cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty Management in Remanufacturing Decisions: A Consideration of Uncertainties in Market Demand, Quantity, and Quality of Returns

As market demand for remanufactured products increases and environmental legislation puts further enforcement on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), remanufacturing is becoming an important business. However, profitability of salvaging operations is still a challenge in remanufacturing industry. Several factors influence the cost effectiveness of remanufacturing operations, including uncertainties in the quantity of return flows and market demand as well as variability in the quality of received items. The objective of this paper is to develop a stochastic optimization model based on chance-constrained programming to deal with these sources of uncertainties in take-back and inventory planning systems. The main purpose of the model is to determine the best upgrade level for a received product with certain quality level with the aim of maximizing profit. An example of personal computer is provided to show the application of the method. This article is available in the ASME Digital Collection at http://...
Institutional and infrastructural challenges to India’s development

While India has a number of national institutions such as the common law system and the English language, its diversity presents a unique set of developmental challenges. India’s democratic government is marked by religion-based politics, inefficiencies, corruption, and interventionism that have kept the country from achieving its full economic potential. A major drawback to development is inadequate transport infrastructure, marked by low road density per capita, lack of paved roads and a railway network in need of modernization. Limited access to banking services in rural areas and to the poor presents another challenge, as do states that were left behind during India’s growth surge; as do the country’s growing environmental problems. These challenges need to be addressed as income and consumption levels rise and the country becomes a global powerhouse.
Business Policy in the 1980s

The subject of business policy in the 1980s is a challenge for discussion. There are differences on what the subject is. Is it a course? Or a field of research? What is its literature? What is its future? Some want to make it a science. What does that mean? This paper addresses these questions, moving forward in phases. The perspective is that of a faculty member of the Harvard Business School, at which there has been a course called Business Policy since 1908.
Critical waves and the length problem of biology

It is pointed out that the mystery of how biological systems measure their lengths vanishes away if one premises that they have discovered a way to generate linear waves analogous to compressional sound. These can be used to detect length at either large or small scales using echo timing and fringe counting. It is shown that suitable linear chemical potential waves can, in fact, be manufactured by tuning to criticality conventional reaction–diffusion with a small number substance. Min oscillations in Escherichia coli are cited as precedent resonant length measurement using chemical potential waves analogous to laser detection. Mitotic structures in eukaryotes are identified as candidates for such an effect at higher frequency. The engineering principle is shown to be very general and functionally the same as that used by hearing organs.
A Cross-Layer Approach to Collaborative Beamforming for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Via collaborative beamforming, nodes in a wireless network are able to transmit a common message over long distances in an energy efficient fashion. However, the process of making available the same message to all collaborating nodes introduces delays. In this paper, a medium access control-physical (MAC-PHY) cross-layer scheme is proposed that enables collaborative beamforming at significantly reduced collaboration overhead. It consists of two phases. In the first phase, nodes transmit locally in a random access time-slotted fashion. Simultaneous transmissions from multiple source nodes are viewed as linear mixtures of all transmitted packets. In the second phase, a set of collaborating nodes, acting as a distributed antenna system, beamform the received analog waveform to one or more faraway destinations. This step requires multiplication of the received analog waveform by a complex weight, which is independently computed by each collaborating node, and which allows packets bound to the same destination to add coherently at the destination node. Assuming that each node has access to location information, the proposed scheme can achieve high throughput, which in certain cases exceeds one. Analyses of the average beampattern, networking performance, and symbol error probability corresponding to the proposed scheme are provided.
A Review of Current Investigations of Urban-Induced Rainfall and Recommendations for the Future

Precipitation is a key link in the global water cycle and a proxy for changing climate; therefore, proper assessment of the urban envi- ronment's impact on precipitation (land use, aerosols, thermal properties) will be increasingly important in ongoing climate diagnostics and prediction, Glob- al Water and Energy Cycle (GWEC) analysis and modeling, weather forecast- ing, freshwater resource management, urban planning-design, and land- atmosphere-ocean interface processes. These facts are particularly critical if current projections for global urban growth are accurate. The goal of this paper is to provide a concise review of recent (1990-present) studies related to how the urban environment affects precipitation. In addition to providing a synopsis of current work, recent findings are placed in context with historical investigations such as Metropolitan Meteorological Experiment (METROMEX) studies. Both observational and modeling studies of urban- induced rainfall are discussed. Additionally, a discussion of the relative roles of urban dynamic and microphysical (e.g., aerosol) processes is presented. The paper closes with a set of recommendations for what observations and capa- bilities are needed in the future to advance our understanding of the processes.
Linear condensation polymers from phenolphthalein and related compounds

