cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trans-Pacific whole mantle structure

Recent reports on modeling USArray data reveal mostly vertical microplates with little resemblance to preliminary reference Earth model (PREM). Such complexity at plate boundaries makes it difficult to form reliable images of ocean basins using global paths. Here, we report on modeling stacked seismograms obtained from the first broadband array (TriNet) situated on the edge of the Pacific Plate, southern California, with no major subduction zone blocking its view. Extended records, including multi-S and ScS waves up to four bounces from 18 Tonga-Fiji deep events (140 to 620 km) are analyzed to check the validity of existing models and derive the whole mantle shear velocity structure along this corridor. Synthetics generated from 3-D tomographic models do not fit the upper mantle triplication data or the mantle reverberations associated with the ScS multiples as well as the 1-D model PAC06. We construct a hybrid model (HPAC), which remains one dimensional down to 800 km (PAC06). The lower portion of HPAC is essentially the tomography model S20RTS with velocity variation inflated by a factor of 2 for the lowermost 600 km. Thus, the mid-Pacific large low shear velocity province (LLSVP) has a lower shear velocity of about 2% relative to PREM and extends into the midmantle, similar to that beneath South Africa. Moreover, rapid changes in the differential (ScS-S) and (ScS2-S) times as a function of distance suggest ultra low velocity zones near the eastern edge and under the LLSVP, again similar to that found beneath Africa.
The treatment of congenital dacryocystocele.

Purpose To determine the proper management of congenital dacryocystocele. Design Retrospective interventional case series. Methods settings: Clinical practice. study population: Twenty-seven consecutive patients with 29 congenital dacryocystoceles who presented from 1987 through 2006. main outcome meaures: The charts were reviewed for the presence and age of onset of infection, methods and age of treatment, and response to treatment. Results Dacryocystitis and preseptal cellulitis requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy were present in 11 lacrimal systems (37.9%), and dacryocystitis without cellulitis was present in an additional 10 lacrimal systems (34.5%). One or more probings were performed in 26 patients (89.7%). Resolution with conservative therapy occurred in three lacrimal systems. The initial probing was successful in seven of seven lacrimal systems (100%) that did not have infection, but was successful in only 10 of 19 lacrimal systems (53%) that had dacryocystitis with or without cellulitis. The mean age of probing in the surgical patients who did not develop infection was 5.9 days, whereas the mean age at first probing in surgical patients who developed infection was 17.3 days. Conclusions Patients with congenital dacryocystocele should have probing on an urgent basis and as early in life as possible, unless the lacrimal sac decompresses into the nose at the time of the initial examination. This approach will reduce the incidence of dacryocystitis and cellulitis, and improve the success rate of surgery.
Influence of Topic Interest on Children's Reading Comprehension

Previous research indicates that children comprehend more of high-than low-interest material when each child is given a mixture of both types of material. This effect could be due to a contrast eff...
Simultaneous determination of unlabeled and carbon‐13‐labeled etoricoxib, a new cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitor, in human plasma using HPLC–MS/MS

A method for the simultaneous determination of etoricoxib and its carbon-13 analog ((13)C(6)-etoricoxib) from human plasma has been developed and used to support bioavailability studies. Plasma samples (0.5 mL) were extracted by using a 3M Empore 96-well plate (C(8)) and the resulting extracts were analyzed by using a PE-Sciex API-3000 HPLC-MS/MS with a heated nebulizer interface (500 degrees C). The method was validated with two different calibration curve ranges, one for etoricoxib (5 to 2500 ng/mL) determined in the presence of lower concentrations of (13)C(6)-etoricoxib (0.5 to 250 ng/mL), and a second curve for the quantitation of similar concentrations of both etoricoxib and (13)C(6)-etoricoxib (0.5 to 250 ng/mL). Extraction recoveries of etoricoxib, (13)C(6)-etoricoxib, and a methylated internal standard were >70% over the range of concentrations included in both calibration curves. Intraday precision and accuracy for the quantitation of etoricoxib were 7.8% relative standard deviation (RSD) or less and within 3.4% respectively over the range of 5 to 2500 ng/mL, and 10.8% RSD or less and within 4 % respectively over the range of 0.5 to 250 ng/mL. Within-batch precision and accuracy for the quantitation of (13)C(6)-etoricoxib over the range of 0.5 to 250 ng/mL were 8.3% RSD or less and within 2.3%, respectively. The validated assay was used in support of human clinical trials.
Big Data and Organizational Decision Making

Big data promises a significant change in the nature of information processing, and hence, decision making. The general reaction to this trend is that the access and availability of large amounts of data will improve the quality of individual and organizational decisions. However, there are also concerns that our expectations may not be entirely correct. Rather than simplifying decisions, big data may actually increase the difficulty of making effective choices. We synthesize the current state of research and explain how the fundamental implications of big data offer both a promise for improvement but also a challenge to our capacity for decision making.
Working Memory Capacity as a Predictor of Simultaneous Language Interpreting Performance

