cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Host associations and genomic diversity of Borrelia hermsii in an endemic focus of tick-borne relapsing fever in western North America

An unrecognized focus of tick-borne relapsing fever caused by Borrelia hermsii was identified in 2002 when five people became infected on Wild Horse Island in Flathead Lake, Montana. The terrestrial small mammal community on the island is composed primarily of pine squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), neither of which was known as a natural host for the spirochete. Thus a 3-year study was performed to identify small mammals as hosts for B. hermsii. Small mammals were captured alive on two island and three mainland sites, blood samples were collected and examined for spirochetes, and serological tests performed to detect anti-B. hermsii antibodies. Ornithodoros hermsi ticks were collected and fed on laboratory mice to assess infection. Genomic DNA samples from spirochetes isolated from infected mammals and ticks were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing. Eighteen pine squirrels and one deer mouse had detectable spirochetemias when captured, from which 12 isolates of B. hermsii were established. Most pine squirrels were seropositive, and the five species of sciurids combined had a significantly higher prevalence of seropositive animals than did the other six small mammal species captured. The greater diversity of small mammals on the mainland in contrast to the islands demonstrated that other species in addition to pine squirrels were also involved in the maintenance of B. hermsii at Flathead Lake. Ornithodoros hermsi ticks produced an additional 12 isolates of B. hermsii and multilocus sequence typing identified both genomic groups of B. hermsii described previously, and identified a new genomic subdivision. Experimental infections of deer mice with two strains of B. hermsii demonstrated that these animals were susceptible to infection with spirochetes belonging to Genomic Group II but not Genomic Group I. Pine squirrels are the primary hosts for the maintenance of B. hermsii on the islands in Flathead Lake, however serological evidence showed that numerous additional species are also involved on the mainland. Future studies testing the susceptibility of several small mammal species to infection with different genetic types of B. hermsii will help define their role as hosts in this and other endemic foci.
Situational communication self-confidence among community pharmacists: A descriptive analysis.

Abstract Objective To compare community pharmacists' self-perceived communication confidence in prescription drug abuse and addiction (PDAA)-related scenarios to their self-confidence in other scenarios. Methods An 18-item survey instrument adapted from the Self-Perceived Communication Competence instrument was administered to 2000 licensed Tennessee community pharmacists. Items elicited communication confidence across common community pharmacy scenarios. Analysis of communication self-confidence scores across context, receiver, audience, and demographic variables was conducted. Results Mean self-confidence ratings ranged from 54.2 to 92.6 (0-100 scale). Self-perceived communication confidence varied across context, receiver, audience, personal and practice setting characteristics. Scenarios that involved PDAA communication with patients were scored significantly lower than non-PDAA patient scenarios (mean = 84.2 vs. 90.4, p Conclusion Community pharmacists are less confident in their ability to communicate with patients about PDAA as compared to non-PDAA scenarios. Practice Implications Engaging patients and prescribers in PDAA conversations is a critical component of preventing and treating PDAA. Research is warranted to further explore measures of situational communication self-confidence and interventions to optimize self-confidence beliefs across PDAA scenarios.
Application of open-access databases to determine functional connectivity between resveratrol-binding protein QR2 and colorectal carcinoma

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Recently, oral administration of resveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) has been reported to significantly reduce tumor proliferation in colorectal cancer patients, however, with little specific information on functional connections. The pathogenesis and development of colorectal cancer is a multistep process that can be categorized using three phenotypic pathways, respectively, chromosome instability (CIN), microsatellite instability (MSI), and CpG island methylator (CIMP). Targets of resveratrol, including a high-affinity binding protein, quinone reductase 2 (QR2), have been identified with little information on disease association. We hypothesize that the relationship between resveratrol and different CRC etiologies might be gleaned using publicly available databases. A web-based microarray gene expression data-mining platform, Oncomine, was selected and used to determine whether QR2 may serve as a mechanistic and functional biotarget within the various CRC etiologies. We found that QR2 messenger RNA (mRNA) is overexpressed in CRC characterized by CIN, particularly in cells showing a positive KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog) mutation, as well as by the MSI but not the CIMP phenotype. Mining of Oncomine revealed an excellent correlation between QR2 mRNA expression and certain CRC etiologies. Two resveratrol-associated genes, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and TP53, found in CRC were further mined, using cBio portal and Colorectal Cancer Atlas which predicted a mechanistic link to exist between resveratrol→QR2/TP53→CIN. Multiple web-based data mining can provide valuable insights which may lead to hypotheses serving to guide clinical trials and design of therapies for enhanced disease prognosis and patient survival. This approach resembles a BioGPS, a capability for mining web-based databases that can elucidate the potential links between compounds to provide correlations of these interactions with specific diseases.
Musculoskeletal Approach to Pelvic Pain