Phenolphthalein, phenolphthalimidine, phenolisatin, and similar compounds were found to react as bisphenols with aliphatic and aromatic diacid chlorides, bischloroformates, and phosgene to form linear, high molecular weight products. Interfacial and low and high temperature solution polycondensation procedures were used. The polymers were colorless and readily formed films or fibers from a wide variety of solvents. Several peculiarities in solubility behavior were encountered. The glass transition and melting temperatures of all of the polymers were much higher than values for similar polymers derived from bisphenol A. Water absorption was relatively high, and stability to discoloration by ultraviolet light was good. The majority of the products did not crystallize readily.
A vertically integrated micromachined filter

A 10-GHz filter constructed of slot-coupled micromachined cavities in silicon is presented. The novel character of the filter lies in its structure, which consists of a microstrip feed to cavities via slot apertures and three vertically stacked slot-coupled cavities. The cavities are essentially reduced-height waveguide resonators. The measured results are presented and compared to a finite-element-method model. The simulated model has a bandwidth of 4% with an insertion loss of 0.9 dB at 10.02 GHz. The measured filter yields a 3.7% bandwidth with a deembedded insertion loss of 2.0 dB at 10.01 GHz. Various loss mechanisms are examined to explain the difference between simulated and measured insertion loss.
The use of simulation in medical education to enhance students' understanding of basic sciences

Simulation! The deans talk about its use in medical education regularly. But how can it be used to teach the basic sciences to first- and second-year medical students? This article will help answer that question by providing information about various types of simulation activities being used in medical education and examples of their application to basic science education. The next step depends on your creativity.
Evolution of breeding systems and fruits in New World Galium and relatives (Rubiaceae).

 Premise of the study : Dioecy occurs in only about 6% of angiosperms, yet it has evolved many times from hermaphroditism. Polygamy is an even more uncommon condition within angiosperms, in which both unisexual and bisexual fl owers occur within a species. Polygamy, dioecy, and hermaphroditism all occur within a New World clade of Galium (Rubiaceae), in which dioecy is hypothesized to have evolved from hermaphroditism via polygamy. At least fi ve sections of Galium as traditionally defi ned by fruit morphology occur within this group. We tested the monophyly of sections defi ned by fruit morphology and sought to determine origins and pathways of breeding systems within this group.  Methods : We obtained chloroplast ( rpoB-trnC, trnC-psbM, trnL-ndhJ ) and nuclear ribosomal (external transcribed spacer) DNA sequences for 89 taxa from the Cruciata-Galium-Valantia (CGV) clade to estimate the phylogeny. Ancestral states for breeding systems, fruit types, and fruit hairs were reconstructed using parsimony and likelihood analyses.  Key results : We identifi ed nine well-supported lineages of New World Galium taxa. However, none of the sections traditionally defi ned by fruit morphology are monophyletic. Dioecy is inferred to have arisen at least three times from hermaphroditism; polygamy is inferred to have arisen at least twice from dioecy and at least six times from hermaphroditism.  Conclusions : Polygamy appears to be a terminal condition in the CGV clade and not a pathway to dioecy. Fruit characters traditionally used in the taxonomy of this group have arisen multiple times within this clade of Galium and are not reliable indicators of shared evolutionary history.
Integration of Text, Image, and Graphic Data From Different Sources in Laboratory Reports Example of Kidney Stone Reporting System

Laboratory analyses may generate multiple data types that may reside in disparate systems, and combining data into a report often requires laborious, error-prone methods. Kidney stone analysis, which includes biochemical composition analysis and gross feature documentation, is an example of such a situation. We developed the kidney stone reporting system (KISS) that integrates patient and specimen information from the laboratory information system, digital images of stones, and analytic instrument data into a concise report for the ordering clinicians. The database management environment facilitates archival and retrieval capabilities. Implementation of the system has reduced the number of manual steps necessary to produce a report and has saved approximately 30 technologist hours per week. Transcription errors have been virtually eliminated. The KISS represents an innovative use of standard tools to integrate text, image, and graphic data from disparate systems into an integrated laboratory report, without the need for expensive interfaces.
Differences in demographic composition and in work, social, and functional limitations among the populations with unipolar depression and bipolar disorder: results from a nationally representative sample

