cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New channel coding achievability bounds

Three essentially different approaches to the constructive part of the channel coding theorem have been proposed by Shannon, Feinstein and Gallager, respectively, leading to upper bounds on the minimal error probability achievable with a given rate and blocklength. Here, new upper bounds are given on both average and maximal error probability, which are tighter than existing bounds for many ranges of blocklength and channel parameters of interest. Along with converse bounds, the new achievability bounds allow to approximate tightly the maximum rate achievable for a given blocklength and error probability for blocklengths as short as n = 200 for both the BSC and the BEC.
Searching for mastery

The study of expertise has a long and textured history, and it continues to be an active area of research among researchers and practitioners interested in human performance, giftedness, and achievement. In this literature review, we explore the concept of expertise across disciplines to gain a better understanding of the common elements of expertise and its relevance to the counseling profession.
Perfluorochemical Reperfusion Limits Myocardial Reperfusion Injury After Prolonged Hypothermic Global Ischemia

The ability of an oxygenated perfluorochemical (Fluosol®) to limit myocardial reperfusion injury following global hypothermia ischemic insult was investigated. Neonatal piglet hearts were arrested with cold crystalloid cardioplegia and stored for 12 hours in 2° C saline. Reperfusion was carried out using an isolated, blood-perfused, working heart preparation. Hearts were initially reperfused (10 minutes) with either whole blood (WB, n=6), unmodified perfluorochemical (PFC, n=8), or aspartate/glutamate-enriched perfluorochemical cardioplegia (PFC+, n=6), prior to institution of whole blood perfusion, functional evaluation and left ventricular biopsy. A control group (C, n=7) was evaluated without an intervening period of ischemia. At a left ventricular diastolic pressure of 9 mm Hg WB hearts developed a left-ventricular stroke work index (SWI) of 3.8±2.3 × 103 erg/g (mean±standard error of the mean). Under similar conditions, PFC-reperfused hearts achieved a SWI of 14.6±1.3 × 103, significantly greater tha...
Incorporating project engineering and professional practice into the major design experience

The culminating major design experience is a critical element in students' preparation for professional practice. Large, diverse programs face significant challenges in providing sufficient and appropriate design opportunities that incorporate a wide range of issues and constraints, as required by Engineering Criteria 2000. With the switch from quarters to semesters in 1999, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech introduced a new, major design experience that addresses these limitations. All electrical engineering and computer engineering seniors complete a new course, Project Engineering and Professional Practice, followed by a specialized team-based design project. This new course, using a combination of lectures and interactive recitations, includes topics related to design methods, project management, teaming, engineering economics, ethics, risks, and professional issues. A formal paper and multiple presentations develop communication skills and provide a lead-in to the team project in the follow-on course. This paper describes the new course, emphasizing the unique elements, and summarizes initial assessment results.
Variable Mode Solid State Magnet Cycle Timer

A solid state digital programmer of main ring magnet current at the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron.
Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Management of Hyponatremic Encephalopathy

Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality among hospitalized patients. Death or brain damage associated with hyponatremia has been described since 1935, and it is now evident that hyponatremia can lead to death in otherwise healthy individuals. In the past, it had been assumed that the likelihood of brain damage from hyponatremia was directly related to either a rapid decline in plasma sodium or a particularly low level of plasma sodium. Recent studies have demonstrated that other factors may be more important. These factors include the age and gender of the individual, with children and menstruant women the most susceptible. Although many clinical settings are associated with hyponatremia, those most often associated with brain damage are postoperative, polydipsia, pharmacological agents, and heart failure. Morbidity and mortality associated with hyponatremia are primarily a result of brain edema, hypoxemia, and associated hormonal factors. Management of hyponatremia is largely determined by symptomatology. If the patient is asymptomatic, discontinuation of drugs plus water restriction is often sufficient. If the patient is symptomatic, active therapy to increase the plasma sodium with hypertonic NaCl is usually indicated. Although inappropriate therapy of hyponatremia can lead to brain damage, such an occurrence is rare. Thus, the risk of not treating a symptomatic patient for exceeds that of improper therapy.
Solar flare cosmic rays and their propagation

Even though the solar conditions and the distribution of interplanetary fields may differ in detail for eaeh of the five great cosmic flare events, it is likely that the dominant mode of propagation in the solar system is the same for all five events. If so, this raises the question of why some great flares produce cosmic rays and others do not appear to do so.
Prevention of TNF-α-induced apoptosis in polyamine-depleted IEC-6 cells is mediated through the activation of ERK1/2

It has been documented that polyamines play a critical role in the regulation of apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells. We have recently reported that protection from TNF-α/cycloheximide (CHX)-i...
Impact of Organic Amendments on Groundwater Nitrogen Concentrations for Sandy and Calcareous Soils