Visceral and somatic causes of pelvic pain are often inter-related, and a musculoskeletal examination should always be considered for the successful diagnosis and treatment of pelvic pain. For the diverse etiologies of hip pain, there are many unique considerations for the diagnosis and treatment of these various disorders. Pelvic pain is often multidimensional due to the overlap between lumbo-hip-pelvic diagnoses and may require a multidisciplinary approach to evaluation and management.
Rare Variant Burden in Known Dystonia Genes in Population Controls and Sporadic Dystonia Patients

Background: Rare mutations in genes associated with Mendelian forms of disease are a potential mechanism for sporadic disease. The need to assess the clinical significance of such variants is increasing as personalized medicine and genome sequencing increases. Objective: To evaluate the rate of rare, functional variants in dystonia genes in the general population to improve interpretation of the clinical relevance of potentially pathogenic variants in dystonia cases. Methods: We performed an aggregated collapsing analysis of exome sequence that considered rare coding variants in genes previously associated with dystonia, a rare neurological movement disorder, on 2,372 population controls of European ethnicity. We then performed a pilot study in sporadic dystonia to assess whether there was a substantially greater incidence of individuals with rare variation in dystonia genes. Results: Nearly half of population controls had a rare coding variant when 148 genes associated with a dystonia phenotype were considered. When the subset of genes causing isolated dystonia (14 genes) was evaluated, 3-4% of controls harbored rare qualifying variants. Our pilot study of case exomes was powered to identify a five-fold higher or greater rate of qualifying variants in isolated dystonia genes in sporadic dystonia cases compared to population controls; we did not find such an enrichment. Conclusions: We provide the first systematic analysis of rare variation in dystonia genes considered collectively. Our findings emphasize the need to consider the overall frequency of variants in rare disease-related genes in the general population when considering their potential role in clinical presentations.
Changing Focus: End-of-Life Care in a New York State Managed Long-Term Care Program.

In the United States, managed long-term care programs offer a noninstitutional approach to meeting the needs of increasing numbers of frail elders. Providing services that support both quality of l...
Workplace civility training: understanding drivers of motivation to learn

Training is recommended as an important human resource management (HRM) practice to prevent mistreatment and enhance civility, but little is known about what influences the effectiveness of civilit...
An interprofessional patient assessment involving medical and nursing students: a qualitative study.

Interprofessional collaboration is fundamental to providing optimal patient care. The readiness of the team entering a framework of interprofessional collaborative practice is critical to its succe...
Effect of damping on variable added mass and lift of circular cylinders in vortex-induced vibrations

Abstract Extensive VIV data, collected by the MRELab of the University of Michigan, are analyzed to investigate the effect of damping on added mass and lift. Systematic change of damping and stiffness is enabled by the Vck system, which simulates the mechanical oscillator without including the hydrodynamic load in the closed control loop. The data acquired are in the TrSL3 flow regime, for Reynolds number 25,000 R e 130,000 , mass ratio m ∗ = 1 . 93 , damping ratio ζ in the range 0 . 0158 ζ 0 . 1758 , and spring stiffness k in the range 400 N∕m k 1800 N∕m . To find the effect of damping on added mass and lift, three powerful techniques are used: (a) The damping coefficient c ∗ introduced by Vandiver in 2012 to replace the mass-damping parameter. (b) The variable added mass method introduced by Vikestad et al. in 2000 modeling VIV as a resonance phenomenon with variable natural frequency due to variable added-mass. (c) The data collected by the Vck system, which eliminates all nonlinear system damping occurring naturally due to friction before adding mathematically accurate linear viscous damping. The main findings of this study are: (1) With variable added mass, the oscillation frequency is about equal to the mean of the damped natural frequency and the phase between force and displacement is about 90°, consistent with resonance in the VIV lock-in range for the damping-ratio values tested. (2) In the entire upper branch range, the time-averaged variable added mass coefficient increases with increasing damping. Before and after the upper branch, increased damping results in decreased added mass. (3) The maximum non-dimensional amplitude, over the entire lock-in range occurring at the end of the upper branch, depends linearly on c ∗ ( A ∗ = γ c ∗ + δ ) with correlation coefficient R 2 ≅ 0 . 99 .
Control of the Horn Fly, Haematobia irritons , with Bacillus thuringiensis

The horn fly, one of the most common pests of cattle, causes an estimated annual loss of over 350 million dollars to producers in the United States. The adult flies are hematophagous and spend most of their lives on the host where their frequent feeding causes almost constant irritation. As few as 12–22 flies/ dairy animal (Granett and Hansens, 1956) or 46–59 flies/grazing beef animal (Granett and Hansens, 1957) can cause an economic loss, but hundreds per individual animal are common, and occasionally several thousand flies/animal can occur. Present control technologies are based on chemical insecticides, which must be applied repeatedly to reduce fly numbers to tolerable levels. There are no pathogens registered for use against horn flies. Three commercial preparations of Bacillus thuringiensis, when added to feces or fed to animals, have been found to be active against larvae of the horn fly (Gingrich, 1965). However, consecutive daily treatments were necessary to maintain complete inhibition of larval development.
Endometriosis of the Male Urinary System: A Case Report

