cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sinus node shift after the Senning procedure compared with the Mustard procedure for transposition of the great arteries.

Abstract To investigate the nature of the dominant intrinsic cardiac pacemaker activity after the Senning procedure, endocardial mapping of the systemic venous atrium was accomplished a mean of 13 months after operation in 10 patients, aged 22 ± 6 months. Multiple endocardial sites were measured to find the earliest atrial electrical activity timed back from the QRS complex. These data were compared with data from endocardial mapping performed in 6 patients late after the Mustard procedure. In 8 of 10 patients who had undergone the Senning procedure, the earliest activation time, corresponding by definition to the origin of the intrinsic pacemaker, was located in the inferior medial portion of the superior limb of the systemic venous atrium. In the other 2 patients who had undergone the Senning procedure, the earliest activity was in the high superior limb of the baffle at its junction with the superior vena cava. In contrast, the earliest activity in all patients who underwent the Mustard operation was at the junction of the superior vena cava and the superior limb of the systemic venous atrium. In response to programmed extrastimulation, the electrophysiologic behavior of the intrinsic pacemaker in the Senning group was abnormal compared with known normal sinus node (SN) data in only 3 of 10 patients, whereas all patients in the Mustard group had SN dysfunction. Abnormal SN function was noted in both patients in the Senning group, in whom a shift in the position of the earliest endocardial activation point was not seen. The anatomic shift in the position of the earliest pacemaker activity observed after the Senning procedure, but not after the Mustard operation, results from a physical shift in the position of the SN inherent to the atrial free-wall infolding aspect of the Senning operation.
Energy flow to two abundant consumers in a subtropical oyster reef food web

Oyster reefs are among the most threatened coastal habitat types, but still provide critical habitat and food resources for many estuarine species. The structure of oyster reef food webs is an important framework from which to examine the role of these reefs in supporting high densities of associated fishes. We identified major trophic pathways to two abundant consumers, gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) and crested goby (Lophogobius cyprinoides), from a subtropical oyster reef using stomach content and stable isotope analysis. The diet of gray snapper was dominated by crabs, with shrimp and fishes also important. Juvenile gray snapper fed almost entirely on oyster reef-associated prey items, while subadults fed on both oyster reef- and mangrove-associated prey. Based on trophic guilds of the gray snapper prey, as well as relative δ13C values, microphytobenthos is the most likely basal resource pool supporting gray snapper production on oyster reefs. Crested goby had omnivorous diets dominated by bivalves, small crabs, detritus, and algae, and thus were able to take advantage of prey relying on production from sestonic, as well as microphytobenthos, source pools. In this way, crested goby represent a critical link of sestonic production to higher trophic levels. These results highlight major trophic pathways supporting secondary production in oyster reef habitat, thereby elucidating the feeding relationships that render oyster reef critical habitat for many ecologically and economically important fish species.
Data Banks for Climatological Purposes

In this chapter the ways in which various kinds of meteorological, climatological, and oceanographic data are collected and archived are summarized. While the archived data are generally available for those who need them, there will be many of the same kinds of climate-related data that are not so generally available; but steps are being taken under the World Climate Programme to improve this situation.
The current literature regarding the cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally. Electronic cigarettes are marketed both as nicotine substitutes and recreational devices. The popularity of electronic cigarettes has superseded other forms of nicotine replacement therapy. They are also popular in ‘never smokers’. This review summarizes the available data regarding the cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes. The existing literature is limited and short term with a lack of high-quality studies and adequate follow-up. The available literature suggests that electronic cigarettes have sympathomimetic effects related to nicotine exposure, however, electronic cigarettes also contain other chemicals that require further investigation. Sparse data suggest vascular injury may be another concern. Further research is needed before broad recommendations can be made.
Nanocrystalline Group IV Alloy Semiconductors: Synthesis and Characterization of Ge1–xSnx Quantum Dots for Tunable Bandgaps

Ge1–xSnx alloys are among a small class of benign semiconductors with composition tunable bandgaps in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum. As the amount of Sn is increased, the band energy decreases and a transition from indirect to direct band structure occurs. Hence, they are prime candidates for fabrication of Si-compatible electronic and photonic devices, field effect transistors, and novel charge storage device applications. Success has been achieved with the growth of Ge1–xSnx thin film alloys with Sn compositions up to 34%. However, the synthesis of nanocrystalline alloys has proven difficult, because of larger discrepancies (∼14%) in lattice constants. Moreover, little is known about the chemical factors that govern the growth of Ge1–xSnx nanoalloys and the effects of quantum confinement on structure and optical properties. Herein, we report the synthesis of phase pure Ge1–xSnx nanoalloys with sizes in the range of 15–23 and 3.4–4.6 nm and Sn compositions from x = 0.000–0.279, including the factors t...
A Technique for Sexing Live White-Pine Weevils, Pissodes strobi

