cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Design Process for Manufacturing and Multidisciplinary Design under System Uncertainty

Necessity to address engineering system uncertainties in design processes has long been acknowledged. To obtain quality of product, a safety factor is traditionally used by many design engineers due to its easy of use and comprehension. However, the safety factor approach often yields either conservative or unreliable designs, since it ignores the type of probability distribution and the mechanism of uncertainty propagation from the input to the output. For a consistent reliability-based design, two fundamental issues must be investigated thoroughly. First, the design¬decision process that clearly identifies a mechanism of uncertainty propagation under system uncertainties needs to be developed, which must be an efficient and accurate process. To identify the mechanism more effectively, an adaptive probability analysis is proposed by adaptively setting probability levels through a posteriori error estimation. The second is to develop the design process that not only yields a high quality design but also a cost-effective optimum design from manufacturing point of view. As a result, a response surface methodology is specially developed for RBDO, thus enhancing numerical challenges of efficiency and complicatedness. Side crash worthiness application is used to demonstrate the integrated design process for product and manufacturing process design.
Interleukin-10 neutralizing antibody for detection of intestinal luminal levels and as a dietary additive in Eimeria challenged broiler chicks

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA levels are increased within intestinal mucosa after Eimeria infection. IL-10 apical receptor presence on enterocytes suggests IL-10 is secreted into the intestinal lumen. Increased IL-10 has been shown to be central to the pathogenesis of numerous intracellular pathogens; we hypothesize luminal secretion of IL-10 enables Eimeria spp. infection in chickens. This study examines intestine luminal IL-10 levels and performance in broilers challenged with Eimeria when fed an anti-IL-10 antibody. Chicks were fed a diet (1 to 21 d) with control or anti-IL-10 antibody (0.34 g egg yolk antibody powder/Kg diet) with a saline or 10× dose of Advent coccidiosis vaccine on d 3. One chick per pen was euthanized on days 2, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19 post-challenge, bled, and intestines were collected for luminal fluid IL-10 concentrations. Body weight and feed intake were measured on d 21, and oocyst shedding was assessed on d 7 post-challenge. A significant Eimeria × antibody interaction on d 21 body weight (P < 0.05) showed chicks fed control antibody, but not anti-IL-10, had significant reductions in body weight when challenged with Eimeria spp. Oocyst shedding was increased with Eimeria challenge, but dietary antibody had no effect. Plasma carotenoid levels were reduced in Eimeria challenged chicks 4, 7, 10, and 16 days post-challenge compared to unchallenged chicks. Lack of an Eimeria × antibody interaction showed anti-IL-10 was not protective against Eimeria-induced decreases in plasma carotenoids. Eimeria challenge increased intestine luminal IL-10 on days 4 and 7 post-challenge in the cecum and jejunum, respectively, compared to unchallenged. Dietary anti-IL-10 decreased luminal IL-10 in the ileum on day 2 post-challenge when compared to control antibody fed chicks. No interaction between Eimeria challenge and antibody was observed on intestine luminal contents of IL-10, suggesting anti-IL-10 was ineffective at preventing increased Eimeria-induced luminal IL-10. In conclusion, Eimeria challenge increased intestinal luminal IL-10 and anti-IL-10 was effective at preventing Eimeria-induced decreased body weight, however the mechanism anti-IL-10 antibody protects body weight during Eimeria challenge remains unknown.
Killing Vectors and Embedding of Exact Solutions in General Relativity

Two ways in which exact solutions of Einstein’s field equations can be classified are by the existence of preferred vector fields, such as Killing vectors, and by its embedding class in a higher dimensional pseudoeuclidean space. The present paper shows how the notion of Killing and conformai Killing vectors find simple expression in the geometric calculus on vector manifolds, and considers a number of different isometric embeddings of exact solutions in pseudoeuclidean space.
Endovascular Treatment of Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm: Single Center Case Series (P05.251)

