cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy-efficient scheduling algorithms of object retrieval on indexed parallel broadcast channels

With the goal of providing "timely and reliable" access to information in a mobile computing environment, mobile units and the wireless medium operate under constraints on energy, bandwidth, and connectivity. Among these limitations, power limitation of mobile units is one of the key issues. In a mobile computing environment, broadcasting has proved to be an effective method to distribute public data. Efficient methods for allocating and retrieving objects on parallel indexed broadcast channels have been proposed to manage power consumption and access latency. Employment of parallel channels also brings out the notion of conflicts. To minimize the effect of conflicts on both access latency and power consumption, one has to develop schemes to schedule access to the objects that minimizes the number of passes over the parallel channels. This work extends our past efforts and proposes two new scheduling algorithms that can find the minimum number of passes and inside channel switches. The simulation results show that the proposed scheduling algorithms relative to our previous work have a great impact on energy consumption and access latency. The proposed scheduling algorithms are simulated and results are presented.
Photovoltaic Processes of Singlet and Triplet Excited States in Organic Solar Cells

This article reports the respective photovoltaic processes of singlet and triplet photoexcited states in dissociation and charge reactions based on the studies of magnetic-field effects of photocurrents. The magnetic-field effects of photocurrents reveal that weak donor-acceptor interactions lead to a two-step photovoltaic process: dissociation in polaron-pair states evolved from singlet excitonic states and exciton-charge reactions occurred in triplet excitonic states in the generation of the photocurrent. However, strong donor-acceptor interactions yield a one-step photovoltaic process: direct dissociation of both singlet and triplet excitons in bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells. In addition, the magnetic-field effects of photocurrents indicate that the dissociated electrons and holes form charge-transfer complexes with singlet and triplet spin configurations at donor-acceptor intermolecular interfaces. As a result, the magnetic-field effects of photocurrents can deliver a critical understanding of singlet and triplet photovoltaic processes to design advanced solar-energy materials and devices.
Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Degradation-Induced Dissociation of Class II Invariant Chain Complexes Containing a Glycosylation-Deficient Form of p41

The quality control system in the secretory pathway can identify and eliminate misfolded proteins through endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). ERAD is thought to occur by retrotranslocation through the Sec61 complex into the cytosol and degradation by the proteasome. However, the extent of disassembly of oligomeric proteins and unfolding of polypeptide chains that is required for retrotranslocation is not fully understood. In this report we used a glycosylation mutant of the p41 isoform of invariant chain (Ii) to evaluate the ability of ERAD to discriminate between correctly folded and misfolded subunits in an oligomeric complex. We show that loss of glycosylation at position 239 of p41 does not detectably affect Ii trimerization or association with class II but does result in a defect in endoplasmic reticulum export of Ii that ultimately leads to its degradation via the ERAD pathway. Although class II associated with the mutated form of p41 is initially retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, it is subsequently released and traffics through the Golgi to the plasma membrane. ERAD-mediated degradation of the mutant p41 is dependent on mannose trimming and inhibition of mannosidase I stabilizes Ii. Interestingly, inhibition of mannosidase I also results in prolonged association between the mutant Ii and class II, indicating that complex disassembly and release of class II is linked to mannosidase-dependent ERAD targeting of the misfolded Ii. These results suggest that the ERAD machinery can induce subunit disassembly, specifically targeting misfolded subunits to degradation and sparing properly folded subunits for reassembly and/or export.
Symbolic algebra as a tool for understanding edge elements

The paper describes a methodology for systematic comparison of tetrahedral edge element spaces using symbolic algebra. Various known edge element families, with their respective spaces and irrotational subspaces, are studied. In addition, symbolic algebra facilitates analysis of some novel hexahedral elements and of a new "prolongation of local gradients" condition for spectral convergence (the absence of "spurious modes").
Obesity and Cancer Screening according to Race and Gender

The relationship between obesity and cancer screening varies by screening test, race, and gender. Most studies on cervical cancer screening found a negative association between increasing weight and screening, and this negative association was most consistent in white women. Recent literature on mammography reports no association with weight. However, some studies show a negative association in white, but not black, women. In contrast, obese/overweight men reported higher rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. Comparison of prostate cancer screening, mammography, and Pap smears implies a gender difference in the relationship between screening behavior and weight. In colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, the relationship between weight and screening in men is inconsistent, while there is a trend towards lower CRC screening in higher weight women.
The essential role of test in DFM

Design for manufacturing (DFM) is essential to achieving competitive yields in deep submicron technologies. The limiting factor in the successful application of DFM is manufacturing data. However, collecting this manufacturing data is increasingly difficult and expensive.
The effect of acetaminophen on the international normalized ratio in patients stabilized on warfarin therapy.