Experiments were conducted on calcareous and sandy soils to investigate the effects of organic amendments for vegetable production on groundwater nitrogen (N) concentration in south Florida. The treatments consisted of applying yard and food residuals compost, biosolids compost, a cocompost of the municipal solid waste and biosolids, and inorganic fertilizer. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), and total N concentrations were collected for a period of two years for both soils. Statistical analysis results revealed that for the three species tested, there were no significant differences among treatments. NO3-N concentrations for all treatments remained less than the maximum contamination level (10 mg/L). NO3-N transport to groundwater was higher in calcareous soil (mean=5.3 mg/L) than in sandy soil (mean=0.6 mg/L). NH4-N concentrations ranged from 0 to 13.6 mg/L throughout the experiment. Calcareous soil had lower NH4-N concentrations (mean=0.1 mg/L) than sandy soils (mean=0.7 mg/L). Total...
On the Logic and Application of Optimal Foraging Theory: A Brief Reply to Martin

Optimal foraging theory is that part of evolutionary ecology developed over the last two decades as a tool for analyzing animal subsistence behavior (Pyke et al. 1977; Krebs 1978). A collection of articles (Winterhalder and Smith 1981) that gives foraging models a central role in the analysis of archeological and ethnographic data on hunter-gatherers is the subject of a lengthy review by John Martin ("Optimal Foraging Theory: A Review of Some Models and Their Applications," AA 85:612-629, 1983). As editors of this volume (Hunter-Gatherer Foraging Strategies, hereafter, HGFS), we wish to note some of the serious flaws in Martin's piece. Along with its demonstrated heuristic value, there are some genuine difficulties in optimal foraging theory (review in Krebs et al. 1983) and limitations on its applicability to humans (reviews in Smith 1983; Winterhalder 1983). Some of these are known; we presume that some are unrecognized. One of the central virtues of foraging theory is that it provides a coherent set of concepts and models that can be subjected to criticism, debate, and revision. However, the criticisms should be informed, the debate rigorous, and the proposed revisions carefully constructed to ensure that they truly offer improvements in clarity, scope, or anthropological utility. Because Martin's review fails by these criteria, a critique is in order. A careful response to a 10,000-word essay packed with technical commentary would involve a critique of at least equal length, especially since Martin has misunderstood or misinterpreted fundamental aspects of evolutionary ecology and foraging theory. The editorial policy of this journal severely restricts the length of replies, so here we simply list Martin's more serious errors and briefly discuss two of them. Readers interested in the fuller
Mass spectrometric analysis of long-chain esters of diols

Homologous series of synthetic long-chain mono- esters and diesters of 1,2-ethanediol were analyzed by mass spectrometry, and the patterns of fragmentation were studied. Under electron impact saturated ethanediol monoesters yielded prominent ions characteristic of the shortchain diol, such as the rearranged ion formed by 2,3-cleavage (m/e 104) and the ion caused by 3,4-cleavage (m/e 117). Fragments characteristic of the constituent long-chain moieties were the acylium ions (RCO)+, (RCO - 1)+, and the ions (RC(OH)e)+. The mass spectra of ethanediol diesters exhibited very intense peaks due to the ions formed by loss of the acyloxy group, (M - RCOO)+, or one carboxylic acid, (M - RCOOH)+. These ions are distinctive for diol diesters. Precise mass measurements by high resolution mass spectrometry verified the composition of the ion fragments. Spectral studies of some monoesters and diesters of 1,3- propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, and also of some monounsaturated homologues, demonstrated that mass spec- trometry is very suitable for the identification, distinction, and analysis of diol lipids.
Voltage profile evaluation of power systems with coordinated SVC devices

Voltage security analysis is an important content in power systems operation and control. With the developments of flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) devices, power system performance can be improved. This paper presents an application of one of the FACTS devices - new static VAR compensator (SVC) in power systems, and analyzes its impact on system voltage profile. The new SVC model controls local, remote, internal and external devices simultaneously. It has two modes of operation: (1) Voltage control mode; and (2) Q control mode. This paper describes the functions of the new SVC, and implements them in the practical power systems. The impact of voltage profile with new SVC model is also discussed by comparing it with general SVC model as well as without SVC model.
The Surface Coulomb Energy And Proton Coulomb Potentials Of Pyrophyllite {010}, {110}, {100}, and {130} EDGES

This paper describes structural models of four pyrophyllite edge faces: {010}, { 110}, { 100}, and { 130}. Water molecules chemisorbed to Lewis acid sites stabilize edge faces both crystallochemically and electrostatically. The detailed assignment of protons to surface oxygens and the orientation of OH bond-vectors both influence the surface Coulomb energy. The geometry chosen for the electrostatic calculations was infinite pyrophyllite ribbon the thickness of a single phyllosilicate layer and the width of 50 to 70 unit cells. Such a phyllosilicate ribbon has only two edges, a top and bottom, which were simulated using the edge-face models mentioned above. About 94% of the surface Coulomb energy is confined to the edge-face repeat unit. The surface Coulomb energies of the four edge faces are on the order of 2-3 n J/m, varying + 1 nJ/m with proton assignment. The Coulomb potential, measured either within the layer or parallel to the layer, has a distinct negative trend near the edge face that can be traced to chemisorbed water molecules. Finally, the correlation between proton Coulomb potentials at the edge face and the coordination environment of the protons is poor, obscured by long-range interactions.
The Involutory Dimension of Involution Posets

