cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical issues in the fracture of brittle-matrix fibrous composites

Abstract This paper reviews recent work and presents new results on statistical aspects of the failure of composites consisting of brittle fibers aligned in a brittle matrix. The failure process involves quasi-periodic matrix cracking in planes perpendicular to the fiber, frictional sliding of the fibers in fiber break zones, and fiber bridging of cracks in a load-sharing framework that may vary from global to fairly local. First, we review the overall statistical features of the failure process, and identify certain issues in terms of critical geometric, statistical and mechanical parameters. This leads to two interesting cases, one where the spacing of matrix cracks is small relative to the length scale of load transfer in the fibers, and one where it is larger. Next we consider ‘characteristic’ bundles in the composite which capture essential features of the statistics of the failure process, and develop their distributions for strength in terms of certain characteristic stress and length scales. We then model the composite as a chain arrangement of such bundles both longitudinally and laterally, as the scale of load transfer among fibers in a bundle may be smaller than the full composite cross-section. This scale, though not precisely quantified, depends on such things as the stiffness of the matrix relative to the fibers, the volume fraction of the matrix and the spacing of periodic cracks. We then consider the strength distribution for the composite on the basis of the failure of the weakest characteristic bundle. We also consider issues related to fiber pull-out and the work of fracture as well as the possibility of severe strain localization especially within the bundle triggering overall failure. Substantial reductions in strength are predicted for smaller bundle sizes, but composite reliability is typically very high and the size effect very mild. Finally, we mention limited comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results.
Reasons for Drinking and Alcohol Use in Young Adults at High Risk and at Low Risk for Alcoholism

Summary This study examined the relationship of attitudes towards the use of alcohol and alcohol consumption among young adult offspring of alcoholic (N=130) and non-alcoholic (N = 75) parents. No differences were found between the two samples in the subjects’reported reasons for drinking or reasons for limiting consumption. In general, the greater the total amount of alcohol consumed, the more important were social enhancement and relief of unpleasant affect as reasons for drinking. Further, reasons for limiting alcohol consumption did not distinguish the high risk and low risk groups. Across both samples, lower consumption was associated with not wanting to become intoxicated, not liking the alcohol effect and not liking the taste. The associations found between reasons for not drinking and decreased consumption were smaller than the associations found between reasons for drinking and increased consumption.
Dislocation Rate After Conversion from Hip Hemiarthroplasty to Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background: Revision hip arthroplasty is associated with a dislocation rate that is three to five times greater than the rate following primary hip replacement. Conversion of a hip hemiarthroplasty to a total hip replacement is a revision arthroplasty, but it differs from revisions of total hip arthroplasties because a native acetabulum is replaced and the subsequent prosthetic femoral head is smaller. It was our purpose to determine whether the risk of dislocation following conversion surgery is the same as or greater than that following revision total hip replacement. Methods: From 1994 to 2005, eighty-nine hemiarthroplasties were converted to a total hip arthroplasty in seventy-seven patients, and the results were compared with those of 115 first-time revision total hip replacements following a primary total hip replacement in 111 patients. A retrospective chart review was performed, and radiographic measurements were obtained. The patient demographics were similar between the two groups. The percentages of patients who had undergone revision of only the acetabular component as compared with both components as well as the percentages of those who had received a modular femoral stem as compared with a nonmodular stem were also similar between the two groups. Results: Postoperatively, the femoral head size and the positioning of the acetabular component were similar between the two groups. The acetabular components were significantly larger (p < 0.001) in the group in which a total hip arthroplasty had been revised because they required additional acetabular reaming for placement of a new component. There were significantly more dislocations after the conversion procedures (22%) than after the revisions of the total hip arthroplasties (10%) (p < 0.018). Within both groups, the size of the acetabular component, the intraoperative range of motion, and the positioning of the acetabular component were similar between the hips that dislocated and those that did not. However, smaller femoral head components were at greater risk for dislocation after conversion surgery than after revision of a total hip arthroplasty. Conclusions: A substantial reduction of the size of the prosthetic femoral head is unique to conversion arthroplasty and appears to play a role in instability after the revision surgery. While the smallest heads dislocated in the conversion group, a larger femoral head did not ensure stability. The increased dislocation risk with conversion surgery requires emphasis on soft-tissue balance and avoidance of excessive downsizing of the femoral head in an attempt to maximize hip stability. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Aptitude and Personality Traits in Retention of Engineering Students