Existing literature on mood disorders suggests that the demographic distribution of bipolar disorder may differ from that of unipolar depression, and also that bipolar disorder may be especially disruptive to personal functioning. Yet, few studies have directly compared the populations with unipolar depressive and bipolar disorders, whether in terms of demographic characteristics or personal limitations. Furthermore, studies have generally examined work-related costs, without fully investigating the extensive personal limitations associated with diagnoses of specific mood disorders. The purpose of the present study is to compare, at a national level, the demographic characteristics, work productivity, and personal limitations among individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder versus those diagnosed with unipolar depressive disorders and no mood disorder. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2004-2006, a nationally representative survey of the civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. population, was used to identify individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and unipolar depressive disorders based on ICD-9 classifications. Outcomes of interest were indirect costs, including work productivity and personal limitations. Compared to those with depression and no mood disorder, higher proportions of the population with bipolar disorder were poor, living alone, and not married. Also, the bipolar disorder population had higher rates of unemployment and social, cognitive, work, and household limitations than the depressed population. In multivariate models, patients with bipolar disorder or depression were more likely to be unemployed, miss work, and have social, cognitive, physical, and household limitations than those with no mood disorder. Notably, findings indicated particularly high costs for bipolar disorder, even beyond depression, with especially large differences in odds ratios for non-employment (4.6 for bipolar disorder versus 1.9 for depression, with differences varying by gender), social limitations (5.17 versus 2.85), cognitive limitations (10.78 versus 3.97), and work limitations (6.71 versus 3.19). The bipolar disorder population is distinctly more vulnerable than the population with depressive disorder, with evidence of fewer personal resources, lower work productivity, and greater personal limitations. More systematic analysis of the availability and quality of care for patients with bipolar disorder is encouraged to identify effectively tailored treatment interventions and maximize cost containment.
The Record Group Concept: A Critique

Archivist of the United States, R. D. W. Connor, issued on March i, 1940, a memorandum setting up a special committee for the study of the adequacy of finding aids in existence at the National Archives.1 The Archivist cited the types of finding aids he wished to have examined; these included "historical summaries," "preliminary reports," and "recommendations on transfer," to mention but a few. The memorandum did not expressly refer to a need for studying the organization of the holdings of the National Archives. Yet the committee, designated as the Finding Mediums Committee, did not limit itself to an examination of finding aids; and its findings resulted in changes more drastic than the Archivist might have anticipated. For one thing, the final report of the committee prompted a major reorganization of the National Archives, the most important feature of which was the abolition of the Divisions of Classification and Cataloging. But perhaps the more significant and original contribution of the committee, not merely to the National Archives but to archival science in general, was the concept of record groups. Indeed, the committee could not have avoided considering the issue of the organization of the holdings. In the words of Solon J. Buck, a member of the committee, "we have to know what an archival group is before making a preliminary checklist."2 It is difficult today to imagine how the National Archives could have operated accessioned, cataloged, classified, inventoried, performed reference service, and so on without some understanding of or consensus on how records ought to be grouped. Of course, records
RETURN RATES OF BANDED GRANIVORES IN RELATION TO BAND COLOR AND NUMBER OF BANDS WORN

We tested the null hypotheses of (1) no effect of band color and (2) no effect of number of bands worn on annual recapture rates of birds on their winter range. Results are reported from four species of granivores—Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus), Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla), White-crowned Sparrow (Z. leucophrys), and Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). We found no effect of the number of bands worn on return rates of these species, nor did we detect an effect of band color on return rates. In the latter case, however, the power of our tests was low, and some results hinted at possible effects of color, especially yellow bands on Golden-crowned Sparrows.
Introduction to the Focus Section on the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake

It has long been recognized that Nepal faces high earthquake hazard, with the most recent large ( M w>7.5) events in 1833 and 1934. When the 25 April 2015 M w 7.8 Gorkha earthquake struck, it appeared initially to be a realization of worst fears. In spite of its large magnitude and proximity to the densely populated Kathmandu valley, however, the level of damage was lower than anticipated, with most vernacular structures within the valley experiencing little or no structural damage. Outside the valley, catastrophic damage did occur in some villages, associated with the high vulnerability of stone masonry construction and, in many cases, landsliding. The unexpected observations from this expected earthquake provide an urgent impetus to understand the event itself and to better characterize hazard from future large Himalayan earthquakes. Toward this end, articles in this special focus section present and describe available data sets and initial results that better illuminate and interpret the earthquake and its effects.
Upcrossing Rate Solution for Load Combinations

An exact expression for the mean upcrossing rate of a sum of two poisson square-wave process representations of stochastic loading functions is used to explore the accuracy of an earlier approximation (due to Wen) of the extreme value distribution of such processes. The approximation is found to be accurate over a broad parameter range despite the fact that it ignores the randomness of load durations and implicitly assumes very infrequent load events. The limits of the mean upcrossing rate as an approximation to the extreme value distribution are also studied.
Glaucoma Genes and Mechanisms