What is the relationship between working memory capacity and skill acquisition among American Sign Language (ASL)-English simultaneous interpreter trainees? ASL-English interpreter trainees were administered measures of working memory capacity, several other cognitive abilities, and simultaneous interpreting performance over two years. We examined amount of training, initial cognitive abilities, change in cognitive abilities, and initial simultaneous interpreting performance as predictors of final simultaneous interpreting performance. We found that amount of training, working memory capacity, and initial simultaneous interpreting performance positively predicted final simultaneous interpreting performance. Several other cognitive ability measures also predicted simultaneous interpreting performance though working memory capacity yielded the strongest and most consistent results among the included measures. Initial simultaneous interpreting performance and working memory capacity accounted for 73% of the variance in final simultaneous interpreting performance. This finding suggests that interpreter programs could measure these two factors at admission to estimate students’ likely success in the program.
Transfer Printed Nanomembranes for Heterogeneously Integrated Membrane Photonics

Heterogeneous crystalline semiconductor nanomembrane (NM) integration is investigated for single-layer and double-layer Silicon (Si) NM photonics, III-V/Si NM lasers, and graphene/Si NM total absorption devices. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous integration are realized by the versatile transfer printing technique. The performance of these integrated membrane devices shows, not only intact optical and electrical characteristics as their bulk counterparts, but also the unique light and matter interactions, such as Fano resonance, slow light, and critical coupling in photonic crystal cavities. Such a heterogeneous integration approach offers tremendous practical application potentials on unconventional, Si CMOS compatible, and high performance optoelectronic systems.
The Structure of Calcium Silicate Hydrate: NMR and Raman Spectroscopic Results

This paper reviews recent NMR and Raman spectroscopic results from our laboratory concerning the structure of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). The results can be interpreted to indicate that the single phase samples we examined have structures based on that of tobermorite, and that the observed compositional dependence of the structure can be explained by a defect tobermorite model.
Policy Hostility, Group Hostility and Voting for Radical Right: Micro-Level Evidence from Slovakia

Are radical right voters more xenophobic than voters of other parties? Although conventional wisdom indicates a positive relationship, evidence linking xenophobia and voting for extremist parties is surprisingly weak. Using an original survey in Slovakia, with an embedded survey experiment, the results indicate that indignation over governmental transfers towards a politically backed minority -- and not group hostility -- is the single strongest predictor of radical right voting.
Epidemiology of drinking, alcohol use disorders, and related problems in US ethnic minority groups

This chapter reviews selected epidemiologic studies on drinking and associated problems among US ethnic minorities. Ethnic minorities and the White majority group exhibit important differences in alcohol use and related problems, including alcohol use disorders. Studies show a higher rate of binge drinking, drinking above guidelines, alcohol abuse, and dependence for major ethnic and racial groups, notably, Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Other problems with a higher prevalence in certain minority groups are, for example, cancer (Blacks), cirrhosis (Hispanics), fetal alcohol syndrome (Blacks and American Indians/Alaskan Natives), drinking and driving (Hispanics, American Indians/Alaskan Natives). There are also considerable differences in rates of drinking and problems within certain ethnic groups such as Hispanics, Asian Americans, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives. For instance, among Hispanics, Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans drink more and have higher rates of disorders such as alcohol abuse and dependence than Cuban Americans. Disparities also affect the trajectory of heavy drinking and the course of alcohol dependence among minorities. Theoretic accounts of these disparities generally attribute them to the historic experience of discrimination and to minority socioeconomic disadvantages at individual and environmental levels.
Chemotherapy-Induced Valvular Heart Disease

Radiation therapy has been a mainstay for treating lymphomas and can be curative in some lymphomas such as Hodgkin’s disease. Long term follow-up studies have shown progressive valvular heart disease in some patients, especially those with mediastinal radiation that includes the heart. In
Comparison indices for design and proportioning of concrete mixtures taking environmental impacts into account

Abstract As awareness and concern for greenhouse gas emissions grow, methods for reducing a significant industrial emission source, the production of cement for use in concrete, have been appearing. Assessments of these methods typically do not take into account the influence of material properties and environmental impacts concurrently. When both are considered, rarely are properties considered other than concrete strength. In this research, methods for assessing environmental impacts with mechanical properties concurrently for design of non-reinforced concrete are presented. Tools for assessing environmental impacts based on the volume of material needed as defined by several material properties and design parameters, such as required moment of inertia and cross-sectional area, are investigated. The indices for comparison developed in this research are applied to a database containing 190 concrete mixtures with varying constituents both with and without Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs). For the mixtures and comparison indices examined, concrete mixtures containing SCMs consistently offered the best combination of associated global warming potential (GWP) and material properties. However, for several cases, it was shown that the use of Portland cement as the sole binder could provide comparable indices of GWP and material properties to concrete mixtures containing replacement binder.
Weight StatuS and Blood PreSSure among adoleScent african american maleS: the JackSon heart kidS Pilot Study

