cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances in Laser-based Sensors for Propulsion Systems

Laser-based spectroscopic diagnostics provide unique capabilities for non-intrusive sensing of reactive flows, and as a result such sensors are increasingly utilized in the development of advanced propulsion concepts and systems. This paper will overview recent progress in the evolution of two of the most widely used diagnostic concepts: planar laserinduced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging, which can provide measurements at a large number of flowfield points in a laser-illuminated plane; and tunable diode laser (TDL) absorption, which is a line-of-sight technique with the capability of fast or even continuous measurements of multiple flowfield quantities. Of particular note with regard to PLIF imaging is the progress in two areas: imaging of fuel distributions and fuel-air mixing through the use of flow tracers, and the extension of PLIF to high-pressure flames. There have been many recent advances in TDL sensing, but here we will emphasize three aspects: the development of wavelength-multiplexed absorption concepts, allowing multiple measurements along each line of sight; the application of wavelength-modulation strategies to enable extension of TDL multi-line absorption thermometry to high-pressures; and the rapid growth in applications of TDL methods to practical combustors and propulsion systems.
Carbene-stabilized beryllium borohydride.

The reaction of N-heterocyclic carbene, L:, with BeCl2 quantitatively yields L:BeCl21 (L: = :C{N(2,6-Pri2C6H3)CH}2). The carbene-stabilized beryllium borohydride monomer L:Be(BH4)22 is prepared by the reaction of 1 with LiBH4. Compound 3, prepared by the reaction of 2 with Na2[Fe(CO)4]·dioxane, represents an unusual “dual reduction” of the imidazole ring (i.e., hydroboration of the C═C backbone and hydrogenation of the C2 carbene center).
Placebo Effects in Medicine

Research has revealed placebo effects to be genuine biopsychosocial phenomena representing more than simply spontaneous remission or normal symptom fluctuations. How can this understanding be used to benefit patients?
Der Neue Pickup VW Amarok

Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge bringt mit dem Amarok einen der modernsten Pickups auf den Markt. Kein Wettbewerber seiner Klasse ist weltweit sparsamer. Viele der mit dem Amarok realisierten Technologien kommen erstmals im Segment zum Einsatz. Hierzu gehort die Bi-Turbo-Aufladung der Topversion des TDI-Dieselmotors mit 120 kW (163 PS) Leistung. Das 5254 mm lange Fahrzeug in Leiterrahmenbauweise gibt es mit Heckantrieb, zuschaltbarem und permanentem (Torsenprinzip) Allradantrieb.
A Commutativity Theorem for Algebras

(1975). A Commutativity Theorem for Algebras. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 82, No. 4, pp. 377-379.
A System for Forestry Resources Management and Decision-Support Based on WebGIS and Portal

Aim at meeting the very need of information-sharing,complex access authorization for kinds of user and system interface customization for individual user in the current forestry resources management and decision-support system,it firstly analyzed the WebGIS and Portal techniques in this paper,then brought forward the forestry,of the system,data flow of function,and the realization of system role for controlling system users,all these were supported by the Portal,WebGIS and access authorization by role controlling.The system enhanced the access to information integration of system's resources,security access control greatly,reduced management overhead and management complexity,and achieve rapid integration the use of system resources.
VOSIS: a Multi-touch Image Sonification Interface.

VOSIS is an interactive image sonification interface that creates complex wavetables by raster scanning greyscale image pixel data. Using a multi-touch screen to play image regions of unique frequency content rather than a linear scale of frequencies, it becomes a unique performance tool for experimental and visual music. A number of image filters controlled by multi-touch gestures add variation to the sound palette. On a mobile device, parameters controlled by the accelerometer add another layer expressivity to the resulting audio-visual montages.
Superhydrophobicity of the gecko toe pad: biological optimization versus laboratory maximization

While many gecko-inspired hierarchically structured surfaces perform as well as or better than the natural adhesive system, these designs often fail to function across a variety of contexts. For example, the gecko can adhere to rough, wet and dirty surfaces; however, most synthetic mimics cannot maintain function when faced with a similar situation. The solution to this problem lies in a more thorough investigation of the natural system. Here, we review the adhesive system of the gecko toe pad, as well as the far less-well-studied anti-adhesive system that results from the chemistry and structure of the toe pad (superhydrophobicity). This paradoxical relationship serves as motivation to study functional optimization at the system level. As an example, we experimentally investigate the role of surface lipids in adhesion and anti-adhesion, and find a clear performance trade-off related to shear adhesion in air on a hydrophilic surface. This represents the first direct investigation of the role of surface lipids in gecko adhesion and anti-adhesion, and supports the argument that a system-level approach is necessary to elucidate optimization in biological systems. Without such an approach, bioinspired designs will be limited in functionality and context, especially compared to the natural systems they mimic. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Bioinspired hierarchically structured surfaces for green science’.
Bias and Trust in Authoritarian Media

