cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Failure Analysis: A Common Bond

My involvement with the Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology (MFPT) began over 15 years ago. This society was appealing to me since my employer, the Army Research Laboratory, was heavily involved in failure analysis of Army aviation flight safety critical components. Similar to ASM, the MFPT acts as a mechanism for technical information exchange, and provides the scientific and engineering communities a better understanding of mechanical failures and the means to predict and prevent them. The MFPT fills a unique niche of not only analyzing failures, but applying diagnostics and prognostics technology as well as systems health management techniques in preventing them. Another objective of the MFPT is to stimulate awareness of mechanical failures and their impact to society, and to provide a technical base for failure avoidance technology. Over the years, I have become an MFPT Board Member, and Chairman of the Failure Analysis Technical Committee. I feel the papers presented at the annual MFPT conference are technically sound, and are of extreme value to the failure analyst. The current selection of papers herein represents the work of private industry and the Government, and provides a nice snapshot of the quality of MFPT papers. I am sure you will agree this special issue offers a wealth of information at your fingertips. While not inclusive of all the work being performed in this field, consider these papers a sampling of the current progress in failure analysis techniques. It is my hope that the reader will come to appreciate not only the work performed by the MFPT community, but also the special bond shared between ASM and the MFPT with respect to failure analysis and prevention. It is my hope that the MFPT and ASM can continue their current relationship for the benefit of those involved in the many disciplines related to failure analysis. It has been a pleasure being guest editor for this special issue, and thanks are extended to the MFPT authors as well as the ASM peer reviewers for their efforts in creating high quality manuscripts.
Potentiation of glucose-mediated glomerular injury by mechanical strain

SUMMARY 1. The glomerular injury of diabetes is characterized by the progressive accumulation of extracellular matrix in the mesangial regions, ultimately resulting in glomerulosclerosis. 2. The excessive glomerular extracellular matrix formation associated with the haemodynamic alteration of diabetes is the result of mesangial mechanical strain. 3. The increased synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix is augmented by the presence of high glucose concentrations. 4. Both mechanical strain and high glucose share many of the mechanisms mediating their metabolic effects, including the stimulation of prosclerotic growth factors. 5. Little is known about factors that may influence the long-term effects of mechanical strain, but the preservation of the F-actin cytoskeleton is likely an important modulator of the resulting injury.
Life history constraints contribute to the vulnerability of a declining North American rattlesnake

Abstract Delayed maturation and age-biased dispersal work in concert under past selection to maximize individual fitness and contribute to population viability; however, these life history attributes can become dysfunctional in a dynamic, anthropogenic landscape when important population demographics cannot redistribute in response to novel landscape change. We used long-term monitoring data to estimate age at maturity, potential longevity, survival, and fidelity for the declining eastern diamondback rattlesnake (EDB), Crotalus adamanteus. We used radio telemetry data and known-fate models to examine adult survival, and we combined mark-recapture and radio telemetry data to examine survival and fidelity using a combined recapture/recovery model. Monthly adult survival was higher during the active season (April–November; 99.5%) as compared to the inactive season (December–March; 96.3%), despite a higher probability of detecting human-caused mortalities during the active season. Rattlesnakes matured in 7.1 years and potential longevity exceeded 20 years. Fidelity estimates indicated mature EDBs had a low probability of dispersing from the study area, while younger, sexually immature individuals were more likely to emigrate. The combination of a slow life history and an ontogenetic shift in emigration suggests EDB life history limits the species’ ability to respond to landscape change, shedding further light on EDB imperilment. Management efforts will benefit from activities that maintain high adult survival. Furthermore, EDB fidelity should be considered in conservation plans, particularly in light of the species’ longevity, as these characteristics suggest that mature EDBs may not readily redistribute at the landscape scale in response to habitat degradation.
206) IHS Headache Diagnostic Patterns in Pain Facility Patients