Background: Obesity had not been con­sidered a significant factor contributing to high levels of hypertension among African American males until recently. Epidemio­logic research on heart disease among males has primarily focused on adults; however, the significant rise in obesity and hyperten­sion prevalence among African American boys indicates that studies examining the relationship between excess body weight and elevated blood pressure among this high-risk population are critically needed. The purpose of our study was to examine the degree to which weight status has impli­cations for elevated blood pressure among young African American males. Method: The data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from adolescent males ( N =105), aged 12-19 years and who participated in the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study – an offspring cohort study examining cardiovascular disease risks among adoles­cent descendants of Jackson Heart Study participants. Blood pressure was the primary outcome of interest and weight status was a key independent variable. Other covari­ates were fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, sleep, and stress. Results: Approximately 49% of adolescent males in the study were overweight or obese. Bivariate and multiple variable analy­ses suggest that obesity may be correlated with elevated diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels among African American boys. Results from ordinary least squared regression analysis indicate that the DBP for boys car­rying excess weight was 4.2 mm Hg ( P <.01) higher than the corresponding DBP for their normal weight counterparts, after control­ling for age, fruit and vegetable consump­tion, physical activity, and sleep. Conclusions: Additional studies are needed to specify the manner through which excess weight and weight gain can accelerate the development and progression of CVD-related diseases among African Ameri­can males over the life course, thereby providing evidenced-based information for tailored interventions that can reduce risks for premature morbidity, disability, and mortality among this group. Ethn Dis. 2015;25(3):305-312.
Validating density-functional theory simulations at high energy-density conditions with liquid krypton shock experiments to 850 GPa on Sandia's Z machine

We use Sandia's Z machine and magnetically accelerated flyer plates to shock compress liquid krypton to 850 GPa and compare with results from density-functional theory (DFT) based simulations using the AM05 functional. We also employ quantum Monte Carlo calculations to motivate the choice of AM05. We conclude that the DFT results are sensitive to the quality of the pseudopotential in terms of scattering properties at high energy/temperature. A new Kr projector augmented wave potential was constructed with improved scattering properties which resulted in excellent agreement with the experimental results to 850 GPa and temperatures above 10 eV (110 kK). Finally, we present comparisons of our data from the Z experiments and DFT calculations to current equation of state models of krypton to determine the best model for high energy-density applications.
The role of high-fidelity simulation in training pediatric emergency medicine fellows in the United States and Canada.

Objectives The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Emergency Medicine's Simulation Interest Group developed a survey targeting pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship program directors to assess the use of high-fidelity simulation (HFS) in PEM fellow training. Methods Content experts in simulation and in PEM developed a 38-item Internet-based questionnaire that was distributed to PEM program directors via e-mail though www.surveymonkey.com. Results Seventy-seven percent (51/66) of PEM program directors in the United States and Canada responded to the survey. Sixty-three percent of programs incorporate HFS in PEM fellowship training. For programs with HFS, the most frequent uses of HFS include (1) decision making for trauma resuscitations (97%, 31/32) and medical emergencies (91%, 29/32), and for the application of advanced life support (84%, 27/32); (2) technical skills: intubation (100%, 31/31), bag-mask ventilation (94%, 29/31), cardioversion/defibrillation (90%, 28/31), and difficult airway management (84%, 26/31). Of program directors without simulation, a majority valued simulation for PEM fellow training, and 59% (11/19) plan on expanding efforts. Perceived barriers to an active simulation program exist: lack of financial support (79%, 15/19), lack of simulator equipment (74%, 14/19), lack of a dedicated physical space (68%, 13/19), and insufficiently experienced simulation faculty (58% 11/19). Conclusions Sixty-three percent of PEM fellowship programs integrate HFS-based activities. The majority of PEM fellowship program directors value the role of HFS in augmenting clinical experience and documenting procedural skills. Regional simulation centers are one possible solution to offer HFS training to fellowships with limited financial support and/or lack of experienced simulation faculty.
Protective function of pharmacy intravenous admixture service to nursing staff

Medical staff have to deal with the hazardous drugs each day, therefore, it is very important to prevent the harm and pollution by understanding the way of hazardous drug's transmission absorption. With the medical development, the specific prevention of medical staff has been greatly improved. The establishment of PIVAS center will tremendously protect medical staff from the harm during their work.
Na(+) dependence and the role of glutamate receptors and Na(+) channels in ion fluxes during hypoxia of rat hippocampal slices.