Genetic studies have yielded important genes contributing to both early-onset and adult-onset forms of glaucoma. The proteins encoded by the current collection of glaucoma genes participate in a broad range of cellular processes and biological systems. Approximately half the glaucoma-related genes function in the extracellular matrix, however proteins involved in cytokine signaling, lipid metabolism, membrane biology, regulation of cell division, autophagy, and ocular development also contribute to the disease pathogenesis. While the function of these proteins in health and disease are not completely understood, recent studies are providing insight into underlying disease mechanisms, a critical step toward the development of gene-based therapies. In this review, genes known to cause early-onset glaucoma or contribute to adult-onset glaucoma are organized according to the cell processes or biological systems that are impacted by the function of the disease-related protein product.
Radical prostatectomy versus watchful waiting in early prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer continues to be a significant factor in morbidity and mortality. Due to high prevalence (most common cancer in U.S. males) and mortality (second most common cause of cancer deaths in males), prostate cancer is one of the most crucial health problems in men. The discussion of managing early prostate cancer is not only common, but also complicated. Treatment decisions involve scant survival data and quality of life issues such as impotence and urinary incontinence. Watchful waiting has also had to fight the paradigm of surgery curing cancer.
Concept and Operation of a 4.4 ton/d Liquid Hydrogen Facility

An industrial bulk hydrogen supply and liquefaction plant was built for Linde’s Industrial Gases Division to cover the steadily growing demand of the European liquid hydrogenmarket. The facility was erected near Munich (Germany) and is in operation since 1992 using hydrogen-rich waste gas from a refinery. Apart from the liquefier the plant comprises a pressure-swing-adsorption-purification, a high pressure H2-compression station, a 270 m3 liquid storage tank and filling stations for GH2 and LH2. The concept of the liquefier is based on a Claude cycle with LN2-precooling and expansion turbines. The process will be described together with the main components. Major operation modes will be discussed.
Non-refluxing colon conduit: experience with 70 cases.

AbstractFrom 1969 through 1976, 70 non-refluxing colon conduit urinary diversions were performed on 30 adults and 40 children at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Although this is a longer and more complex operation to perform the rate of complications appears significantly less than that seen previously in patients with ileal loop diversions.
Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears describes the forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation in 1838–39 from its southeastern homelands to the Indian Territory, presently the state of Oklahoma, as part of the federal policy of Indian removal. Although the event is most closely associated with the Cherokees, removal was enacted on all of the “Five Civilized Tribes,” and on many American Indians throughout the United States. But it was the Cherokee Nation and its public, political, and legal resistance that brought Indian removal to the forefront of the American consciousness. The Cherokees fought a sophisticated and strategic resistance against state and federal laws, garnering public sentiment and a victory in the Supreme Court, only to see their efforts ignored by President Jackson and the Congress. The ensuing march resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and meets the United Nations' definition of ethnic cleansing. Keywords: clash of civilizations; colonialism; ethnic cleansing; imperialism; indigenous rights
Neoplasia/Proliferative Disorders

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses neoplastic and proliferative disorders in nonhuman primates. The chapter also provides an overview of neoplasia in nonhuman primates for veterinary practitioners, laboratory animal veterinarians, and scientists concerned with the clinical management of the diseases and the comparative aspects of oncology. Neoplasms are classically divided into two primary groups: benign and malignant. The classification of neoplasia is based on many different criteria such as histogenesis, histological features, and biological behavior. The etiology of neoplasms in nonhuman primates is largely unknown, although several contributory causes have been identified in different species, including genetic factors, ionizing radiation, chemical carcinogens, and viruses. The development of neoplasia is a multistep process involving the clonal evolution of abnormal cell populations that gain a selective growth advantage over normal cells by accumulating specific alterations in at least two groups of genes: protooncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. A description of various tumors—tumors of the skin, soft tissues, and bones; tumors of the cardiovascular system; tumors of lymphoid and hematopoietic systems; and tumors of the respiratory organs—is also provided in the chapter.
The Influence of Wind Direction on Campbell Scientific CSAT3 and Gill R3-50 Sonic Anemometer Measurements

AbstractMeasurements from the Campbell CSAT3 and Gill R3-50 anemometers were conducted in four different experiments, in laboratory and field environments. Consistent differences between these two sonic anemometers were observed. The data have revealed that the differences were strongly correlated with the wind direction. According to the datasets used, the CSAT3 was the anemometer whose measurements were more sensitive to the instrument’s orientation relative to the wind direction. While the mean wind speed and direction remained within the manufacturers’ specifications (a few percent for the wind speed and a few degrees for the wind direction), the estimates of the friction velocity from the CSAT3 differed from the R3-50 by up to 20%.
Firebird: Network-Aware Task Scheduling for Spark Using SDNs