Tissue histologically indistinguishable from endometrium was removed from the bladder of a 73-year-old man. The lesional tissue involved the right ureterovesical junction, producing hydronephrosis on the right side. The patient had an adenocarcinoma of the prostate and had been on estrogen therapy for 5 years before diagnosis of endometriosis. Two previous reports of endometriosis in male subjects, who were also on estrogen therapy, are reviewed briefly.
Position Paper: Responsive Airborne Radar Systems

This paper is an initial work-in-progress report on a joint effort between MITRE and the S EI in the development of an experimental prototype of a responsive airborne radar system. This effort employs: (1) analytic redundancy to guard against application level software errors, (2) runtime isolation and fault containment techniques to guard against programming system level software errors such as illegal addressing, and (3) generalized rate monotonie scheduling techniques to guard against timing errors.
Education, Learning, Development, and Related Issues

Work is a part of the technical order that turns out to have its basic mainsprings in the moral order, and to have, in turn, in the manner of its organization, profound consequences for the moral order. The family is an institution of the moral order that is shaped by the technical order and that constitutes an important component of technical processes. Education, on the other hand, refers to a group of social processes and to some formal and informal institutions that are located at the junction of and overlap between technical and moral orders. Because of this, education is a sticky topic and hard to deal with in development planning.
Creating Optimal Portfolio and the Efficient Frontier Using Microsoft Excel

Portfolio managers and investors strive to achieve the best possible trade-off between risk and return, and one of the tools they use is constructing mean-variance efficient portfolios. Finance students learn about optimal portfolios and efficient frontiers, though it is difficult to replicate them unless they have access to sophisticated software. This paper develops a teaching module that uses Microsoft Excel® to create mean-variance portfolios and traces out the efficient frontier using real-world data. In the process, the students learn to determine optimal investment allocations in a portfolio, select the optimum investment portfolio given investor’s objectives and preferences and learn about factors that influence different asset allocations. For multiple assets (N>3), the paper uses Matrix algebra in Excel®. The paper enables students and investors to learn how to construct real-world mean-variance efficient portfolios using Excel®.
Living “in the zone”: hyperfocus in adult ADHD

Adults with ADHD often report episodes of long-lasting, highly focused attention, a surprising report given their tendency to be distracted by irrelevant information. This has been colloquially termed “hyperfocus” (HF). Here, we introduce a novel assessment tool, the “Adult Hyperfocus Questionnaire” and test the preregistered a priori hypothesis that HF is more prevalent in individuals with high levels of ADHD symptomology. We assess (1) a pilot sample (n = 251) and (2) a replication sample (n = 372) of adults with or without ADHD. Participants completed highly validated scales, including the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale, to index ADHD symptomology. Those with higher ADHD symptomology reported higher total and dispositional HF and more frequent HF across each of the three settings (school, hobbies, and screen time) as well as on a fourth subscale describing real-world HF scenarios. These findings are both clinically and scientifically significant, as this is the first study to comprehensively assess HF in adults with high ADHD symptomology and to present a means for assessing HF. Moreover, the sizable prevalence of HF in adults with high levels of ADHD symptomology leads to a need to study it as a potentially separable feature of the ADHD syndrome.
Redesigning Abandoned Gas Stations Through Phytotechnologies

This design research project showcases design models and strategies for abandoned, existing, and planned gas stations through phytotechnologies as a tool for aesthetic experience, ecological performance, and social resilience in the context of brownfield remediation and adaptive reuse. The project uses an abandoned gas station as an exemplary and typical study object. Pollutants seen at typical gas stations are organic chemicals that are derived from petroleum sources and come in many forms. These are petroleum hydrocarbon compounds that are considered lighter fractions, meaning they have characteristics that allow them to be more easily broken down. The project demonstrates how phytotypologies, as a series of selected phytotechnology planting types, can be used in combinations for varying spatial situations due to their ability to remediate the types of contaminants present at gas stations. They create modules that can be easily combined and expanded through exploration of legible design elements with spatial and aesthetical qualities. Upon full remediation, a gas station can offer recreation as public green space and ecological functions that benefits society. The project also showcases that interdisciplinary collaborations between soil scientist and designers should be fostered to integrate the phytoremediation technology with aesthetic and cultural values to widespread the treatment of planned and abandoned gas stations or other small-sized brownfields. This discourse is needed to limit solutions that may work on a technological level while otherwise exclude cultural factors. Changing public perception is inevitably to provide a site that benefits the community. Cleanup goals seem to be achievable and could resolve in largely applied Best Management Practices (BMP), transferable to multiple sites and areas worldwide. Phytotechnology as a means for remediating small sites polluted with organic chemicals is a step in promoting this technology and proving its worth for other, larger, and more complicated brownfields.
What's in your honeypot: a privacy compliance perspective