The involutory dimension, if it exists, of an involution poset P:=(P,≤,′) is the minimum cardinality of a family of linear extensions of ≤, involutory with respect to ′, whose intersection is the ordering ≤. We show that the involutory dimension of an involution poset exists iff any pair of isotropic elements are orthogonal. Some characterizations of the involutory dimension of such posets are given. We study prime order ideals in involution posets and use them to generate involutory linear extensions of the partial ordering on orthoposets. We prove several of the standard results in the theory of the order dimension of posets for the involutory dimension of involution posets. For example, we show that the involutory dimension of a finite orthoposet does not exceed the cardinality of an antichain of maximal cardinality. We illustrate the fact that the order dimension of an orthoposet may be different from the involutory dimension.
Acidovorax citrulli Seed Inoculum Load Affects Seedling Transmission and Spread of Bacterial Fruit Blotch of Watermelon Under Greenhouse Conditions

Dutta, B., Scherm, H., Gitaitis, R. D., and Walcott, R. R. 2012. Acidovorax citrulli seed inoculum load affects seedling transmission and spread of bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon under greenhouse conditions. Plant Dis. 96:705-711. Infested seed are typically the primary source of inoculum for bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits. An inoculum threshold of 1 infested seed per 10,000 seeds is widely used in seed health testing for Acidovorax citrulli. However, the influence of seed inoculum load on BFB seedling transmission has not been elucidated. In this study, watermelon seedlots (128 seeds/lot) containing one seed inoculated with A. citrulli at levels ranging from 1 × 10 1 to 1 × 10 7 CFU were used to investigate the effect of seed inoculum load on seedling transmission and spatiotemporal spread of BFB under greenhouse conditions. The relationship between A. citrulli seed inoculum load and frequency of BFB seedling transmission followed a sigmoidal pattern (R 2 = 0.986, P = 0.0047). In all, 100 and 96.6% of seedlots containing one seed with 1 × 10 7 and 1 × 10 5 CFU of A. citrulli, respectively, transmitted the pathogen to seedlings; in contrast, the proportion of seedlots that yielded BFB-infected seedlings was lower for lots with one seed infested with 1 × 103 (46.6%) and 1 × 101 (16.7%) CFU of A. citrulli. The relationship between A. citrulli seed inoculum load and frequency of pathogen detection in seedlots using immunomagnetic separation combined with a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay also followed a sigmoidal pattern (R2 = 0.997, P = 0.0034). Whereas 100% of samples from seedlots (10,000 seeds/lot) with one seed containing ≥1 × 105 CFU tested positive for A. citrulli, 75% of samples from lots with one seed containing 1 × 10 3 CFU tested positive for the pathogen, and only 16.7% of samples with one seed containing 10 CFU tested positive. Because disease transmission was observed for lots with just one seed containing 10 A. citrulli CFU, zero tolerance for seedborne A. citrulli is recommended for effective BFB management. The seedling transmission experiments also revealed that temporal spread of BFB in 128-cell seedling trays increased linearly with A. citrulli inoculum load (r2 = 0.976, P = 0.0037). Additionally, the frequency of spatial spread of BFB from an inoculated seedling in the center of a planting tray to adjacent healthy seedlings over one-, two-, or three-cell distances was greater for lots with one seed infested with at least 1 × 10 5 CFU than for lots with one seed infested at lower inoculum loads (1 × 101 and 1 × 10 3 CFU/seed).
Tracking moving devices with the cricket location system

We study the problem of tracking a moving device under two indoor location architectures: an active mobile architecture and a passive mobile architecture. In the former, the infrastructure has receivers at known locations, which estimate distances to a mobile device based on an active transmission from the device. In the latter, the infrastructure has active beacons that periodically transmit signals to a passively listening mobile device, which in turn estimates distances to the beacons. Because the active mobile architecture receives simultaneous distance estimates at multiple receivers from the mobile device, it is likely to perform better tracking than the passive mobile system in which the device obtains only one distance estimate at a time and may have moved between successive estimates. However, an passive mobile system scales better with the number of mobile devices and puts users in control of whether their whereabouts are tracked.We answer the following question: How do the two architectures compare in tracking performance? We find that the active mobile architecture performs better at tracking, but that the passive mobile architecture has acceptable performance; moreover, we devise a hybrid approach that preserves the benefits of the passive mobile architecture while simultaneously providing the same performance as an active mobile system, suggesting a viable practical solution to the three goals of scalability, privacy, and tracking agility.
The Loma Prieta earthquake, ground motion, and damage in Oakland, Treasure Island, and San Francisco