Objective: To report feasibilty, safety and efficacy of endovascular embolization for middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms. Background Middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms can be treated by both craniotomy and endovascular coil embolization. However, given the complex aneurysm neck anatomy and location; it was felt that surgical approach may be more suitable. We report a feasibility, safety and efficacy of MCA aneurysms treated with endovascular embolization as our primary treatment modality. Design/Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the Neurointerventional database from July 2005 through October 2011, identifying patients who underwent endovascular embolization for MCA aneurysms with detachable coils. Data was collected on demographics, periprocedural complications and follow up imaging. Peri-procedural complications were reported as intra operative perforation (IOP), thromboembolic event (TEE), both were considered symptomatic if patient develop new neurological deficit lasting for ≥24 hours with increase in NIHSS of ≥2 compare to baseline not contributing to other etiology. Results:Total of 161/850(19%) patients underwent endovascular embolization for MCA aneurysms with average age of 55, 108(76%) were females, 105(73%) were Caucasians. There were 53(33%) patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with an average aneurysm maximum dome size of 6.74 ±3.24 and neck size of 3.6±1.85. Fifty four (34%) underwent stent assisted coil embolization, 14(9%) balloon assist coil embolization and 14(9%) required Y stent configuration. We had 100% success in treating all the aneurysms with IOP rate of 8(5%), and TEE rate of 23(14%) from which 3(2%) were symptomatic in each group. There were total of 138(86%) aneurysms who had follow up angiogram from which 20(12%) required retreatment for aneurysm recanalization. Conclusions: We report a case series of MCA aneurysm treated with EAE with 100% success rate with significant peri-procedural complication rate of 4%. We conclude that endovascular embolization can be performed safely and effectively for MCA aneurysms. Disclosure: Dr. Pandya has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lazzaro has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fitzsimmons has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lynch has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zaidat has received personal compensation for activities with Boston Scientific Corporation and Micrus Inc.
Unique Defect-Induced Donor Structure at the Lattice Mismatched InAs/GaP Heterointerface

We have investigated the direct growth of narrow-gap InAs on wide-gap GaP by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. InAs and GaP have the largest mismatch among all the III-arsenides and the III-phosphides–11%. A perfect epitaxial relationship is maintained between the InAs and the GaP despite the large lattice mismatch. Moreover, a reproducible defect structure with unique electronic properties is developed at the heterointerface. A point defect associated with the intersection of 90° misfit dislocations may act as an ordered, structural dopant. This dopant is fully ionized with a constant, high sheet carrier density of 1013 cm−2, independent of InAs layer thickness, and exhibits no freeze out even at 5 K. Device applications for such a system include temperature insensitive Hall sensors. We have also demonstrated high electron mobilities (over 10000 cm2/V-sec) in nominally undoped thick InAs layers grown on GaP. The explanation of this effect is presented to emphasize the exciting possibilities of band gap engineering in this system.
Sound Production by the Cereal Leaf Beetle

Stridulation by the cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopa (L.), was first recorded by Hodson (1929), who noted that the adults would make distinct sounds when disturbed. Venturi (1942) found that this sound was produced by the ridges on the last abdominal tergite being rubbed over the apices of the elytra. He presented drawings of these structures along with other excellent figures and descriptions. The authors and others in the New World area infested by this pest have observed that this beetle would fly away when disturbed, drop to the ground and hide or play dead if flight were impossible, and make faint, buzzing sounds if further disturbed. The pattern of behavior indicates that the sound is the final defensive resource of the beetle. The sound did not seem to have any effect on other cereal leaf beetle adults when a stridulating adult was held close to them. While the last-mentioned observation seemed to preclude any probability of success, the production of the sound and its effects on other cereal leaf beetles was investigated to evaluate its potential for use in the control or regulation of this pest.
Rethinking a heap hierarchy as a cache hierarchy: a higher-order theory of memory demand (HOTM)

Modern memory allocators divide the available memory between different threads and object size classes. They use many parameters that are related and mutually affecting. Existing solutions are based on heuristics which cannot serve all applications equally well. This paper presents a theory of memory demand. The theory enables the global optimization of heap parameters for an application. The paper evaluates the theory and the optimization using multi-threaded micro-benchmarks as well as real applications including Apache, Ghostscript interpreter, and a database benchmarking tool and shows that the global optimization theoretically outperforms three typical heuristics by 15% to 113%.
2',3'-Didehydro-3'-deoxythymidine: regulation of its metabolic activation by modulators of thymidine-5'-triphosphate biosynthesis.

The anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV) agent 29,39-didehydro-39-deoxythymidine (D4T), like other 29,39-dideoxynucleosides, requires conversion to its 59-triphosphate to exert its pharmacological effect. Although D4T-triphosphate is unusually potent as an inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, the phosphorylation of the drug at low dose levels is inefficient because of its low affinity as an alternate substrate for the initial phosphorylation enzyme thymidine kinase. Because thymidine kinase is under feedback regulatory control by the physiological deoxynucleoside-59-triphosphate dTTP, we examined the effect on D4T phosphorylation and thus, potentially, on its antiviral activity, of a variety of agents that lower intracellular dTTP pools. We found that agents that inhibit the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway have the ability to increase D4T phosphorylation, the most effective being two inhibitors of thymidylate formation, methotrexate and 5-fluoro-29-deoxyuridine, compounds that block the enzymes dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthetase, respectively. Because HIV itself lacks the capacity to synthesize dTTP and the other deoxynucleoside triphosphates essential for viral replication, combinations of D4T with modulatory agents that deplete host-cell dTTP, unlike conventional anti-HIV drug monotherapy directed solely at viral enzymes, have the ability to inhibit replication of mutant HIV strains as well as of wild-type virus.
Primary Management of Urinary Stress Incontinence by the Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz Vesicourethropexy