How do citizens living under authoritarian rule perceive state-controlled news? Building on existing research on media bias in the U.S., this paper presents findings from a survey experiment that exposes Chinese citizens to different news stories, randomly assigning the putative source as well as the content itself. The core result is that respondents are aware of pro-regime biases in official mouthpieces but trust these outlets more anyway. Open-ended questions reveal two likely mechanisms. Citizens either a.) genuinely support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and want pro-government news media or b.) are better able to "back out the biases" from the reliably slanted official papers. Existing models of media politics must be amended to account for the dominance of official papers in authoritarian settings.
Yorùbá Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: Ọbáfemi Awólowo and Corporate Agency

Yoruba Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria investigates the dynamics and challenges of ethnicity and elite politics in Nigeria, Africa's largest democracy. Wale Adebanwi demonstrates how the corporate agency of the elite transformed the modern history and politics of one of Africa's largest ethnic groups, the Yoruba. The argument is organized around the ideas and cultural representations of Ọbafemi Awolowo, the central signifier of modern Yoruba culture. Through the narration and analysis of material, non-material and interactional phenomena - such as political party and ethnic group organization, cultural politics, democratic struggle, personal ambitions, group solidarity, death, memory and commemoration - this book examines the foundations of the legitimacy of the Yoruba political elite. Using historical sociology and ethnographic research, Adebanwi takes readers into the hitherto unexplored undercurrents of one of the most powerful and progressive elite groups in Africa, tracing its internal and external struggles for power.
Balancing on the Tightrope: Maintaining Gender Parity in a Successful Undergraduate Engineering Program

This paper focuses on the surprising attainment of gender parity among Industrial Engineering (IE) majors at the University of Oklahoma (OU). In the past five years, the percentage of female majors has varied between 40 % and 58% in the absence of a formal gender equity program. 40% of the faculty are female. We think that general strategies employed to increase retention of students have had a substantial role to play in the department's unplanned success in obtaining gender parity. We seek to identify the most important strategies and to determine the reasons for their success. In 2003, some University of Oklahoma project members began interviewing Industrial Engineering students, both female and male, about their experiences at OU under the auspices of a National Science Foundation Gender Equity grant (Award NSF-GDSE #0225228). Seymour and Hewitt's Talking about Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences (1997) suggests that females in the sciences are often victims of weeding out processes in their sophomore or junior year. In IE at the University of Oklahoma, it appears that undergraduates form close bonds with faculty mentors, work on research projects, and actively participate in technical organizations. They also see faculty outside of classroom and laboratory settings at numerous social events. Coded data from interview transcripts will be analyzed to identify aspects of the departmental culture that are conducive to female students remaining in IE until graduation. The role of internships and career fairs will be considered with regard to employment options available after graduation with data from annual
343. Repair of the Sickle-Cell Disease Mutation in Human Stem Cells Using CRISPR/Cas9 and Single-Stranded Oligodeoxynucleotides

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary anemia caused by a homozygous point mutation in the β-globin gene resulting in a glutamic acid to valine change at position 6 in the globin β-chain. Association of the mutated β-chain with α-chain results in the formation of hemoglobin S, which polymerizes intracellularly thus causing erythrocyte sickling. One promising therapy relies on the transplantation of autologous hematopoietic stem cells transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding a wild-type or mutant β-globin gene. However, one of the main concerns associated with the use of recombinant retroviruses to deliver therapeutic genes in stem cells is the risk of insertional mutagenesis following semi-random retroviral DNA integration. Alternatively, gene repair by homology-directed repair (HDR) is recognized as a potentially less genotoxic approach to repair mutations. Although HDR is intrinsically inefficient in human cells, enzymes that create specific DNA double-strand breaks can efficiently increase HDR frequency. Our long-term goal is to develop an efficient HDR approach to repair the sickle cell anemia mutation in stem cells. We have previously evaluated meganucleases and TALEN-based approaches to edit the β-globin gene in a human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line carrying a homozygous sickle cell mutation. Here, we investigate the use of CRISPR/Cas9 system in combination with single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODNs) to repair the sickle mutation in the above mentioned sickle iPS line (sciPS). Based on gene alignment analysis with the highly homologous Δ-globin gene, we have designed two β-globin-gene-specific CRISPR guide RNAs (gRNAs). Using these gRNAs, along with Cas9 and ssODNs, we show repair of the sickle cell mutation in sciPS cells. In the short term, we expect to translate these genome editing technologies to repair the sickle mutation in patient-specific cells, such as CD34+ hematopoietic cells, an approach that holds promise for future autologous stem cell therapies.
Quick on the Draw: Assessing the Relationship Between Low Self-Control and Officer-Involved Police Shootings