Study Objective. To determine whether an interaction exists between acetaminophen and warfarin that alters the international normalized ratio (INR). Design. Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting. Anticoagulation clinic at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Patients. Thirty-six adult patients receiving warfarin with stable INRs, defined as two consecutive INRs at least 3 weeks apart that were within the therapeutic range. Intervention. Patients were randomly assigned to receive acetaminophen 1 g twice/day along with matching placebo twice/day (12 patients), acetaminophen 1 g 4 times/day (12 patients), or matching placebo 4 times/day (12 patients) for 4 weeks. Measurements and Main Results. The primary end point was the difference in mean INR between groups at weekly intervals. Secondary end points were the percentages of patients in each group with supratherapeutic (INR ≥ 0.3 above the upper limit of their therapeutic range) or subtherapeutic (INR ≥ 0.2 or 0.3 below the lower limit of their respective therapeutic range of 2.0–3.0 or 2.5–3.5) INRs, and the difference in mean serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels between groups at biweekly intervals. Slow enrollment and a preliminary observation that 15 patients experienced an elevated INR prompted early termination of the study. At week 2, the group receiving acetaminophen 2 g/day had a significantly higher mean INR versus the placebo group (p=0.01). At weeks 1, 2, and 3, the acetaminophen 4-g/day group had significantly higher mean INRs compared with those in the placebo group (p=0.04, p=0.01, p=0.01, respectively). In addition, 13 (54%) of 24 patients in the acetaminophen groups combined exceeded the upper limit of their therapeutic range by 0.3 or greater compared with only 2 (17%) of 12 patients in the placebo group. No statistically significant differences in serum ALT or AST levels between either acetaminophen group versus the placebo group were found at week 4; however, there was a statistically significant increase in mean ALT level at week 2 in the acetaminophen 4-g/day group versus the placebo group. Conclusion. These findings support the existence of a clinically significant interaction between warfarin and daily use of acetaminophen 2–4 g, necessitating close monitoring of patients who receive this drug combination. Whether this interaction occurs when acetaminophen is taken in lower doses or is used sporadically requires further study.
Rapid assessment of postfire plant invasions in coniferous forests of the western United States.

Fire is a natural part of most forest ecosystems in the western United States, but its effects on nonnative plant invasion have only recently been studied. Also, forest managers are engaging in fuel reduction projects to lessen fire severity, often without considering potential negative ecological consequences such as nonnative plant species introductions. Increased availability of light, nutrients, and bare ground have all been associated with high- severity fires and fuel treatments and are known to aid in the establishment of nonnative plant species. We use vegetation and environmental data collected after wildfires at seven sites in coniferous forests in the western United States to study responses of nonnative plants to wildfire. We compared burned vs. unburned plots and plots treated with mechanical thinning and/or prescribed burning vs. untreated plots for nonnative plant species richness and cover and used correlation analyses to infer the effect of abiotic site conditions on invasibility. Wildfire was responsible for significant increases in nonnative species richness and cover, and a significant decrease in native cover. Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire fuel treatments were associated with significant changes in plant species composition at some sites. Treatment effects across sites were minimal and inconclusive due to significant site and site 3 treatment interaction effects caused by variation between sites including differences in treatment and fire severities and initial conditions (e.g., nonnative species sources). We used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to determine what combinations of environmental variables best explained patterns of nonnative plant species richness and cover. Variables related to fire severity, soil nutrients, and elevation explained most of the variation in species composition. Nonnative species were generally associated with sites with higher fire severity, elevation, percentage of bare ground, and lower soil nutrient levels and lower canopy cover. Early assessments of postfire stand conditions can guide rapid responses to nonnative plant invasions.
A fast procedure for calculating importance weights in bootstrap sampling