Background Engineering programs have high attrition rates, and once in college, students are unlikely to migrate to engineering from other majors. Factors that influence retention must be assessed. Purpose This study investigated the relationships of aptitude and personality traits in predicting retention for persisting students, those leaving in good standing, and those leaving in poor standing. Design/Method Participants were entering first-year students from 2007 to 2010. Aptitude was assessed by the Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) placement test as a measure of calculus readiness, Scholastic Aptitude Tests (math and verbal), and high school grade point average (GPA). Personality traits were assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and a measure of locus of control. A multinomial logistic regression was performed with students who persisted as the reference group. Results Significant aptitude predictors for retention were high school GPA, SAT math, and ALEKS scores. Conscientiousness was the only significant personality factor. Conclusion Math skills, especially calculus readiness, were strong predictors of retention. High school academic performance and Conscientiousness were also significant predictors. Application of these findings includes helping students with deficiencies, especially in calculus readiness, as well as fostering an environment that encourages conscientious academic behaviors.
Remotely Sensing Arthropod and Nutrient Stressed Plants: A Case Study with Nitrogen and Cotton Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Remote sensing can be used in combination with ground sampling to detect aphid(Aphis gossypii Glover) infested cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Changes in wavelengths in the near-infrared (NIR) have proven useful for such detection, but these changes can be confused with other factors stressing plants, such as water deficiency and nutrient status. This study was designed to test the utility of this technology to distinguish between two factors stressing plants: nitrogen deficiency and aphids. Field plots were created by applying varying rates of nitrogen to cotton at different dates in the growing season in 2003 and 2004. Subplots were created by applying disruptive insecticides, which increased aphid populations in a portion of the subplots. Airplane and satellite remote sensing data in 2003 and 2004 were supplemented with ground sampling of aphid populations in both years. Insecticide application, nitrogen application rate and date influenced aphid abundance. Cotton with higher aphid populations could be distinguished from cotton with natural aphid infestations independent of plant nitrogen status using a NIR wavelength in 2003 and a proprietary 2004 index. Complex distinctions among varying nitrogen treatments and aphid abundance were not possible using this data. In the future, possible confounding factors should be investigated from the perspective of their change on crop physiology before remote sensing can be used in an integrated pest management (IPM) program.
How to avoid exploratory research

Introduction: Studies in marketing research often start with data rather than with a theory. This exploratory or inductive approach is at odds with the more preferred scientific method where the theory precedes the data in any single research study. (See, for example, the discussion by Francis, 1957). Because exploratory research is common, however, one might argue that it is of some value. A number of researchers have claimed that the exploratory approach leads to new and useful theories. But there is also the danger that the research will produce false leads or useless theories. An attempt is made in this paper to illustrate the dangers inherent in the exploratory approach. The question of whether the potential benefits are large enough to outweigh the dangers is left to the reader.
A Novel Human Xenograft Model of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

The step of intravasation or lymphovascular invasion can be a rate-limiting step in the metastatic process. Inflammatory breast carcinoma manifests an exaggerated degree of lymphovascular invasion in situ; hence, a study of its molecular basis might shed light on the general mechanism of lymphovascular invasion exhibited by all metastasizing cancers. To this end, we have established the first human transplantable inflammatory breast carcinoma xenograft (MARY-X) in scid/nude mice. Whereas all other human xenografts grew as isolated s.c. nodules, MARY-X grew exclusively within murine lymphatics and blood vessels, and these latter elements and their supporting stroma comprised, by murine Cot-1 DNA analysis, 30% of the tumor. MARY-X, like its human counterpart, exhibited striking erythema of the overlying skin. MARY-X was estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, Her-2/neu negative and p53, epidermal growth factor receptor positive. The primary tumor of origin of MARY-X exhibited identical markers, except that about 50% of its cells exhibited Her-2/neu amplification. Comparative studies of MARY-X with noninflammatory xenografts indicated 10-20-fold overexpression of E-cadherin and MUC1, findings that were reflected in actual cases of human inflammatory breast cancer. MARY-X should allow us to further dissect out both the upstream regulatory machinery and the downstream effector molecules responsible for the inflammatory carcinoma phenotype.
Associations between toenail arsenic concentration and dietary factors in a New Hampshire population

Dietary factors such as folate, vitamin B12, protein, and methionine are important for the excretion of arsenic via one-carbon metabolism in undernourished populations exposed to high levels of arsenic via drinking water. However, the effects of dietary factors on toenail arsenic concentrations in well-nourished populations exposed to relatively low levels of water arsenic are unknown. As part of a population-based case–control study of skin and bladder cancer from the USA, we evaluated relationships between consumption of dietary factors and arsenic concentrations in toenail clippings. Consumption of each dietary factor was determined from a validated food frequency questionnaire. We used general linear models to examine the associations between toenail arsenic and each dietary factor, taking into account potentially confounding effects. As expected, we found an inverse association between ln-transformed toenail arsenic and consumption of vitamin B12 (excluding supplements) and animal protein. Unexpectedly, there were also inverse associations with numerous dietary lipids (e.g., total fat, total animal fat, total vegetable fat, total monounsaturated fat, total polyunsaturated fat, and total saturated fat). Finally, increased toenail arsenic concentrations were associated with increased consumption of long chain n-3 fatty acids. In a relatively well-nourished population exposed to relatively low levels of arsenic via water, consumption of certain dietary lipids may decrease toenail arsenic concentration, while long chain n-3 fatty acids may increase toenail arsenic concentration, possibly due to their association with arsenolipids in fish tissue.
Regularized image reconstruction for PS model-based cardiovascular MRI