Objective: To characterize pain facility headaches according to IHS diagnostic criteria. Design: Pain facility consecutive admissions complaining of headache completed a questionnaire reflecting IHS criteria, a physical and neurological examination, and headache interview. IHS diagnoses were arrived at utilizing questionnaire data. As many IHS diagnoses as possible were assigned. Statistical analysis included a frequency distribution for headache precipitants; and neck associated symptoms were evaluated by discriminant analysis to determine their diagnostic value in relationship to each IHS diagnostic group. Setting: Pain facility. Patients: Patients with chronic pain. Results: Of 1466 PWCP, 154 or 10.5% had headache interfering with function. Of these, 55.8% related their headaches to an injury and 83.7% had neck pain. Migraine headache was most common (90.3%) with cervicogenic being second (33.8%). Of total group, 44.2% had more than one headache diagnosis. Cervicogenic patients had the greatest percentage of overlap (94.2%) with migraine being second (68.3%). The most frequent headache precipitants were mental stress, neck positions and activity/exercise. The migraine and cervicogenic headache groups had a statistically significant greater number of neck associated symptoms. Of the total group, 74.6% had a neck tender point. Cervicogenic, migraine and tension PWCP had the greatest frequency of head or neck tender points. The discriminant analysis found the following symptoms as the most common predictors of headache: clues to onset severe headache begins at the neck or tender point and numbness in arms and legs; headache brought on by, neck positions and arms overhead; and neck symptoms, have a tender point in neck and feel severe headache in neck. Conclusions: Headache is a frequent comorbid condition in PWCP. These headaches are mostly migraines. More precise diagnostic criteria are required to separate cervicogenic from migraine headache. Neck associated symptoms are important to migraine PWCP. This issue may need to be addressed in future IHS criteria.
Analysis of Agreement Between Computed Tomography Measurements of Glenoid Bone Defects in Anterior Shoulder Instability With and Without Comparison With the Contralateral Shoulder

Background:Computed tomography (CT) is frequently used to diagnose glenoid bone defects in anterior shoulder instability. The assessment of glenoid defects on 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) CT scans has been reported with and without a comparative study of the contralateral shoulder; however, no previous studies have analyzed if these 4 methods agree.Purpose:To estimate agreement between CT assessments of glenoid defects by examination of the affected shoulder alone and by comparison with the contralateral side on both 2D and 3D CT scans.Study Design:Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.Methods:A total of 200 prospectively enlisted patients affected by unilateral anterior shoulder instability underwent CT of both shoulders. The area of the missing glenoid was calculated on 4 sets of CT scans (2D and 3D CT images with and without comparison with the contralateral shoulder) by using the circle method. Agreement between the 4 measurements in quantifying the bone defect was estimated acco...
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Skeletal Health

Fractures and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are both more prevalent with older age, and the world population is aging with greater numbers and a higher proportion of older adults. Fractures exact a substantial public health toll among older adults. Hip fractures in particular are associated with increased mortality and functional decline, but vertebral and other fractures also have substantial consequences. A substantial and growing proportion of older adults have T2D. These older adults with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of fracture, especially when their higher bone mineral density is taken into account. The reasons for this increased risk have not been clarified. More frequent falls is a contributing factor but does not fully account for the increased fracture risk observed with T2D. Instead, studies suggest that diabetic bone is more fragile for a given bone density. Among those with T2D, higher fracture risk is associated with traditional factors, including low bone density, older age and female gender, and with diabetes-specific factors, including diabetes duration, poor glycemic control, and hypoglycemic episodes. A more complete understanding of the relationship between diabetes and skeletal health is essential in order to prevent fractures in this growing segment of the older population.
A Quantitive Analysis on Virtual Reality-Based Computer Aided Design System Interfaces

In this paper, a series of interface tests on interaction approach for the generation of geometric shape designs via multi-sensory user interface of a Virtual Reality (VR) based System is presented. The goal of these interface tests is to identify an effective user interface for VR based Computer-Aided Design (CAD) system. The intuitiveness of the VR based interaction approach arises from the use of natural hand movements/gestures, and voice commands that emulate the way in which human beings discuss geometric shapes in reality. The focus of this paper is on determining a set of effective interaction approaches by using the combinations of auditory, tactile, and visual sensory modalities to accomplish typical CAD tasks. In order to evaluate the proposed interaction approach, a prototypical VR-CAD system is implemented. A series of interface tests were performed on the prototypical systems to determine the relative efficiency of a set of potential interaction approach with respect to specific fundamental design tasks. The interface test and its results are presented in this paper.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
The Achaemenid painted pottery of Hasanlu IIIA

This paper presents data on the painted pottery of Hasanlu II/IIIA from an analysis of field records. The excavation programme at Tepe Hasanlu was carried out between 1956 and 1977 for the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Archaeological Service of Iran. Period II/IIIA, the final pre-Islamic occupation of the site, dates to the Late Achaemenid-Early Hellenistic period. The painted pottery includes Western Triangle Ware, Cream-slipped Bichrome Ware, Brown-line Ware, and Classic Triangle Ware. Site and sequence Hasanlu is one of several large Iron Age mounds in the Qadar River valley at the southern end of Lake Urmia in western Azerbaijan, Iran. It consists of a central Citadel Mound (25m above the plain and about 200m in diameter) surrounded by an Outer Town. It was occupied from about 5500 BC to about 280 BC and again in Islamic times.
Using Transparency to Enhance Responsiveness and Trust in Local Government: Can It Work?