Police officers have a continuum of force options available to them, but, without question, the most extreme of these options is deadly force. Recent officer-involved shootings in the United States, and their subsequent media attention, have placed police use of deadly force at the forefront of political, academic, and policy conversations. While the extant literature has uncovered numerous structural, organizational, and situational predictors of police shootings, studies to date are more limited with respect to individual-level factors and have essentially ignored criminological theoretical constructs. Using Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime as a theoretical framework, the current study fills a gap in the literature by using personal and agency records of 1,935 Philadelphia police officers to examine the relationship between low self-control and officer-involved shootings. The results indicate that officers with lower self-control are significantly more likely to have been involved in a ...
Ottoman Customs Registers (Gümrük Defterleri) as Sources for Global Exchange and Interaction

The Ottoman Empire, contrary to the stereotype, was a key player in global commerce until well into the nineteenth century. Customs registers (gumruk defterleri) compiled by the Ottoman administration provide abundant information on ships, seamen, merchants, goods, and prices. This article summarizes the history of Ottoman customs taxation, enumerates the various types of records that contain information on trade and customs dues, and surveys current scholarship on the customs registers. It also includes lists of customs registers found in the Maliyeden Mudevver collection of the Prime Minister's Ottoman Archive (Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivi) and other collections also containing customs registers and related documents. The purpose is to stimulate further research into the Ottoman Empire's role in global interaction and exchange, a core topic in the growing field of world history.
High frequency oscillatory ventilation combined with inhaled nitric oxide on neonates with severe meconium aspiration syndrome

Objective To investigate the effects of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV)combined with inhaled nitric oxide(iNO) on neonates with severe meconium aspiration syndrome(MAS).Methods Sixty newborn infants with severe MAS admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Shenzhen Children's Hospital from Oct 2008 to May 2011 were included for this study.All of them needed mechanical ventilation after birth and oxygenation index (OI) ＞ 30.According to the different ventilation modes,they were randomly divided into conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) group,HFOV group and HFOV combined with iNO (HFOV + iNO) group,each group had twenty neonates.OI and the rate of air leak and pulmonary hypertension in each group were compared.Results Ventilation after 24 h,OI of HFOV group and HFOV + iNO group were significantly decreased as compared with CMV group (19.0 ± 4.5 vs 11.0 ± 5.3 vs 25.0 ± 7.1,P ＜ 0.05).In HFOV + iNO group,the obvious decline of OI(from 36.0 ± 7.4 to 24.0 ± 5.2) were observed at four hours after treatment.The rate of air leak in HFOV and HFOV + iNO groups was both zero as compared with CMV (5/20,25％).The rate of pulmonary hypertension in HFOV + iNO group was zero and the HFOV group was 30％ (6/20),the CMV group was 40％ (8/20).Conclusion HFOV combined with iNO was preferred treatment for neonates with severe MAS,and they have synergistic effect. Key words: High frequency oscillatory ventilation; Nitric oxide; Meconium aspiration syndrome; Mechanical ventilation ; Children
Interpolation of Ewald-Accelerated Periodic Green’s Function Representations for Homogeneous or Layered Media

A method is explored and developed for significantly accelerating the computation of the Ewald series representation for periodic homogeneous media Green’s functions. The method involves extracting corner singularity terms from the corners of the unit cell, resulting in a smooth regularized Green’s function that is amenable to interpolation. The approach can be used to accelerate layered-media problems, where application of Kummer’s method splits the spectral (Floquet modal) series representation into a rapidly converging difference series that is regular plus a residual series that contains any spatial singularities present. The residual series corresponds to a homogeneous medium, and can thus be treated with the method proposed here.
A Framework for 21st-Century Career-Technical and Workforce Education Curricula

Increasingly, career-technical and workforce education professionals are challenged with determining the best ways to prepare people for work, when many of the jobs those people will perform do not exist yet. Twenty-first-century work is evolving rapidly, with some jobs going away, other types of work appearing, and many people working in jobs that do not maximize their potential. To remain relevant in this emerging landscape, a framework is needed that can structure and guide research and curriculum development in workforce preparation in an increasingly volatile and uncertain future. We examine three key components—career navigation, work ethic, and innovation—that can situate career-technical and workforce education curricula to anticipate rapid changes in workplace demands and ensure student outcomes that will be lasting and durable in the 21st-century workplace.
Changes in older couples’ compassionate love over a year: The roles of gender, health, and attachment avoidance