A method was devised for determining the sex of live white-pine weevils, Pissodes strobi (Peck), without harming the insect. The weevils were held venter up and observed under a binocular microscope. The last abdominal tergite was pulled down and the anogenital vestibule opened with a mounted minuten insect pin bent at a right angle. Key characters used in sex determination were: (1) the pygidium (8th tergite of the male, 7th tergite of the female), (2) the posterior view of the opened anogenital vestibule, which exposed the displaced eighth abdominal tergite and the apodeme fork of the 8th sternite in the female or a small projection of the 8th abdominal tergite in the male.
Framing a fiscal/cultural micro-encounter: value added tax meets calypso in Dominica

AbstractThis article focuses on the performance of the calypso song ‘VAT on You’, as a response to the introduction into Dominica of the value added tax (VAT). The article applies a set of concepts to frame and so enhance our understanding of the event in terms of global history. Both calypso and VAT have extended histories and this performance represents an unusual meeting of earlier and current forces of globalisation. The conclusion assesses the helpfulness of the framing concepts ‘longue duree,’ continuities, centring, class divisions and micro-resistance, and assesses the song’s contribution to such resistance
Analysis on 21 cases of imported infected malarias in Tongzhou

OBJECTIVE To learn the epidemical characteristics of malaria in Tongzhou.METHODS The data of the imported infected malaria between 2009 and 2011 in Tongzhou were collected and analyzed.RESULTS Total 21 cases of imported infected malaria were found during the study period,including 16 cases of plasmodium falciparum and 5 cases of plasmodium vivax.Its proportion in all malaria cases was 80.77%.The cases were distributed in 10 towns of Tongzhou,and occurred all the year.Males were more than females,and its sex ratio was 9.5︰1.Their ages were distributed between 5 to 55 years,and the most occupation of these cases was laborers.These cases were infected mainly from the malaria epidemic regions such as Africa and South Asia.CONCLUSION The imported malaria infection is important epidemic situation of malaria in Tongzhou and they are mainly from Africa and South Asia.
Numerical Simulation of TNT Explosion with Post-detonation Burning Effect in Air

Numerical simulation of TNT explosion in air was performed by AUTODYN software.Post-detonation burning effect in negative oxygen balance explosive was considered in the numerical calculation model.Calculated results including peak overpressure,specific impulse and positive time were compared with that calculated by similitude equations and experimental data from Baker.Results show that airblast peak overpressure near explosive calculated by Brode equation is much larger than that AUTODTN software and Henrych equation,because the peak pressure of airblast can not be distinguished from that of detonation products.
Diagnosis and Management of Concussion in Sports

The clinical validity of a standardized assessment of concussion in high school football players was confirmed at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL.
Cocrystals of 1,4-diethynylbenzene with 1,3-diacetylbenzene and benzene-1,4-dicarbaldehyde exhibiting strong nonconventional alkyne-carbonyl C-H...O hydrogen bonds between the components.

Weak inter­actions between organic mol­ecules are important in solid-state structures where the sum of the weaker inter­actions support the overall three-dimensional crystal structure. The sp-C—H⋯N hydrogen-bonding inter­action is strong enough to promote the deliberate cocrystallization of a series of diynes with a series of di­pyridines. It is also possible that a similar series of cocrystals could be formed between molecules containing a terminal alkyne and molecules which contain carbonyl O atoms as the potential hydrogen-bond acceptor. I now report the crystal structure of two cocrystals that support this hypothesis. The 1:1 cocrystal of 1,4-diethynyl­benzene with 1,3-di­acetyl­benzene, C10H6·C10H10O2, (1), and the 1:1 cocrystal of 1,4-diethynyl­benzene with benzene-1,4-dicarbaldehyde, C10H6·C8H6O2, (2), are presented. In both cocrystals, a strong nonconventional ethyn­yl–carbonyl sp-C—H⋯O hydrogen bond is observed between the components. In cocrystal (1), the C—H⋯O hydrogen-bond angle is 171.8 (16)° and the H⋯O and C⋯O hydrogen-bond distances are 2.200 (19) and 3.139 (2) A, respectively. In cocrystal (2), the C—H⋯O hydrogen-bond angle is 172.5 (16)° and the H⋯O and C⋯O hydrogen-bond distances are 2.25 (2) and 3.203 (2) A, respectively.
The Role of the Transcription Factor NFAT in the Pathogenesis of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas.