To evaluate clearly the Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz cystourethropexy in defined populations we did a retrospective study of 151 women who underwent the procedure as a first attempt to correct stress incontinence. Of 140 patients for whom data were available 126 (90 per cent) were cured, 12 (8.6 per cent) were improved and 2 (1.4 per cent) failed. Preoperative cystoscopy was normal in 83 women (67.5 per cent). The most common abnormality was inflammatory change (82.5 per cent). Preoperative findings failed to correlate with postoperative irritative symptoms, indicating that surgical correction of documented mechanical instability is warranted. Concurrent medical problems, such as obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were not associated with failures. Significant complications occurred in 11.4 per cent of the patients but there were no deaths. In view of a 90 to 98 per cent success rate with long-term followup (average 45.7 months) the Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz operation should be considered the procedure of choice in cases of primary stress incontinence. In addition, comparisons with other well defined groups and with modifications of the original procedure will be facilitated.
Immunoassay for Human Hepcidin in Blood

We developed and validated the first ELISA for hepcidin, the principal iron-regulatory hormone that has been very difficult to measure. The competitive ELISA uses a biotin-tagged hepcidin as a tracer to quantify hepcidin in serum, plasma or urine. In healthy volunteers, the 5–95% range of serum hepcidin concentrations was 29–254 ng/ml in men (n=65) and 17–286 ng/ml in women (n=49), with median concentrations 112 vs. 65, p 0.98). Serum and urinary hepcidin concentrations in 24 healthy subjects correlated well (r=0.82). Serum hepcidin appropriately correlated with serum ferritin (r=0.63) reflecting the regulation of both proteins by iron stores. Healthy volunteers showed a diurnal increase of serum hepcidin at noon and 8pm compared to 8am, and a transient rise of serum hepcidin in response to iron ingestion. In 18 young healthy women, serum hepcidin correlated well (p 10 mg/dl), multiple myeloma, or chronic kidney disease. The new blood hepcidin ELISA yields accurate and reproducible measurements that appropriately reflect physiologic, pathologic and genetic influences, and is informative about the etiology of iron disorders.
Over-Sharing in a Political Sex Scandal

This chapter explores the clash between public and private, drawing on the experience of former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. The chapter analyzes more than 300 comments members of the public posted on Sanford’s Facebook wall in 2014 after he detailed battles with his ex-wife, who had divorced him after Sanford’s much-publicized affair in 2009. The analysis reveals a public consciousness that questions politicians using social media to air their private quarrels, even amid the voracious public appetite for these tidbits of personal news about those with political power. The authors argue that social media has changed the dynamic between this politician and his publics.
Nonresonant two-photon transitions in length and velocity gauges

Quantum mechanics is in principle gauge invariant, but its interpretation could be gauge dependent. Some properties of the length-velocity gauge transformation are elucidated in this study about a two-photon transition process in atomic hydrogen.
Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Development in the USA

This chapter provides a review of the historical accomplishments and the current challenges for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Early Childhood in the USA. Specific references are made to progress being made with regard to environmental education, economic education, and education for social equity. The chapter also reports on the research trials carried out using the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC) instrument that was developed by the authors in collaboration with international colleagues in the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP).
Acid-Base Chemistry at Polymer-Solution Interfaces

Surface functionalized polyethylene films have been prepared by entrapping ethylene oligomers terminated with N,N-dimethyl para-aminobenzeneazobenzoic acid (p-methyl red). These surface functionalized films were exposed to sulfonic acids in various solvents to evaluate the accessibility, reactivity and mobility of functional groups at the polymer surface. Utilizing methane sulfonic acid in different solvents, the appearance of the protonated form of the dye in the film was monitored by UV-visible spectroscopy. Relative percentages of protonation were then calculated. The accessibility of functional groups at the polymer surface toward methane sulfonic acid in solution was shown to be a function of the dielectric constant of the solvent used. Solvents with low dielectric constants (e.g. CHCI3) which are more compatible with polyethylene allow the sulfonic acid greater access to the dye groups. Solvents with higher dielectric constants (e.g. acetone) protonate smaller amounts of the entrapped dye. The reactivity of the entrapped dye was also influenced by being at a polyethylene-solution interface. While a low molecular weight analog of the entrapped dye, the octyl ester of p-methyl red, was stable as its protonated from in solvents leveling effect was observed. The entrapped protonated dye was more acidic than protonated solvent and thus it transferred its proton to the solvent. This was observed to be a rapid process. This proton transfer was verified by using soluble dyes as proton acceptors. Finally the mobility of these azo dye molecules could be studied. The rate of cis-trans isomerization of these bound azo dyes was shown to be only slightly dependent on the solvent in which the polyethylene film was suspended.
Stacking the odds for success: Choosing biomarkers, endpoints, and designs for mid- to late-phase prevention trials