Importance sampling is an efficient strategy for reducing the variance of certain bootstrap estimates. It has found wide applications in bootstrap quantile estimation, proportional hazards regression, bootstrap confidence interval estimation, and other problems. Although estimation of the optimal sampling weights is a special case of convex programming, generic optimization methods are frustratingly slow on problems with large numbers of observations. For instance, interior point and adaptive barrier methods must cope with forming, storing, and inverting the Hessian of the objective function. In this paper, we present an efficient procedure for calculating the optimal importance weights and compare its performance to standard optimization methods on a representative data set. The procedure combines several potent ideas for large-scale optimization.
Cold atom quantum memories and the telecom interface

Long-distance quantum information networks require information storage, retrieval and transmission at telecommunication wavelengths. A quantum memory and its interface to the telecom window based on cold rubidium in an optical lattice is described. With this system it has been demonstrated (i) interconversion of 795 and 1367 nm light with efficiency in excess of 50% and (ii) measurement of non-classical correlations between telecom light and atomic spin-wave excitations.
Improvements on Efficiency and Efficacy of SPFD-Based Rewiring for LUT-Based Circuits

This paper proposes two set-of-pairs-of-functions-to-be-distinguished (SPFD)-based rewiring algorithms to be used in a multi-tier rewiring framework, which employs multiple rewiring techniques. The first algorithm has two unique features: 1) a satisfiability problem (SAT) instance was devised so that an unsuccessful rewiring can be identified very quickly, and 2) unlike binary decision diagram-based methods that require all pairs of SPFD, our algorithm uses a few SAT instances to perform rewiring for a given wire without explicitly enumerating all SPFDs. Experimental results show that the runtime of our algorithm is about three times faster than that of a conventional one under a simulated setting of such a framework and it scales well with the number of candidate wires considered. The efficacy of the framework can be further improved by the second proposed algorithm. The algorithm relies on a theory presented herein to allow adding a new wire outside of the restricted set of dominator nodes, a feature common in automatic-test-pattern-generation-based rewiring, but absent in existing SPFD-based ones. Although this algorithm may suffer from long runtimes in the same way conventional SPFD-based techniques do, experiments show that the number of wires which can be rewired increases 13% on average and the number of alternative wires also increases.
Evaluation of dental arch reproduction using three-dimensional optical digitization.

Abstract Statement of problem Numerous investigations have been done to determine the most accurate method to reproduce a dental arch. Investigations have used different definitive cast configurations, materials, and measuring techniques to evaluate dimensional change, leaving clinicians undecided as to the most accurate method to reproduce a dental arch. Purpose of study The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of impression tray selection on accuracy of reproductions of a dental arch using a 3-dimensional optical digitizer. Materials and methods Impressions were made of a stone cast of a dental arch using vinyl polysiloxane impression material in custom and stock impression trays (n=12). Custom trays, designed with full palatal coverage, were fabricated on a separate standard stone cast using 2 layers of pink baseplate wax as the spacer and tissue stops on 1 anterior tooth and both first molar teeth. Impressions were poured with type IV gypsum and allowed to set with the tray inverted (n=5) or not inverted (n=5). The standard cast and resulting casts were digitized using an optical digitizer. Custom software was used to align and process the 3-dimensional images created by the digitizer. Each image was superimposed onto the standard cast image, curves were created of the percent of points less than a defined distance between the 2 superimposed images, and the area under the curve was calculated. A weighted average area was calculated for each cast, and these values were analyzed using a 2-way ANOVA (α=.05). Results The main effect of tray type, laboratory setting technique, and the interaction between these 2 characteristics was analyzed. None of these effects was significant. Conclusion The differences in accuracy of reproductions of a dental arch, regardless of the impression and laboratory techniques, were not significant when evaluated using a 3-dimensional optical digitizer.
Between Commitment and Pragmatism: Assessing International Influence on Human Rights Practices in Georgia

What explains the discrepancy between the avowed commitment of the Georgian government to human rights and praxis of human rights in the post-Rose Revolution republic? This article engages with this question and attributes persistent breaches of civil, political, and personal integrity rights in Georgia not only to its domestic circumstances but also to the international impact. The study develops a reference group theory; a type of social theory that stresses the influence of social groups of states on policies and behavior of their members. Reference groups endorse goals, values, and standards of behavior for their members and serve as the “frames of reference” that enable other states to assess the effectiveness and legitimacy of their actions. The findings of this study indicate that Georgia's reference groups, particularly the United States, contributed to its backsliding on human rights by (1) supporting the Georgian government in its goal of rebuilding the state prior to democratizing it and streng...
Two New Species of Piper from the Greater Antilles