Increasingly, local governments view transparency as a means of (re)connecting with a citizenry that, by many accounts, has grown distant. By improving the public’s access to government information, the expectation is that seeds for more responsive and trustworthy local government will be sown. Yet, empirical assessments of the relationship between transparency, responsiveness, and trust in local government have been mixed. Therefore, the intention of this article is to provide an overview of prior research that attempts to conceptually, and empirically, tie transparency to greater responsiveness and trust in local government. Based upon this review of the literature, implications for effective practice are discussed.
Histological image processing features induce a quantitative characterization of chronic tumor hypoxia

Hypoxia in tumors signifies resistance to therapy. Despite a wealth of tumor histology data, including anti-pimonidazole staining, no current methods use these data to induce a quantitative characterization of chronic tumor hypoxia in time and space. We use image-processing algorithms to develop a set of candidate image features that can formulate just such a quantitative description of xenographed colorectal chronic tumor hypoxia. Two features in particular give low-variance measures of chronic hypoxia near a vessel: intensity sampling that extends radially away from approximated blood vessel centroids, and multithresholding to segment tumor tissue into normal, hypoxic, and necrotic regions. From these features we derive a spatiotemporal logical expression whose truth value depends on its predicate clauses that are grounded in this histological evidence. As an alternative to the spatiotemporal logical formulation, we also propose a way to formulate a linear regression function that uses all of the image features to learn what chronic hypoxia looks like, and then gives a quantitative similarity score once it is trained on a set of histology images.
Development of auxiliary geometric design software for involute gear based on the C and gnuplot

Based on the geometric model of involute tooth profile,the geometric design software for gears was developed on the platform of Windows.The software was written in C programming language,including open source programs and libraries such as gnuplot and CxImage.Many geometric modeling approaches for gears were proposed.Gnuplot had been regarded as the module of graphical output in many application software,in which the proposed approaches were used.For the implementation of the calculation module,the curve parameter equations for tooth profile were proposed.The module of computing kernel was written in C language.Gnuplot was the kernel of data visualization module.Data was transmitted by plain text and commands through pipes.The process of windows was established on the the method of Windows Application Programming Interface(API).Graphical User Interface(GUI)had been used in the software.The display problem of png format pictures was solved by using CxImage library in stand of picture control.Modern computer program design technique is involved in traditional mechanical design theory.Drawing on the experience of many open source software and function libraries,the aided machinery design software promotes the efficiency and level of design.
Multimedia teaching or training of talents

This paper points that institutions of higher learning must focus on training talents,and emphasizes new talents' criterion which is trinity of "knowledge-ability-quality". In order to train "trinity" new talents,institutions of higher learning must apply the means of modern education and technical norms,and should deal with the relations which are main or subsidiary,technicality or practicability,computer-assisted or regular media-assisted and courseware reproduction or classroom notes.
Aerodynamic Analysis of Flow-Control Devices for Wind Turbine Applications Based on the Trailing-Edge Slotted-Flap Concept

AbstractThe development of upscaled wind turbines of tomorrow would benefit from a rationale change in load-control strategies. Active flow-control devices attached to existing blade designs constitute an interesting alternative. This study presents a numerical assessment of the aerodynamic characteristics of airfoil sections specifically intended for wind turbine applications, with modular flow-control devices attached. Based on the slotted trailing-edge flap concept, these modular devices could be appended to an existing blade design, providing a cost-effective method of active control with low energy of actuation. Their use also requires minimal design modifications to the original blade and retooling of its manufacturing process. Numerical results are presented for the study of the effects of slotted flaps applied to two airfoil sections, the NACA 643−618 and the DU 93-W-210, which are currently used on the NREL-5MW reference wind turbine. By adding new knowledge about the effects of flaps applied to ...
Two conformational states involved in the use-dependent TTX blockade of human cardiac Na+ channel

We used a fast inactivation-deficient mutant (QQQ) of the human heart Na+ channel alpha-subunit (hH1a) to assess the influence of the inactivation gate on tetrodotoxin (TTX) use-dependent block (UD...
The spear point and the ground beneath: territorial constraints on the logic of Responsibility to Protect

The doctrine of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) faces considerable criticism, of both its inefficacy – its failure to describe an effective pathway around the obstacles to humanitarian intervention in the sclerotic global security system – and its overreach, especially the risk that it enables pretextual agendas of intervention and regime change. Yet neither defenders nor critics have paid much attention to another possibility or risk incumbent in R2P: the likelihood, once intervention is undertaken, that the interveners themselves will be involved in a conflict over territory, whose likely solutions will include, not simply regime change, but partition. The doctrine as we now have it, built thoroughly on a state-centric logic, does not engage with this question, and indeed there are strategic reasons for ignoring the issue: acknowledging such a quality would be too much for R2P’s supporters to admit or its critics to accept. But whatever our normative orientation toward this rising or stumbling doctrine,...
Prospects in the Study of Aphasia: The Nature of the Symptom and its Relevance for Future Research

