. We demonstrate a robot planner that is able to utilize new information, specifically information originating in spoken input produced by human operators. We show that the robot is able to learn the pre- and postconditions of previously-unknown action sequences from natural language constructions, and immediately update (1) its knowledge of the current state of the environment, and (2) its underlying world model, in order to produce new and updated plans that are consistent with this new information. While we demonstrate in detail the robot's successful operation with a specific example, we also discuss the dialogue module's inherent scalability, and investigate how well the robot is able to respond to natural language commands from untrained users.
The Mobi-C cervical disc for one-level and two-level cervical disc replacement: a review of the literature

Background Cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) is a novel motion-preserving procedure that is an alternative to fusion. The Mobi-C disc prosthesis, one of many Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved devices for CDA, is the only FDA-approved prosthesis for two-level CDA. Hence, it may allow for improved outcomes compared with multilevel fusion procedures. Purpose To critically assess the available literature on CDA with the Mobi-C prosthesis, with a focus on two-level CDA. Methods All clinical articles involving the Mobi-C disc prosthesis for CDA through September 1, 2014 were identified on Medline. Any paper that presented Mobi-C CDA clinical results was included. Study design, sample size, length of follow-up, use of statistical analysis, quality of life outcome scores, conflict of interest, and complications were recorded. Results Fifteen studies were included that investigated Mobi-C CDA, only one of which was a level Ib randomized control trial. All studies included showed non-inferiority of one-level Mobi-C CDA to one-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Only one study analyzed outcomes of one-level versus two-level Mobi-C CDA, and only one study analyzed two-level Mobi-C CDA versus two-level ACDF. In comparison with other cervical disc prostheses, the Mobi-C prosthesis is associated with higher rates of heterotopic ossification (HO). Studies with conflicts of interest reported lower rates of HO. Adjacent segment degeneration or disease, along with other complications, were not assessed in most studies. Conclusion One-level Mobi-C CDA is non-inferior, but not superior, to one-level ACDF for patients with cervical degenerative disc disease. The Mobi-C CDA procedure is associated with high rates of HO. Two-level Mobi-C CDA may be superior to two-level ACDF. However, insufficient evidence exists, thereby mandating a need for unbiased, well-designed prospective studies with well-defined outcomes in the future.
Exact spectral representation of truncated data

This letter presents a computational technique which allows one to resolve spectral amplitudes at frequencies spaced more closely than the inverse of data record length. This then alleviates problems often encountered in attempts at spectral analysis of low-frequency data.
An analytical homogenization method for heterogeneous porous materials

Abstract The objective of this work is to develop an analytical homogenization method to estimate the effective mechanical properties of fluid-filled porous media with periodic microstructure. The method is based on the equivalent inclusion concept of homogenization applied earlier for solid–solid mixture. It is assumed that porous media are described by the poroelastic constitutive law developed by Biot where porosity is a material parameter. By solving the governing equations of poroelasticity in Fourier transformed domain, the relation between periodic strain and eigenstrain in porous media is established. This relation is subsequently used in an average consistency condition involving both solid and fluid phase stresses and strains. The geometry of the porous microstructure is captured in the g -integral. This homogenization method can also be applied to estimate the equivalent properties of solid–fluid mixture where a pure solid and fluid can be modeled by assuming very low and high porosity, respectively. Several examples are considered to establish this new method by comparing with other existing analytical and numerical methods of homogenization. As an application, poroelastic properties of cortical bone fibril are estimated and compared with previously computed values.
Playing for keeps: gaming as a language learning tool

We propose a methodology for evaluating second language acquisition in the context of massive multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG). Careful examination of learning opportunities present in gaming requires us to direct our attention to the characteristics of MMORPGs and how these characteristics support learning. MMORPGs accommodate active learners who assume the role of characters they have selected, create immersive environments that promote the development of conceptual knowledge and engage players in social interaction among a community of players. Since MMORPGs support social interaction between players, MMORPGs serve as the catalyst for fostering students language proficiency as students interact in a foreign language while playing the game. For these reasons, we believe that MMORPGs embody an interesting and underutilized learning environment for second language acquisition. Based upon this premise, we introduce a game-language learning model and explore Sony Online Entertainments 3D game Ever Quest II as a pedagogical tool for students learning English as a second language.