Abstract Two new Antillean endemic species, Piper abajoense from Puerto Rico, and Piper claseanum from the Dominican Republic, are described and illustrated. The former species resembles the widely distributed Piper hispidum, including the somewhat scabrous leaf surfaces, typically asymmetric leaf bases, and the bracts, flowers, and fruits forming distinct bands around the spike, but is distinguished by the combination of glabrous and stylose fruits (vs. densely puberulent and estylose), laterally (vs. apically) dehiscent anthers, and shorter spikes. The latter species resembles Piper samanense, another endemic species from the Dominican Republic, in vegetative morphology, including the leathery leaves with pellucid dots visible below when dry, but differs in its long-pedicellate flowers and fruits (vs. sessile or pseudopedicellate), puberulent rachis and pedicels (vs. densely white-pubescent), and puberulent vs. pubescent fruits. A phylogeny based on the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS...
Clinical Presentation of Intoxication Due to Synthetic Cannabinoids

Synthetic cannabinoids are relatively novel substances of abuse. The use of these compounds among adolescents and young adults has been increasing, making it important for pediatric providers to be familiar with the presenting signs and symptoms of intoxication. We describe three case presentations of reported synthetic cannabinoid intoxication and provide a brief discussion of these compounds.
Potentially curative treatment in patients with hepatocellular cancer—results from the liver cancer research network

SUMMARY Background The extent to which potentially curative therapies are used in patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and their related outcomes are unknown in the US. Aim To determine the rate and outcomes of potentially curative treatment in patients with HCC. Methods Eleven US centers followed patients with HCC between 2001 and 2007. We determined rates of liver transplantation, surgical resection, or tumour ablation during follow-up, examined differences in adjusted survival of patients receiving these treatments, and determined the factors associated with receipt of potentially curative treatment. Results Of the 267 patients, 76 (28%) patients had early HCC, defined as Child A or B cirrhosis, with a solitary HCC or ≤3 nodules, each ≤3 cm. Of these, 53 (69.7%) received curative treatment. Thirty six percent of patients with non-early HCC received curative treatment. Compared to patients with non-early HCC who did not receive curative treatment, patients with early HCC and curative treatment had the best survival [hazard ratio, HR = 0.19 (95% CI, 0.08–0.42)] followed by patients with advanced HCC who received curative treatment [HR = 0.37 (95% CI, 0.22–0.64)]. Baseline performance status was significantly associated with receipt of curative treatment as well as survival after adjusting for demographics, clinical characteristics, and HCC stage. Conclusions In this multicenter database, most of the patients with early HCC received potentially curative treatment. However, only 28% of patients had early HCC. One-third of patients with non-early HCC also underwent curative therapy. Potentially curative treatment improved survival and this effect was seen in patients with early as well as non-early HCC.
Bio-inspired fluidic lens surgical camera for MIS

We report a new type of surgical camera that will greatly improve minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The key enabling technology for this camera is a unique type of lens–bio-inspired fluidic lens, which is a bio-mimetic lens that can change its curvature, just like the way human crystalline lens can accommodate. Because of its curvature changing capability, it is now possible to design a new regime of optical systems where auto-focusing and optical zoom can be performed without moving the lens positions, as is done in typical cameras. Hence, miniaturized imaging system with high functionality can be achieved with such technology. MIS is a surgical technique where small incisions are made on the abdominal wall as opposed to a large cut in open surgery. This type of surgery ensures faster patient recovery. The key tool for MIS is its surgical camera, or laparoscope. Traditional laparoscope is long and rigid and limits the field of view. To further advance MIS technology, we utilized bio-inspired fluidic lens to design a highly versatile imager that is small, can change its field of view or zoom optically, works in low light conditions, and varies the viewing angles. The surgical camera prototype is small (total track < 17 mm), possesses 3X optical zoom, operates with light emitting diode (LED) lighting, among many other unique features.
Human Resources for Health in Major National Policies and Plans of Nepal