Real-time cardiovascular MRI is a useful and challenging dynamic imaging application. The partial separability (PS) model enables reconstruction of dynamic cardiac images from highly undersampled (k, t)-space data. However, the underlying PS model-based reconstruction problem is ill-conditioned, so regularization is often necessary to stabilize its solution. It has been shown that l 1 regularization is useful for finding sparse solutions, and l 2 regularization is widely used to incorporate anatomical constraints. An important practical question is which regularization scheme to use for PS model-based cardiovascular imaging. We address this problem by implementing both schemes and evaluating their performances in terms of reconstruction error, image artifacts, image noise, computation time, and performance characterizability. The l 1 -regularized results exhibit lower reconstruction error, artifact energy, and noise variance, while l 2 regularization is much faster and produces predictable reconstruction results. This study indicates that the l 1 scheme is preferable when image quality is the main concern.
Electronic cigarettes: incorporating human factors engineering into risk assessments

Objective A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the impact of human factors (HF) on the risks associated with electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and to identify research gaps. HF is the evaluation of human interactions with products and includes the analysis of user, environment and product complexity. Consideration of HF may mitigate known and potential hazards from the use and misuse of a consumer product, including e-cigarettes. Methods Five databases were searched through January 2014 and publications relevant to HF were incorporated. Voluntary adverse event (AE) reports submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the package labelling of 12 e-cigarette products were analysed. Results No studies specifically addressing the impact of HF on e-cigarette use risks were identified. Most e-cigarette users are smokers, but data on the user population are inconsistent. No articles focused specifically on e-cigarette use environments, storage conditions, product operational requirements, product complexities, user errors or misuse. Twelve published studies analysed e-cigarette labelling and concluded that labelling was inadequate or misleading. FDA labelling analysis revealed similar concerns described in the literature. AE reports related to design concerns are increasing and fatalities related to accidental exposure and misuse have occurred; however, no publications evaluating the relationship between AEs and HF were identified. Conclusions The HF impacting e-cigarette use and related hazards are inadequately characterised. Thorough analyses of user–product–environment interfaces, product complexities and AEs associated with typical and atypical use are needed to better incorporate HF engineering principles to inform and potentially reduce or mitigate the emerging hazards associated with e-cigarette products.
Multilocation Corn Stover Harvest Effects on Crop Yields and Nutrient Removal

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover was identified as an important feedstock for cellulosic bioenergy production because of the extensive area upon which the crop is already grown. This report summarizes 239 site-years of field research examining effects of zero, moderate, and high stover removal rates at 36 sites in seven different states. Grain and stover yields from all sites as well as N, P, and K removal from 28 sites are summarized for nine longitude and six latitude bands, two tillage practices (conventional vs no tillage), two stover-harvest methods (machine vs calculated), and two crop rotations {continuous corn (maize) vs corn/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]}. Mean grain yields ranged from 5.0 to 12.0 Mg ha−1 (80 to 192 bu ac−1). Harvesting an average of 3.9 or 7.2 Mg ha−1 (1.7 or 3.2 tons ac−1) of the corn stover resulted in a slight increase in grain yield at 57 and 51 % of the sites, respectively. Average no-till grain yields were significantly lower than with conventional tillage when stover was not harvested, but not when it was collected. Plant samples collected between physiological maturity and combine harvest showed that compared to not harvesting stover, N, P, and K removal was increased by 24, 2.7, and 31 kg ha−1, respectively, with moderate (3.9 Mg ha−1) harvest and by 47, 5.5, and 62 kg ha−1, respectively, with high (7.2 Mg ha−1) removal. This data will be useful for verifying simulation models and available corn stover feedstock projections, but is too variable for planning site-specific stover harvest.
Injury to the conduction system: management of life-threatening arrhythmias after penetrating cardiac trauma

Abstract Background Life-threatening conduction abnormalities after penetrating cardiac injuries (PCIs) are rare, and rapid identification and treatment of these arrhythmias are critical to survival. This study highlights diagnosis and management strategies for conduction abnormalities after PCI. Methods Patients with life-threatening arrhythmias after PCI were identified at an urban, level I trauma center registry. Results Seventy-one patients survived to reach the hospital after PCI. Of these, 3 (4%) survivors (male = 3, mean age 41.3, median injury severity score = 25) had critical conduction abnormalities after cardiorrhaphy. All patients had multichamber and atrioventricular nodal injury. After initial cardiorrhaphy and control of hemorrhage, all patients had sustained hypotension with bradycardia from complete heart block. Two patients had ventricular septal defects requiring repair. All 3 patients survived. Conclusions Rapid recognition of injury to the cardiac conduction system after PCI as a source of sustained hypotension is essential to early restoration of cardiac function and survival.
Cross Section and Asymmetry Measurement of Very Forward Neutral Particle Production at RHIC