Although compassionate love has been identified as a key characteristic of healthy relationships, it is unknown how it changes over time. Thus, both self- and spouse-reported compassionate love tow...
ANALISIS PENERAPAN PRINSIP “5C” TERHADAP AKURASI ANALISA KREDIT PADA PT. FIRST INDO AMERICAN LEASING

The company is one of the economic actors. Leasing or lease is a financial company whose activities provide financing facilities. Definition of the lease based on the Ministry of Finance No.1969 / KMK.01 / 1999 Article 1, the rent-to-business (leasing) is a financing activity in the form of supply of capital goods either lease with the option-business (finance lease) or rental -guna-effort without the option (operating lease) for use by the lessee for a certain period based on periodic payments. nonperforming loans originated from the accuracy of credit analysts conduct analysis on prospective customers, the tighter the analysts to analyze the problem loans will not occur or be minor. In this study the authors will discuss the principles of Applied 5c to the accuracy of the analysis of PT First Indo American Leasing by distributing questionnaires to 30 credit analysts, the results of that discussion dipeoleh There is a strong and direct relationship between the application of the principle of 5c on the accuracy of analysis, where the better implementation 5C principle it will better the accuracy of the analysis of the provision of credit, the amount of analysis accuracy is affected by the application of the principle of 5C in your analysis process credit of 72.10% remaining 27.9% is influenced by other factors and the regression equation Y = 0.480 + 0.919 x is the regression equation significant. Keywords : accuracy analysis, principle 5 C,
Alternative by Design

The final chapter was inspired by the eruption of something locally referred to as a Toilet War in Cape Town in 2010. The War takes the infrastructural inadequacies of the city as its object. Activists use the somatic components of cleansed urban space at the center of the city and the charged power of waste to force openings in discourses regarding the political legitimacy of the Municipal and Provincial Governments. The post-apartheid transition remains incomplete without the durable counterpart of networked infrastructures. Sanitation infrastructures and households are continuously networked over time with bodily thresholds in ways that stabilize exclusion. It is because artifacts are designed according to the visibility of the sentience implied in them that they modify the way the body is made in turn. Following the work of Elaine Scarry (The Body in Pain, Oxford University Press, New York; 1985), this chapter will argue the sentience of racialized bodies becomes increasingly invisible over time to the built environment designed to see it. Contemporary activists are thus lashing out at the very objects that expand rather than reduce the weight of their bodies.
Measuring Global Well-Being

The preceding chapter discussed life concerns, “domains” of life and “criteria” for evaluating life. Although the domains and criteria that we chose to investigate were all relatively broad in scope, each referred to an aspect of life that was substantially less inclusive than life-as-a-whole. In contrast, this chapter focuses on a wide range of “global” measures, measures intended to tap a variety of different qualities that characterize life-as-a-whole. It describes sixty-eight global measures and how they relate to one another, both conceptually and statistically.
The Physics of Particular Qualities

This chapter addresses the particular physical qualities that early modern philosophy has so much difficulty acknowledging. The discussion begins by examining the relation of pure mechanics to the void, density, and elasticity. Kant’s treatment of chemical process is then considered in contrast with Hegel’s account of the physics of particular qualities. The chapter then considers density, cohesion, elasticity, sound, and heat with the resources Hegel provides.
Emotional Robocoaster: An Exploration on Emotions, Research Methods and Introspection

The Emotional Robocoaster is an emotions-based game played between a human and a robot. The interaction utilizes game techniques and the social presence a robot can project in order to explore mechanisms for introspection and human emotion elicitation. The game challenges players to use affect inputs to bring a social robot to a given target emotion using biometric signals, and uses this as an opportunity to promote human-robot collaboration. This work reports an ongoing effort in (1) exploring the potential of robot companions as partners for behavioral tasks such as emotion elicitation and, (2) the use of game techniques as viable mechanisms for engaging humans in introspection. This exploration can provide designers and behavioral researchers with insight about new ways to approach research methods in the fields of psychology, in particular human emotions, as well as research at the intersection of social robots, human introspection, mindfulness and self-awareness.
Abstract #748: Analysis of markers predictive for response in carcinoid tumors