NFAT is a family of highly phosphorylated proteins residing in the cytoplasm of resting cells. Upon dephosphorylation by the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent serine phosphatase calcineurin, NFAT translocates to the nucleus, where it induces the transcription of a large number of genes necessary for a productive immune response. NFAT signalling has also been implicated in lymphocyte homeostasis and its deregulation has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of different malignancies. A recent immunohistochemical evaluation of approximately 300 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma biopsy samples showed overexpression of NFAT2 in the majority of specimens with strong nuclear translocation in certain histologic subtypes (DLBCL, Burkitt’s Lymphoma) presumably reflecting activation of the NFAT pathway as part of their pathogenesis. Other recent studies have shown that NFAT activation leads to increased expression of different cell survival factors (CD154, BLyS) in several lymphoma subtypes (DLBCL, MCL). To study the role of constitutive activation of the NFAT pathway on lymphomagenesis, we generated several hyperactivable NFAT mutants which will be used to generate transgenic mice expressing the mutant proteins from the ROSA26 locus. Here, we present the in vitro characterization of these hyperactivable NFAT proteins in cell lines and primary lymphocytes. The major docking site for calcineurin is located at the N terminus of the NFAT regulatory domain and has the consensus sequence PxIxIT (e.g. SPRIEIT in NFAT1 and NFAT2). Substitution of the SPRIEIT sequence of NFAT with HPVIVIT, a higher-affinity version obtained by peptide selection, increases the basal calcineurin sensitivity of the protein significantly. Similarly, a major kinase for NFAT is CK1, and mutation of the CK1 docking site (FSILF to ASILA in NFAT1, FDFEF to ADAEA in NFAT2) also leads to partial nuclear localization of NFAT proteins by decreasing rephosphorylation and nuclear export. In the current analysis we compared the different hyperactivable NFAT proteins with respect to dephosphorylation status and nuclear translocation using western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Whereas the wildtype NFAT protein was entirely localized in the cytoplasm and completely phosphorylated under resting conditions, we observed an increasing degree of nuclear translocation and dephosphorylation for the different mutant proteins (ASILA 20%, VIVIT 30–40%, ASILA-VIVIT 50–70%). This system will allow us to study the impact of different levels of NFAT activation on the pathogenesis of lymphomas in vivo.
Benign Fasciculation Syndrome as a Manifestation of Small Fiber Neuropathy (P01.139)

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS) have a small fiber neuropathy. BACKGROUND: BFS is characterized by widespread involuntary muscle activity consisting of muscle twitching or fasciculations. The cause is unknown and no anatomical or physiologic lesions have been identified to date. DESIGN/METHODS: We searched the computerized medical records registry at the Weill Cornell Peripheral Neuropathy Center for patients presenting with fasciculations who underwent skin biopsies for small fiber neuropathy and who, on further evaluation, had no weakness or pathological reflexes, normal EMG and nerve conduction studies without evidence for denervation, and normal blood tests for known causes of neuropathy. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (10 men, 4 women) were identified with an average age=40.7 (range: 29-60) and average symptom duration=2.2 years (range: 1 month-6 years). Thirteen had skin biopsies at the calf and thigh, and one at the foot and thigh. Epidermal nerve fiber density (ENFD) was determined in all 14 patients, and sweat gland nerve fiber density (SGNFD) in 11. In 4 of the 14 patients (36%), the ENFD was significantly decreased in the calf, with a mean value of 4.8 fibers/mm (nl > 5.4), and normal at the thigh, and in 10 the ENFD was normal at both biopsy sites. Six of 11 patients tested (54%), had significantly decreased SGNFD; 2 at both the calf and thigh, 2 at the calf only, 1 at the thigh only, and 1 at the foot. The mean values of the abnormal SGNFD were 25.4 (nl > 37.8) at the thigh, 25.9 (nl >36.5) at the calf, and 26.9 (nl > 34.8) at the foot. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients with BFS exhibit a significant decrease in SGNFD or ENFD, with the SGNFD preferentially affected. Small fiber neuropathy should be investigated as a potential cause or contributing factor to BFS. Disclosure: Dr. Tzatha has nothing to disclose. Dr. Langsdorf has nothing to disclose. Dr. Carey has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chin has received personal compensation for activities with Grifols Bioscience.
Leadership and Health in Africa

A second generation of leaders has now assumed power in Africa, replacing those who inherited the colonial state following independence during the 1960s and 1970s and, in a few cases thereafter. Since independence, two or three governing trends have become clear on the continent. Foremost, it seems that, to the committed first group of leaders who inherited the colonial state, the most important goal was to eliminate ethnic divisions and create new nations, where the state was sacrosanct.
Contextualization of Sufi Spirituality in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century China: The Role of Liu Zhi (c.1662–c.1730)

Within the growing scholarship on Chinese language Islamic literature, generally known as the Han Kitab, the prolific author Liu Zhi (c.1662–c.1730) has garnered the lion’s share of ink. Despite th...
The Colliding Worlds of Velikovsky

In 1950, Immanuel Velikovsky’s controversial book Worlds in Collision appeared and became a best seller. This book offered a new and dramatic version of the earth, its people, and its history based on cosmic events, the most vivid of these being a near collision of Venus with earth about 3500 years ago.
APPL1 is a multifunctional endosomal signaling adaptor protein.