Spreading depression (SD) as well as hypoxia-induced SD-like depolarization in forebrain gray matter are characterized by near complete depolarization of neurons. The biophysical mechanism of the d...
Intelligent and Fuzzy Control

In this lesson, we continue the description of mathematical methods for dealing with expert knowledge; namely, we describe, step-by-step, the fuzzy control methodology that transforms the control rules (that expert operators formulate by using words of a natural language) into a precise control strategy.
An upgraded interferometer-polarimeter system for broadband fluctuation measurements

Measuring high-frequency fluctuations (above tearing mode frequencies) is important for diagnosing instabilities and transport phenomena. The Madison Symmetric Torus interferometer-polarimeter system has been upgraded to utilize improved planar-diode mixer technology. The new mixers reduce phase noise and allow more sensitive measurements of fluctuations at high frequency. Typical polarimeter rms phase noise values of 0.05°–0.07° are obtained with 400 kHz bandwidth. The low phase noise enables the resolution of fluctuations up to 250 kHz for polarimetry and 600 kHz for interferometry. The importance of probe beam alignment for polarimetry is also verified; previously reported tolerances of ≤0.1 mm displacement for equilibrium and tearing mode measurements minimize contamination due to spatial misalignment to within acceptable levels for chords near the magnetic axis.
Site of PGF2α injection does not alter effectiveness of the Select Synch + controlled internal drug release and timed artificial insemination protocol.

Beef Quality Assurance programs have contributed to significant improvements in the wholesomeness of beef available for consumption. Injection site blemishes in the round have declined since the promotion of administering intramuscular injections in the neck. Unfortunately, many producers continue to administer estrus synchronization (ES) drugs in the rump. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of injection site of PGF2α, in ES protocols, on steroid hormone concentrations and pregnancy rates. A Select Synch + 7-day controlled internal drug release ES protocol was conducted with the site of PGF2α injection alternated between neck and rump in beef cattle (n = 312) at the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute and North Carolina State University. Blood samples (n = 75) were collected at controlled internal drug release insertion and at the time of artificial insemination (AI) to determine if progesterone (P4) and estrogen (E2) concentrations varied due to PGF2α injection site. All cattle were confirmed pregnant by ultrasonography at approximately 30 and 90 days after insemination in North Carolina and approximately 70 days after insemination in Ohio. Data were analyzed as randomized complete block designs in PROC GLIMMIX with animal as the experimental unit. Differences were declared significant at P 0.05) overall conception rates in response to AI (58.4% and 55.6%, respectively). Altering PGF2α injection site did not impact P4, E2 concentrations, or the P4:E2 ratio at AI (P > 0.05). However, cattle inseminated after displaying estrus had greater (P < 0.05) pregnancy rates than timed AI (67.8 vs. 47.5%, respectively). First service conception rates and pregnancy rates were consistent with previous reports. Overall, altering the location of the PGF2α injection during ES did not change circulating hormone concentrations at AI or pregnancy rates; therefore, cattle producers should follow Beef Quality Assurance guidelines when administering ES protocols.
Sterility caused by floral organ degeneration and abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis and cereal grains.

Natural floral organ degeneration or abortion results in unisexual or fully sterile flowers, while abiotic stresses lead to sterility after initiation of floral reproductive organs. Since normal flower development is essential for plant sexual reproduction and crop yield, it is imperative to have a better understanding of plant sterility under regular and stress conditions. Here, we review the functions of ABC genes together with their downstream genes in floral organ degeneration and the formation of unisexual flowers in Arabidopsis and several agriculturally significant cereal grains. We further explore the roles of hormones, including auxin, brassinosteroids, jasmonic acid, gibberellic acid, and ethylene, in floral organ formation and fertility. We show that alterations in genes affecting hormone biosynthesis, hormone transport and perception cause loss of stamens/carpels, abnormal floral organ development, poor pollen production, which consequently result in unisexual flowers and male/female sterility. Moreover, abiotic stresses, such as heat, cold, and drought, commonly affect floral organ development and fertility. Sterility is induced by abiotic stresses mostly in male floral organ development, particularly during meiosis, tapetum development, anthesis, dehiscence, and fertilization. A variety of genes including those involved in heat shock, hormone signaling, cold tolerance, metabolisms of starch and sucrose, meiosis, and tapetum development are essential for plants to maintain normal fertility under abiotic stress conditions. Further elucidation of cellular, biochemical and molecular mechanisms about regulation of fertility will improve yield and quality for many agriculturally valuable crops.
Prospective for thermal energy harvesting in mobile computing systems

Micro and Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS) are disruptive interdisciplinary technologies that can manifest in multiple components in portable systems. Such technologies will play an important role in enabling smaller, more efficient, and faster mobile computing systems. Integrated Radio Frequency MEMS components are front-runners as alternative technologies to replace bulky off chip RF time keeping and frequency control components. MEMS switches co-fabricated with MEMS resonators and filters would reduce the complexity of current mobile platform antennas and extend the reconfigurability of these antennas to operate on a wider range of frequency bands. Energy harvesting is an emerging area where MEMS is expected to play a disruptive role in extending the operational time for small Form-Factor (FF) hand held devices. This paper presents the current mobile platform usage and suggested areas for MEMS/NEMS energy harvesting with focus on thermal energy harvesting environment in mobile devices.
Effect of Chromium Doping on Electrochemical Water Oxidation Activity by Co3–xCrxO4 Spinel Catalysts