Although air shower observations at the surface of the earth have been developed in order to understand the origin of the ultra high energy cosmic rays, the observations have uncertainties in interpretation of the observed data from the present phenomenological nuclear collision models. Precision measurements of the very forward particle production in the collider experiments improve understanding of particle production processes in the nuclear collisions, and provide large influences on interpretation of the observed data and the origin of the cosmic rays. On the other hand, a large 10% single transverse-spin asymmetry in neutron production from transversely polarized proton collisions was found at the RHIC collider at BNL. It has provided a valuable input for understanding particle production processes in the polarized proton collisions. We will have a new collider experiment at RHIC which has a high resolution and a wide coverage of transverse momentum measurements in order to figure out elementary processes of the air shower generation.
A Cellular Slime Mold with Flagellate Cells

(1974). A Cellular Slime Mold with Flagellate Cells. Mycologia: Vol. 66, No. 4, pp. 685-690.
E-037 Endovascular treatment of traumatic pediatric posterior circulation pseudoaneurysms

Introduction and purpose Traumatic intracranial aneurysms are rare and represent fewer than 1% of all intracranial aneurysms. They may develop as the result of blunt or penetrating head trauma and are associated with a significant mortality of up to 50%. Traumatic aneurysms typically involve the anterior circulation or the internal carotid artery at the level of the skull base. They rarely involve the posterior circulation. We present three pediatric patients with traumatic aneurysms in the posterior circulation and describe their clinical presentation, angiographic findings and clinical outcome after being treated by endovascular technique. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed the angiographic and clinical findings in three pediatric patients, aged 12 years and younger, with traumatic pseudoaneurysms occurring in the posterior circulation in a variety of locations: one in the basilar artery, one in the posterior cerebral artery and one in the superior cerebellar artery. Results Three patients with three posterior circulation pseudoaneurysms (two male patients and one female patient; aged 3–12 years) were admitted during the past 2 years. All three patients underwent endovascular coil embolization. No complications were noted from these procedures. All patients improved clinically after treatment. Conclusions Contemporary endovascular techniques can be used effectively to treat posterior circulation pseudoaneurysms in the pediatric population. Treatment efficacy may be improved if there are bony confines around the aneurysm or if therapy takes place in the subacute period, when the wall of the pseudoaneurysm has matured and stabilized.
Bilateral ductus arteriosus associated with interruption of the aortic arch.

In a previous report of bilateral ductus arteriosus emphasis was placed on the fact that the presence of bilateral ductus arteriosus represents persistence of each sixth aortic arch of the embryo. Because this condition is rare, observation of a second case makes this report pertinent. In the patient, a newborn infant, a ductus arteriosus was present on each side and there was no continuity between the ascending aorta and the descending aorta. There were, additionally, intracardiac malformations in the form of a ventricular septal defect and an aneurysm of the right aortic sinus.
Electrophoretic study of human urinary protein in disease.

Abstract A survey of electrophoresis patterns of human urinary proteins in disease is presented. In the disease states studied, with the exception of multiple myeloma, when proteinuria is increased, the predominant urinary protein has the electrophoretic characteristics of plasma albumin. The urinary excretion of plasma globulins is also increased. Multiple myeloma excluded, the variation in distribution of urinary proteins among individuals of a given disease group is so great that patterns characteristic of one disease or another could not be distinguished with certainty.
Tumor in the Ventral Aspect of the Forearm

The illustrations in this chapter depict the dissection of a soft tissue sarcoma in the ventral aspect of the forearm (Fig. 5.1). The previously used biopsy incision is included within a long elliptical incision. Obviously, if an open biopsy is performed, the biopsy site should be over the middle of the underlying tumor, reached through a longitudinal incision. The elliptical incision is carried out around the previous biopsy site and made sufficiently long to allow proximal and distal identification and dissection of the various anatomical structures (Fig. 5.2). In surgery for an extremity sarcoma, development of very wide flaps on the basis of external palpatory findings alone should be avoided, as they may be unnecessarily wide. Instead, the surgeon should begin with modest dissection of the flaps, to be further extended following entry into the tissues and planes proximal and distal to the tumor mass, which should further guide the precise extent of the necessary development of either or both of the two flaps.
Performance of a Closed-Cycle Capillary Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine

A novel capillary polymerase chain reaction machine was characterized in almost 200 successful 23 minute, 30-cycle PCR runs, with up to 78% amplification efficiency of a 500 base pair target.
Navigating the Zika panic