Abstract The basis of this study is the acceleration, velocity, and displacement wave-forms of the Loma Prieta earthquake (18 October 1989; M = 7.0) at two rock sites in San Francisco, a rock site on Yerba Buena Island, an artificial-fill site on Treasure Island, and three sites in Oakland underlain by thick sections of poorly consolidated Pleistocene sediments. The waveforms at the three rock sites display a strong coherence, as do the three sedimentary sites in Oakland. The duration of strong motion at the rock sites is very brief, suggestive of an unusually short source duration for an earthquake of this size, while the records in Oakland show strong amplification effects due to site geology. The S -wave group at Treasure Island is phase coherent with the Oakland records, but at somewhat diminished amplitudes, until the steps in acceleration at approximately 15 sec, apparently signaling the onset of liquefaction. All seven records clearly show shear-wave first motion opposite to that expected for the mainshock radiation pattern and peak amplitudes greater than expected for sites at these distances (95 ± 3 km) from an earthquake of this magnitude. While the association between these ground motion records and related damage patterns in nearby areas has been easily and eagerly accepted by seismological and engineering observers of them, we have had some difficulty in making such relationships quantitative or even just clear. The three Oakland records, from sites that form a nearly equilateral triangle about the Cypress Street viaduct collapse, are dominated by a long-period resonance (≃ 1 1/2-sec period) far removed from the natural frequency of the structure to transverse motion (2.5 Hz) or from high-frequency amplification bands observed in aftershock studies. A spectral ratio arbiter of this discrepancy confuses it further. The failure of the East Bay crossing of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge cannot be attributed to relative displacements of the abutments in Oakland and Yerba Buena Island, but the motions of the Bay Bridge causing failure remain unknown. The steps in acceleration at Treasure Island present unusual strong-motion accelerogram processing problems, and modeling suggests that the velocity and displacement waveforms are contaminated by a spurious response of the filtering operations to the acceleration steps. A variety of coincidences suggests that the Treasure island accelerogram is the most likely strong-motion surrogate for the filled areas of the Marina District, for which no mainshock records are available, but the relative contributions of bad ground, poor construction and truly strong ground motion to damage in the Marina District will never by known in any quantitative way. The principal lesson of all of this is that until a concerted effort is mounted to instrument ground and structures that are likely to fail during earthquakes, our understanding of the very complex relationships between strong ground motion and earthquake damage will, in general, remain rudimentary, imprecise, and vague.
High Capacity VoIP Services in 802.11 Networks

IEEE 802.11 employs distributed coordination function (DCF) channel access mechanism which is based on carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). This standard was primarily designed to support best-effort traffic. Moreover, due to the contention-based approach, the bandwidth utilization is inherently inefficient. Therefore, the number of voice over IP (VoIP) calls which can be supported is severely limited. For example, the G.711 speech codec supports only 8 calls in an 802.11b network. We present a new method to increase VoIP capacity in Wi-Fi networks. This methodology requires no change to the existing DCF. It relies on contention-free channel access to improve the efficiency of bandwidth utilization without requiring the support of standard-based point co-ordination function (PCF). The access point (AP) uses packet aggregation in the downlink and scheduling in the uplink to enhance the throughput. Through mathematical analysis, we find that the proposed mechanism results in about 300% improvement over the baseline model. Using this, the G.711 codec supports 27 calls in 802.11b network
Molecularly Targeted Staging Strategies in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cancer staging involves determining the extent cancer has progressed by spreading. Positron emission tomography (PET) and optical imaging techniques are being actively evaluated for staging of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Many of these techniques remain investigational and validation of early results is necessary, but the potential advantages are clear. PET has the potential to provide noninvasive means of determining histology and malignant potential of a renal mass. Patients with localized disease can be risk-stratified for observation, nephron-sparing surgery, or radical nephrectomy. Patients with metastatic disease may be imaged to determine the best therapy, and treatment response can be monitored with serial imaging.
Measurement of the metabolism of cytochrome P-450 in cultured hepatocytes by a quantitative and specific immunochemical method

We have defined conditions that permit quantitative and specific measurement of the metabolism of the major phenobarbital-inducible form of cytochrome P-450 protein in primary non-proliferating monolayer cultures of adult rat hepatocytes. Isolated antibodies specifically directed against phenobarbital cytochrome P-450 are used to immunoprecipitate the cytochrome from lysates of cultured hepatocytes pulse-labelled with [3H]leucine. Phenobarbital cytochrome P-450 protein is then isolated from the immunoprecipitate by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gradient slab gels. Specificity of the assay for phenobarbital cytochrome P-450 was established by competition experiments involving other forms of purified cytochrome P-450 as well as by testing antibodies directed against these other forms of the cytochrome. Using purified phenobarbital cytochrome P-450, radiolabelled in both its haem and apoprotein portions, as an internal standard, we demonstrated that, with this immunoassay, recovery of cytochrome P-450 from microsomal samples is nearly complete. Basal rates of synthesis of phenobarbital cytochrome P-450 representing as little as 0.02–0.05% of total cellular protein synthesis were reliably and reproducibly detected in hepatocyte culture maintained in serum-free medium for 72h. Moreover, inclusion of phenobarbital in the culture medium for 96h stimulated not only synthesis de novo of phenobarbital cytochrome P-450 protein, but also accumulation of spectrally and catalytically active cytochrome P-450. Advantages of this immunoassay are that metabolism (synthesis or degradation) of the haem or protein of this important form of the cytochrome can be measured conveniently in the small samples available from cultured cells without the necessity of preparing subcellular fractions.
The Distributional Impact of Greater Responsiveness: Evidence from New York Towns