We have synthesized a series of Co3–xCrxO4 (0 < x < 2) catalysts via thermal decomposition and explored their activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). By changing the Cr content, we were able to modify the overall OER activity. Among the compositions investigated, Co2.25Cr0.75O4 is the most active, which achieves 10 mA cm−2 current density per geometric area and a mass activity of 10.5 A/g at 0.35 V overpotential. We hypothesize that this enhanced OER activity is due to the increase of the adsorption energy of the intermediates (*O, *OH, and *OOH) resulting from the increased electrophilicity of Co2+ sites in the material after the introduction of the electron-deficient Cr. This systematic doping strategy enables the investigation of the correlation between the doping and OER activity and allows for the rational design of future catalysts with higher activity and efficiency.
Spectral profiling: observer-effect-free profiling by monitoring EM emanations

This paper presents Spectral Profiling, a new method for profiling program execution without instrumenting or otherwise affecting the profiled system. Spectral Profiling monitors EM emanations unintentionally produced by the profiled system, looking for spectral "spikes" produced by periodic program activity (e.g. loops). This allows Spectral Profiling to determine which parts of the program have executed at what time. By analyzing the frequency and shape of the spectral "spike", Spectral Profiling can obtain additional information such as the per-iteration execution time of a loop. The key advantage of Spectral Profiling is that it can monitor a system as-is, without program instrumentation, system activity, etc. associated with the profiling itself, i.e. it completely eliminates the "Observer's Effect" and allows profiling of programs whose execution is performance-dependent and/or programs that run on even the simplest embedded systems that have no resources or support for profiling. We evaluate the effectiveness of Spectral Profiling by applying it to several benchmarks from MiBench suite on a real system, and also on a cycle-accurate simulator. Our results confirm that Spectral Profiling yields useful information about the runtime behavior of a program, allowing Spectral Profiling to be used for profiling in systems where profiling infrastructure is not available, or where profiling overheads may perturb the results too much ("Observer's Effect").
Polymerase‐Mediated Site‐Specific Incorporation of a Synthetic Fluorescent Isomorphic G Surrogate into RNA

An enzyme-mediated approach for the assembly of singly modified RNA constructs in which specific G residues are replaced with th G, an emissive isomorphic G surrogate, is reported. Transcription in the presence of th G and native nucleoside triphosphates enforces initiation with the unnatural analogue, yielding 5'-end modified transcripts that can be mono-phosphorylated and ligated to provide longer site-specifically modified RNA constructs. The scope of this unprecedented enzymatic approach to non-canonical purine-containing RNAs is explored via the assembly of several altered hammerhead (HH) ribozymes and a singly modified HH substrate. By strategically modifying key positions, a mechanistic insight into the ribozyme-mediated cleavage is gained. Additionally, the emissive features of the modified nucleoside and its responsiveness to environmental changes can be used to monitor cleavage in real time by steady state fluorescence spectroscopy.
Failed States in Theoretical, Historical, and Policy Perspectives

Failed states have been a central preoccupation of scholars and international policy makers in the post-Cold War period. In addition to the violence wrought by loss of control in these states, they are charged with creating refugee flows, impeding economic development, facilitating narcotics trafficking, and providing safe haven for terrorists—leading to calls for them to be fixed by the international community. This chapter argues to the contrary that, first, failed states are not monolithic; second, violence and state failure are not synonymous; and third, the international community contributes to state failure as much as it may facilitate state rebuilding.
Antibacterial activity of human simulated epithelial lining fluid concentrations of amikacin inhale alone and in combination with meropenem against Acinetobacter baumannii

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii(ACBN) is a MDR organism causing pneumonia in ventilated patients. High MICs often result in insufficient lung exposures, thus poor outcomes have been observed wi...
Walking to recovery: The effects of missed ambulation events on postsurgical recovery after bowel resection