ED05-02 Upon the discovery of a handful of promising cancer prevention agents, a critical step is to conduct clinical trials to further test the agents and identify the most promising ones for large-scale prevention trials. The mid- to late- phase prevention trials are critical to the success of developing prevention agents. A few strategies will be introduced to maximize the odds for success. (1) Choosing the proper biomarkers: An effective prevention agent must be able to reach the target tissue and exert its effect. Standard PK-PD markers for measuring the drug delivery and metabolism can be used as a first step to measure the drug effect, for example PGE 2 level for COX inhibitors. Other molecular markers such as Ki-67 for proliferation, apoptotic index for apoptosis, viral load for anti-viral vaccine (e.g., HPV vaccine), and PSA for prostate cancer prevention have been used. The use of molecular imaging technique for target agents also offers a promising future. (2) Choosing the proper study endpoints: One of the major challenges in prevention trials is the low incidence of cancer during the trial. Using cancer as the study endpoint is not feasible in the mid-phase development and should be reserved for large-scale prevention trials. On the other hand, the intraepithelial neoplasia (IEN) can be an ideal alternative. IEN is often a precursor of cancer and can be modulated, for example, oral leukoplakia for oral cancer, polyp for colon cancer, and ductal carcinoma in situ for breast cancer. (3) Choosing the proper study designs: Key components for a successful trial design include - identify a high-risk population; enrich the study population for targeted agents; devise the best randomization scheme, such as the outcome-based adaptive randomization; and incorporate interim analysis for early stopping due to futility or efficacy. The use of neo-adjuvant design for prevention trials is also very appealing. Examples and practical considerations will be given to illustrate the above points with the goal of designing efficient and flexible trials to screen out losers and send off winners for further development.
Looping out loud: A multimodal analysis of humour on Vine

Launched in 2013, Vine is a popular microblogging service that allows users to record, edit, and share six-second videos that loop ad libitum, until another video is selected. At this time, the communicative, expressive, and semiotic affordances of Vine and similar services have still to be fully explored by users and scholars alike. Through a multimodal analysis approach drawing on New London Group’s (1996) work, this paper investigates how people construct humour on Vine by artfully arranging different modes of expression. The analysis focused on user-enacted humour, as opposed to captured comical scenes or bare samples taken from TV shows or movies. The study hypothesises the social construction of a novel humorous language that draws on extant forms of humour and a variety of modes and techniques derived from audio-visual media and computer-mediated communication, as users inventively exploit the framework provided by the Vine platform. Findings show that users create instant characters to amplify the impact of their solo video recordings, use Vine as a “humorous confessional”, explore the potential of hand-held media by relying on “one hand and face” expressivity (the other hand holding the device for the video “selfie”), and use technology, internet slang, internet acronyms, emoticons/emojis, and hashtags to convey humour and complement the messages of the videos they post on Vine. The goal of this study is an exploratory analysis of humour and its discursive functions in an emergent social medium by considering its affordances, as users find new and creative ways to harness its expressive potential.
Compliance to The Joint Commission proposed Core Measure set on osteoporosis-associated fracture: review of different secondary fracture prevention programs in an open medical system from 2010 to 2015

Summary There are care gaps in the evaluation and treatment of osteoporosis after a fragility fracture. The Joint Commission is considering adoption of core measures. We compared compliance between two secondary fracture prevention programs in our institution. Incorporating strengths of both may provide the best outcomes for secondary fracture prevention.
Social pressure and voting: A field experiment conducted in a high-salience election

A large-scale experiment assessed the turnout effects of the “Neighbors” mailer, which exerts social pressure to vote by disclosing the past turnout records of recipients and their neighbors. A prior large-scale experiment conducted in a low salience election found that this mailer increased turnout substantially. The experiment reported here gauges the effects of this mailer in the context of a hotly contested recall election. We find smaller but still sizable effects, especially for low-propensity voters. Turnout increases significantly in the presidential election several months later, and the immediate and downstream effects are similar regardless of whether the mailer is worded in partisan or nonpartisan terms. Using data furnished by the Obama campaign and several nonpartisan organizations, we find little evidence that receiving the Neighbors mailer caused people to become the targets of subsequent mobilizing activity, suggesting that the downstream effects of social pressure cannot be attributed to subsequent campaign contacts.
Diffusion of Selective Penetrants in Interfacially Modified Block Copolymers from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

To show the influence of the interface on structure and dynamics of microphase separated polymer systems, we study interfacially modified AB block copolymers with small molecule penetrants. The polymers have a random midblock or tapered midblock whose composition varies from pure A to pure B (or from pure B to pure A for an inverse taper) between two pure blocks of A and B. We perform simple coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of symmetric polymers that form lamellae. With normal tapering, both polymer and penetrant diffusion parallel to the lamellae increases as taper length increases. Inverse tapered polymers exist in different conformational states (e.g., stretched vs folded back and forth across the interface) with different dynamic behavior, leading to nonmonotonic trends in their diffusion. However, the local mixing of monomers (rather than polymer conformation) appears to be the most important factor in determining penetrant diffusion.
Ebola’s Scorecard: Failure of the WHO and the International Community