Making leaders more responsive to voters is a frequent goal of institutional reforms in democracies. Given that some citizens participate more in politics than others, however, there is a risk that increased responsiveness may conflict with another democratic value: the equality of policy outcomes. This article studies this trade-off using institutional reforms in New York towns, where officials known as assessors are charged with ensuring equitable treatment in property taxation. Over time, hundreds of towns reduced responsiveness by making their assessors appointed instead of elected. The local context thus allows for more precise measurement of who gets what from government, as well as more credible estimates of the effects of institutions. Results show that local policy decisions are biased against low-income residents and that elections serve only to compound this bias.
Resistivity profiles of wild-type, rd1, and rd10 mouse retina

Electrical impedance of the retina is a critical factor in retinal prostheses, determining the intraretinal current flow and potential distribution of electrical stimulation. Previous resistivity measurements in retina were limited to healthy retina, and didn't include mouse models, a common and important animal model in retinal research. This experimental study measured the resistivity profiles of wild-type, rd1, and rd10 mice, providing basis for computational simulations and predictive modeling studies. The peak resistance frequency method has been utilized to measure the resistivity profiles of the retina cross section, and the results show agreement with previous studies in retina of normal rats and embryonic chicks. Retinal degeneration affects the width of the profile, which is in agreement with histological measurements. Degeneration also results in lower peak resistivity. The results indicate that, on the mesoscopic scale, resistivity is dominated by spatial factors, while influence of remodeling on the cellular level is not apparent under such scale.
Freeze coring soft sediments in tropical lakes

A new freeze corer is described that is specifically designed for operation in warm tropical lakes. It combines the standard wedge-shaped freeze-on container with a 20-liter thermos from which pellets of solid CO2 descend into the wedge to replace those that have sublimated. This extends the duration of effective freezing from ~20 to ~45 min, sufficient to form an adequate thickness of frozen crust in warm (> 22 °C) lakes and prevent its premature melting during retrieval through the water column. The instrument contains no electrical components, which simplifies construction, operation, and maintenance. The front and back surfaces of the freeze wedge are fitted length-wise with serrated ridges to facilitate removal of the crust as four rectangular sediment slabs. The feasibility of freeze coring studies in tropical regions is mainly determined by the local availability of a large-volume dry ice producer.
Ultrafast Chemical Exchange 2D IR Spectroscopy

The 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy is applied to study the ultrafast dynamics of organic solute-solvent complexes and carbon-carbon single bond rotation of ethane derivatives in liquids at room temperature.
A prospective analysis of 13,580 colonoscopies. Reevaluation of credentialing guidelines.

The aims of this study were to assess the safety and efficacy of surgeons performing colonoscopy, and to use the results to reevaluate currently available credentialing guidelines. A prospective outcomes study was designed to include all members of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). End points were related to the efficacy and safety of colonoscopy. Credentialing guidelines were reviewed. Between April 1998 and September 1999 13,580 colonoscopies were prospectively entered into a database. The most common indications were rectal bleeding, colonic polyps, and change in bowel habits. The colonoscopy was normal or revealed only diverticulosis or nonspecific inflammation in 8,473 (62.4%), lower gastrointestinal bleeding in 4 (0.03%), polyps in 4,645 (34.2%), and tumors in 458 (3.4%) patients. The most common biopsy methods for polyps or tumors were the snare (n = 1,728; 34%), the hot (n = 1,600; 31%), and the cold (n=1,340; 22%) procedures. The colonoscopy was complete in 12,495 cases (92%), requiring a mean procedure time of 22.7 min (range, 1-170 min). Intraprocedural complications included arrhythmia (n = 14; 0.1%), bradycardia (n = 115; 0.8%), hypotension (n = 171; 1.2%), and hypoxia (n = 806; 5.6%). Postprocedural complications were seen in 27 patients (0.2%). Bleeding (n = 10; 0.07%) was managed by observation alone (n= 9; 0.06%) and repeat colonoscopy with transfusion (n = 1; 0.01%). Perforation (n = 10; 0.07%) was treated successfully by observation with conservative management (n = 5; 0.05%) and surgery (n = 5; 0.05%); severe abdominal pain (n = 4; 0.03%) was managed by observation and conservative therapy; and broncho-spasm (n = 2; 0.015%) was managed by observation and supportive care. One single mortality (0.007%) was that of a 70-year-old man with a massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage who had a cardiac arrest in the recovery room following colonoscopy. The complication rate was not significantly associated statistically with either the level of experience or the number of prior or annual colonoscopies. However, prior colonoscopic experience did have an impact on the completion rate (p < 0.001) and was inversely proportional to the time to completion (p < 0.001). Similarly, the number of annual colonoscopies affected the completion rate and was inversely correlated with the time to completion (p < 0.001). This large prospective outcomes study showed that colonoscopy performed by surgeons can be rapidly and successfully done with acceptably low morbidity and mortality. There was no association between experience and complications. However, a minimum of 50 prior colonoscopies and 100 annual colonoscopies were associated with a significant improvement in the rate of completion. There was also a significant correlation between both prior and ongoing annual experience and the time required for the examination. No minimum number of cases can be mandated for credentialing to perform “safe” colonoscopies.
Lymph Flow from the Heart-Lung Preparation During Pulmonary Edema