Endosomal adaptor proteins are important regulators of signaling pathways underlying many biological processes. These adaptors can integrate signals from multiple pathways via localization to specific endosomal compartments, as well as through multiple protein–protein interactions. One such adaptor protein that has been implicated in regulating signaling pathways is the adaptor protein containing a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain, and leucine zipper motif 1 (APPL1). APPL1 localizes to a subset of Rab5-positive endosomes through its Bin–Amphiphysin–Rvs and PH domains, and it coordinates signaling pathways through its interaction with many signaling receptors and proteins through its PTB domain. This review discusses our current understanding of the role of APPL1 in signaling and trafficking, as well as highlights recent work into the function of APPL1 in cell migration and adhesion.
A Clustering Approach for Personalizing Diversity in Collaborative Recommender Systems

Much of the focus of recommender systems research has been on the accurate prediction of users' ratings for unseen items. Recent work has suggested that objectives such as diversity and novelty in recommendations are also important factors in the effectiveness of a recommender system. However, methods that attempt to increase diversity of recommendation lists for all users without considering each user's preference or tolerance for diversity may lead to monotony for some users and to poor recommendations for others. Our goal in this research is to evaluate the hypothesis that users' propensity towards diversity varies greatly and that the diversity of recommendation lists should be consistent with the level of user interest in diverse recommendations. We propose a pre-filtering clustering approach to group users with similar levels of tolerance for diversity. Our contributions are twofold. First, we propose a method for personalizing diversity by performing collaborative filtering independently on different segments of users based on the degree of diversity in their profiles. Secondly, we investigate the accuracy-diversity tradeoffs using the proposed method across different user segments. As part of this evaluation we propose new metrics, adapted from information retrieval, that help us measure the effectiveness of our approach in personalizing diversity. Our experimental evaluation is based on two different datasets: MovieLens movie ratings, and Yelp restaurant reviews.
Independent sampling for Bayesian normal conditional autoregressive models with OpenCL acceleration

A new computational strategy produces independent samples from the joint posterior distribution for a broad class of Bayesian spatial and spatiotemporal conditional autoregressive models. The method is based on reparameterization and marginalization of the posterior distribution and massive parallelization of rejection sampling using graphical processing units (GPUs) or other accelerators. It enables very fast sampling for small to moderate-sized datasets (up to approximately 10,000 observations) and feasible sampling for much larger datasets. Even using a mid-range GPU and a high-end CPU, the GPU-based implementation is up to 30 times faster than the same algorithm run serially on a single CPU, and the numbers of effective samples per second are orders of magnitude higher than those obtained with popular Markov chain Monte Carlo software. The method has been implemented in the R package CARrampsOcl. This work provides both a practical computing strategy for fitting a popular class of Bayesian models and a proof of concept that GPU acceleration can make independent sampling from Bayesian joint posterior densities feasible.
Memory Circuits and Systems

System memories, namely Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Electrically-Erasable-Programmable-Read-Only-Memory (E2PROM) and Flash memory are examined in this chapter. The chapter also shows how to design bus interface for each memory type using timing diagrams and state machines.
Polarized transilluminating dermoscopy: Bedside trichoscopic diagnosis of trichothiodystrophy.

Trichothiodystrophy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder resulting in a broad range of systemic abnormalities. Polarizing microscopy of the hair reveals the pathognomic “tiger tail” of alternating light and dark bands, but the need for a microscope prevents rapid bedside diagnosis. We describe a new technique for the bedside diagnosis of trichothiodystrophy using a handheld polarizing dermatoscope, precluding the need for microscopic examination.
Explaining case selection in African politics research

ABSTRACTIt is common to test general claims about politics in Africa with evidence from a small number of countries. This note examines patterns in the countries of study in two Anglophone African politics journals over two decades. Countries with larger populations are studied more, while former French colonies are under-represented. There is no bias towards former-British colonies once one controls for population and former-French colonial status. These biases suggest that Anglophone research on African politics produces results not about African politics in general, but rather about politics in a narrow and novel subset of countries.
Interprofessional education for teaching Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for substance use

Abstract The rate of substance use disorders (SUD) within the U.S. is alarmingly high. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated 23.9 million Americans ages 12 or older use an illicit drug or misuse a psychotherapeutic medication each month. 1 Patients presenting for anesthesia care are not exempt, and neither are our colleagues. While education and training about SUDs does happen in health professional programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, it is often difficult to describe practical solutions to this issue. The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for Interprofessional Groups of Anesthesia Students (InGAS) Project seeks to rectify this situation through didactic and simulation-based interprofessional education. Participants report gaining skills in substance use screening and are more comfortable using SBIRT techniques. Future efforts will be focused on refining the training process by expanding the scope of the simulation scenarios and thus, the opportunity for effective interventions.
Characterization of Long Working Distance Optical Coherence Tomography for Imaging of Pediatric Retinal Pathology.