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the prospects in the study of aphasia, the nature of its symptom, and its relevance for future research. There are several problems in aphasia research and neuropsychology that can be termed “fundamental.” One of these is the nature of the image, for example, the verbal image of inner speech or the visual image of hallucination. The image is fundamental because the relation of the image to the perception goes to the heart of the transition from private to public space. The duration of the present is important for many reasons, not the least of which is that it spans instants of physical passage and is a fundamental obstacle to a naive mind-brain reduction. An even more fundamental problem is the origin of the error or symptom. It is fundamental because a symptom is a fragment of a behavior that points to a state of the brain. If the fragment points to a disrupted phase in the mind/brain state, behavior more generally is a symptom or expression of the brain state as a whole. Symptom is only pathological when it is deviant. As parcellation is the pattern of process in development and behavior, heterochrony is the rate or timing of this process. Heterochrony is the idea that in brain development or evolution, different organ systems can develop at different rates and that this difference in the timing of development can lead to shifts in evolutionary outcomes, including adaptations, errors, and severe aberrations. If the symptom refers to a segment of preliminary process, one strategy in treatment might be to concentrate efforts on the just prior phase or on constraining the damaged one so as to facilitate a traversal of the disrupted segment.
Risk Analysis of Leveraged ETFs

In this chapter, we investigate the impact of leverage ratio on the risk associated with an LETF.
Adolescent Menstrual Management: The Complex Intersection of Science, Patient Autonomy, and Reproductive Justice

This article is a comment on Prior's (2016) article “Adolescents’ Use of Combined Hormonal Contraceptives for Menstrual Cycle–Related Problem Treatment and Contraception: Evidence of Potential Lifelong Negative Reproductive and Bone Effects.” In this article, we differ with Prior's conclusions about whether to prescribe combined oral contraceptives to adolescents in general and for off-label reasons in particular. We discuss guidelines on the practice from various medical societies, and we place any decision about treatment in the context of patient autonomy, shared decision-making, the clinician's role as an information agent, and consideration of both treatment and contraceptive needs. Adolescents’ likelihood of adherence to a treatment plan is also an important consideration.
Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation.

For more than 50 years, vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) have been the standard of care for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the numerous limitations of VKAs have led to the development of non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs). There are 4 NOACs currently approved for prevention of thromboembolism in patients with nonvalvular AF. This article provides an overview of AF, summarizes basic properties of NOACs, and reviews the landmark trials. Current data on use of NOACs in special populations and specific clinical scenarios are also presented. Lastly, recommendations from experts on controversial topics of bleeding management and reversal are described.
DIET OF JUVENILE BURBOT AND INSIGHT INTO GAPE LIMITATION

Throughout much of their distribution, Burbot (Lota lota ) populations are declining or have been extirpated. Burbot in the Kootenai River, Idaho represent one such imperiled population. In an effort to restore Burbot in the Kootenai River, managers have turned to conservation aquaculture. However, no appreciable increase in natural recruitment has been observed in the system. The lack of natural recruitment is believed to be partly due to a deficiency of high-quality prey. As a result, we sought to i) describe the diet of juvenile Burbot, ii) evaluate the influence of Burbot mouth gape on diet and iii) estimate prey availability at release locations. Burbot were stocked into two earthen ponds at the Boundary Creek Wildlife Management Area (BCWMA) and sampled weekly to evaluate diet. Zooplankton were sampled weekly from each pond and from release locations of hatchery-reared Burbot (i.e., Kootenai River, Goat River, Boundary Creek, Deep Creek) to quantify prey availability. Over the course of the study (~3 months), Burbot primarily fed on Cyclopoida. Burbot never appeared to be gape limited and exhibited little variability in the size of zooplankton ingested. Zooplankton densities at stocking locations were relatively low in comparison to BCWMA ponds. Low zooplankton densities at release sites indicate that alternative management actions may need to be considered to enhance Burbot recruitment in the Kootenai River drainage.
Reduced frequency of murine cytomegalovirus retinitis in C57BL/6 mice correlates with low levels of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 expression within the eye during corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression

AIDS-related human cytomegalovirus retinitis remains a leading cause of blindness worldwide. We compared two C57BL/6 mouse models of experimental murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) retinitis for intraocular expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3, host proteins that are inducible negative feedback regulators of cytokine signaling. These mouse models differed in method of immune suppression, one by retrovirus-induced immune suppression (MAIDS) and the other by corticosteroid-induced immune suppression. Following subretinal injection of MCMV to induce retinitis, intraocular SOCS1 and SOCS3 were only mildly stimulated, and often without significance, within MCMV-infected eyes during the progression of MCMV retinitis in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice, contrary to MCMV-infected eyes of mice with MAIDS that showed significant high stimulation of SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression in agreement with previous findings. Frequency and severity of retinitis as well as amounts of intraocular infectious MCMV in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice were also unexpectedly lower than values previously reported for MAIDS animals during MCMV retinitis. These data reveal a major difference between two mouse models of experimental MCMV retinitis and suggest a possible link between the amplitude of SOCS1 and SOCS3 stimulation and severity of disease in these models.
Progress towards an intense beam of positrons created by a Van de Graaff accelerator

Abstract A 4MV Van de Graaff accelerator was used to induce the nuclear reaction 12 C(d,n) 13 N in order to produce an intense beam of positrons. The graphite target was heated so the radioactive 13 N would desorb from the bulk into the vacuum. This radioactive gas is frozen onto a cryogenic freezer where it decays to produce an antiparticle beam of positrons. This high current beam is then guided into a superconducting magnet with field strength up to 7 Tesla where the positrons will be stored in a newly designed Micro-Penning-Malmberg trap. Several source geometries have been experimented on and found a maximum antimatter beam with a positron flux of greater than 0.55 ± 0.03 × 10 6 e + s −1 was achieved. This beam was produced using a solid rare gas moderator composed of krypton (Kr) at a temperature of 25 ± 5 K. Due to geometric restrictions on this set up and other loss mechanisms, 10 7 –10 8 e + s −1 of the total number of positrons are lost. Simulations and preliminary experiments suggest a new geometry, currently under testing, will produce a beam of 10 7 e + s −1 or more. The setup and preliminary results for the new geometry will be discussed as well.
The mammalian Golgi apparatus during M-phase

The Golgi apparatus in mammalian cells disassembles into several thousand vesicles as cells enter M-phase. Disassembly is dependent on the action of cdc2-kinase and at least two pathways contribute to the fragmentation: One involves the budding of COP-coated vesicles from Golgi cisternae with concomitant inhibition of fusion with their target membranes, the other is a less well characterised COP-independent pathway. During telophase, the Golgi fragments reassemble and fuse into a fully functional Golgi stack, using at least two distinct fusion pathways. The morphological changes of the Golgi apparatus during M-phase offer an ideal system to study how cellular organelles are generated and how their structure is maintained during interphase.
Upper Extremity Phlegmasia Cerula Dolens: Presentation by Color Duplex Ultrasound:

IntroductionPhlegmasia cerula dolens (PCD) is an uncommon complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and involvement in the upper extremities is rare. We report a case in which color duplex ultras...
Measurements of Charged Aerosol Coagulation

In high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), an improved understanding of the production of carbonaceous dust (e.g., by abrasion, corrosion, radiation damage, and gas-to-particle conversion) an...
Markov Chains with Countably Infinite State Spaces

Markov chains with a countably infinite state space exhibit some types of behavior not possible for chains with a finite state space. Figure 5.1 helps explain how these new types of behavior arise. If p > 1/2, then transitions to the right occur with higher frequency than transitions to the left. Thus, reasoning heuristically, we expect Xn to be large for large n. This means that, given X0 = 0, the probability P 0j n should go to zero for any fixed j with increasing n. If one tried to define the steady state probability of state j as limn→∞P 0j n ,then this limit would be 0 for all j. These probabilities would not sum to 1, and thus would not correspond to a limiting distribution. Thus we say that a steady state does not exist. In more heuristic terms, the state keeps increasing forever. The truncation of figure 5.1 to k states is analyzed in exercise 4.3. The solution there defines ρ=p/q and shows that π1=(1−ρ)ρ1/(1−ρk) for ρ≠1 and π1 = 1/k for ρ=1. For ρ<1 the limiting behavior as k → ∞ is π1= (1−ρ)ρi for ρ<1 and πi=0 otherwise. In section 5.3 we analyze birth death Markov chains, of which figure 5.1 is an example, without first truncating the chain.
Functional heterogeneity of alveolar macrophages.