Recently Spark has become a popular cluster computing platform because of its fast in-memory computing which allows users to cache data in servers' memory and query it repeatedly. However, since network I/O is much slower than local I/O, the network can be a bottleneck for data intensive jobs. When data locality is not well balanced or network capacity is limited, data contention can occur, which will significantly slow down task execution. The current delay scheduling method in Spark cannot perfectly solve this problem because it is agnostic to the network status in a cluster. In this paper, we propose a network-aware scheduling method in Spark and design Firebird, a derivative of Spark that runs on top of software-defined network (SDN). By using SDNs, the communication barriers between cluster computing platform and underlying networking are removed and tasks can be scheduled based on network conditions in Spark clusters. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods through detailed experiments with different types of jobs on our system. Experimental results show significant improvement of data-intensive jobs, and our system can achieve best scheduling in different cases without tuning Spark. Firebird can be up to 9 times faster than default Spark in some cases.
Investigation of cyclic CO2 huff-and-puff recovery in shale oil reservoirs using reservoir simulation and sensitivity analysis

Abstract Optimization of cyclic gas huff-and-puff recovery is challenging because there is a myriad of variables involved in the system, most of which have nonlinear and opposite effects. This study conducted a sensitivity analysis in order to find a set of primary depletion period, injection period, and production period which maximized the final oil recovery factor after a fixed length of production. Input data were based on the actual Bakken formation properties and field data. On the basis of numerical simulations, we found that short injection and production periods were favorable because they increased the overall huff-and-puff cycle number and adequately took advantage of the high initial injection rate and production rate during the huff-and-puff stage. When the injection period (production period) was fixed, a too short or too long production period (injection period) was not optimal for final oil recovery because of the interdependence between these two variables; a balance between them is needed. In addition, a too short or too long primary depletion period was not optimal for final oil recovery, and the optimal primary depletion period depends significantly on the combination of injection and production periods. If cyclic CO 2 huff-and-puff recovery starts too early, the recovery rate of primary depletion is higher than huff-and-puff; in this scenario the potential of reservoir pressure drive is not fully utilized. Conversely, if cyclic CO 2 huff-and-puff process starts too late, the recovery rate of primary depletion is already lower than huff-and-puff; in this scenario the remaining time is insufficient to take full advantage of cyclic CO 2 huff-and-puff process. This study aims to use a comprehensive sensitivity analysis to better demonstrate the interdependence and relationships between primary depletion period, injection period, and production period, as well as the influence on the final oil recovery. The outcome of this study has the potential to advance our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying CO 2 huff-and-puff, which will benefit unconventional hydrocarbon energy recovery within shale reservoirs.
REGTHERM 2001, Convection Model with Local Winds

Differential heating creates horizontal pressure gradients which drive secondary circulations in the form of sea breezes and valley winds. Introducing a horizontal coupling between neighboring regions into the numerical convection model ALPTHERM allows one to model the effects of these secondary circulations on the primary convective circulations in the coupled regions. The weakened thermals in regions affected by sea breeze and in basins surrounded by elevated terrain appear in REGTHERM. Additionally, the effects of valley winds on thermals in mountains can be observed.
Science and Mathematics Teachers Working Toward Equity Through Teacher Research: Tracing Changes Across Their Research Process and Equity Views

We investigated secondary science and mathematics teachers engaged in a two-and-a-half-year professional development effort focused on equity. We examined how teachers conducting research on their own instructional practices—a central learning strategy of the professional development project—informed and/or constrained their views related to three strands of equity: teachers and teaching, students and learning, and students’ families and communities. Data collected included recordings of professional development seminars and school-site meetings, three sets of individual interviews with teacher researchers, and drafts and final products of the classroom research teachers conducted. From our qualitative analyses of data, we found that most teachers addressed at least two of the three equity strands in researching their own practice. We also found that most transformed their understandings of teachers and students as a result of their teacher research process. However, teachers’ views of families and communities changed in less substantive ways. We close with recommendations for other researchers and professional developers intent on supporting science and mathematics teachers in using teacher research to work toward equity.
Critical race theory in India: theory translation and the analysis of social identities and discrimination in Indian schooling

AbstractThis article examines ethical and philosophical considerations in theory translation, i.e. translating a theoretical framework from its original place to another national context. Critical race theory (CRT) was developed in the United States through significant struggle in order to analyze everyday racism. Marginalized groups have historically shared postcolonial critiques, conceptualizations of social justice, and methods for mass resistance across national borders. Through an analysis of the literature on CRT and contemporary India, this article explores whether CRT’s principles and methodology can be employed to research discrimination within India’s school system. Can CRT be sensitive to the differences in context and still retain its philosophical center? This analysis reveals that CRT may be particularly helpful in highlighting the educational discrimination experienced by Dalits via use of CRT’s social construction thesis to conceptualize caste and intersectionality to understand caste’s re...
Winnicott at Work: Potential Space and the Facilitating Organization