Honeypots, a form of active cyber defence, assist in frustrating cyber aggressors through a detect and deceive strategy. However, significant legal questions arise in the USA from the emulation of a production host for purposes of recording information pertaining to access sessions. Taking a holistic perspective, this research explores credible legal claims that may arise when using a honeypot. Situations consider issues pertaining to setting up a honeypot to not violate US federal and state privacy laws, to operating a honeypot without becoming exposed to first or third party liability, and to providing data gathered by a honeypot to law enforcement officials to contribute to an investigation.
The political geography of electoral autocracies: The influence of party strongholds on political beliefs in Africa

Abstract In electoral autocracies, why do some citizens view the state as autocratic, while others see it as democratic and legitimate? Traditionally, indicators such as income and education have been the most important factors to explaining how different types of citizens understand politics. This article argues that in electoral autocracies, we must also take into account the role of political geography. In these types of regimes, opposition parties are often one of the only actors that provide information about the authoritarian nature the government, but their message tends to get quarantined within their strongholds. I argue that regardless of income, education, ethnicity, access to government spending, or even partisanship, citizens living in opposition strongholds should be far more likely to view the state as autocratic and illegitimate than citizens living in ruling party strongholds. I find evidence for this theory using Afrobarometer survey data paired with constituency-level electoral returns from five electoral autocracies in sub-Saharan Africa.
Uneven Neighborhood Recovery: Hurricane Damage and Neighborhood Change in the Houston–Galveston Region since 1970:

Despite the growing number of natural disasters around the globe, limited research exists on post–disaster patterns of neighborhood change. In this paper, we test two theories of neighborhood chang...
Revitalizing Rural Communities Through Enhanced Aviation Microwave Data Transmission Systems

While nearly 500 airports across the United States have staffed control towers, the remainder of the more than 19,000 airports nationwide lack the resources necessary to record and store operations data. These smaller airports, though forming the backbone of America's general aviation industry, face growing safety risks, as they are somewhat disadvantaged when applying for improvement funding through the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program. Airport data, such as fleet mix, takeoff and landing counts, and weather conditions, can be collected from various commercial sensors monitoring airfield operations and analyzed to identify risk factors and improve corresponding safety measures. However, rural airports must transmit this data wirelessly from antennas mounted at low elevations to network access points located potentially at considerable distances from those points in a power-efficient and cost-effective manner. An antenna system was designed, manufactured, and tested within the height, power, and cost constraints of these smaller airfields to explore the economic viability and technical feasibility of facilitating a data-driven safety improvement program. This system intends to mitigate the multipath interference that confounds data transmitted over long ranges at low altitudes, enabling compilation of accurate rural aviation operations information. Empowering airport managers with a reliable and efficient Internet connection to collect the data that influences federal grant allocations, this system would directly enhance the safety of America's aging general aviation infrastructure and stimulate America's depleted rural community economies.
Donor surfactant protein A2 polymorphism and lung transplant survival.

PURPOSE Gene polymorphisms of surfactant proteins, key players in lung innate immunity, have been associated with various lung diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between variations within the surfactant protein (SP)-A gene of the donor lung allograft and recipient post-transplant outcome. METHODS Lung-transplant patients (n=192) were prospectively followed-up with pulmonary function tests, bronchoscopies with bronchoalveolar lavage and biopsies. Donor lungs were assayed for SP-A1 (6An) and SP-A2 (1An) gene polymorphism using the pyrosequencing method. Unadjusted and adjusted stratified Cox survival models are reported. RESULTS SP-A1 and SP-A2 genotype frequency and lung transplant recipient and donor characteristics as well as cause of death are noted. Recipients were grouped per donor SP-A2 variants. Individuals that received lungs from donors with the SP-A2 1A0 (n=102) versus 1A1 variant (n=68) or SP-A2 genotype 1A01A0 (n=54) versus 1A0A1 (n=38) had greater survival at 1 year (log-rank p<0.025). No significant association was noted for SP-A1 variants. Stratified adjusted survival models for 1-year survival and diagnosis showed a reduced survival for 1A1 variant and the 1A01A1 genotype. Furthermore, when survival was conditional on 1-year survival no significance was observed, indicating that the survival difference was due to the first year's outcome associated with the 1A1 variant. CONCLUSION Donor lung SP-A gene polymorphisms are associated with post-transplant clinical outcome. Lungs from donors with the SP-A2 variant 1A1 had a reduced survival at 1 year. The observed donor genetic differences, via innate immunity relate to the post-transplant clinical outcome.
Chemical and isotopic analyses of hydrocarbon-bearing fluid inclusions in olivine-rich rocks

We examined the mineralogical, chemical and isotopic compositions of secondary fluid inclusions in olivine-rich rocks from two active serpentinization systems: the Von Damm hydrothermal field (Mid-...
From Philanthropy to Investment: Considering the New Role of the Private Sector in Global Development