The absence of demonstrable lymphatics beyond the alveolar ducts1 suggests a factor in the rapid development frequently characterizing pulmonary edema. In the following experiments this anatomical fact was put to a functional test.In 4 dogs under nembutal anesthesia the thoracic duct was can-nulated one centimeter from the point of its entrance into the left subclavian vein. Following this, a Starling-Knowleton heart-lung preparation was made, and the thoracic duct tied off above the diaphragm. The cannula in the duct was connected with a saline-filled rubber tube terminating in a glass dropper, the tip of which was adjusted to lie on a plane about 2 cm below the lowest level of the thoracic duct in the chest. The effluent was received into a graduated tube and its volume measured over 15-minute periods. Care was taken to keep the cannula free from clots. In 2 experiments chlorazol fast pink was administered (100 mg/kilo), rendering the lymph noncoagulable, and obviating the danger of intravascular clotti...
One-step construction of aminosquaraine backbone

Abstract One-step construction of the amino-substituted squaraine dye backbone was discovered unexpectedly in an amidation reaction. Under the catalysis of Mukaiyama's reagent, (4-dimethylamino)phenylacetic acid and bulky secondary amine 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine give the reduced form of aminosquaraine instead of amide as the major product. The reduced form of aminosquaraine can be oxidized to a dark-colored conjugated aminosquaraine within seconds. The method provides a novel and facile way to functionalize the four-membered core of squaraine dye.
Enroling and retaining human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients in their care: A metasynthesis of qualitative studies.

Abstract Objectives To report the findings of a metasynthesis review of qualitative studies on patient and provider experiences and perspectives on linkage and retention in HIV care. Design The review is an extraction, aggregation, interpretation and synthesis of qualitative findings based on the Sandelowski and Barroso method. Data sources A search of the literature was conducted in the databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, PubMed and PsycInfo for articles published from 2008 to 2013. Inclusion criteria were qualitative research articles published in English from across the world and in peer-reviewed journals. Literature reviews, conference abstracts and grey literature were excluded from this metasynthesis. Review methods The review consisted of a) comprehensive search, b) study classification, c) abstraction of findings, d) synthesis. Of the 4640 citations screened, 69 articles were included for this metasynthesis. Results 69 unique articles from 44 countries were included. This metasynthesis takes into account the perspectives of at least 2263 HIV-positive participants (740 men, 1008 women, 78 transgender individuals and 437 unspecified sex) and 994 healthcare providers, family members and community members. The most salient barriers and facilitators to HIV linkage and retention in HIV care affirm ecological factors that are mostly beyond individual patients' control. Triadic streams of influence concurrently affect care engagement that include a person's psychological state upon diagnosis and their informational challenges (intrapersonal stream); one-on-one interactions with providers and their immediate community (social stream); and life demands, overall quality of care experiences and other structural barriers (cultural-attitudinal stream). Each stream's influence on HIV care engagement varies at any given point to reflect an individual's evolving and unique experiences with HIV infection throughout the illness trajectory. Conclusion There is sufficient evidence that detail how to best link and retain patients in HIV care. Themes identified indicate going beyond individual-level factors and towards shifting attention and resources to systems that patients navigate. Forceful structural-level actions are needed to correct these long-identified barriers and enhance care engagement facilitators.
Local Item-Item Models For Top-N Recommendation

Item-based approaches based on SLIM (Sparse LInear Methods) have demonstrated very good performance for top-N recommendation; however they only estimate a single model for all the users. This work is based on the intuition that not all users behave in the same way -- instead there exist subsets of like-minded users. By using different item-item models for these user subsets, we can capture differences in their preferences and this can lead to improved performance for top-N recommendations. In this work, we extend SLIM by combining global and local SLIM models. We present a method that computes the prediction scores as a user-specific combination of the predictions derived by a global and local item-item models. We present an approach in which the global model, the local models, their user-specific combination, and the assignment of users to the local models are jointly optimized to improve the top-N recommendation performance. Our experiments show that the proposed method improves upon the standard SLIM model and outperforms competing top-N recommendation approaches.
Multi-modal wearable ambient display: an investigation of continuous glucose monitoring