PURPOSE We determined the feasibility of fovea and optic nerve head imaging with a long working distance (LWD) swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) prototype in adults, teenagers, and young children. METHODS A prototype swept source OCT system with a LWD (defined as distance from the last optical element of the imaging system to the eye) of 350 mm with custom fixation targets was developed to facilitate imaging of children. Imaging was performed in 49 participants from three age groups: 26 adults, 16 children 13 to 18 years old (teenagers), and seven children under 6 years old (young children) under an approved institutional review board protocol. The imaging goal was to acquire high quality scans of the fovea and optic nerve in each eye in the shortest time possible. OCT B-scans and volumes of the fovea and optic nerve head of each eligible eye were captured and graded based on four categories (lateral and axial centration, contrast, and resolution) and on ability to determine presence or absence of pathology. RESULTS LWD-OCT imaging was successful in 88 of 94 eligible eyes, including seven of 10 eyes of young children. Of the successfully acquired OCT images, 83% of B-scan and volumetric images, including 86% from young children, were graded as high-quality scans. Pathology was observed in high-quality OCT images. CONCLUSIONS The prototype LWD-OCT system achieved high quality retinal imaging of adults, teenagers, and some young children with and without pathology with reasonable alignment time. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE The LWD-OCT system can facilitate imaging in children.
Electrostatic Suppression of the Leidenfrost State on Liquid Substrates.

An applied electric field can fundamentally eliminate the Leidenfrost effect (formation of a vapor layer at the solid–liquid interface at high temperatures). This study analyzes electrostatic suppression of the Leidenfrost state on liquid substrates. Electrostatic suppression on silicone oil and Wood’s metal (liquid alloy) is studied via experimentation, high-speed imaging, and analyses. It is seen that the nature of electrostatic suppression can be drastically different from that on a solid substrate. First, the Leidenfrost droplet completely penetrates into the silicone oil substrate and converts to a thin film under an electric field. This is due to the existence of an electric field inside the substrate and the deformability of the silicone oil interface. A completely different type of suppression is observed for Wood’s metal and solid substrates, which have low deformability and lack an electric field in the substrate. Second, the minimum voltage to trigger suppression is significantly lower on silic...
Gathering pipeline methane emissions in Fayetteville shale pipelines and scoping guidelines for future pipeline measurement campaigns

Gathering pipelines, which transport gas from well pads to downstream processing, are a sector of the natural gas supply chain for which little measured methane emissions data are available. This study performed leak detection and measurement on 96 km of gathering pipeline and the associated 56 pigging facilities and 39 block valves. The study found one underground leak accounting for 83% (4.0 kg CH4/hr) of total measured emissions. Methane emissions for the 4684 km of gathering pipeline in the study area were estimated at 402 kg CH4/hr [95 to 1065 kg CH4/hr, 95% CI], or 1% [0.2% to 2.6%] of all methane emissions measured during a prior aircraft study of the same area. Emissions estimated by this study fall within the uncertainty range of emissions estimated using emission factors from EPA’s 2015 Greenhouse Inventory and study activity estimates. While EPA’s current inventory is based upon emission factors from distribution mains measured in the 1990s, this study indicates that using emission factors from more recent distribution studies could significantly underestimate emissions from gathering pipelines. To guide broader studies of pipeline emissions, we also estimate the fraction of the pipeline length within a basin that must be measured to constrain uncertainty of pipeline emissions estimates to within 1% of total basin emissions. The study provides both substantial insight into the mix of emission sources and guidance for future gathering pipeline studies, but since measurements were made in a single basin, the results are not sufficiently representative to provide methane emission factors at the regional or national level.
REACTIVE HYPEREMIA IN LEGS OF DOGS: EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND INTRAVASCULAR TENSION.

1. In normal dogs 5- and 10-minute occlusions of the femoral artery were followed by periods of reactive hyperemia (RH) whose duration closely approximated the length of occlusion. The resulting vasodilatation repaid about 50% of the blood flow debt, which was calculated from the flow rate measured just prior to occlusion. 2. When the animal's body temperature was lowered to 32°C, the duration and percentage blood flow debt repaid decreased to about one-half and one-third, respectively, of that found at 40°C. Observations of RH during rewarming revealed progressive increases in debt repayment and duration of the hyperemic period. The temperature characteristics of RH suggested that thermolabile factors were responsible for the vasodilatation that resulted from arterial occlusion. 3. Venous occlusion was followed by RH that was considerably reduced, resulting in a debt repayment of about one-fourth of that attained after arterial occlusion. The possibility that high transmural pressure might be a factor in...
Dry and Wet Deposition

Deposition phenomena are the way in which the atmosphere cleans itself. The process is efficient as only a few gases (most notably CO 2) show signs of global increase in spite of the large emission of pollutants from both natural and anthropogenic sources. There are two types of deposition mechanisms: dry deposition, i.e., the uptake at the earth’s surface (soil, water, or vegetation), and wet deposition, i.e., absorption into droplets followed by droplet precipitation (e.g., by rain) or impaction on the earth’s surface (e.g., fog droplets).
Directional Failure of Tendons in the Presence of a Notch Defect