Global development, as a subject of academic research, is a broad concept that has historically been concerned with notions of economic development. More recently, however, the term ‘development’ has come to include a more holistic and multi-disciplinary sense of human development – a combination of economic growth, alleviating poverty, and improving living conditions, particularly within previously colonized or ‘developing’ countries. This paper analyzes the success and capabilities of private sector investment in addressing development issues – particularly with regard to the Sustainable Development Goals, which act as a set of codified development aims established by the United Nations and ratified by all of its 193 member states.
Selling diversity to white men: How disentangling economics from morality is a racial and gendered performance:

Diversity professionals include business scholars, management consultants, diversity officers, and human resource professionals, who claim that the business case is about economics, not about moral...
Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries: An Analysis of Facial Fractures in the Urban Pediatric Population.

Purpose Motor vehicle collisions (MVC) are a leading cause of unintentional death and injury in the US pediatric population. Compliance with prevention measures such as seatbelts and child safety seats varies considerably with patient demographics. In this study, the authors examine facial fracture secondary to MVC in an urban pediatric population. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of all facial fractures as a result of MVC in the pediatric population in a level 1 trauma center in an urban environment (University Hospital in Newark, NJ). Patient demographics were collected, as well as location of fractures, concomitant injuries, and surgical management strategies. Results Seventy-five patients met inclusion criteria for the authors' study. Mean age was 14 years old. Common fracture sites included orbital, mandible, nasal bone, and frontal sinus. Patients were more likely to incur fracture of the zygoma, orbit, nasal bone, frontal sinus, and nasoorbitoethmoid (NOE) if involved in an MVC compared to all other etiologies. Common concomitant injuries included traumatic brain injury, intracranial hemorrhage, and skull and long bone fractures. Open reduction and internal fixation with titanium plates was the most common surgical procedure indicated. Conclusion Motor vehicle collisions related injury has significant health implications in the urban pediatric population. Orbital, zygoma, and nasal facial fractures and TBI are injuries commonly associated with MVC. The facial fractures are likely due to lack of proper utilization of safety equipment and airbags. Development of effective prevention techniques relies heavily on analysis of injury patterns and management strategies.
Examining Caregiver Knowledge of Shared Book Reading Practices for Infants and Toddlers Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Pilot Study

Purpose Parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) often report difficulty engaging their children in successful reading experiences. Shared book reading (SBR) is associated with man...
Measurement of the per cavity energy recovery efficiency in the single turn Cornell-Brookhaven ERL Test Accelerator configuration

Prior to establishing operation of the world's first multiturn superconducting energy recovery linac, the Cornell-BNL energy recovery test accelerator was configured for one-turn energy recovery. In this setup, direct measurement of the beam loading in each of the main linac cavities demonstrated high energy recovery efficiency. Specifically, a total one-turn power balance efficiency of 99.4%, with per cavity power balances ranging from 99.2--99.8% was measured. When accounting for small particle losses occurring in the path length adjustment sections of the return loop, the per cavity power balances correspond to per cavity single particle energy recovery efficiencies ranging from 99.8 to 100.5%. A maximum current of $70\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{A}$, limited by the an incomplete radiation shielding installation around the main beam stop at the time of these measurements, was energy recovered.
Abstract P139: The Impact Of Inpatient Diet Orders On Patient Nutrition And Dietary Behaviors Post Discharge

Introduction: Suboptimal nutrition is a known contributor to the development of cardiovascular disease. In the past decade, focus has been on improving the quality of hospital food with nutrition a...
A combined experimental and computational analysis on how material interface mediates plastic flow in amorphous/crystalline composites

In this work, we study the deformation behavior in amorphous/crystalline metallic composites (A/C-MCs) through nanoindentation experiments and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The atomic deformation processes in both crystalline (C-) and amorphous (A-) phases near the amorphous-crystalline interface (ACI) are investigated and correlated with the material’s overall constitutive behavior at the microscale. Our major findings are (i) the ACIs enable a co-deformation of the A- and C-phases through “stiffening” the soft phases but “softening” the stiff phases in A/C-MCs through different micro-mechanisms; (ii) there exists an ACI-induced transition zone with a thickness of ~ 10 nm; (iii) the strong coupling between shear transformation zones (STZs) and dislocations can be quantified through carefully designed indentation experiments and simulations; and (iv) the nanoscale MD-simulation-predicted mechanisms can be mapped to the “pop-in” or “excursion” events on the force–indentation depth curves extracted from microscale experiments, although there is a length-scale gap in between.
Use of an accelerated testing method to characterize inner front pole cover erosion in a high power Hall thruster