The design of an interface for a pervasive wearable device requires attention to a wide range of user contexts, but can also leverage multi-modality in a way that mobile devices cannot. As wearable devices become more pervasively used, design paradigms for multi-modal display are increasingly necessary. Here, we describe a qualitative study of users of Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) devices, focusing on the ways in which device alarms are used to display glucose status. Our findings suggest that good design of wearable multi-modal ambient display should balance the social and cognitive implications of display modalities, consider the ability of an ambient signal to communicate a larger bandwidth of information, and allow display modes and thresholds to be customized to the individual user.
On the Mechanics of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valves (TAVs) represent the latest advances in prosthetic heart valve technology. TAVs are truly transformational as they bring the benefit of heart valve replacement to patients that would otherwise not be operated on. Nevertheless, like any new device technology, the high expectations are dampened with growing concerns arising from frequent complications that develop in patients, indicating that the technology is far from being mature. Some of the most common complications that plague current TAV devices include malpositioning, crimp-induced leaflet damage, paravalvular leak, thrombosis, conduction abnormalities and prosthesis-patient mismatch. In this article, we provide an in-depth review of the current state-of-the-art pertaining the mechanics of TAVs while highlighting various studies guiding clinicians, regulatory agencies, and next-generation device designers.
Research With Trans Communities: Applying a Process-Oriented Approach to Methodological Considerations and Research Recommendations

In this article, we aim to provide readers with tools to critically consider decisions related to conducting research with trans populations. We first present the historical and contemporary contex...
Epigenetic regulation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) controls the division-specific timing of gene expression during B cell differentiation

The differentiation of B cells to plasma cells is required for the generation of a protective antibody response. Following activation, B cells undergo multiple rounds of cell division that result in progressive differentiation and the acquisition of plasma cell phenotypic traits. However, how the epigenetic program is remodeled to facilitate differentiation, what the cis -regulatory elements that participate in this process are, and the molecular timing of these events during cellular division are poorly understood. To dissect B cell differentiation in vivo , five distinct divisions, representing unique stages of B cell differentiation were isolated by FACS. The changes in chromatin landscape were identified by the Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) and the effects on gene expression measured by RNA-seq. In parallel, histone modification profiles in naive B cells and plasmablasts were defined. Interestingly, the loci with losses and gains in the histone modifications H3K27ac and H3K27me3 were highly correlated with enhancer activity and gene expression changes. To investigate the role of H3K27me3, B cells were differentiated in the presence of GSK343, a small molecule inhibitor of H3K27me3. Plasma cells differentiated at earlier divisions in the absence of H3K27me3 and a three-fold increase total plasma cells was observed. Together these data define the division coupled epigenetic events that regulate B cell differentiation, provide the first map of plasma cell cis -regulatory elements, and identify epigenetic processes that regulate the timing of differentiation during division.
Improved Understanding of CO2–Water Pretreatment of Guayule Biomass by High Solids Ratio Experiments, Rapid Physical Expansion, and Examination of Textural Properties

In this work, we provide a systematic study of CO2–water pretreatment of guayule biomass to optimize the residual ground bagasse from natural rubber extraction for hydrolysis and fermentation. Guayule biomass is mixed with water then loaded into a 250 mL reactor with exposure to a biphasic environment consisting of a CO2-rich vapor phase and water-rich liquid phase. The pressure is then rapidly released for a “physical expansion” effect. The pretreated biomass is enzymatically hydrolyzed, and the sugar concentration in hydrolysate is measured. Experimental runs are conducted in the temperature range of 145 to 210 °C and pressure range of 3.4 to 34 MPa. The solids ratio (dry solids mass/water mass) is between 0.17 and 1.7. The packing density is between 0.03 and 0.2 g of biomass per cm3 of the reactor, and the holding time ranges from 20 to 840 min. A 4-fold increase in the reactor volume is performed and optimized with a 1-L vessel. High-pressure carbon dioxide–water pretreatment increases surface area of...
National Responses to HIV Versus HCV-Infection from Virally Contaminated Blood Products among Persons with Hemophilia (PWH): More Different Than Alike.