Ligaments and tendons have been hypothesized to be highly resistant to tear propagation. However, alterations to ligament material response in the presence of tears have yet to be reported. The purpose of this research was to identify the variation in mechanical behavior at distinct fiber angles in tendon both with and without an intentional notch defect (mode I fracture toughness). Seventy two porcine tendon specimens were tested in uniaxial tension. Twety four specimens were pulled along the fiber direction (90°), 24 specimens along the matrix direction (0°), and 24 specimens had a fiber orientation of approximately 45°. In each group of specimens, half (12) were notched approximately 1/4 of the dimension transverse to the loading direction. Tendon tissues containing defects demonstrated a phenomenal resistance to tear propagation, regardless of loading direction. No observable crack propagation occurred in any of the specimens. Also, no significant differences were found in the strength and stiffness of specimens between the groups that had the defects and the ones that didn’t.
Abstract 15382: Engineering the Adventitia to Build a Better Vascular Graft

Introduction: To treat atherosclerosis, a patient’s own blood vessels are harvested for bypass surgery, creating further injury. Engineered vessels could save patients from undue harm. The outer layer of a blood vessel, or adventitia, provides strength. In most engineered vessels, a polymer tube is used to approximate the role of the adventitia. However, polymer grafts have proven issues with patency. Our hypothesis is that a completely cellular adventitia will decrease immune response and improve patency. Methods: To generate a cellular adventitia, we used our recently developed method for creating rings of tissue which are then stacked to form a tubular, vascular structure. Human dermal fibroblasts were plated into a culture dish with a center plastic post. Cell attachment was controlled using a hydrogel substrate. Once the cell monolayer forms, it detaches and aggregates around the center post forming a ring. To strengthen the rings, ascorbic acid and/or TGF-beta were added. Both factors stimulate production of collagen and elastin, proteins governing strength and elasticity of blood vessels. Results: Ascorbic acid produced thin rings (~157 um). TGF-beta produced thicker rings (~483 um), though lacked structure. The addition of both ascorbic acid and TGF-beta resulted in the most stable rings (~386 um). PCR analysis showed that collagen and elastin production was increased with either factor, and highest when combined. Ascorbic acid resulted in the highest amount of elastin expression, demonstrated in the structure of these rings. TGF-beta increased collagen production, however elastin was low, evidenced by lower expression of elastin and loose rings. Stimulation by both factors produced thick, tight rings indicative of the adventitia. Conclusions: This work shows that a completely cellular tunica adventitia can be engineered. Through our continued work on strengthening our engineered adventitia, engineered vascular grafts could become more functional.
Attacking the Problems: Student-Centered Strategies for Governors, Governing Boards, and University Presidents

This chapter identifies leadership strategies for student-centered change and reforms that address major issues in public higher education including the tuition crisis, measures for learning (credit), the question of tenure, the future of campuses, costly and ineffective traditions, oversized and bloated administrations, duplication of programs and services, intercollegiate athletics, presidential selection and compensation, governance, changing student demographics, accreditation, and other pressing challenges. The author presents ideas, suggestions, and proposals for a “change agenda” and strategies for reform for those responsible for governing our public universities, i.e., presidents, governing boards, state systems’ officials, legislators and, perhaps most importantly, governors.
Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acid-Supplemented Total Parenteral Nutrition on Intestinal Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Abundance

We examined the effect of short-chain fatty acid-supplemented total parenteral nutrition on proinflammatory cytokine levels in piglets. Piglets (N = 22) received either standard total parenteral nutrition or total parenteral nutrition supplemented with short-chain fatty acids. After seven days of continuous nutrient infusion, proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) abundance in plasma, jejunal, and ileal samples and small intestinal myeloperoxidase was determined using western blotting. No differences were seen in TNF-α small intestinal abundance. IL-1β was higher in the small intestine of the short-chain fatty acid group (P < 0.05). IL-6 was higher in intestinal samples of the short-chain fatty acid group (P = 0.05), with the ileum having a greater abundance of IL-6 than the jejunum (P < 0.005). No differences in proinflammatory cytokine abundance in the plasma or tissue myeloperoxidase were seen. These results indicate short-chain fatty acids beneficially increase small intestinal abundance of IL-1β and IL-6 during total parenteral nutrition administration, while not affection systemic production of these cytokines or intestinal inflammation.
Quality Control in the ER: Misfolded Prohormones Get a Checkup

In Mutant INS-gene-induced Diabetes of Youth (MIDY) syndrome, mutant proinsulin aggregates interfere with the folding of wild-type proinsulin in the endoplasmic reticulum, ultimately decreasing insulin secretion. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Cunningham et al. (2019) identify two mechanisms by which prohormone aggregation is prevented and cleared.
A finite element methodology to incorporate kinematic activation of discrete deformation twins in a crystal plasticity framework