Erosion characteristics on the cover of the inner front pole in a 12.5 kW Hall thruster were measured over a wide range of operating conditions in tests of 6–14 h duration using an accelerated test method and a very sensitive, radioactive tracer-based erosion diagnostic. The operating points included the nominal 300–600 V conditions on a constant 20.8 A throttle curve and conditions at other currents spanning the throttling envelope and with varying magnetic field strength, facility pressure, and discharge voltage oscillation amplitude. Surprisingly, the results show that the highest wear rates occur at the lowest voltages and currents. The wear rates were insensitive to discharge voltage ripple but increased monotonically with magnetic field strength, particularly near the inner radius of the pole cover. The inner region was also sensitive to facility pressure, showing lower rates at a higher pressure level. Separate experiments in which the energy distributions of ions generated by the hollow cathode were measured suggest that the cathode plume may be a source of energetic ions responsible for some of the erosion trends, in addition to ions originating in the thruster plume.
Resident education in robotic-assisted vertical sleeve gastrectomy: outcomes and cost-analysis of 411 consecutive cases

Abstract Background Robotic technology is increasingly prevalent in bariatric surgery, yet there are national deficiencies in exposure of surgical residents to robotic techniques. Objectives The purpose of this study is to accurately characterize the perioperative outcomes of a resident teaching model using the robotic-assisted sleeve gastrectomy. Setting University Hospital. Methods We identified 411 consecutive patients who underwent robotic sleeve gastrectomy at our institution from a prospectively maintained administrative database. Perioperative morbidity, operative time, and supply cost of the procedure were analyzed. Results Mean operative time was 96.4±24.9 minutes; mean robot usage time was 63.9 minutes (range 30.0–122.0 min). Ninety-day morbidities included reoperation (0.72%), major bleeding complications (0.48%), staple line leak (0.24%), stricture (0.97%), need for blood transfusion (3.86%), surgical site infection (1.69%), deep vein thrombosis (0.48%), and pulmonary embolism (0.48%). Mortality was nil. The resident cohort achieved operative time plateaus after five consecutive cases. Subset analysis for fiscal year 2014 demonstrated significantly increased supply cost for robotic sleeve gastrectomy compared with its laparoscopic equivalent. Conclusion Robotic-assisted sleeve gastrectomy can be instituted as a model for resident robotic education with rates of morbidity and operative times equivalent to historical laparoscopic controls. The robot's enhanced ergonomics and its opportunity for resident education must be weighed against its increased supply cost.
Constrained Nonlinear Problems

Numerical methods for solving general nonlinear constrained optimization problems are discussed in this chapter. A large number of methods and their variations are available in the literature for solving these problems. As is frequently the case with nonlinear problems, there is no single method that is clearly better than the others. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses. The quest for a general method that works effectively for all types of problems continues. Most current journals and conferences on optimization contain new methods or refinements of existing methods for solving constrained nonlinear problems. A thorough review of all these developments is beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, the main purpose of this chapter is to present the development of two methods that are generally considered among the best in their class, the ALPF (Augmented Lagrangian Penalty Function) method and the SQP (Sequential Quadratic Programming) method. For additional details refer to Fiacco [1983], Fiacco and McCormick [1968], Fletcher [1987], Gill, Murray, and Wright [1991], Gomez and Hennart [1994], McCormick [1983], Scales [1985], and Shapiro [1979].
Proceedings of the First NASA Formal Methods Symposium

Topics covered include: Model Checking - My 27-Year Quest to Overcome the State Explosion Problem; Applying Formal Methods to NASA Projects: Transition from Research to Practice; TLA+: Whence, Wherefore, and Whither; Formal Methods Applications in Air Transportation; Theorem Proving in Intel Hardware Design; Building a Formal Model of a Human-Interactive System: Insights into the Integration of Formal Methods and Human Factors Engineering; Model Checking for Autonomic Systems Specified with ASSL; A Game-Theoretic Approach to Branching Time Abstract-Check-Refine Process; Software Model Checking Without Source Code; Generalized Abstract Symbolic Summaries; A Comparative Study of Randomized Constraint Solvers for Random-Symbolic Testing; Component-Oriented Behavior Extraction for Autonomic System Design; Automated Verification of Design Patterns with LePUS3; A Module Language for Typing by Contracts; From Goal-Oriented Requirements to Event-B Specifications; Introduction of Virtualization Technology to Multi-Process Model Checking; Comparing Techniques for Certified Static Analysis; Towards a Framework for Generating Tests to Satisfy Complex Code Coverage in Java Pathfinder; jFuzz: A Concolic Whitebox Fuzzer for Java; Machine-Checkable Timed CSP; Stochastic Formal Correctness of Numerical Algorithms; Deductive Verification of Cryptographic Software; Coloured Petri Net Refinement Specification and Correctness Proof with Coq; Modeling Guidelines for Code Generation in the Railway Signaling Context; Tactical Synthesis Of Efficient Global Search Algorithms; Towards Co-Engineering Communicating Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems; and Formal Methods for Automated Diagnosis of Autosub 6000.
Development of a new biomechanical indicator for primary blast-induced brain injury