The alveolar macrophage is the first line of defense against inhaled toxicants, infectious organisms and inert dusts. While much attention has been paid to the mechanisms of activation of peritoneal macrophages, little information is available concerning those of the alveolar macrophage. Alveolar macrophages have been reported to differ from peritoneal macrophages in many respects, including their response to lymphokines (1,2). It has been reported that lower respiratory tract infections can activate alveolar macrophages (3), and that intratracheal injection of Mycobacterium bovis (strain BCG) can induce tumor cell destruction by macrophages isolated from the lung (4). It is not clear, however, whether functionally distinct states of macrophage activation, analogous to those identified for murine peritoneal macrophages, can occur in the lung. We therefore have sought to define functional characteristics of alveolar macrophages after immunization of hamsters with BCG and to correlate these characteristics with the state of activation. Our results indicate that macrophages derived from the lung of hamsters show alterations in functional capacity which may indicate different states of activation.
Overview of PAD Treatment in the CKD Population: Indications, Medical Strategies, and Endovascular Techniques

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease risk equivalent and is a common problem in chronic kidney disease patients. In addition to the process of intimal atherosclerosis that is associated with traditional risk factors such as diabetes and tobacco abuse, PAD in CKD occurs due to medical calcification. PAD intervention should be performed in select symptomatic patients, as described by the guidelines, and CVD risk factor modification should occur in all CKD patients, regardless of the presence of PAD. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the indications for intervention, medical treatments, and interventional techniques for the treatment of PAD in the CKD population.
Bringing Back Place: Exploring the Conceptions of Space, Time, and Place for Environmental Policy

This article examines the ways that American approaches to public administration and policy are heavily shaped by a Cartesian ontology that emphasizes abstract notions of time, space, and consequen...
The Hispanic Extracurricular Participation Gap

Objectives Scholars have noted a gap in extracurricular (EC) participation between Hispanic students and other students. But why exactly does this gap exist? We consider four possible explanations: parental awareness, financial resources, family obligations, and access to EC activities. Methods To test these possible explanations for the EC participation gap, we use data on middle school participation in EC activities from Tulsa, Oklahoma. We fit a series of ordinary least squares models to analyze membership in EC activities across seven activity types for 381 Hispanic and 447 white students in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We also investigate whether EC activity predicts academic outcomes in middle school. Results Parental awareness is the dominant predictor of EC activity. EC activity also has positive effects on math test scores, math and reading grades, and overall grade point average, even after controlling for early academic success. Conclusions The key to narrowing the Hispanic‐white EC participation gap would seem to be greater parental awareness of the value of EC activities as well as practical steps that might be taken to enlist children in such activities.
Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age . Jeffrey G. Coghill and Roger G. Russell, eds. Lanham, Md.: Roman & Littlefield, 2017. 180p. Paper, $41.00 (ISBN 978-1-4422-6444-1).

Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age presents an overview of issues librarians face as the world has shifted to a more digital-centric approach and provides suggestions of areas in which librarians should hone their skills to meet the changing demands of their customers. Edited by Jeffrey G. Coghill, outreach librarian and the director of Eastern AHEC Library Services, and Roger G. Russell, assistant director for user services, both of East Carolina University’s William E. Laupus Health Sciences Library, this book was written to dive into new trends in librarianship. It counsels readers on how to gain expertise in a field that is increasingly evolving due to the impact of technology on how it meets its core function of service.
Topology optimization for brittle fracture resistance

Abstract Structural topology optimization in the context of material degradation and fracture has been gaining considerable interest. In this work we explore the use of the phase field method for fracture in order to increase the fracture resistance, or strength, of a structure prior to failure by directly constraining the phase field approximation of the fracture surface energy. A density-based topology optimization framework is used and the total weight of the structure is minimized. The analytical sensitivities are derived and an efficiency gain based on the Schur-complement is presented for the computation of the sensitivities. The effectiveness of the proposed method is then demonstrated for two benchmark examples.
Publicly-researchable accessibility information: problems, prospects and recommendations for inclusion

Despite worldwide attempts to improve accessibility for consumers with disabilities, barriers still exist that exclude persons from consumer participation in daily life. Although legislation and lawsuits have addressed this issue, marketplaces designed for able-bodied persons are commonplace with minimal accessibility standards tied to costs rather than the needs of this overlooked group. The present article examines a seemingly obvious, but understudied aspect of inclusion: the provision of publicly-researchable accessibility information. Ironically, businesses and public venues may create accessible spaces, yet fail to provide the level of detail needed by consumers with disabilities when planning a shopping excursion, dinner and entertainment, or travel and overnight stays. That is, the provision of factual accessibility content has lagged and is not required by law. This article reports on an exploratory study in the United States that examined the accuracy and completeness of publicly-researchable accessibility information for restaurant and entertainment venues in a large metropolitan area in the Northeastern United States. Observations were gathered from websites and social media of specific venues, as well as travel rating services like TripAdvisor. Findings were mixed. While some venues provided full and factual accessibility information, others revealed just the opposite both in online and follow-up telephone interviews. Implications are discussed along with recommendations for future study.
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Colorectal Surgery: A Review of the Economic Implications