Carcinoid tumors are neoplasms of the endocrine system arising predominantly in the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system. Surgery can be curative for small lesions, but the majority of patients present with advanced disease for which few treatment options exist. We assessed 104 carcinoid tumors from 12 sites (74 patients) for growth factor receptors and effectors/regulators targeted by anticancer drugs currently under development. Mutations were assessed in the following genes: KRAS (codons 12, 13) [associated in colorectal cancer with lack of response to cetuximab or panitumumab], EGFR (exons 18, 19, 21) [associated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib], as well as KIT (exons 9, 11, 13, 17) and PDGFRA (exons 12, 14, 18) [both associated with response of gastrointestinal stromal tumors to TKI imatinib]. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect high EGFR copy number [associated with gefitinib sensitivity in NSCLC and to monoclonal antibody cetuximab and panitumumab response in colorectal cancer] as well as high HER-2/neu copy number [predictive of response to monoclonal antibody trastuzumab in breast cancer]. Also, immunohistochemical analyses of newer molecular targets of anticancer drugs was performed: VEGFR1, mTOR, IGF1R, Hsp90, and TGFBR1. Mutational analyses indicated that the carcinoid tumors from all 74 patients carried single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dbSNP rs1873778 in PDGFRA exon 12; 20% of carcinoid patients had tumors with dbSNP rs2228230 in PDGFRA exon 18. KRAS codon 12 mutations were detected in two carcinoid tumors, both aggressive neoplasms. However, no EGFR, KIT, or PDGFRA mutation associated with clinical response was found in any carcinoid tumor. FISH analyses detected EGFR aneusomy in 39% of assessable carcinoid patients at levels associated with sensitivity to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (minimum copy number 2.47/cell [J Clin Oncol 22:3238, 2007]); 52% of this cohort demonstrated EGFR copy number levels high enough to predict gefitinib response. HER-2/neu aneusomy was detected in 19% of assessable patients, but HER-2/neu copy number was below levels predictive of anti-HER2 response. However, four of these patients had high copy number for both EGFR and HER-2/neu, a pairing predictive of gefitinib sensitivity greater than that for patients with high EGFR copy number alone [J Clin Oncol 23:5007, 2005]. Immunohistochemistry results for EGFR, KIT, and PDGFRA will be reported and compared to those of new drug targets VEGFR1, mTOR, IGF1R, Hsp90, and TGFBR1 and symptomatic therapy targets somatostatin receptor subtypes 2A and 5. Our results indicate that further study of new therapies for carcinoid tumors is warranted, e.g., presence of elevated EGFR copy number in 39% of carcinoid cases concomitant with infrequent occurrence of KRAS mutations suggests the possible efficacy of anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 748.
The Moderating Effect of Motivation to Comply and Perceived Critical Mass in Smartphones' Adoption

The testing of the technology acceptance model over the years has shown that its explanatory power is about 50%; which led researchers to revisit the model in an attempt to gain a better understanding of technology adoption. Some of the studies found social influence to be a key factor, but others have yielded mixed results. This article questions the assumption made in some previous studies that most people would comply with social influence. Using data collected from 210 smartphone users, we investigated the moderating effect of motivation to comply on the relationship between social influence, on the one hand, and perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use on the other hand. Also, based on the theory of critical mass, we investigated the moderating effect of the perceived critical mass on the relationship between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on the one hand, and actual usage on the other hand. The results showed a significant moderating effect of both motivation to comply and perceived critical mass. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
A Historian’s Journey with Sylvia Olden Lee and Camilla Williams, African American Opera Pioneers

This article is a historiography that explores and reflects upon the author’s study of Sylvia Olden Lee and Camilla Williams, African-American women who were each a pioneer in operatic performance. The article highlights Lee and Williams’s contributions to singing performance and pedagogy, and while doing so, the author reflects on her personal journey as a historian and biographer of African-American vocal history.
An Improved Calibration Methodology for Modeling Advanced Isolation Technologies

An improved calibration methodology for simulating advanced isolation technologies using SUPREM-IV is presented. Based on the experimental determination of the material properties of silicon nitride, an improved parameter set for the stress dependent oxidation models is derived. The calculated substrate stress using this new parameter set is compared with micro-raman spectroscopy stress measurements to validate the calibration methodology.
Automated and High-Speed Manufacturing System

Automated production and manufacturing are the engineering fields dealing with various product manufacturing, production processes, machining equipment developments, and integration of production systems and manufacturing equipment. Computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology can provide engineering design teams with quick and cost-effective professional tools to efficiently iterate the design process for better quality and reliable function. The CAE technique can allow multiple design concepts being reviewed and evaluated without real product manufactured until the design process has been completed. Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) helps to ensure qualified production process by computer-integrated technology that permits the production processes interchanging technical data information to each other. Figures 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 show the newly developed automated/high-speed system to fill the high-viscous liquids, based on author’s current research.
Cake Formation and Growth

Derivation of the one-dimensional cake filtration equations is presented in detail. Properties of cake structure such as cake porosity (solidosity), permeability (or specific cake resistance), and their dependence on cake compression are introduced. The limitations of the cake filtration equations are discussed and their use in predicting cake filtration performance is shown through a number of illustrative examples. Applications of the results of the conventional cake filtration theory in analyzing and interpreting experimental data are discussed. For the improvement of the predictive capability of the conventional theory, an iterative calculation procedure is given. It is also shown that cake filtration may be considered as a diffusive process with a variable filtration diffusivity which can be expressed in terms of cake permeability and cake porosity and their compression dependence.
The Association of Body Mass Index with Postoperative Outcomes After Elective Paraesophageal Hernia Repair

To evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and postoperative outcomes in elective paraesophageal hernia (PEH) repairs. A retrospective review of patients who underwent elective PEH repair in the ACS NSQIP database (2005–2015) was performed. Patients were stratified into BMI groups (< 18.5, 18.5–24.9, 25.0–29.9, 30.0–34.9, 35–39.9, and ≥ 40.0 kg/m2) according to the World Health Organization classification criteria. A multivariable logistic regression model was developed to characterize the association between BMI class and outcomes, including readmission, reoperation, postoperative complications, and mortality. The median (IQR) age of the 9641 patients who met inclusion criteria was 64 (55–72) and 72.7% were women. Across each BMI class, age, race, gender, type of procedure, frailty index, smoking, and ASA class varied (p < 0.05). Underweight patients (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) had an increased risk of mortality (OR = 6.35, p < 0.05). Patients with a BMI 35–39.9 kg/m2 (OR = 0.65, p < 0.05) and ≥ 40 kg/m2 (OR = 0.36, p < 0.001) were associated with a decreased risk for readmissions. Underweight patients have an increased risk for postoperative mortality after elective PEH repair. Higher BMI was associated with a diminished risk for readmission, but not for mortality, reoperations, or overall complications.
Dual-Site Ventricular Pacing in Patients With Fontan Physiology and Heart Block: Does It Mitigate the Detrimental Effects of Single-Site Ventricular Pacing?

Abstract Objectives This study sought to determine the long-term effect of dual-site ventricular pacing (i.e., cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT]) versus single-site pacing in patients with Fontan physiology and high-grade atrioventricular block (AVB). Background Chronic single-site ventricular pacing in Fontan patients is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Methods The study conducted a retrospective review of all Fontan patients with high-grade AVB who received pacemakers at a single institution between 1990 and 2016 with follow-up of 12 months or greater. The primary study outcome was a composite of death or heart transplantation. Results Nineteen patients received CRT devices and 43 patients received single-site ventricular pacemakers (SVPMs), with a median follow-up of 4.9 years (range 1.1 to 11.3 years) and 10.4 years (range 1.1 to 26.8 years), respectively. One (5.3%) CRT patient and 11 (25.6%) SVPM patients reached the composite endpoint of death or transplant (odds ratio: 0.16; 95% confidence interval: 0.02 to 1.36; p = 0.09). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed similar rates of freedom from death or transplant between the 2 study groups over a 5-year follow-up period (p = 0.08). The proportion of SVPM patients with abnormal ventricular systolic function before device implantation (9.5%) and at follow-up (33.3%) significantly increased (p=0.009). The CRT cohort had less change in their ventricular function (42.1% before device implant, 36.8% at follow-up; p = 1.00); however, a Kaplan-Meier analysis over a 5-year follow-up period found no difference in the presence of abnormal ventricular systolic function between groups (p = 0.27). Conclusions There was no significant difference in long-term outcomes between Fontan patients who were single- or dual-site paced for high-grade AVB.
Marijuana Banking in New York and Around the U.S.: 'Swim at Your Own Risk'

Today, banking in any way relating to marijuana is a violation of federal law. Conflicting laws and guidance from the federal and state governments threatens the welfare and success of a billion-dollar industry. Analyzing the current marijuana banking laws, regulations, and practices in New York and around the US provides a glimpse into an industry suffocating from public pressures and overpowering economic tides. To protect and uphold the integrity of our government and the agencies it deems controlling, the federal government must reform marijuana banking.
METHODS FOR FUZZY DEMAND ASSESSMENT FOR IT SPECIALTIES

The rapid development of information technologies and their penetration into various spheres of human activity cause a sharply increased demand for IT specialists, in many countries of the world far exceeding the supply on them. High rates of technological transformation contribute to the diversification of the IT segment of the labor market, on the one hand, stimulate the disappearance of some and the emergence of new IT specialties, on the other. This creates a discrepancy between the structure of IT-related education and the labor market demand for IT specialists of the required profile and determines the relevance of developing methods for assessing the demand for IT specialties. This article is devoted to the study and solution of the problem of identifying the demand for IT specialties in the absence of accurate and complete information about the situation in the IT market segment. For the assessment of IT specialties and their ranking by the degree of demand in the labor market, the tasks of making individual and group decisions in the context of fuzzy initial information are formulated and solved. The methodological basis of the tasks posed is multi-criteria decision support methods based on fuzzy relations of expert preferences. The proposed approach as a mathematical tool for minimizing the structural imbalance of supply and demand for IT specialties is one of the components of the system of intellectual management of the labor market of IT specialists. The latter is designed to support the adoption of scientifically based management decisions to eliminate the mismatch of supply and demand in the IT segment of the labor market in professional, quantitative and qualitative sections.
Utility of Percentage Signal Recovery and Baseline Signal in DSC-MRI Optimized for Relative CBV Measurement for Differentiating Glioblastoma, Lymphoma, Metastasis, and Meningioma