Ebola’s Curse: 2013–2016 Outbreak in West Africa , a timely, needed and well-presented book by Michael Oldstone and Madeleine Rose Oldstone, unlocks the mysteries of the largest outbreak of one of the world’s most fearsome viruses. What is Ebola? Why did this happen? Here you will find the answers to these questions, while meeting fascinating people thrust into a situation as dramatic as any that could be imagined in a blockbuster novel or movie.
Performance of first and second order linear networked systems over digraphs

In this paper we investigate the performance of linear networked dynamical systems over digraphs with a globally reachable node. We consider first and second order systems subject to distributed disturbances and define an output that quantifies the performance through the input-output H 2 norm of the system. We develop a generalized framework for computing the H 2 norm for this class of systems, and apply this framework to evaluate two performance measures for systems whose underlying network graphs result in normal weighted graph Laplacian matrices. We find closed-form solutions for the measure that quantifies the total deviation of the states from the average, and bounds on the measure that quantifies the weighted squared difference between the states of neighboring nodes. Numerical examples indicate that a second order system connected over a cycle graph may have better performance when its underlying graph is directed due to complex eigenvalues of the Laplacian. The results also indicate that the H 2 norm of a symmetric system is less than or equal to that of the corresponding perturbed non-symmetric system for either line or complete graphs when the network size is sufficiently large.
Cabozantinib-induced serum creatine kinase elevation and musculoskeletal complaints.

Cabozantinib is a multikinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of metastatic medullary thyroid cancer and advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in patients who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy. While associations between serum creatine kinase (CK) elevations and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors used for the treatment of solid malignancies have been previously reported, we report a case of cabozantinib-associated CK elevation that was associated with musculoskeletal complaints by an RCC patient. Nine days following initiation of cabozantinib, the patient reported muscle cramps and serum CK had increased from levels 12 months earlier that were within normal limits to a grade 1 elevation of 244 units/L. Despite a dose reduction, her CK continued to rise over the next 2 months, leading to a peak CK of 914 units/L. Due to this grade 3 elevation, cabozantinib was permanently discontinued, and her CK subsequently returned to a grade 1 elevation within one week and then to baseline within 3 weeks. The temporal relationship between drug exposure and CK increase strongly suggests causality. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of CK elevation attributed to cabozantinib, but cabozantinib-induced CK elevations could be under-reported, and providers should monitor for musculoskeletal complaints during cabozantinib therapy.
Longitudinal Analysis of Rural Interstate Fatalities in Relation to Speed Limit Policies

Existing research literature has shown that traffic fatalities increase at higher speed limits. A related issue is the establishment of maximum speed limits for trucks and buses. As of 2014, eight states have a differential speed limit in place that establishes a higher limit for passenger vehicles than for trucks and buses. This study aimed to inform the continuing debate regarding the safety impacts of speed limits by comparing states with various speed limit policies. The study included a longitudinal comparison of state-level rural Interstate fatalities in the United States from 1999 through 2011. In addition to an examination of differences in traffic fatalities as a function of maximum speed limits, comparisons were also made between states with differential limits for truck and buses. Random parameter negative binomial models were estimated for annual total and truck-involved fatalities. A random parameter framework allowed for consideration of temporal correlation in annual fatality counts within states as well as for unobserved heterogeneity across states. The results of this study provided further evidence that both overall and truck-involved fatalities increased with maximum speed limits. States with differential speed limits were found to have marginal differences in total fatalities as compared with states with uniform speed limits. However, truck-involved fatalities were significantly lower in states where differential limits were in place. The effects of speed limit policies as well as other covariates were found to vary significantly across states. The random parameter models demonstrated significantly improved goodness of fit as compared with standard Poisson and negative binomial models.
Introduction to Fisher (1926) The Arrangement of Field Experiments

In 1919, the Director of Rothamsted Experimental Station, Sir John Russell, invited Ronald Aylmer Fisher, a young mathematician with interests in evolution and genetics, to join the small group of scientists at Rothamsted in order that [see Russell (1966, p. 327)] “after studying our records he should tell me whether they were suitable for proper statistical examination and might be expected to yield more information than we had extracted.” Fisher accepted the invitation and in a very short time Russell realized (loc. cit.) “that he was more than a man of great ability; he was in fact a genius who must be retained.” In the few years that followed, Fisher introduced the subdivision of sums of squares now known as an analysis of variance (anova) table (1923), derived the exact distribution of the (log of the) ratio of two independent chi-squared variates (1924), introduced the principles of blocking and randomization. as well as the randomized block, Latin square, and split-plot experiments, the latter with two anova tables (1925), promoted factorial experiments, and foreshadowed the notion of confounding (1926). Of course Fisher made many contributions to theoretical statistics over this same period [see Fisher (1922)], but the above relate directly to the design and analysis of field experiments, the topic of the paper that follows. It was an incredibly productive period for Fisher, with his ideas quickly transforming agricultural experimentation in Great Britain and more widely, and in major respects these ideas have remained the statistical basis of agricultural experimentation to this day.
Use of hepatitis C-positive grafts in hepatitis C-negative liver transplant recipients is cost effective.