Winnicott’s object relations theory is deeply applicable to the study of human relations inside formal organizations. His concepts of holding, facilitating, and potentiality offer organization researchers and theorists insightful analytic tools for assessing the quality and meaning of organizational identity. In particular, Winnicott’s idea of potential space and what is called the analytic and intersubjective third is a critical framework for analyzing the quality of attachments between workers and managers, leaders and followers, executives and organizational cultures. Winnicottian theory applied to organizations highlights the focus of theorists and action researchers on the transference of emotions and the psychological reality and genuine experience of the workplace, what the author defines as organizational identity.
Pregnancy-related Acute Aortic Dissection in Marfan Syndrome: A Review of the Literature

A well-established association exists between acute aortic dissection and pregnancy, particularly in women with Marfan syndrome. However, there is debate regarding appropriate management guidelines. In particular, there are differing opinions regarding when prophylactic aortic root repair should be recommended as well as the efficacy of beta blockers in this clinical scenario. The current study evaluated 10 years of published literature (2005-2015) in the PubMed/Medline database. Fifty articles, describing 72 cases of women who presented with aortic dissection in the antepartum or postpartum period were identified. Comparisons on demographic variables and clinical outcomes between cases of women with Marfan syndrome (n = 36) and without Marfan syndrome (n = 36) were conducted. There were no significant differences in demographics (age, gravidity, parity) between the Marfan and non-Marfan cases. Marfan patients presented with antepartum dissections significantly earlier in pregnancy than those without Marfan syndrome (P = .002). However, there were no significant difference between the 2 groups in maternal mortality, fetal mortality, or obstetric outcomes (mode of delivery and gestational age at delivery). Eight cases described events in Marfan women with an aortic root diameter ≤40 mm. Six events occurred in Marfan women who were managed with beta blockers. Current guidelines rely on aortic root diameter for stratification of Marfan women into risk categories, but we identified several cases that would be missed by these guidelines. Specifically, the existing literature suggest that women with Marfan syndrome should take precautions throughout pregnancy, rather than the third trimester.
Thermo-Fluid Essentials for Gas Turbine Design

As seen in the previous chapters, gas turbines consist of many components within which a chain of conversion of energy takes place. Design of a modern gas turbine engine with its components requires solid knowledge of aero-thermodynamic, heat transfer, combustion and solid mechanics design of these components. Aerothermodynamics is the very basic tool for design, off-design and dynamic calculations of gas turbine components and hence the gas turbine system.
Reduced Cerebral White Matter Integrity Assessed by DTI in Cognitively Normal H63D-HFE Polymorphism Carriers.

Background and purpose The H63D-HFE single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been associated with brain iron dysregulation; however, the emergent role of this missense variant in brain structure and function has yet to be determined. Previous work has demonstrated that HFE SNP carriers have reduced white matter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) proton relaxation rates. The mechanism by which white matter alterations perturb MRI relaxation is unknown as is how these metrics are related to myelin integrity. Methods Fifteen subjects heterozygous for the HFE-H63D SNP and 25 controls with wild-type HFE had diffusion-weighted, anatomical MRIs taken, and underwent cognitive assessment. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion (MD), and mode of anisotropy (MO) were calculated from the diffusion dataset to investigate the relationship between the H63D-HFE SNP and myelin integrity. Results A decrease in FA, an increase in MD, and an increase in MO are demonstrated in multiple H63D-HFE polymorphism carrier white matter tracts. Regions with altered diffusion metrics are notably located in heavily myelinated white matter association fibers, such as the anterior corona radiata and longitudinal fasciculi. Conclusions The MRI data presented here demonstrate that H63D-HFE polymorphism carriers have diffusivity changes in white matter compared to wild-type subjects. The reduced integrity white matter tracts in H63D-HFE carriers are hypothesized to be related to increased susceptibility of these late-myelinating regions to cellular stress induced by oligodendrocyte iron dyshomeostasis.
Two's a Crowd: Improving Speaker Diarization by Automatically Identifying and Excluding Overlapped Speech

We present an update to our initial work [1] on overlapped speech detection for improving speaker diarization. Specifically, we describe the addition of new features and feature warping techniques that improve segmenter and, consequently, diarization performance. We also demonstrate improved diarization performance by additionally using overlap segment information in a new diarization pre-processing step which excludes overlap segments from speaker clustering. On a subset of the AMI Meeting Corpus we show that this overlap exclusion step nearly triples the relative improvement of diarization error rate as compared to overlap segment post-processing alone. Index Terms: speaker diarization, overlap detection
Clinical characteristics of children evaluated for suspected pulmonary embolism with D-dimer testing