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The percentage signal recovery in non-leakage-corrected (no preload, high flip angle, intermediate TE) DSC-MR imaging is known to differ significantly for glioblastoma, metastasis, and primary CNS lymphoma. Because the percentage signal recovery is influenced by preload and pulse sequence parameters, we investigated whether the percentage signal recovery can still differentiate these common contrast-enhancing neoplasms using a DSC-MR imaging protocol designed for relative CBV accuracy (preload, intermediate flip angle, low TE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed DSC-MR imaging of treatment-naive, pathology-proved glioblastomas (n = 14), primary central nervous system lymphomas (n = 7), metastases (n = 20), and meningiomas (n = 13) using a protocol designed for relative CBV accuracy (a one-quarter-dose preload and single-dose bolus of gadobutrol, TR/TE = 1290/40 ms, flip angle = 60° at 1.5T). Mean percentage signal recovery, relative CBV, and normalized baseline signal intensity were compared within contrast-enhancing lesion volumes. Classification accuracy was determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: Relative CBV best differentiated meningioma from glioblastoma and from metastasis with areas under the curve of 0.84 and 0.82, respectively. The percentage signal recovery best differentiated primary central nervous system lymphoma from metastasis with an area under the curve of 0.81. Relative CBV and percentage signal recovery were similar in differentiating primary central nervous system lymphoma from glioblastoma and from meningioma. Although neither relative CBV nor percentage signal recovery differentiated glioblastoma from metastasis, mean normalized baseline signal intensity achieved 86% sensitivity and 50% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to results for non-preload-based DSC-MR imaging, percentage signal recovery for one-quarter-dose preload-based, intermediate flip angle DSC-MR imaging differentiates most pair-wise comparisons of glioblastoma, metastasis, primary central nervous system lymphoma, and meningioma, except for glioblastoma versus metastasis. Differences in normalized post-preload baseline signal for glioblastoma and metastasis, reflecting a snapshot of dynamic contrast enhancement, may motivate the use of single-dose multiecho protocols permitting simultaneous quantification of DSC-MR imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging parameters.
Images Doing Work Construction Photography at the Tuskegee Institute and Black Mountain College

Class and race have historically impacted and continue to shape our perception of what is and who should engage in architectural “work.” Much current writing on architectural labor—be it the critic...
Historical and Cultural Influences on Education Policy and Disability Services

This chapter introduces the international press for inclusive education for persons with disabilities. After a brief review of the role of the United Nations in global debates regarding the meanings of disabilities and inclusion, the chapter provides a brief description of the current socio-economic status of Trinidad/Tobago as the nation with the most developed economy in the Caribbean. It presents a historical perspective on the post-colonial educational policy context in which advocates and policy makers have attempted to create a space for children with disabilities. The chapter raises the question of “goodness of fit” in transferring educational principles and practices, such as inclusion and educational mandates, from high- to low-resourced nations.
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria erythrocytes are of two distinct types: positive or negative for acetylcholinesterase.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired disorder. Erythrocytes isolated from PNH patients show increased sensitivity to complement and decreased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. In this study, indirect immunofluorescence analysis of a monoclonal antibody specific for a surface epitope of human erythrocyte AChE is used to quantitate the content of this enzyme at the single-cell level. Flow- cytofluorimetric analysis of erythrocytes from normal donors indicates that all erythrocytes contain detectable levels of the surface epitope with a strong correlation between cell size and enzyme content. In contrast, erythrocytes from PNH patients show two distinct populations of erythrocytes; namely, those containing a normal content of AChE and a second population containing no detectable AChE. The AChE-negative population of cells is quantitatively complement-sensitive. These data support suggestions that PNH is a clonal disorder resulting in two distinct types of circulating erythrocytes. The abnormal clone produces cells that are both surface-AChE-negative and complement-sensitive. In addition, the method described provides an attractive alternative for the diagnosis and quantitative evaluation of abnormal erythrocytes in PNH patients.
Improved Dissolution and Pharmacokinetics of Abiraterone through KinetiSol® Enabled Amorphous Solid Dispersions