Background: Nepal first began planning for human resources for health forty years back. Since then a number of long-term and short-term plans, policies and acts have been introduced. This study is conducted to analyse the HRH gap in relation to objectives, guidelines, and priorities of the Ministry of Health and Population. Methods: A combination of desk review of the HRH related policies, strategies, and plans of the government and stakeholder consultation was used for the study from October 2012 to March 2013. Ethical approval was obtained from the NHRC. Results: Almost all the plans and policies highlighted human resources as central to successful health systems in Nepal. Still there are several gaps at the implementation level. The expanding health programs with increasing demand for health services has demanded more robust evidence-based planning of HRH. There are many vacant positions due to complicated health act including the issue of social inclusions of workforce due to poor implementation of program policies. Conclusions: HRH needs to be recognized as dealing with more than just health personnel, but as assets necessary for the entire health system to function, plan, and manage it. There is the need to fill vacant positions in a timely manner, and increase the participation of excluded groups.
Life During Wartime: Emotions and The Development of Act Up

Focusing on the street AIDS activist movement ACT UP, this article explores the question of social movement sustainability. Emotions figure centrally in two ways. First, I argue that the emotion work of movements, largely ignored by scholars, is vital to their ability to develop and thrive over time. I investigate the ways AIDS activists nourished and extended an "emotional common sense" that was amenable to their brand of street activism, exploring, for example, the ways in which ACT UP marshaled grief and tethered it to anger; reoriented the object of gay pride away from community stoicism and toward gay sexual difference and militant activism; transformed the subject and object of shame from gay shame about homosexuality to government shame about its negligent response to AIDS; and gave birth to a new "queer" identity that joined the new emotional common sense, militant politics, and sexradicalism into a compelling package that helped to sustain the movement. Second, I investigate the emotions generate...
Antibiotic-associated encephalopathy

Delirium is a common and costly complication of hospitalization. Although medications are a known cause of delirium, antibiotics are an underrecognized class of medications associated with delirium. In this article, we comprehensively review the clinical, radiologic, and electrophysiologic features of antibiotic-associated encephalopathy (AAE). AAE can be divided into 3 unique clinical phenotypes: encephalopathy commonly accompanied by seizures or myoclonus arising within days after antibiotic administration (caused by cephalosporins and penicillin); encephalopathy characterized by psychosis arising within days of antibiotic administration (caused by quinolones, macrolides, and procaine penicillin); and encephalopathy accompanied by cerebellar signs and MRI abnormalities emerging weeks after initiation of antibiotics (caused by metronidazole). We correlate these 3 clinical phenotypes with underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of antibiotic neurotoxicity. Familiarity with these types of antibiotic toxicity can improve timely diagnosis of AAE and prompt antibiotic discontinuation, reducing the time patients spend in the delirious state.
A Representation Theorem for Polynomials of Two Variables

(1975). A Representation Theorem for Polynomials of Two Variables. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 82, No. 4, pp. 385-387.
Trainees' Perceptions of a Final Oral Competency Examination:

Objective(s)The focus on competency attainment by professional psychology trainees obligates training programs to assess these competencies prior to completion of an internship. However, little is known about how trainees may perceive such testing. This study examines relationships between performance on an Oral Final Competency Examination of a clinical case and trainee perceptions of that examination.MethodOral Final Competency Examinations were conducted utilizing the California School of Professional Psychology model with 48 interns over five internship years. Trainees presented a case to examiners, were rated in six competency domains by two examiners, and completed a questionnaire regarding their perception of the exam process two weeks later.ResultsWhile all trainees passed the examination, those with lower scores perceived the examination and examiners less favorably. Prior experience with similar tasks and self-reported performance anxiety were surprisingly not related to exam performance.Conclus...
Improving the spatial representation of soil properties and hydrology using topographically derived initialization processes in the SWAT model

NSFNational Science Foundation (NSF) [1343802]; USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants Program [69-3A75-13-232]; NatureNet postdoctoral fellowship from The Nature Conservancy
Naïve Beliefs About Intervening on Causes and Symptoms in the Health Domain.