Primary blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been observed at the boundary of brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Such injury can hardly be explained by using the theory of compressive wave propagation, since both the solid and fluid materials have similar compressibility and thus the intracranial pressure (ICP) has a continuous distribution across the boundary. Since they have completely different shear properties, it is hypothesized the injury at the interface is caused by shear wave. In the present study, a preliminary combined numerical and theoretical analysis was conducted based on the theory of shear wave propagation/reflection. Simulation results show that higher lateral acceleration of brain tissue particles is concentrated in the boundary region. Based on this finding, a new biomechanical vector, termed as strain gradient, was suggested for primary bTBI. The subsequent simple theoretical analysis reveals that this parameter is proportional to the value of lateral acceleration. At the boundary of lateral ventricles, high spatial strain gradient implies that the brain tissue in this area (where neuron cells may be contained) undergo significantly different strains and large velocity discontinuity, which may result in mechanical damage of the neuron cells.
The Concept of ‘Giftedness’: A Pentagonal Implicit Theory

This paper presents a pentagonal implicit theory of giftedness and a set of data testing the theory. The exposition is divided into five parts. First, I discuss what an implicit theory is and why such theories are important. Second, I describe the pentagonal theory, specifying five conditions claimed to be individually necessary and jointly sufficient for a person to be labelled as gifted. These conditions not only help us understand why some people are labelled as 'gifted', but also why some others are not. Third, I consider the relation of the pentagonal theory to explicit theories of giftedness. Fourth, I present data supporting the theory. Finally, I discuss some implications of the pentagonal theory for gifted education.
Evidential reasoning in semantic networks: a formal theory

This paper presents an evidential approach to knowledge representation and inference wherein the principle of maximum entropy is applied to deal with uncertainty and incompleteness. It focuses on a restricted representation language - similar in expressive power to semantic network formalisms, and develops a formal theory of evidential inheritance within this language. The theory applies to a limited, but we think interesting, class of inheritance problems including those that involve exceptions and multiple inheritance hierarchies. The language and the accompanying evidential inference structure provide a natural treatment of defaults and conflicting information. The evidence combination rule proposed in this paper is incremental, commutative and associative and hence, shares most of the attractive features of the Dempster-Shafer evidence combination rule. Furthermore, it is demonstrably better than the Dempster-Shafer rule in the context of the problems addressed in this paper. The resulting theory can be implemented as a highly parallel (connectionist) network made up of active elements that can solve inheritance problems in time proportional to the depth of the conceptual hierarchy.
Approaching the matched-filter bound using iterated-decision equalization with frequency-interleaved encoding

We propose a new low-complexity strategy for approaching the matched filter bound on most practical ISI channels. At the transmitter, a form of channel-independent precoding is introduced to perform frequency-interleaving, which appropriately conditions the channel. At the receiver, a very low-complexity iterated-decision equalizer (Chan, A.M. and Wornell, G.W., IEEE Trans. Commun., vol.49, p.1966-76, 2001) is used. As an illustration, we use the system to attain the matched filter bound effectively on the 1+D channel without the use of error-control coding.
"I'm a Mac" versus "I'm a PC": Personality Differences between Mac and PC Users in a College Sample

One hundred eight college students who had purchased either a Mac or PC laptop computer completed measures of the Big Five personality traits, ratings of brand characteristics of Macs and PCs, measures of implicit attitudes toward these products, and determinants of brand choices. Big Five personality traits did not differentiate between Mac and PC owners. Students overall rated Macs higher on various product attributes (attractive style, cool, youthful, and exciting) and PCs higher on reasonable price and good for gaming. Brand owners rated their own brands higher on characteristics of reliability, good for homework, ease of use, good for Internet surfing, and good features. PC owners placed greater importance on cost as a determinant of brand choice, whereas Mac owners placed greater emphasis on style. Personality traits may have more nuanced effects on brand choices, as shown by relationships between Neuroticism and greater importance placed on cost and lesser importance placed on ease of use. Openness to Experience was associated with greater importance placed on reliability and lesser importance placed on style. Supporting the predictive validity of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) in predicting consumer preferences, Mac owners showed more favorable implicit attitudes and stronger implicit self-identification with Macs than did PC owners. Implicit attitudes also predicted self-reported ratings of various product characteristics. C
Radio-Noise Filters Applied to Aircraft

THE importance of the use of radio in aerial navigation is well known. Of comparable importance to the operation of the aircraft, however, is the use of electricity in other forms, as for instance for engine ignition, for lighting, for control, and a variety of purposes. Since commutators and other forms of arcing contacts used in this equipment may cause interference with radio under some conditions, careful planning is necessary to get the fullest use from both power and radio equipment, and not over-burden the aircraft with attachments solely to make the radio work.
Genetic construction of PCB degraders