The epidemics of Ebola virus in West Africa and Zika virus in America highlight how viruses can explosively emerge into new territories. These epidemics also exposed how unprepared we are to handle infectious disease emergencies. This is also true when we consider hypothesized new clinical features of infection, such as the associations between Zika virus infection and severe neurological disease, including microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome. On the surface, these pathologies appear to be new features of Zika virus infection, however, causal relationships have not yet been established. Decades of limited Zika virus research are making us scramble to determine the true drivers behind the epidemic, often at the expense of over-speculation without credible evidence. Here we review the literature and find no conclusive evidence at this time for significant biological differences between the American Zika virus strains and those circulating elsewhere. Rather, the epidemic scale in the Americas may be facilitated by an abnormally warm climate, dense human and mosquito populations, and previous exposure to other viruses. Severe disease associated with Zika virus may therefore not be a new trait for the virus, rather it may have been overlooked due to previously small outbreaks. Much of the recent panic regarding Zika virus has been about the Olympics in Brazil. We do not find any substantial evidence that the Olympics will result in a significant number of new Zika virus infections (~10 predicted) or that the Olympics will promote further epidemic spread over what is already expected. The Zika virus epidemic in the Americas is a serious situation and decisions based on solid scientific evidence - not hyped media speculations - are required for effective outbreak response.
Isogeometric Compatible Discretizations for Viscous Incompressible Flow

In this chapter, isogeometric discretizations for viscous incompressible flow are presented that satisfy the incompressibility constraint in a pointwise manner. As incompressibility is satisfied pointwise, these discretizations replicate the geometric structure of the Navier-Stokes equations and properly balance energy, enstrophy, and helicity. The result is a method with enhanced accuracy and robustness as compared with classical finite element methods for incompressible flow. Within the chapter, we review the geometric structure of the Navier-Stokes equations, outline the construction of compatible B-spline spaces which allow for pointwise mass conservation, and present a suite of illustrative numerical results demonstrating the potential of compatible B-splines in computational fluid dynamics.
Dopamine and Its Actions in the Basal Ganglia System

The dopaminergic system is implicated in a broad range of neurological syndromes, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia, dystonia, stuttering, depression, and schizophrenia. It is likely that systems-level computer simulations will guide future therapeutic interventions that seek to mitigate or counteract deficiencies or abnormalities in the dopaminergic system. In the absence of an arsenal of symptom-specific “magic bullet” pharmacotherapies that are fully effective, with no problematic side effects, it is likely that the best results will be obtained from therapies that combine drugs, drug cocktails, or focal surgical implants with specialized behavioral training regimes that promote function normalization via endogenous synaptic plasticity and learning. Developing such hybrid therapies will be aided by the kind of understanding that emerges from realistic simulations of the ramifying effects of system parameters and experiential regimes. After presenting a self-contained summary of dopamine actions at key sites within basal ganglia circuits, this chapter homes in on several themes that have emerged from recent studies, and that are likely to be critical for improved simulations of fundamental basal ganglia contributions to learning and performance, in health and disease.
Developing Christian Servant Leadership: Faith-Based Character Growth at Work

Gary Roberts’s book represents an important body of work that is critical for the modern workplace so often devoid of the principles it presents. The leadership philosophy it proposes not only bala...
Next generation tissue engineering of orthopedic soft tissue-to-bone interfaces

Soft tissue-to-bone interfaces are complex structures that consist of gradients of extracellular matrix materials, cell phenotypes, and biochemical signals. These interfaces, called entheses for ligaments, tendons, and the meniscus, are crucial to joint function, transferring mechanical loads and stabilizing orthopedic joints. When injuries occur to connected soft tissue, the enthesis must be re-established to restore function, but due to structural complexity, repair has proven challenging. Tissue engineering offers a promising solution for regenerating these tissues. This prospective review discusses methodologies for tissue engineering the enthesis, outlined in three key design inputs: materials processing methods, cellular contributions, and biochemical factors.
Optic Pathway Glioma

Pediatric optic pathway gliomas share common clinicoradiographic characteristics and are typically World Health Organization grade I/II astrocytomas. Management of these tumors presents a therapeutic challenge based on host age as well as anatomic location. Radical excision is limited to tumors with unilateral optic nerve involvement and irretrievable ipsilateral vision loss. Subtotal resection is reserved for tissue diagnosis and acute symptom relief. Chemotherapy is infrequently curative but may effectively delay radiotherapy, allowing critical neurocognitive and neuroendocrine development in young children. For most lesions, radiotherapy offers the best option of local control but carries a range of risks related to adjacent normal tissue exposure.
Sperm Chromatin Abnormalities and Reproductive Outcome