Background We sought to determine clinical variables in children tested for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) that predict PE+ outcome for the development of paediatric PE prediction rule. Methods Data were collected by query of a laboratory database for D-dimer from January 2004 to December 2014 for a large multicentre hospital system and the radiology database for pulmonary vascular imaging in children aged 5–17. Using explicit, predefined methods, trained abstractors, determined if D-dimer was sent in the evaluation of PE and then recorded predictor data which was tested for association with PE+ outcome using univariate techniques. Results D-dimer was ordered in 526 children for clinical suspicion of PE. Thirty-four of 526 were PE+ (6.4%, 95% CI 4.3% to 8.7%). The radiology database identified 17 additional patients with PE (n=51 PE+ total). Children evaluated for PE were primarily in the ED setting (80%), teenagers (88%) and 2:1 female:male. Children with PE had higher mean heart and higher respiratory rate and a lower pulse oximetry and haemoglobin concentration. On univariate analysis, five conditions were more frequent in PE+ compared with no PE: surgery, central line, limb immobility, prior PE or deep vein thrombosis and cancer. Conclusions The rate of PE diagnosis in children with D-dimer was 6.4%, similar to that seen in adults; most children with PE are over 13 years and had clinical predictors known to increase probability of PE in symptomatic adults. Future studies should use these criteria to develop a clinical decision rule for PE in children.
Optimization of the conical mirror design based on Monte Carlo simulations for fluorescence molecular tomography

Conical mirror is a preferred choice for fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) because of its ability to collect fluorescent emission photons from the whole surface of the imaged object such as mice. Conical mirror, however, would lead to a fraction of photons to be reflected back to the mice surface, including excitation photons and emission photons, which result in inaccurate source positions and measurements errors in the FMT forward modeling and reconstruction. Based on Monte Carlo simulations, we have studied systematically the effects of multiple reflections of different conical mirror designs. We first generated a multiple reflected photon map for each design of the conical mirror, and then we applied Monte Carlo simulations to model photon propagation inside tissues. Finally, we evaluated the ratio of the multiple reflected photons to the total photons, and figured out the optimized size of the conical mirror. Our simulations demonstrated that a single conical mirror configuration could eliminate the multiple reflection issue while keep the imaging system setup simple when its small aperture radius is larger than 5 centimeters. We then fabricated a conical mirror with the optimized size according to the Monte Carlo simulation results, and performed phantom experiments with both the optimized conical mirror and the non-optimized one. Phantom experiment results show that noises in the reconstructed images are reduced with the optimized conical mirror, and the reconstruction accuracy is improved as well.
Molecular identification of common Salmonella serovars using multiplex DNA sensor-based suspension array

Salmonella is one of major foodborne pathogens and the leading cause of foodborne illness-related hospitalizations and deaths. It is critical to develop a sensitive and rapid detection assay that can identify Salmonella to ensure food safety. In this study, a DNA sensor-based suspension array system of high multiplexing ability was developed to identify eight Salmonella serovars commonly associated with foodborne outbreaks to the serotype level. Each DNA sensor was prepared by activating pre-encoded microspheres with oligonucleotide probes that are targeting virulence genes and serovar-specific regions. The mixture of 12 different types of DNA sensors were loaded into a 96-well microplate and used as a 12-plex DNA sensor array platform. DNA isolated from Salmonella was amplified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR), and the presence of Salmonella was determined by reading fluorescent signals from hybridization between probes on DNA sensors and fluorescently labeled target DNA using the Bio-Plex® system. The developed multiplex array was able to detect synthetic DNA at the concentration as low as 100 fM and various Salmonella serovars as low as 100 CFU/mL within 1 h post-PCR. Sensitivity of this assay was further improved to 1 CFU/mL with 6-h enrichment. The array system also correctly and specifically identified serotype of tested Salmonella strains without any cross-reactivity with other common foodborne pathogens. Our results indicate the developed DNA sensor suspension array can be a rapid and reliable high-throughput method for simultaneous detection and molecular identification of common Salmonella serotypes.
Stress-Related Biosocial Mechanisms of Discrimination and African American Health Inequities

This review describes stress-related biological mechanisms linking interpersonal racism to life course health trajectories among African Americans. Interpersonal racism, a form of social exclusion ...
Semiconductor Characterization Techniques

Semiconductor characterization techniques are used in order to gain knowledge on the physical properties of a semiconductor crystal. The process is similar to decoding the DNA sequence of a living organism as it involves understanding the nanoscale structure of the crystal, i.e., its atoms, electrons, structures, and interactions with the surrounding environment. The knowledge gained from the characterization process is essential in determining whether the semiconductor crystal probed is suitable for a particular device component with certain functionalities.
The Impact of IT-Business Strategic Alignment on Firm Performance: The Role of Environmental Uncertainty and Business Strategy