In two experiments we tested people’s naive beliefs about where interventions act in real-world causal systems. We provided people with a description of a novel health condition that could be treated by two different treatments, a medication and a lifestyle modification. Participants judged a medication as acting on the symptoms of a disorder instead of the cause of the disorder, while a lifestyle modification was seen as acting on both the cause and the symptoms of a health condition (Experiment 1). These results held despite participants rating both treatments as effective. Providing information about the specific causal mechanism by which a treatment could work did not increase beliefs about a medication’s ability to target the cause of a disorder (Experiment 2). Implications for understanding of everyday causal interventions and health treatments is discussed.
Accuracy of Preoperative Estimation of Resection Weight in Transurethral Prostatectomy

AbstractIn a prospective study of 150 consecutive transurethral resections of the prostate gland the preoperative estimate of gland weight was compared to the actual resected weight. The data revealed a wide variation between estimated and actual weight in all size glands.
Numerical investigation of band gaps in 3D printed cantilever-in-mass metamaterials

In this research, the negative effective mass behavior of elastic/mechanical metamaterials is exhibited by a cantilever-in-mass structure as a proposed design for creating frequency stopping band gaps, based on local resonance of the internal structure. The mass-in-mass unit cell model is transformed into a cantilever-in-mass model using the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory. An analytical model of the cantilever-in-mass structure is derived and the effects of geometrical dimensions and material parameters to create frequency band gaps are examined. A two-dimensional finite element model is created to validate the analytical results, and excellent agreement is achieved. The analytical model establishes an easily tunable metamaterial design to realize wave attenuation based on locally resonant frequency. To demonstrate feasibility for 3D printing, the analytical model is employed to design and fabricate 3D printable mechanical metamaterial. A three-dimensional numerical experiment is performed using COMSOL Multiphysics to validate the wave attenuation performance. Results show that the cantilever-in-mass metamaterial is capable of mitigating stress waves at the desired resonance frequency. Our study successfully presents the use of one constituent material to create a 3D printed cantilever-in-mass metamaterial with negative effective mass density for stress wave mitigation purposes.
FSI Simulations of Pulse Wave Propagation in Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: The Effects of Sac Geometry and Stiffness.

This study aims to quantify the effects of geometry and stiffness of aneurysms on the pulse wave velocity (PWV) and propagation in fluid–solid interaction (FSI) simulations of arterial pulsatile flow. Spatiotemporal maps of both the wall displacement and fluid velocity were generated in order to obtain the pulse wave propagation through fluid and solid media, and to examine the interactions between the two waves. The results indicate that the presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) sac and variations in the sac modulus affect the propagation of the pulse waves both qualitatively (eg, patterns of change of forward and reflective waves) and quantitatively (eg, decreasing of PWV within the sac and its increase beyond the sac as the sac stiffness increases). The sac region is particularly identified on the spatiotemporal maps with a region of disruption in the wave propagation with multiple short-traveling forward/reflected waves, which is caused by the change in boundary conditions within the saccular region. The change in sac stiffness, however, is more pronounced on the wall displacement spatiotemporal maps compared to those of fluid velocity. We conclude that the existence of the sac can be identified based on the solid and fluid pulse waves, while the sac properties can also be estimated. This study demonstrates the initial findings in numerical simulations of FSI dynamics during arterial pulsations that can be used as reference for experimental and in vivo studies. Future studies are needed to demonstrate the feasibility of the method in identifying very mild sacs, which cannot be detected from medical imaging, where the material property degradation exists under early disease initiation.
Characteristics of the Contrast Enema Do Not Predict an Effective Bowel Management Regimen for Patients with Constipation or Fecal Incontinence.

Background: A bowel management program using large volume enemas may be required for children with anorectal malformations (ARM), Hirschsprung’s disease (HD), severe medically refractive idiopathic constipation (IC), and other conditions. A pretreatment contrast enema is often obtained. We sought to determine if the contrast enema findings could predict a final enema regimen. Methods: A retrospective review was performed at a tertiary care children’s hospital from 2011 to 2014 to identify patients treated with enemas in our bowel management program. Patient characteristics, contrast enema findings (including volume to completely fill the colon), and final enema regimen were collected. Results: Eighty-three patients were identified (37 ARM, 7 HD, 34 IC, and 5 other). Age ranged from 10 months to 24 years, and weight ranged from 6.21 kg to 95.6 kg at the time bowel management was initiated. Linear regression showed contrast enema volume was of limited value in predicting effective therapeutic saline enema volume (R2 = 0.21). The addition of diagnosis, colon dilation, and contrast retention on plain x-ray the day after the contrast enema moderately improved the predictive ability of the contrast enema (R2 = 0.35). Median final effective enema volume was 22 mL/kg (range: 5 - 48 mL/kg). Conclusions: We were unable to demonstrate a correlation with contrast enema findings and the effective enema volume. However, no patient required a daily enema volume greater than 48 mL/kg to stay clean.
Sizing a rainwater harvesting cistern by minimizing costs