Background The number of patients needing liver transplantation (LT) exceeds the number of available allografts. The current opioid epidemic in this country has increased the number of potential donors infected with hepatitis C (HCV). Methods We assessed the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) by comparing the costs and number of liver transplants performed using HCV-positive and HCV-negative grafts into patients without HCV infection in a decision analysis model with a 1-year time horizon. Results The use of HCV-positive grafts was found to have an ICER below $50 000 across all MELD scores. Using our baseline cohort with a model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score of 15-22, the ICER was $21 233/additional LT performed. As the MELD scores increased, the ICER decreased. Above a MELD score of 23, the use of HCV-positive grafts became cost saving (-$115 419). Our model was robust to all variables tested in the sensitivity analyses, except drug costs. Conclusion The results of our decision analysis model highlight the potential pharmacoeconomic benefit of utilizing HCV-positive grafts in LT candidates who are not infected with HCV. The use of HCV-positive grafts is at least cost effective and even cost saving in patients with MELD scores above 23.
5-Norbornene-2-carboxylic acid: Another catalytic mediator for Catellani-type reactions

Abstract Mediators play a central role in Catellani-type reactions. Herein we reported the discovery of inexpensive 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid (N4) as a general catalytic mediator (20 mol%) to facilitate ortho C–H activation and the following C–C bond formation of aryl iodides. Firstly, a cooperative catalytic system comprising N4 and a palladium/XPhos complex was developed for the novel Catellani/redox-relay Heck cascade to construct tetrahydronaphthalenes and indanes that contain a quaternary carbon stereogenic center. The striking feature of this work was the avoidance of stoichiometric NBE mediator that are usually required for Catellani-type reactions. Then, preliminary results demonstrated that N4 could act as a general catalytic mediator to replace NBE for other Catellani-type reactions, which will undoubtedly inspire future developments in the field of cooperative catalysis. Finally, control experiments indicated that the carboxylic acid moiety of N4 plays an essential role in its ability to serve as a superior mediator.
Case 3: Two Preschoolers with Fever

1. Shraddha Mittal, MD*,† 2. Lauren Marlowe, MD*,† 3. Dustin Elliott, MD*,† 4. Deana Gifford, MD*,† 5. Kristen Ritenour, MD*,† 6. Howard Topol, MD*,† 1. *Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2. †CHOP Inpatient Pediatrics at Virtua, Voorhees, NJ A 15-month-old Boy with Fever, Refusal to Bear Weight, and Small Foot Lesions ### Presentation A 15-month-old boy presents to the emergency department in May with a 3-day history of fever, irritability, poor oral intake, and refusal to bear weight. He has no history of cough, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash other than a lesion on the sole of his left foot, where his mother reports there was a possible insect bite 1 week earlier. He was previously healthy, and his immunizations are up to date. He lives in a rural area of southern New Jersey. The family denies recent travel or ingestion of raw foods or milk. He had visited a farm 2 weeks earlier but denies direct contact with farm animals. He has had contact with a 2-year-old cat but denies bites or scratches. On examination he is ill appearing. Vital signs reveal a temperature of 103.5°F (39.7°C) and tachycardia. He is irritable but does not have meningismus. His abdominal examination findings are normal. He has no appreciable lymphadenopathy. On extremity examination his strength is normal. He has two 2-mm, erythematous, raised, tender papules on the plantar aspect of his left foot, but otherwise no specific tenderness to palpation or swelling along his lower extremities. Due to fever and irritability, he underwent a full sepsis evaluation, including lumbar puncture, blood culture, and urine culture. Initial cerebrospinal fluid cell count was normal. His laboratory values are notable for a white blood cell (WBC) count of 15,700 × 103/μL (15.7 × 109/L), with 60% neutrophils, 31% lymphocytes, and 6% bands; C-reactive protein (CRP), 115 mg/L …
Improvement in knee osteoarthritis pain and function following bariatric surgery: 5-year follow-up

Abstract Background Weight loss through bariatric surgery improves short-term knee pain and symptoms in patients with osteoarthritis. There is little research regarding whether patients maintain symptomatic improvement in long-term follow-up after bariatric surgery. Objectives We hypothesized that bariatric surgery is a reliable method of maintaining weight loss in these patients with continued improvements in knee pain and symptoms at 5-year follow-up compared with baseline. Setting University hospital. Methods A 5-year prospective observational study was performed in patients with symptoms and radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis who were undergoing bariatric surgery. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis and Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Surveys were administered at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 2 years, and 5 years. Patients who met all inclusion criteria and followed up at baseline, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years were included in the study (n = 13). Statistical analysis was performed using Student t and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results Patients on average maintained a percent total weight loss of 22.3% at 5-year follow-up (P Conclusions Bariatric surgery is a reliable method to maintain weight loss, reduce pain and stiffness, and improve function in patients with knee osteoarthritis at 5-year follow-up.
Load Imbalance Mitigation Optimizations for GPU-Accelerated Similarity Joins