Abstract A finite element framework is presented in which grains within a polycrystalline microstructure are pre-discretized into lamellar regions that become candidates to deform by twinning. This enables the mapping of the motion due to twinning on geometrically proper regions. At some point in the loading of the polycrystal, a twin is triggered, at which point the nodes within a twin region are rapidly mapped to their twinned location, the region’s crystal lattice is reoriented, and the remainder of the body deforms by means of crystallographic slip to enforce mechanical equilibrium. The framework allows for both the onset of twinning and twin growth, and is intended to serve as a test bed for investigating models proposed for these phenomena. In this paper, the framework is described and simulations are performed to demonstrate its ability to handle the large, fast deformation of twinning within a targeted grain of a polycrystalline aggregate. Various simulations are performed, where the initial twin width and the point of twin activation in the loading history are parameterized. Deformation fields in and around the twinned region are inspected after a twinning event, and changes in local stress states are discussed in light of global and local energetic metrics.
Gemini: A Functional Programming Language for Hardware Description.

This paper presents Gemini, a functional programming language for hardware description that provides features such as parametric polymorphism, recursive datatypes, higher-order functions, and type inference for higher expressivity compared to modern hardware description languages. Gemini demonstrates the theory and implementation of novel type-theoretical concepts through its unique type system consisting of multiple atomic kinds and dependent types, which allows the language to model both software and hardware constructs safely and perform type inference through multi-staged compilation. The primary technical results of this paper include formalizations of the Gemini grammar, typing rules, and evaluation rules, a proof of safety of Gemini's type system, and a prototype implementation of the compiler's semantic analysis phase.
Improving Treatment Efficacy of In Situ Forming Implants via Concurrent Delivery of Chemotherapeutic and Chemosensitizer.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a member of the ATP-binding cassette family, is one of the major causes of multidrug resistance in tumors. Current clinical treatments to overcome MDR involve the co-delivery of a Pgp inhibitor and a chemotherapeutic. A concern for this treatment that has led to varied clinical trial success is the associated systemic toxicities involving endogenous Pgp. Local drug delivery systems, such as in situ forming implants (ISFIs), alleviate this problem by delivering a high concentration of the drug directly to the target site without the associated systemic toxicities. ISFIs are polymeric drug solutions that undergo a phase transition upon injection into an aqueous environment to form a solid drug eluting depot allowing for a high initial intratumoral drug concentration. In this study, we have developed an ISFI capable of overcoming the Pgp resistance by co-delivering a chemotherapeutic, Doxorubicin (Dox), with a Pgp inhibitor, either Pluronic P85 or Valspodar (Val). Studies investigated in vitro cytotoxicity of Dox when combined with either Pgp inhibitor, effect of the inhibitors on release of Dox from implants in PBS, in vivo Dox distribution and retention in a subcutaneous flank colorectal murine tumor, and therapeutic response characterized by tumor growth curves and histopathology. Dox + Val showed a 4-fold reduction in the 50% lethal dose (LD50) after 48 hours. Concurrent delivery of Dox and Val showed the greatest difference at 16 days post injection for both Dox penetration and retention. This treatment group had a 5-fold maximum Dox penetration compared to Dox alone ISFIs (0.53 ± 0.22 cm vs 0.11 ± 0.11 cm, respectively, from the center of the ISFI). Additionally, there was a 3-fold increase in normalized total intratumoral Dox intensity with the Dox + Val ISFIs compared to Dox alone ISFIs (0.54 ± 0.11 vs 0.18 ± 0.09, respectively). Dox + Val ISFIs showed a 2-fold reduction in tumor growth and a 27.69% increase in necrosis 20 days post-injection compared to Dox alone ISFIs. These findings demonstrate that co-delivery of Dox and Val via ISFI can avoid systemic toxicity issues seen with clinical Pgp inhibitors.
A Core-Shell-Shell Nanoparticle Architecture towards Bright Upconversion and Improved Förster Resonant Energy Transfer

We synthesized and characterized a core-shell-shell upconverting nanoparticle architecture. Compared to the traditional core-shell architecture, we demonstrated 2-fold brighter single particle emission and 8-fold improved emission enhancement via Forster resonant energy transfer to a dye.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of black patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome: a subgroup analysis of the phase III MAVORIC trial

Treatment-specific responses and comprehensive disease characteristics are limited in black patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). These shortcomings prompted us to perform a subgroup anal...
The Impact of Scalability on Advisory and Service Delivery Efforts of Nonprofits