Background: 95% of HIV- and HCV-infections among PWHs occurred with use of contaminated blood products prior to 1985. Overall, 20% to 90% of PWHs in developed countries have HIV- and/or HCV-infection. We compared country-specific public health approaches, judicial activities, and compensation for these viral infections. Methods: Reports from hemophilia organizations, national ministries of health, published articles, and the World Federation of Hemophilia were reviewed. Results: Except for the United States, the number of PWHs who developed HCV-infection from contaminated blood products was 1.5 to 3-fold as great as for HIV-infection- as a result of delayed use of heat-treated blood products, importation in late 1984 of HCV-infected non-heat treated blood products from the United States, and failure to use surrogate laboratory marker hepatitis screening tests. Compensation funds for HIV-infected PWHs were established in Japan ($521,000 at Dx); France ($305,000 at Dx; $102,000 for AIDS); the United States ($115,000 at Dx); Ireland ($106,000 at Dx); the United Kingdom ($55,000 at Dx); Australia ($48,000 at Dx); Canada ($13,000 at Dx/$18,000/yr); Germany ($12,000/yr for HIV; $24,000/yr for AIDS); and Italy ($6,000/yr; $82,000 at death). Compensation has also been provided to HCV-infected PWHs in Ireland ($266,000 at Dx); Canada ($251,000 at Dx); the United Kingdom ($33,000 at Dx; $42,000 if w/liver damage); and Italy ($10,000/yr; $37,000 at death). Conclusions: In most developed countries, despite a greater number of HCV-versus HIV-infected PWHs, markedly less attention has been paid to HCV-infected PWHs. All countries should review HCV-related blood safety decisions made in the 1980s and consider providing compensation to HCV-infected PWHs.
Abstract: Premature Adoption of Technological and/or Administrative Innovations in Marketing: Exploring the Issues and Implications Through a Competitive Advantage Lens

As seekers of reactive and/or proactive innovations in search of competitive advantage, firms often, prematurely, adopt technological and/or administrative innovations. The adoption of such innovations can be premature in two ways: the innovation itself is in its infancy or the firm is not ready for adoption. While the adoption of technological as well as administrative innovations is important, in this research, the focus is on the adoption of administrative innovations. We systematically explore and synthesize research on adoption of administrative innovations to develop a framework to explicate premature adoption of administrative innovations. Next, we review specific administrative innovations such as market orientation strategy, and customer lifetime value framework to explore premature adoption of administrative innovations in marketing. Finally, we discuss the implications of this research for theory and practice. Given the paucity of research on this issue in the marketing discipline, we hope that our work sparks productive inquiry into premature adoption of administrative innovations in marketing.
Creating a Deaf place: the development of the Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Poor Children in the early nineteenth century

ABSTRACTBy tracing the beginnings of the Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Poor Children, this article describes the first Deaf place in England. It argues that early Deaf places, like the Asylum, function as incubators necessary for the growth of Deaf culture. From its founding through its first move to a purpose-built campus, the central stakeholders – the founders, financiers, headmaster, teachers, and students – not only performed their roles but also succeeded in creating a place for Deaf people to come together and use sign language in large numbers. Even so, the Asylum was a divided place; poor children had a very different experience than their wealthy counterparts. Reconstructing the origins, policies, and evolving practices of the Asylum helps to understand the treatment of Deaf people, the value of Deaf places for this often-marginalized minority group, and the development of institutional landscapes for the Deaf.
Nurses' Beliefs About Their Abilities to Delegate Within Changing Models of Care

Changing models of nursing care have resulted in a more diverse work force composition. Nurses (RNs and licensed practical and vocational nurses) have greater responsibilities for delegation and supervision of unlicensed assistive personnel providing direct nursing care. This study describes nurses' beliefs about their abilities to delegate and supervise direct nursing activities and explores differences based on professional and job-related factors. A national sample of 148 licensed nurses working in three practice settings was surveyed. In general, nurses reported a high level of comfort, frequency, preparedness, confidence, competence, and control. Differences found in nurses' beliefs were based on education, practice setting, and type of work responsibilities.
Animating Chinese Cinemas: A Preface

ABSTRACTThis preface by the guest editors provides a situated overview of the purpose, structure and methodologies of the contributing articles on Chinese animations in this special issue. Aiming to reconfigure Chinese film studies through historical and theoretical inquiries about the relationship between the animated and the cinematic, the special issue introduces a nascent perspective on Chinese animations by offering rigorous and stimulating studies on the forms, genres and materiality of animation, as well as on the technological and ontological conditions of animated moving images in the age of digital new media. The preface also provides a brief historical overview of Chinese animation and animation studies, generating dialogues with diverse approaches to Chinese animation at home and abroad. Whereas the socio-historical contexts of Chinese animation highlight its ideological functions, the contributing authors in this special issue present fresh visions and innovative studies of Chinese animation ...
Introduction: Turning Lemons into Lemonade? Party Strategy as Compensation for External Stresses

Rackaway and Rice review the tripod model of political parties and discuss how changes in the electorate and campaigns challenge its stability. They focus specifically on how the 2016 election brought new challenges to the Republican and Democratic parties, with candidates for their party’s nomination on both sides mounting significant challenges to the party establishment. These challenges require new strategic adaptations. The chapter concludes with an overview of the remainder of the book and the insights these chapters provide into the state of American political parties.
The Use of Botulinum Toxin Injection for Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Most brachial plexus birth injuries (BPBIs) are caused by traction on the brachial plexus during a difficult delivery. Fortunately, the possibility of complete recovery from such an inc...