The distance similarity self-join is widely used in database applications and is defined as joining a table on itself using a distance predicate. The similarity self-join is often used in spatial applications and is a building block of other algorithms, such as those used for data analysis. In this paper, we propose several new optimizations mitigating load imbalance of a GPU-accelerated self-join algorithm. The data-dependent nature of the self-join makes the algorithm potentially unsuitable for the GPU's architecture, due to variance in workloads assigned to threads. Consequently, we propose a method that reduces load imbalance and subsequent thread divergence between threads executing in a warp by considering the total workload assigned to each thread, and forcing the GPU's hardware scheduler to group threads with similar workloads within the same warp. Also, by leveraging a grid-based index, we propose a new balanced computational pattern for both reducing the number of distance calculations and the workload variance between threads. Moreover, we exploit additional parallelism by increasing the workload granularity to further improve computational throughput and workload balance within warps. Our solution achieves a speedup of up to 9.7x and 1.6x on average against another GPU algorithm, and up to 10.7x with an average of 2.5x against a CPU state-of-the-art parallel algorithm.
Hubble constant hunter’s guide

Measurements of the Hubble constant and, more generally, measurements of the expansion rate and distances over the interval $0lzl1$ appear to be inconsistent with the predictions of the standard cosmological model ($\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$) given observations of cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization anisotropies. Here we consider a variety of types of departures from $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$ that could, in principle, restore concordance among these datasets, and we explain why we find almost all of them unlikely to be successful. We single out the set of solutions that increases the expansion rate in the decade of scale factor expansion just prior to recombination as the least unlikely. These solutions are themselves tightly constrained by their impact on photon diffusion and on the gravitational driving of acoustic oscillations of the modes that begin oscillating during this epoch---modes that project on to angular scales that are very well measured. We point out that a general feature of such solutions is a residual to fits to $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$, like the one observed in Planck power spectra. This residual drives the modestly significant inferences of angular-scale dependence to the matter density and anomalously high lensing power, puzzling aspects of a dataset that is otherwise extremely well fit by $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$.
Ileocolic vascular curvature: a new CT finding of cecal volvulus.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a proposed new CT observation in cecal volvulus, marked hook-like curvature of ileocolic vessels termed “ileocolic vascular curvature.” Contrast-enhanced CT scans of 14 patients with diagnoses of cecal volvulus on original CT reports were compared with scans of 40 control patients with dilated cecum but no cecal volvulus on original CT reports, accrued consecutively from January, 2006 through July, 2017. Two independent blinded readers retrospectively evaluated scans for cecal dilatation, ileocolic vascular curvature and seven previously reported CT features of cecal volvulus. Statistical methods included the exact binomial distribution to define 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and the exact McNemar test. Pathology reports and clinical records served as reference standards. All patients had abdominal pain and cecal distension. All 14 patients with CT diagnoses of cecal volvulus, and no control patients, had cecal volvulus by reference standards. Ileocolic vascular curvature and ectopic cecal location were the only features independently and significantly associated with cecal volvulus in multivariable regression (odds ratio 178, p = 0.014, and 63, p = 0.013, respectively) and also the only features with both sensitivity (12/14 [85.7%, 95% CI 57.2–98.2%] and 13/14 [92.9%, 95% CI 66.1–99.8%], respectively) and specificity (40/40 [100.0%, 95% CI 91.2–100.0%] and 38/40 [95.0%, 95% CI 83.1–99.4%], respectively) that differed significantly from 50.0%. Ileocolic vascular curvature was independently and significantly associated with cecal volvulus and exhibited both substantial sensitivity and substantial specificity for cecal volvulus, and thus is potentially a valuable new CT finding of cecal volvulus.
DC Capacitor-Less Solid-State Variable Capacitor

H -bridge-based single-phase applications have second-order harmonics on the dc-link voltage. Conventionally, the second-order harmonics are filtered by bulky dc capacitors to maintain the constant dc-link voltage, which results in poor power density and low reliability. However, in applications, such as the solid-state variable capacitor (SSVC), the constant dc-link voltage is unnecessary since the dc link is disconnected from the load or source. This article proposes a dc capacitor-less SSVC, which removes the dc capacitors from the topology. The dc voltage is supported by the ac-side voltage directly. Only a 0.03 per unit (p.u.) capacitor is needed to filter the switching-frequency harmonics. This enables the proposed SSVC to use the snubber capacitors to achieve the function of the 0.03-p.u. filtering capacitor. Other capacitors can be removed from the dc-link busbar. The modulation, modeling, and control strategy of the proposed dc capacitor-less SSVC are provided in this article. The proposed dc capacitor-less SSVC is validated by the experiment.
Financial crises, bank efficiency and survival: Theory, literature and emerging market evidence