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs are transdisciplinary, evidence-based perioperative protocols that aim to standardize best practices and increase the value of delivered healthcare. Quality improvement programs such as ERAS for colorectal surgery have been linked to a reduction in rates of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) including surgical site infection as well as a reduction in overall length of stay. Importantly, to achieve these results, hospitals must commit to fostering transdisciplinary collaboration across surgery, anesthesiology, and nursing, as well as alignment between frontline providers and hospital executives. This requires upfront investment as well as ongoing resource allocation to sustain the program but given the magnitude of the potential impact of a successful ERAS program on multiple domains of quality and safety, the investment will easily reap ongoing rewards. The purpose of this manuscript is to outline implementation and sustainability costs of an ERAS program as well as discuss the potential cost savings related to the program to further inform hospitals considering adoption of this approach to care.
A Tale of Two Hispanic Migrants: Lessons in Building Educational Leadership Traits

This inquiry was initiated to delve into the lived experiences of migrant workers and how the themes of poverty, language, cultural differences, mobility, parental support, and mentorship are related to concepts of leadership within educational institutions. Investigators mined for bilingual leadership skills learned by two Latino migrants who made it from the tolling in the agricultural fields of the United States to high levels of educational excellence and leadership in bilingual and multicultural education. These lessons, communicated via personal testimonies, provide much-needed insight for the recruitment of future educational leaders who can use their Latino heritage to build bridges of bilingual educational excellence in the educational systems. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.3.2
Probiotics and Herbal Therapies

This chapter discusses the evidence for use of probiotics and herbal therapies for treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). An overview of the human microbiome is described. Disease-specific probiotics with specific activity to promote gastrointestinal health may have beneficial effects on symptoms of LPR. The most commonly used probiotics include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, and Streptomyces species. Probiotics are ideally taken as part of the diet and are found in a variety of fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi, natto, and sauerkraut. Demulcent herbs contain mucilaginous materials that coat the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and can soothe irritation and inflammation. They repair the mucosa by reducing irritation of the bowel and decreasing sensitivity to gastric acid. Aloe vera, licorice root, marshmallow root, and slippery elm root are commonly used demulcent herbs. Other herbs, including Iberogast, ginger, and D-limonene, have been found in clinical studies to reduce gastric acidity, improve gastric emptying, and promote gastric healing. Finally, prolonged proton-pump inhibitor therapy can result in poor absorption of essential nutrients, including calcium, iron, magnesium, and vitamins. Supplementation of these nutrients is necessary to prevent long-term adverse sequelae.
Disparity in access to bariatric surgery among African-American men.

Despite improvements in safety and effectiveness in surgical management of extreme obesity, men and racial minorities are less likely to receive metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) compared to other patient groups. This study examines the racial and gender disparities in access to MBS to understand the mechanism that drives these problems and to propose strategies for closing the disparity gap. Using 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, we estimated the proportion of individuals, by race and gender, who were eligible for MBS based on Body Mass Index (BMI) and comorbidity profile. We analyzed the 2015 MBS Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program Participant Use Data File to examine differences in patient characteristics, comorbidities, and postsurgical outcomes among African-American (AA) and White men. Predictors of poor outcomes were identified using unconditional logistic regression models. AA men represented 11% of eligible patients but only 2.4% of actual MBS patients. Compared to White men, AA men were younger, had higher BMI, were more likely to have a history of hypertension, renal insufficiency, required dialysis, and had American Society of Anesthesiologists class 4 or 5 (all P values < 0.01). After surgery, AA men were more likely to suffer from postoperative complications (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.52) and stayed in the hospital for more than 4 days (aOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.26–1.82) compared to White men. Despite being eligible for MBS based on both BMI and obesity-related comorbidities, AA men are significantly less likely to undergo MBS. Those AA men who receive surgery are significantly younger than White men but also experience greater comorbidities compared to White men and all women. Further longitudinal studies into patient-, system-, and provider-level barriers are necessary to understand and address these disparities.
Expanding exchange: how institutional actors shape food-sharing exchange systems

In this conceptual paper, we offer a revised perspective of exchange which is relevant across diverse institutional and economic contexts. We discuss and compare food sharing exchange systems in India and the US. We focus on the antecedents and drivers of food sharing exchange systems, the processes by which institutional actors influence food sharing exchange systems and the underlying reasons due to which food-sharing systems emerge. Our work substantively builds on the extant literature on the theory of exchange and institutional theory in marketing. We develop a compelling exchange narrative of how institutional actors can drive consumer welfare across diverse exchange systems.
Performance comparison of dual-function systems embedding phase-modulated signals in FH radar