Aligning information technology (IT) strategy with business strategy has been one of the top concerns of practitioners and scholars for decades. Although numerous studies have documented the positive effects of IT-business alignment on organizational performance, few considered the contextual factors that may influence the relationship. This study attempts to fulfill this gap by investigating the role of environmental uncertainty and business strategy on the performance effects of the strategic alignment. Using survey data and statistical analysis, we show that the positive effect of the strategic alignment is significant only in high uncertainty environments. We also find that these effects on organizational performance vary across business strategies and performance measures. The main contribution of this study is the investigation of strategic alignment-performance relationship with respect to different contextual factors, thus providing a richer insight into IT-business strategic alignment issues.
Fast, General Parallel Computation for Machine Learning

Today the terms machine learning (ML) and Big Data are closely correlated. This, and the complexity of many ML algorithms, motivates a search for fast parallel computation methods. A further motivating factor is a need to deal with memory size limitations, especially for the moderately-sized machines common in many ML applications. In addition, it is desirable to develop generally applicable methods, rather than needing to develop a different parallel approach for every ML algorithm. In this work, we apply a technique we call Software Alchemy to ML. We are particularly interested in ML for recommender systems, and explore the feasibility of SA in that context.
Early Experiences With the Buttonhole Modification of the Double-Incision Technique for Gender-Affirming Mastectomies.

BACKGROUND Little has been published about transmasculine and nonbinary gender-affirming mastectomies, particularly for patients with skin excess who desire reliable vascularity and sensation to the nipple-areolar complex. In this case series, we describe our experiences with the "buttonhole technique." METHODS This was a retrospective case series of all consecutive patients who had a buttonhole mastectomy by a single surgeon. This technique maintains the nipple-areolar complex on a dermal pedicle rather than using a free nipple graft. RESULTS Seventeen patients were included, with ages ranging from 21 to 49 years (median, 28 years). There were no major complications. Four patients had minor complications and/or required revision. CONCLUSIONS The buttonhole technique should be considered for transmasculine and nonbinary patients with skin excess who are concerned about nipple vascularity and sensation.
Outcomes after Retinal Detachment Resulting from Self-Inflicted Injury.

Purpose To evaluate the clinical findings of 11 eyes of 7 patients who sustained retinal detachment (RD) caused by self-inflicted injury and to investigate the causes and the prognosis. Design Case series. Participants Seven patients (11 eyes) with self-inflicted eye injuries leading to RD. Methods Retrospective chart review of clinical history, mechanism of injury, and surgical outcomes. Main Outcome Measures Clinical outcome after treatment for RD. Results Self-inflicted injury occurs more frequently in nonverbal patients with severe developmental delay. Retinal detachment repair has a poor prognosis, with frequent recurrences resulting from repeat self-injury and proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The degree of vision loss in these patients was difficult to assess because of the challenges in assessing visual acuity, but it was likely severe in most cases. Conclusions Retinal detachment caused by self-inflicted injury frequently leads to a poor outcome because of recurrent RD. Closer monitoring of patients at greatest risk for ocular self-injury could help to prevent vision loss.
Recurrence of progressive skin involvement following discontinuation or dose reduction of Mycophenolate Mofetil treatment in patients with diffuse Systemic Sclerosis.

Abstract Background Rapidly progressive diffuse cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis (rp-dcSSc) is associated with severe internal organ involvement and high mortality. Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) has been shown to halt the progression of rp-dcSSc cutaneous and pulmonary involvement in observational and randomized controlled trials, respectively. However, optimal MMF therapy duration has not been established. Here, we describe the clinical evolution of rp-dcSSc patients successfully treated with MMF following MMF therapy discontinuation or dose reduction. Methods Twenty-five patients with recent-onset ( Results From nineteen patients serially evaluated following MMF discontinuation or dose reduction, five patients (26.3%) developed recurrence of rapid skin involvement with an average of 35.9% increase in mRSS from 7.8 to 10.6 points requiring MMF re-institution. Two of these patients also presented worsening respiratory symptoms and reduction of lung volumes in PFTs. Following MMF resumption, mRSS returned to baseline or stabilized and PFTs improved or stabilized. All these patients were maintained on high dose long term MMF treatment. Conclusion Recurrence of severe skin involvement occurred in 26.3% of patients with rp-dcSSc following MMF discontinuation or dose reduction, requiring prompt MMF therapy resumption. These findings confirm the therapeutic benefit of MMF in rp-dcSSc and suggest that MMF treatment should be maintained for longer than 2 years.