Background Early ambulation after surgery is demonstrated to reduce complications and decreases patient length of stay (LOS) as part of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program. This study hypothesizes that missed and refused ambulation attempts prolong patient LOS. Methods From January 2014 to December 2016, all patients admitted to one ward who had undergone bowel resection surgery were assigned a dedicated ambulation team with the goal of ambulating 3 times per day. Clinical data was collected prospectively. Statistical analysis of ambulation frequency, percentage of ambulation sessions completed and overall LOS was performed to test the hypothesis. Results A total of 127 patients were analyzed for mean age, breakdown of laparoscopic/open procedures/pre-surgery ambulation status. The median LOS (mLOS) for all patients was 4.3 days. When ambulation was not offered for a 24-hour period, the mLOS increased from 3.6 to 6.6 days (P<0.001). When a patient refused to ambulate at any time, the mLOS increased from 4.0 to 4.7 days (P=0.004). There was a significant association between completed ambulation attempts and mLOS (r=-0.536, P<0.001). Increasing narcotic use (r=0.548, P<0.001) including the use of a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) (r=0.213, P=0.011) increased mLOS. Conclusions Ambulation participation is a critical component of an enhanced bowel resection pathway. Non-compliance is associated with an increased LOS. Optimizing pain control, minimizing narcotics, and ensuring adequate ambulation resources also contribute to decreased LOS.
Postoperative outcomes in vedolizumab-treated Crohn's disease patients undergoing major abdominal operations.

BACKGROUND Up to 80% of patients with Crohn's disease require an abdominal operation in their lifetime. As the use of vedolizumab is increasing for the treatment of Crohn's disease, it is important to understand its potential association with post-operative complications. AIM We sought to compare 30-day postoperative infectious complication rate among vedolizumab-treated Crohn's disease patients vs those who had received TNFα inhibitors or no biologic therapy. METHODS A retrospective review of all Crohn's disease patients who received vedolizumab within 12 weeks of a major abdominal or pelvic operation was performed. Two control cohorts consisted of Crohn's disease patients treated with TNFα inhibitors or no biologic therapy. RESULTS One hundred Crohn's disease patients received vedolizumab within 12 weeks of an abdominal operation. Vedolizumab-treated patients underwent an equivalent rate of laparoscopic surgery (P = .25), had fewer anastomoses performed (P = .0002), and had equally frequent diversion in the setting of anastomoses (P = .47). Thirty-two vedolizumab-treated patients experienced postoperative infectious complications (32%), 26 of which were surgical site infections (26%). The vedolizumab-treated group experienced no difference in nonsurgical site infections (6% vs 5% anti-TNFα and 2% nonbiologic; P = .34), but significantly higher rates of surgical site infections (26% vs 8% and 11%; P < .001). On univariate and multivariate analysis, exposure to vedolizumab remained a significant predictor of postoperative surgical site infection (P < .001 and P = .002). CONCLUSIONS Twenty-six per cent of Crohn's disease patients who received vedolizumab within 12 weeks prior to a major abdominal operation experienced a 30-day postoperative surgical site infection, significantly higher than that of patients receiving TNFα inhibitors or no biologic therapy. Vedolizumab within 12 weeks of surgery remained a predictor of 30-day postoperative surgical site infection on multivariable analysis. While vedolizumab-treated Crohn's disease patients may be a sicker cohort of patients, it is important to consider these findings with regard to preoperative counselling, operative timing and primary closure of wounds.
Skeletal injuries in small mammals: a multispecies assessment of prevalence and location

Wild mammals are known to survive injuries that result in skeletal abnormalities. Quantifying and comparing skeletal injuries among species can provide insight into the factors that cause skeletal injuries and enable survival following an injury. We documented the prevalence and location of structural bone abnormalities in a community of 7 small mammal species inhabiting the White Mountains of New Hampshire. These species differ in locomotion type and levels of intraspecific aggression. Overall, the majority of injuries were to the ribs or caudal vertebrae. Incidence of skeletal injuries was highest in older animals, indicating that injuries accumulate over a lifetime. Compared to species with ambulatory locomotion, those with more specialized (semi-fossorial, saltatorial, and scansorial) locomotion exhibited fewer skeletal abnormalities in the arms and legs, which we hypothesize is a result of a lesser ability to survive limb injuries. Patterns of skeletal injuries in shrews (Soricidae) were consistent with intraspecific aggression, particularly in males, whereas skeletal injuries in rodents (Rodentia) were more likely accidental or resulting from interactions with predators. Our results demonstrate that both the incidence and pattern of skeletal injuries vary by species and suggest that the ability of an individual to survive a specific skeletal injury depends on its severity and location as well as the locomotor mode of the species involved.
Exudative Pleural Effusions Secondary to Gastrointestinal Diseases

Several different diseases of the gastrointestinal tract may have an associated exudative pleural effusion. In the acutely ill patient with a pleural effusion, the possibility of esophageal perforation should always be considered. It is important to establish this diagnosis as soon as possible since the mortality rate increases markedly if drainage of the mediastinum is delayed for even 12 or 24 hours. The best screening test for esophageal rupture is the level of amylase in the pleural fluid. All patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions should have the amylase level in their pleural fluid measured to rule out a pancreatic etiology for their pleural effusion. In patients with acute pancreatitis, the clinical presentation may be dominated by chest symptoms. Such patients have small to moderately sized pleural effusions that resolve rapidly once appropriate therapy is instituted. If symptoms persist, the possibility of a pancreatic abscess or a pancreatic pseudocyst should be considered. Patients with pancreatic pseudocysts may develop a sinus tract between the pseudocyst and the pleural space. In this situation a large pleural effusion develops. Frequently there are no abdominal symptoms and the diagnosis will not be made unless a pleural fluid amylase is obtained. Patients with exudative pleural effusions that contain predominantly polymorphonuclear leukocytes should be suspected of having an intra-abdominal abscess, particularly when there is no associated parenchymal infiltrate. Subphrenic, intrahepatic, and splenic abscesses all have a high incidence of accompanying pleural effusion. Abdominal CT scanning is the method of choice to establish each of these diagnoses.
Introduction to welding residual stress and distortion