In this paper, we compare the performance of diﬀerent phase modulated frequency hopping (FH) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar waveforms. The communication symbols are embedded into the FH waveforms under the auspices of dual-function (DF) radar and communications system. In the proposed scheme, each embedded symbol is represented by a sequence of phases. The phase modulated sequence is embedded through multiplication with the radar hops and is transmitted through a MIMO radar platform. Using this scheme, we consider information embedding in MIMO FH radar implementing diﬀerent types of phase modulated sequence, including phase shift keying (PSK), diﬀerential phase shift keying (DPSK) and continuous phase modulation (CPM). We analyze the corresponding ambiguity functions (AFs) in terms of reducing or increasing range and Doppler sidelobes compared to the FH radar without any signal embedding. The spectral sidelobe levels and the complexity of the demodulator at the communication receiver are also examined. It is shown the proposed embedding scheme for DPSK and CPM minimizes the frequency leakage outside the radar signal bandwidth. To demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed scheme, we compare its performance with existing embedding schemes, all for FH radars. It is shown that our approach, in its significant reductions of range sidelobes, permits high data rate transmission. This is made possible because the FH radar can now afford using duplicate hopping code values without the penalty of incurring high correlations, or range sidelobe levels.
Cross-Group Relationship Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis

Cross-group relationships are defined as romantic relationships involving two individuals from distinct racial or ethnic groups. For this paper, the terms “interethnic” and “interracial” are used a...
Acute Severe Thrombocytopenia Event Associated with Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole Use.

Objective: To report a case of life-threatening thrombocytopenia associated with the use of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) therapy. Report of the case: 50-year-old woman with no significant past medical history who presented with one day of petechial rash on her arms, chest and legs. Patient reports that she had just completed a 7- day course of TMP/SMX (1-double strength tablet twice a day) for uncomplicated UTI by her PMD. On admission, the patient was hemodynamically stable, and complete blood cell count revealed a platelet count of 2000/uL. TMP/SMX was believed to be the most likely cause of thrombocytopenia. After discontinuation of TMP/SMX and treatment with 2 units of platelets, 1gm intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and oral dexamethasone, repeat CBC showed a stable platelet count of 90,000/uL. Patient was successfully discharged on hospital day 3 with outpatient follow up with the hematology clinic for further monitoring. Conclusion and Discussion: Differential diagnosis of severe thrombocytopenia include drug induced thrombocytopenia (DITP), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), post transfusion purpura (PTP), immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), or catastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS). Drug-dependent antibodies are an unusual class of antibodies that bind firmly to specific epitopes on platelet surface glycoproteins only in the presence of the sensitizing drugs. DITP typically has an abrupt onset of severe thrombocytopenia, usually less than 20,000/uL. Thrombocytopenia usually begins to recover within 1-2 days after the offending drug is discontinued and platelet levels usually normalize within one week as demonstrated in our case report. Pharmacological treatment can include platelet transfusions in case of severe, overt bleeding, corticosteroids or IVIG administration. In most cases, however, discontinuation of the offending drug is sufficient.
Abstract PS7-18: The impact of insurance status on survival in patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and non-IBC among a unique population in Hawaii

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in United States women, with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) being among the most aggressive, accounting for only 1-4% of all breast cancer cases yet causing 8-10% of breast cancer related deaths. It is reported that survival outcomes differ significantly between races and that specific races such as African-American tend to have aggressive and advanced disease. Previously, we reported that the proportion of IBC to non-IBC is significantly high in Native Hawaiian (NH) and Pacific Islander (PI) populations. The same study showed that NH and PI have shorter overall survival (OS) than Caucasians in patients with non-IBC but not in those with IBC. However, it is still not well known if poor prognosis in specifc races is due to aggressive disease biology, advanced stage at diagnosis, or socioeconomic status such as insurance status. Our primary objective was to determine the factors that predict OS after adjusting for baseline patient and disease characteristics. One of the novelties in our study is that we analyzed IBC and non-IBC, separately in our unique population in Hawaii. Methods: Patients with newly-diagnosed primary invasive breast cancer were identified from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2018 using The Queen’s Medical Center Tumor Registry in Honolulu, Hawaii. Patients whose baseline and disease characterics were not available were excluded from the final analysis. Clinical T4d was used to differentiate IBC and non-IBC. OS was defined as the time from diagnosis to death or last follow-up. Patients who were alive at the date of last follow-up were censored. All the variables were summarized using standard descriptive statics. Univariate and multivariate cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effects of variables of interest on OS. P-values Citation Format: Kyle SY Miyazaki, Jared D Acoba, Takeo Fujii. The impact of insurance status on survival in patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and non-IBC among a unique population in Hawaii [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS7-18.