Abiraterone is a poorly water-soluble drug. It has a high melting point and limited solubility in organic solvents, making it difficult to formulate as an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) with conventional technologies. KinetiSol® is a high-energy, fusion-based, solvent-free technology that can produce ASDs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of KinetiSol to make abiraterone ASDs. We developed binary KinetiSol ASDs (KSDs) using both polymers and oligomers. For the first time, we reported that KinetiSol can process hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD), a low molecular-weight oligomer. Upon X-ray diffractometry and modulated differential scanning calorimetry analysis, we found the KSDs to be amorphous. In vitro dissolution analysis revealed that maximum abiraterone dissolution enhancement was achieved using a HPBCD binary KSD. However, the KSD showed significant abiraterone precipitation in fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF) media. Hence, hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS126G) was selected as an abiraterone precipitation inhibitor and an optimized ternary KSD was developed. A pharmacokinetic study revealed that HPBCD based binary and ternary KSDs enhanced abiraterone bioavailability by 12.4-fold and 13.8-fold, respectively, compared to a generic abiraterone acetate tablet. Thus, this study is the first to demonstrate the successful production of an abiraterone ASD that exhibited enhanced dissolution and bioavailability.
Experimental assessment of the progress variable space structure of premixed flames subjected to extreme turbulence

Abstract Flamelet models of turbulent premixed combustion assume that (a) turbulent-transport and combustion processes can be decoupled and treated independently, suggesting that preheat and reaction zones remain layer-like and do not become highly fragmented and/or distributed. By further assuming (b) that the scalar-structure (e.g. the distribution of thermochemical quantities, like species mass fraction, vs. a control variable, such as a reaction progress variable) of a turbulent flame is akin to that in an associated laminar flame, detailed chemical properties can be introduce into a simulation at low computational cost via pretabulated flamelet tables derived from laminar flame calculations. The authors previously quantified conditions when assumption (a) remains valid. The present work assesses assumption (b) for turbulent Reynolds numbers that exceed those of previous studies by ∼ 7 × . Namely, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of formaldehyde (CH2O), hydroxyl (OH), and methylidyne (CH) acquired jointly with Rayleigh scattering are used to produce joint PDFs (scatter plots) of the former vs. a progress variable (CR) derived from the latter. Regardless of the turbulence level the piloted Bunsen flames considered here were subjected to, peak-normalized conditional mean (CM) profiles obtained from such joint PDFs agree well with profiles derived from laminar flame calculations. Additionally, within the near field of modestly turbulent flames, two-term β-PDFs are found to accurately describe CR-distributions. However, agreement between β-PDFs and CR-distributions worsens with increased turbulence and axial distance from the burner. Small discrepancies between the measured CM profiles and those obtained from laminar calculations also emerged at highly turbulent conditions. For instance, under such conditions, laminar profiles of CH over predict the measurements where 0.6
Lidar-based exploration and discretization for mobile robot planning.

In robotic applications, the control, and actuation deal with a continuous description of the system and environment, while high-level planning usually works with a discrete description. This paper considers the problem of bridging the low-level control and high-level planning for robotic systems via sensor data. In particular, we propose a discretization algorithm that identifies free polytopes via lidar point cloud data. A transition graph is then constructed where each node corresponds to a free polytope and two nodes are connected with an edge if the two corresponding free polytopes intersect. Furthermore, a distance measure is associated with each edge, which allows for the assessment of quality (or cost) of the transition for high-level planning. For the low-level control, the free polytopes act as a convenient encoding of the environment and allow for the planning of collision-free trajectories that realizes the high-level plan. The results are demonstrated in high-fidelity ROS simulations and experiments with a drone and a Segway.
Will Changing Times Change the Allocation of Faculty Time

This paper examines faculty time allocation decisions that are fundamental to the functioning of a university. A random-utility approach yields a grouped-data, multinomial logit model and predicts that time allocation decisions depend systematically on both personal and institutional attributes. The empirical results for a random sample of U.S. arts and sciences faculty indicate that structural differences between universities with different research orientations account for most of the significant differences in faculty time allocations. Faculty characteristics reinforce institutional missions, however, and thus condition university policies for change (for example, attempts to mandate greater time to teaching in research universities).
The Capsule Question: How Much Should Be Removed with Explantation of a Textured Device?

SUMMARY Current controversies surrounding breast implants are focused not only on the implant but also on the capsule. There has been tremendous discussion regarding how much of the capsule, if any, should be removed during explantation for benign conditions. The appearance of benign capsules is highly variable ranging from a thin membrane to densely fibrotic with calcifications. The options for capsulectomy include none, partial, complete, complete-intact, and en bloc. Some patients are requesting en bloc capsulectomy even in the absence of anaplastic large cell lymphoma; however, the scientific evidence only supports this for patients with capsular malignancies. The purpose of this article is to review the old and new evidence to answer the question regarding how much capsule should be removed during explantation for benign conditions.