Motivated by several nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that support and serve distressed individuals, we study the impact of scalability on the service design of resource-constrained NPOs who need to balance advisory and service delivery efforts to maximize their social impact. We model the NPO's service-design problem that captures this essential trade-off: while increasing advisory efforts increases the likelihood of clients receiving the appropriate services (reduces mismatches), it limits the resources available for different service delivery efforts. We derive optimal advisory and service delivery efforts as a function of the state of the NPO (resources and services) and clients’ characteristics (mix and diversity of needs). We show that an NPO should invest more in its advisory effort as compared to service delivery efforts when service offerings are not scalable or when the NPO is not severely resource-constrained. We present an illustration of our analysis in a practical context, and suggest ways that NPOs can implement our findings in designing their services.
Friendship network formation in Chinese middle schools: Patterns of inequality and homophily

Abstract Previous studies on adolescent friendship network formation emphasize the roles played by individual characteristics, structural opportunities, and endogenous tie formation processes. This study extends previous studies in three major aspects: 1) developing and testing theories of status differential (i.e., friendship ties are more likely to run from low status subjects to high status subjects than vice versa) and differential homophily (i.e., homophily is stronger between high status subjects than between low status subjects) through modeling tie-mixing effects of individual characteristics, 2) including qualitative analyses to elaborate selected mechanisms, and 3) comparing selected friendship patterns between China and the U.S. The extended framework is applied to analyzing survey data obtained from 4,094 students in six middle schools in China. The results show that friendship ties are unevenly distributed by individual characteristics (status differential is confirmed for five of the seven characteristics examined), there is significant tie homophily (stronger homophily among high status subjects than among low status subjects is observed for five of the seven characteristics examined with three of them being statistically significant), and endogenous tie formation processes such as reciprocity, transitivity, and preferential attachment are strongly present. Although some of these patterns are common to both China and the U.S., there are also notable differences between the two. Lastly, I discuss the implications and limitations of this study.
The Irrational Auditor and Irrational Liability

This essay argues that less liability for auditors in certain areas might encourage more accurate and useful financial statements, or at least equally accurate statements at a lower cost. Audit quality is promoted by three incentives: reputation, regulation, and litigation. When we take reputation and regulation into account, exposing auditors to potentially massive liability may undermine the effectiveness of reputation and regulation, thereby diminishing integrity of audited financial statements. The relation of litigation to the other incentives that promote audit quality has become more important in light of the sea change that occurred in the regulation of the auditing profession with the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Given these fundamental changes in the regulatory backdrop, I argue that the marginal benefit of litigation has been substantially diminished and in many cases that it is likely to be ineffective in promoting greater audit quality. I propose a knowledge standard for auditor liability in securities fraud cases.
Kinetics of the Hydrogen Reduction of Nio/Ysz and Associated Microstructural Changes

The kinetics of hydrogen (4%H 2 -96%Ar mixture) reduction of porous 75mol%NiO/YSZ was investigated by thermogravimetry at 600°C, 700°C, 750°C and 800°C. In addition, the evolution of structural changes during reduction at 800°C were monitored. It was found that reduction of NiO ocurs in two stages. In the first stage, linear reduction kinetics with with an activation energy of 22 kJ/mol were observed. In the second stage, the extant of reduction with time was found to decrease significantly and the fraction of reduced NiO at which the transition from the first to the second stage occurred was found to increase with increasing temperature. Using optical and scanning electron microscopy and wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, it was found that the first stage of the reduction process is associated with the displacement of the reduction front across the thickness of the sample, whereas the second stage involves farther reduction of NiO grains behind it. The transition between the first and second stages was found to occur when the reaction fronts meet at the middle of the sample. The porosity of the samples before and after reduction was determined by alcohol innncrsion and it was found that porosity increases linearly with the fraction of reduced NiO.
Calculations in estimating fetal weight.

Abstract Further simplification of calculations necessary in estimating fetal weight in utero is presented.
In vitro effects of furazolidone on the fine structure of haemophilus vaginalis

Abstract Furazolidone (N-(5 nitro-2-furfurylidene)-3-amino-2-oxazolidone), a nitrofuran, may exert specific in vitro action on Haemophilus vaginalis resulting in destruction of its outer cell wall and disintegration of its nucleoid material. The infrequent finding of transverse septa in cell walls of bacteria treated with furazolidone points to the possible role of furazolidone in arrest of cellular division at concentrations less than the minimum inhibitory levels of this compound.
A Three-Dimensional Technique for the Calculation of Octanol-Water Partition Coefficients

Octanol-water partition coefficients, as logPs, are frequently used to describe transportability and membrane permeability of chemical compounds. Because of this they represent an integral part of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) theory. Since the analytical determination of logPs is a tedious process, many empirical techniques for their calculation have been developed. The additive fragment-based technique, clogP, represents the most highly validated algorithm designed for this purpose. However, it has been observed that clogP is incapable of distinguishing between structural isomers in a congeneric series of compounds. This is primarily a result of the lack of necessary “factors” for the characterization of the substituent effects. As an alternative to additional parameterization of the clogP methodology, a novel technique for the calculation of octanol-water partition coefficients based on three-dimensional descriptors was developed which is capable of accurately predicting the experimentally-determined logPs for a congeneric series of structural isomers.