Abstract: Types of welding distortion are classified as out-of-plane types (such as buckling, longitudinal bending (bowing), and angular change) and in-plane types (such as transverse shrinkage, longitudinal shrinkage and rotational distortion). Several methods for controlling welding distortion are described; some can be applied during welding, and others after welding is completed. As some methods may reduce one distortion mode but increase another, it is imperative to identify the distortion mode of a particular structure before selecting the appropriate distortion mitigation method. Welding-induced buckling is eliminated by ensuring that the compressive longitudinal residual stress is lower than the critical buckling stress of the plate, either by increasing the critical buckling stress of the plate, reducing the welding residual stress, or modifying the residual stress after welding. Angular distortion is usually controlled by the use of presetting, restraints, or back side heating. Bowing (also referred to as camber) distortion is controlled by either reducing the welding heat input or balancing the welding residual stress over the cross-section of a structure to minimize the bending moment.
Infective Endocarditis, Device Infections, and Cardiac Manifestations of HIV

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a highly morbid infection with a diversity of clinical presentations and etiologies that is best managed with a multidisciplinary team. Similarly, cardiac device infections are occurring at increasing rates and require a high index of suspicion, careful workup, and a multidisciplinary treatment plan.
Proceedings of the 14th ACM Workshop on Privacy in the Electronic Society

This volume contains the papers selected for presentation at the 14th Workshop on Privacy in the Electronic Society (WPES 2015), held in Denver, Colorado, USA, on October 12, 2015, in conjunction with the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS). The goal of the workshop is to discuss the new problems of privacy resulting from the ease by which large amounts of information can be collected, exchanged, accessed, processed and linked in the increasingly globally interconnected society. The workshop aims to address both theoretical and practical aspects of these problems and their solutions by bringing together researchers from both academia and industry. In response to the workshop's call for papers, 32 papers were submitted to the program committee by authors from 14 countries. Each paper was reviewed by at least three members of the program committee, who considered the significance, novelty, technical quality, and potential to spark interesting discussions among attendees from the academic and industry privacy research communities while evaluating the papers. After intensive electronic discussions, the program committee selected 11 full papers and 3 short papers for presentation at the workshop, for a full paper acceptance rate of 34%.
20 Memory Systems

The idea that there are multiple memory systems in the brain has a long and interesting history. Early views, based on philosophical considerations and introspection, suggested distinctions between recollective memory, habit formation, and the adoption of preferences and aversions to arbitrary stimuli. Early experimental work focused on controversies over which of these is the fundamental mechanism that underlies memory. A reconciliation of these divergent views has emerged from recent studies in the cognitive neuroscience of memory showing that these different forms of memory can be selectively disrupted by damage to distinct brain regions. This research, and parallel characterizations of neural activity in different brain areas, has shown that the three major forms of long-term memory are supported by distinct brain systems. These include (1) a cortical-hippocampal circuit that supports declarative memory, our capacity to recollect facts and events; (2) motor memory subsystems involving on a cortical-neostriatal circuit that supports habit formation and a brainstem-cerebellar circuit that mediates sensorimotor adaptations' and (3) a circuit involving subcortical and cortical pathways through the amygdala that supports the attachment of affective status and emotional responses to previously neutral stimuli. Keywords: declarative memory; procedural memory; emotional memory; hippocampus; striatum; amygdale
Minoring Shakespeare: Deleuze’s Storm – Caliban or the last of the Palestinians

ABSTRACTThere will be no more thinking with Shakespeare, only transposition of his corpus into a minor mode. Transposition and no more thinking ever: but transposition from Major to Minor, for ‘whe...
Porcine Stress Syndrome and Postmortem Muscle Characteristics of Two Purebreds and Three Specific Terminal Crosses

The incidence of Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS), determined by halothane screening, and parameters of muscle quality and carcass leanness were studied in 108 pigs from a larger population of 658 pigs of Pietrain (P), Minnesota No. 1 (M), Hampshire (H) x (P x M), Yorkshire (Y) X (P X M) and P X (P X M) breeding. The larger population was also surveyed by the halothane screening procedure for incidence of PSS, and growth rate was measured. At 6 to 14 weeks of age, pigs were classified as PSS if they exhibited muscle rigidity within 5 min after the commencement of anesthetization with 3% halothane in oxygen. The incidences noted for the larger population were: H x (P x M) and Minnesota No. 1, 0%; Pietrain, 88%; Y x (P x M), 3%, and P x (P x M), 17%. Results demonstrated that the H x (P x M) group displayed excellent carcass meatiness combined with acceptable meat quality and freedom from PSS.
Multi-Modal Face Authentication using Deep Visual and Acoustic Features