The clinical relevance of abnormal sperm DNA integrity to human reproduction has been the source of substantial research over the past decade. A recent, rigorous meta-analysis of published studies has shown that abnormal sperm DNA integrity will adversely affect IVF and ICSI outcomes. Although this is the only sperm-related parameter documented to adversely affect ICSI success, the magnitude of this effect is not adequate to require routine sperm DNA testing prior to assisted reproduction. For subsets of infertility patients, sperm DNA integrity testing may be relevant. The limited data on treatment of patients with abnormal sperm DNA integrity is presented. This subject remains an expanding field with conflicting data.
A reexamination of the cognitive behavioral model of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Objective The cognitive behavioral model of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) suggests that cognitions and reduced activity level perpetuate the fatigue and impairment that individuals with CFS experience. The two empirical evaluations of this model resulted in conflicting findings. The current study examines the influence of case definition fulfillment on the applicability of this model to CFS. Method A moderated mediation analysis was conducted on 990 individuals with CFS to reexamine the behavioral pathway of this model. Case definition fulfillment was entered as a moderator. Results Findings were generally inconsistent with the cognitive behavioral model of CFS. Case definition fulfillment significantly moderated the relation between activity level and physical impairment (β = –0.08, p = 0.03); individuals who met more stringent case definitions demonstrated a weaker relation between activity level and impairment. Conclusions This model may not accurately represent the experience of individuals with CFS, particularly those who fulfill more stringent case definitions.
Spirometric impairments, cardiovascular outcomes, and noncardiovascular death in older persons.

Abstract Background In prior work involving older persons, the reported associations of spirometric impairments with cardiovascular outcomes may have been confounded by age-related changes in lung function. Hence, using more age-appropriate spirometric criteria from the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI), we have evaluated the associations of spirometric impairments, specifically restrictive-pattern and airflow-obstruction, with cardiovascular death (CV-death) and hospitalization (CV-hospitalization). In these analyses, we also evaluated the competing outcome of noncardiovascular death (nonCV-death) and calculated measures of relative and absolute risk. Methods Our study sample was drawn from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), including 4232 community-dwelling white persons aged ≥65 years. Multivariable regression models included the following baseline predictors: GLI-defined restrictive-pattern and airflow-obstruction, age, male gender, obesity, waist circumference, current smoker status, ≥10 pack-years of smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Outcomes included adjudicated CV-death, CV-hospitalization, and nonCV-death, ascertained over 10 years of follow-up. Measures of association included hazard ratios (HRs), rate ratios (RRs), and average attributable fraction (AAF), each with 95% confidence intervals. Results Restrictive-pattern and airflow-obstruction were associated with CV-death (adjusted HRs: 1.57 [1.18, 2.09] and 1.29 [1.04, 1.60]) and with nonCV-death (adjusted HRs: 2.10 [1.63, 2.69] and 1.79 [1.51, 2.12]), respectively. Airflow-obstruction, but not restrictive-pattern, was also associated with CV-hospitalization (adjusted RRs: 1.18 [1.02, 1.36] and 1.20 [0.96, 1.50], respectively). The adjusted AAFs of restrictive-pattern and airflow-obstruction were 1.68% (0.46, 3.06) and 2.35% (0.22, 4.72) for CV-death, and 3.44% (1.97, 5.08) and 7.77% (5.15, 10.60) for nonCV-death, respectively. Conclusion Assessment of GLI-defined spirometric impairments contributes to broad geriatric risk stratifications for both cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular outcomes.
A Capillary Flow Dynamics-Based Sensing Modality for Direct Environmental Pathogen Monitoring.

Toward ultra-simple and field-ready biosensors, we demonstrate a novel assay transducer mechanism based on interfacial property changes and capillary flow dynamics in antibody-conjugated submicron particle suspensions. Differential capillary flow is tunable, allowing pathogen quantification as a function of flow rate through a paper-based microfluidic device. Flow models based on interfacial and rheological properties indicate a significant relationship between the flow rate and the interfacial effects caused by target-particle aggregation. This mechanism is demonstrated for assays of Escherichia coli K12 in water samples and Zika virus (ZIKV) in blood serum. These assays achieved very low limits of detection compared with other demonstrated methods (1 log CFU/mL E. coli and 20 pg/mL ZIKV whole virus) with an operating time of 30 s, showing promise for environmental and health monitoring.
Exceptional Points in Passive Plasmonic Nanostructure for Sensing

We propose a passive plasmonic nanostructures sensor operated at an exceptional point (EP), that fundamentally shift more than conventional resonances and will pave the way to highly sensitive plasmonic devices.
Why Do Mice Overeat High-Fat Diets? How High-Fat Diet Alters the Regulation of Daily Caloric Intake in Mice.