Genetic construction of recombinant strains with expanded degradative abilities may be useful for bioremedation of recalcitrant compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Some degradative genes have been found either on conjugative plasmids or on transposons, which would facilitate their genetic transfer. The catabolic pathway for the total degradation of PCBs is encoded by two different sets of genes that are not normally found in the same organism. ThebphABCD genes normally reside on the chromosome and encode for the four enzymes involved in the production of benzoate and chlorobenzoates from the respective catabolism of biphenyl and chlorobiphenyls. The genes encoding for chlorobenzoate catabolism have been found on both plasmids and the chromosome, often in association with transposable elements. Ring fission of chlorobiphenyls and chlorobenzoates involves themeta-fission pathway (3-phenylcatechol 2,3-dioxygenase) and theortho-fission pathway (chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase), respectively. As the catecholic intermediates of both pathways are frequently inhibitory to each other, incompatibilities result. Presently, all hybrid strains constructed by in vivo matings metabolize simple chlorobiphenyls through complementary pathways by comprising thebph, benzoate, and chlorocatechol genes of parental strains. No strains have yet been verified which are able to utilize PCBs having at least one chlorine on each ring as growth substrates. The possible incompatibilities of hybrid pathways are evaluated with respect to product toxicity, and the efficiency of both in vivo and in vitro genetic methods for the construction of recombinant strains able to degrade PCBs is discussed.
Secretory processing of the Alzheimer amyloid βA4 protein precursor is increased by protein phosphorylation

The 39-43 residue polypeptide (amyloid beta protein, beta A4) deposited as amyloid in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is derived from a set of 695-770 residue precursors referred to as the amyloid beta A4 protein precursor (beta APP). In each of the 695, 751, and 770 residue precursors, the 43 residue beta A4 is an internal peptide that begins 99 residues from the COOH-terminus of the beta APP. Each holoform is normally cleaved within the beta A4 to produce a large secreted derivative as well as a small membrane associated fragment. Neither of these derivatives can produce amyloid because neither contains the entire beta A4 peptide. In this study, we employ cells stably transfected with full length beta APP695, beta APP751, or beta APP770 expression constructs to show that phorbol ester activation of protein kinase C substantially increases the production of secreted forms from each isoform. By increasing processing of beta APP in the secretory pathway, PKC phosphorylation may help to prevent amyloid deposition.
Cholesterol Reduction and Life Expectancy

Excerpt To the editor: Taylor and colleagues (1) report that if men with otherwise low cardiac risk reduce their elevated cholesterol levels by an average of 6.7%, their life expectancy will increa...
Mode-locked operation of Co:MgF 2 and Ni:MgF 2 lasers

Tunable, mode-locked operation of cw Co:MgF2 and Ni:MgF2 lasers has been demonstrated for the first reported time, and autocorrelation measurements of the pulse widths have been made. The Co:MgF2 system has generated stable pulses over wavelengths from 1.65 to 2.01 μm and has produced pulses as short as 34 psec. The Ni:MgF2 laser has operated over the 1.61–1.73-μm range, with pulses as short as 23 psec.
Abstract 2150: Chemopreventive effects of black raspberries in endometrial cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Endometrial cancer is the most common type of gynecologic cancer and annually comprises 3% of all cancer deaths of women in the United States. Additionally, ∼80% of cases are type I endometrial cancer, mainly associated with Pten abnormalities. It was estimated that up to 90% of type I endometrial cancer patients are overweight/obese. Therefore, a regimen to prevent obesity associated tumorigenesis is the most important for type I endometrial cancer. In the current study, the Pten heterozygous (+/-) female mice were used as the model, to study the potentially chemopreventive effects by black raspberries (BRBs). At 3-4 weeks old, Pten (+/-) and wild type female mice were divided into four treatment groups, fed with either AIN-93G control diet (CD), CD with 5% BRBs, 58% fat to induce obesity (HF),or HF with 5% BRBs. All of mice were euthanized at 28 weeks old. In wild type mice, no malignant lesion was identified. In Pten (+/-) mice, HF diet increased 10% focal glandular hyperplasia with atypia lesions when compared with CD diet. Dietary administration of BRBs decreased 19% focal glandular hyperplasia with atypia lesions when compared with CD group. Specifically, BRBs in HF diet inhibited 32% obesity-induced endometrial malignant lesions and significantly lowed lesion multiplicity. Furthermore, cytokine profiles in plasma by Bio-Plex Assay revealed dietary BRBs decreased IL-1β and IL-17A, and lowed TNF-α and GM-CSF when compared with CD and HF group, respectively. In conclusion, this study for the first time suggested BRBs are chemopreventive for obesity-induced endometrial tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Jo-Hsin Chen, Irene Aguilera-Barrantes, Chieh-Ti Kuo, Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, Gary D. Stoner, Janet S. Rader, Yi-Wen Huang. Chemopreventive effects of black raspberries in endometrial cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2150. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2150