User authentication on smartphones is the key to many applications, which must satisfy both security and convenience. We propose a multi-modal face authentication system, which pushes the limit of state-of-the-art image based face recognition solutions by incorporating a new dimension of sensing modality &#x2014; acoustics. It actively emits almost inaudible acoustic signals from the earpiece speaker to &#x201C;illuminate&#x201D; the user's face and extracts features from the echoes using a customized convolutional neural network, which are fused with sophisticated visual features extracted from state-of-the-art face recognition models, for secure face authentication. Because the echo features depend on 3D facial geometries and material, our multi-modal design is not easily spoofed by images or videos like image based face recognition systems. It does not require any special sensors thus eliminating the extra costs in solutions like FaceID. Experiments show that our design achieves comparable face recognition performance to the state-of-the-art image based face authentication, while able to block image&#x002F;video spoofing.
Decomposing the Dynamics of Delayed Hodgkin-Huxley Neurons

The effects of time delays on the nonlinear dynamics of neural networks are investigated. A decomposition method is utilized to derive modal equations that allow one to analyze the dynamics around synchronous states. The D-subdivision method is used to study the stability of equilibria while the stability of periodic orbits is investigated using Floquet theory. These methods are applied to a system of delay coupled Hodgkin-Huxley neurons to map out stable and unstable synchronous states. It is shown that for sufficiently strong coupling there exist delay ranges where stable equilibria coexist with stable oscillations which allow neural systems to respond to different environmental stimuli with different spatiotemporal patterns.
The Discerning Capacity of Generative Leaders: Achieving Success Flowing with Synchronicity Moments

Five people in leadership positions in two Midwest higher education institutions were selected because of their familiarity with synchronicity experiences, those meaningful coincidences that draw on spiritual intelligence. Four research questions would illuminate how they identified their synchronicity moments; how each used their spiritual intelligence to make meaning of the moments and integrated that knowing into generative outlooks within their organizations or themselves; how their transpersonal evolutions from the synchronicity experiences resulted in more mindful, generative leadership styles; and any implications the experiences have for generative leadership in general. Narrative inquiry for this transpersonal human research allowed for capturing the stories, and provided a direct knowing of how they became mindful of their internal personal events. Sixteen themes emerged from the collective narratives that illustrated the leaders’ capacity to discern the incidents; attended to interconnections between them and God or something beyond them guiding them toward higher purposes; how they relinquished their self-focused thinking to participate with the incidents to a greater outcome; and submit that this way of internal discerning is accessible by anyone to integrate into their leadership practice. They named successes far greater than they imagined without decimating their workforces or budgets in the process.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Citrobacter freundii Type Strain.

Citrobacter freundii is a species of facultative anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae The complete genome is composed of a single chromosomal circle of 4,957,773 bp with a G+C content of 52%.
Teaching Digital Game Design With Preservice Art Educators

In this article, art education researchers from four universities share a multisite research project dealing with teaching digital game design to preservice art educators. The research project was ...
Electronic Cigarette Exposure Enhances Lung Inflammatory and Fibrotic Responses in COPD Mice

Although a few studies show that the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) may ameliorate objective and subjective outcomes in COPD smokers who switched to electronic cigarettes, it is unclear whether e-cigarette exposure alters lung pathological features and inflammatory response in COPD. Here, we employed βENaC-overexpressing mice bearing COPD-like pulmonary abnormality, and exposed them to ENDS. We found that ENDS exposure aggravated airspace enlargement and mucus production in βENaC-overexpressing mice, which was associated with increased MMP12 and Muc5ac, respectively. ENDS exposure to mice significantly increased the numbers of macrophages, particularly in M2 macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, despite ENDS did not induce M2 macrophage polarization in a cultured murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7). There were no changes in neutrophils in BAL fluid by ENDS exposure. Multiple cytokine productions were increased including M-CSF, IL-1rα, IL-10, and TGF-β1, in BAL fluid from mice when exposed to ENDS. The Sirius Red staining and hydroxyproline assay showed ENDS-exposed mice displayed enhanced fibrotic phenotypes compared to control mice. In conclusion, ENDS exposure enhances airspace enlargement, mucus secretion, and fibrogenesis in COPD mice. This is associated with increased MMP12, inflammatory responses, and M2 macrophage phenotype. This study provides pre-clinical data implicating that electronic cigarette exposure is not safe in COPD patients who want to replace traditional cigarettes with ENDS.