Objective Ad libitum high-fat diets (HFDs) spontaneously increase caloric intake in rodents, which correlates positively with weight gain. However, it remains unclear why rodents overeat HFDs. This paper investigated how changing the proportion of diet that came from HFDs might alter daily caloric intake in mice. Methods Mice were given 25%, 50%, or 90% of their daily caloric need from an HFD, along with ad libitum access to a low-fat rodent chow diet. Food intake was measured daily to determine how these HFD supplements impacted total daily caloric intake. Follow-up experiments addressed the timing of HFD feeding. Results HFD supplements did not alter total caloric intake or body weight. In a follow-up experiment, mice consumed approximately 50% of their daily caloric need from an HFD in 30 minutes during the light cycle, a time when mice do not normally consume food. Conclusions An HFD did not disrupt regulation of total daily caloric intake, even when up to 90% of total calories came from the HFD. However, HFDs increased daily caloric intake when provided ad libitum and were readily consumed by mice outside of their normal feeding cycle. Ad libitum HFDs appear to induce overconsumption beyond the mechanisms that regulate daily caloric intake.
A Platform for Citizen Sensing in Sentient Cities

This work develops upon the concepts of Sentient City – living in a city that can remember, correlate, and anticipate – and Citizen Sensor Networks. We aim at technologies to interconnect people, allowing them to actively observe, report, collect, analyse, and disseminate information about urban events. We are investigating new methods and technologies to enhance administrators’ capabilities in urban planning and management. We are proposing a platform to instrument citizens and cities, interconnect parties, analyse related events, and provide recommendation and feedback reports. The solution encompasses four types of elements: (i) mobile applications for intentional and non-intentional reporting of events; (ii) enhanced analytic models to centralize information, analyse the data, identify trends and operation patterns, and provide insightful information to decision makers; (iii) advanced social simulations to anticipate “what if” scenarios for infrastructure planning; and (iv) interfaces for monitoring, feedback, and recommendation. This research builds upon the IBM Smarter Cities project, part of the IBM Smarter Planet program. The outcomes of this research yield significant social contributions. By using it, administrators can make reliable decisions that will impact social services, traffic, energy and utilities, public safety, retail, communications, and economic development.
Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Acute Treatment of Rupture

The feasibility and efficacy of elective endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair are well established. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) is being performed with increasing frequency. Early international experiences enhanced the understanding of optimal intervention and aided in recognition and management of endovascular-related complications such as abdominal compartment syndrome, which contributes to early postoperative morbidity and mortality. The advantages of endovascular over open repair are more profound in the setting of aneurysm rupture, where the morbidity and mortality of open repair remains quite high. Endovascular repair of rAAAs offers multiple advantages such as decreased blood loss, minimization of fluid shifts, reduction of hypothermia, and decreased anesthetic requirements. This is especially true with the use of management algorithms that include hypotensive hemostasis, supraceliac balloon occlusion, streamlined preoperative imaging, and improved logistics in emergent endograft utilization. This chapter aims to demonstrate the use of endovascular repair in the setting of rAAA, including technical strategies for addressing challenging access anatomy.
The semantic web: structure & critical information issues minitrack

The focus of this minitrack is to explore a broad range of issues involving the Semantic Web and related technologies. Incredible volumes of information, much of it in the form of digital documents, are readily available from virtually any computer in the world. Unfortunately, this increase in information often overwhelms the people it is intending to help. This phenomenon can be seen in business, science, military, and government. The Semantic Web is one proposed solution to this problem.
FREE FORMING OF PSEUDO PARABOLOIDAL REFLECTING SURFACES

ABSTRACT Economic, medium or high temperature concentrating solar energy systems have a need for a low cost paraboloidal reflecting surface. A method of free forming these surfaces by inflation using simple portable tooling is described. Dishes of 1.1 metre and 3.0 metre sizes have been successfully fabricated. Material blanks may be either one piece or butt welded from several pieces. Some problems encountered in forming the dishes are discussed and solutions offered. The technique proposed offers the possibility of forming dishes of any desired size and focal length using a common set of tooling.
Prevalence of MET and HER2 biomarkers in stage IV gastric cancer.

4048 Background: Estimates of the frequency of genomic alterations in MET and HER2 in gastric cancer vary widely, but alterations in MET are generally less common than alterations in HER2. We exami...
Anticoagulation During RRT in the ICU

A 10-year-old boy presented to the Emergency Department with a history of fever and abdominal pain of 2 days’ duration. His parents reported that his condition worsened over the past few hours as he became lethargic and looked pale, and his abdomen was distended. On examination, he was lethargic and febrile (39.5 °C; 103 °F) with a heart rate of 140/min and blood pressure 90/50 mmHg, and his respirations were slow with minimal movement of the abdominal wall. His abdomen was distended, and there was guarding and tenderness on palpation. He received two 0.9% saline (20 mL/kg) fluid boluses, and he was taken to the operating room for evaluation of a presumed surgical abdomen. During surgery, he was found to have a perforated appendix and purulent peritoneal fluid. He was subsequently admitted to the PICU where he was on mechanical ventilation and received vasopressors (epinephrine and norepinephrine) for blood pressure support. He also received broad-spectrum antibiotics with coverage for anaerobic organisms. Over the next 24 h, he became 15% fluid overloaded as his urine output progressively decreased to anuria over 12 h. His serum chemistries revealed sodium 143 mEq/L, potassium 5.6 mEq/L, chloride 98 mEq/L, bicarbonate 17 mEq/L, urea nitrogen 48 mg/dL, creatinine 2.4 mg/dL, and calcium 8.9 mg/dL. Hematology labs revealed hemoglobin 8.6 g/dL and WBC count 22,000 with platelet count of 66,000/mm3. A nephrology consult was obtained for management of acute kidney injury (AKI).
The Machines Wave Back