Abstract The finance literature on efficiency and crisis at the macro-level and efficiency and default at the micro-level has hitherto grown surely but distinctly. In this comprehensive paper, we globally review and theoretically unify these two strands of research in studying the record level of bank failures and the deepest financial crisis of an emerging market, Turkey, with sixteen distinct measures of efficiency, stemming from two alternative methods, stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The results show that efficiency scores tend to deteriorate gradually before crisis, hit bottom during crisis, and rebound after crisis. Inelastic inputs and elastic outputs seem to produce this pattern. The efficient banks have the highest survival rates. Managers of survivor banks are evidently better at controlling costs and scales, utilizing and allocating resources, generating assets, revenues and profits. Demotion to a lower efficiency class is a rare event in normal times but widespread during crises. The least efficient banks are the least likely to be acquired by private bidders. Default prediction models notably improve with DEA scores, off-balance sheet items, definition of failure with “factual insolvency”, deciles of efficiency, changes in some key variables, homogenous dataset, and efficiency scores based on quantities of inputs and outputs rather than their noisy prices.
Implementation of an on-line communication interface (“Ask-a-doc”) in a neurology department (S48.001)

Objective: Demand for neurology services at Geisinger Health System (GHS) exceeds the current clinical capacity, and we therefore sought to implement Ask-a-Doc (AAD) in our clinic. Background: The AAD is an EMR based interface developed at GHS to facilitate communication between primary care physicians (PCP) and specialists, which has shown to provide timely clinical advice and improved access by limiting unnecessary referrals. In other specialties, AAD reduced the payer clinic visit expenses by 44%, improved efficiency by 59% and PCP satisfaction to 4.5 (5 excellent). Based on clinical picture the PCP assesses whether to send an urgent AAD question with phone request, or a more elective question that can be answered by email message. The AAD message is then relayed to the assigned neurologist on call. We wanted to implement this tool in the neurology clinic to help address over utilization and improve communication Design/Methods: 15 neurologists were part of the AAD program between 11/1/2015 to 9/29/2016. Data acquired included the total number of messages received, accurate completion and average turnaround time Results: There were a total of 476 messages during this period. 87% (414) were completed and routed correctly, 13% (62) messages had errors including routing problems 74% (46), communication mismatch 41% (26) and incorrect time frame 13% (8). Average specialist turnaround time was 5 hours. During this period the number of AAD messages increased from 22/month to 60/month and the accuracy improved from 80 to 87% as PCPs and neurologists became more comfortable with the process. Conclusions: AAD provides an interface between PCP and neurology specialist and can assist with determining if a patient needs to be seen urgently in the clinic, the correct subspecialty neurologist and prerequisite diagnostic tests. AAD was successfully implemented in the neurology clinic, with rapid turn around and increased utilization and accuracy over this pilot period. Disclosure: Dr. Malik has nothing to disclose. Dr. Barron has nothing to disclose. Dr. Holland has nothing to disclose.
Deregulation of Telecommunication Services in the EU: Marketing Challenges and Strategies

ABSTRACT The telecommunications services industry in the EU is being transformed by deregulation, privatization and global competition. As the EU markets are opened up, more rivals are entering, competition is expected to intensify, and marketing strategies will have to be altered. It is ironic that at least some of the former state monopolies seem to be having the most difficulty in coping with the new marketing environment. These and related developments are examined and explained, and current and expected future markets and marketing strategies are analyzed. An exploratory model is developed, suggestions are made for effective marketing strategies, and several hypotheses are developed and key issues identified for further study and action by the telecoms.
Lightning: Deleterious effects of lightning and protective techniques

How to secure Houses Etc. from Lightning. It has pleased God in his goodness to mankind, at length to discover to them the means of securing their habitations and other buildings from mischief by thunder and lightning. The method is this: Provide a small iron rod (it may be made of the rod-iron used by the nailers) but of such a length, that one end being three or four feet in the moist ground, the other may be six or eight feet above the highest part of the building. To the upper end of the rod fasten about a foot of brass wire, the size of a common knitting-needle, sharpened to a fine point; the rod may be secured to the house by a few small staples. If the house or barn be long, there may be a rod and point at each end, and a middling wire along the ridge from one to the other. A house thus furnished will not be damaged by lightning, it being attracted by the points, and passing thro the metal into the ground without hurting any thing. Vessels also, having a sharp pointed rod fix'd on the top of their masts, with a wire from the foot of the rod reaching down, round one of the shrouds, to the water, will not be hurt by lightning. B. Franklin (1753)