What are the general latitudes of “autonomy” described in contemporary and historical autonomous art systems practices, and what might the threshold and terminal conditions be for an art-making system’s autonomy? This exploration sets about the task of describing, categorizing and attempting to model the degrees and qualities of system-level autonomy in Autonomus Art Systems―and what the outer limits of that autonomy might be in an art-making context. The goals of this investigation are to develop and clarify a new way to frame discussions of autonomous art systems, to complicate generally accepted notions of artist-AAS relationships and to a propose a new autonomy and agency model-based of AAS with ideas borrowed from software engineering, sociology and other fields.
Identifying Subclinical Coronary Abnormalities and Silent Myocardial Ischemia After Arterial Switch Operation

The incidence of late coronary complications is reported around 8% after arterial switch operation (ASO) for d-transposition of the great arteries, but the affected patients are usually asymptomatic. Exercise stress test (EST) and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) are common non-invasive modalities to screen for silent myocardial ischemia, but their diagnostic reliability in children after ASO is unclear. We retrospectively reviewed asymptomatic patients following ASO with EST, MPI, and coronary imaging studies (CIS) and examined the reliability of each test in identifying abnormal coronary lesions responsible for myocardial ischemia. Thirty-seven asymptomatic patients (24 males; ages 12.7 ± 3.7 years) had EST, in which 27 and 33 patients also underwent MPI and CIS, respectively. Exercise capacity was comparable to the age- and sex-matched 37 controls. In seven patients with angiographically proven moderate to severe coronary abnormalities, only two patients had positive EST and/or MPI, and five patients were negative including one patient who later developed exercise-induced cardiac arrest due to severe proximal left coronary artery stenosis. Two patients with positive EST or MPI showed no corresponding coronary abnormalities by CIS. Occurrence of acquired late coronary abnormalities did not correlate with the original coronary anatomy or initial surgical procedures. There is no single reliable method to identify the risk of myocardial ischemia after ASO. Although CIS are regarded as a gold standard, multidisciplinary studies are essential to risk-stratify the potential life-threatening coronary lesions after ASO in children.
Planning the urban forest: adding microclimate simulation to the planner's toolkit.

Abstract While cities across the United States are developing urban forest plans to capitalize on a myriad of ecosystem services provided by trees, the tools that are used to support this planning do not necessarily meet the needs and achieve the desired results of these municipal initiatives. This paper highlights the disconnect between how planners and academics are approaching the task of planning and managing the urban forest for climate change adaptation. Although planners tend to focus on maximizing canopy coverage, academics utilize microclimate simulation to evaluate the impact of different interventions on heat island mitigation. We argue that while the i-Tree suite is the most commonly used tool and is immensely helpful for urban forest planners, cities and communities concerned with heat island mitigation should also leverage microclimate simulation tools to better understand the likely impacts of a plan. This study provides a general critique of the i-Tree tool for planning and illustrates how, when used with a microclimate simulation tool, the siting of street trees can have a greater impact on heat island mitigation. The focus here is on the community-scale impact of trees and a microclimate simulation model of a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois where tree canopy coverage is less than 10% and consistently declining is presented. We find that when microclimate is considered during the tree siting process, trees have a greater impact on surface and air temperatures during the summer. Reduced ground surface temperatures of around 3 ℃ to 7.5 ℃ were achieved around 13:00 (1:00 pm), whereas the impact of trees from shading had the greatest impact (0.75 ℃ to 7.75 ℃) on nearby buildings in the mid-afternoon (15:00 to 17:00 h).
Energy flow in ecosystems

Abstract Thermal physics and chemistry dictate the basic principle of energy flux through organisms, trophic levels, and entire ecosystems of which these components are a part. Just as metabolism integrates the functional processes of plants and animals, so does metabolism integrate the biogeochemical processes in ecosystems. Within the ecosystem, energy flows through it, obeying the laws of thermodynamics, while carbon is recycled. Thus, the terms “energy flow” and “carbon cycle.” The ocean plays an important role in the global carbon cycle and is called a carbon “sink” because it takes up more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Carbon moves in and out of the ocean daily, but it is also stored there for thousands of years. Terrestrial ecosystems are characterized by having a larger standing crop biomass than aquatic ecosystems, but with more moderate rates of primary production.