Abstract Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has the potential to reduce water-related costs by providing an alternate source of water, in addition to relieving pressure on public water sources and reducing stormwater runoff. Existing methods for determining the optimal size of the cistern component of a RWH system have various drawbacks, such as specificity to a particular region, dependence on numerical optimization, and/or failure to consider the costs of the system. In this paper a formulation is developed for the optimal cistern volume which incorporates the fixed and distributed costs of a RWH system while also taking into account the random nature of the depth and timing of rainfall, with a focus on RWH to supply domestic, nonpotable uses. With rainfall inputs modeled as a marked Poisson process, and by comparing the costs associated with building a cistern with the costs of externally supplied water, an expression for the optimal cistern volume is found which minimizes the water-related costs. The volume is a function of the roof area, water use rate, climate parameters, and costs of the cistern and of the external water source. This analytically tractable expression makes clear the dependence of the optimal volume on the input parameters. An analysis of the rainfall partitioning also characterizes the efficiency of a particular RWH system configuration and its potential for runoff reduction. The results are compared to the RWH system at the Duke Smart Home in Durham, NC, USA to show how the method could be used in practice.
The Influence of Processing on Strengthening Mechanisms in Pb-Free Solder Joints

The number, and the spacing, of Ag3Sn precipitates in Sn-Ag-Cu/Cu solder joints were related to separate processing parameters. The mechanical properties of an individual solder joint were directly related to the resulting distribution of different dispersoids in the joint. As the number of Ag3Sn precipitates increased, so did solder joint strength and shear fatigue lifetime. The room-temperature shear fatigue lifetime was inversely correlated with the separation between Ag3Sn precipitates. Bi and Sb solid solution strengthening was found to result in significantly larger values of shear strength and shear fatigue lifetime for one Pb-free solder. Room-temperature shear fatigue lifetime tests were identified as a relatively straightforward, yet sensitive means to gain insight into the reliability of Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder joints.
Black Students and the Labor Market: An Analysis of Occupational Expectations

In an era of economic inflation and recession, the correlation between education and employment increases in significance, particularly for minority groups. Accordingly, the occupational plans or expectations of college students must take into account not only the quality and appropriateness of their training for specific occupations but also the availability of jobs in their chosen field. While characteristics of the labor market are important, some observers have suggested that educational preparation and individual initiative are primary factors in determining whether occupational expectations are actually achieved (Williams, 1960). However, it is important to
Falls among full-time wheelchair users with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis: a comparison of characteristics of fallers and circumstances of falls.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to (1) explore and (2) compare circumstances of falls among full-time wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS).Methods: A mix...
Impact of hepatitis C virus polymorphisms on direct-acting antiviral treatment efficacy: Regulatory analyses and perspectives.

Several highly effective, interferon-free, direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-based regimens are available for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Despite impressive efficacy overall, a small proportion of patients in registrational trials experienced treatment failure, which in some cases was associated with the detection of HCV resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) at baseline. In this article, we describe methods and key findings from independent regulatory analyses investigating the impact of baseline nonstructural (NS) 3 Q80K and NS5A RASs on the efficacy of current United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved regimens for patients with HCV genotype (GT) 1 or GT3 infection. These analyses focused on clinical trials that included patients who were previously naive to the DAA class(es) in their investigational regimen and characterized the impact of baseline RASs that were enriched in the viral population as natural or transmitted polymorphisms (i.e., not drug-selected RASs). We used a consistent approach to optimize comparability of results across different DAA regimens and patient populations, including the use of a 15% sensitivity cutoff for next-generation sequencing results and standardized lists of NS5A RASs. These analyses confirmed that detection of NS3 Q80K or NS5A baseline RASs was associated with reduced treatment efficacy for multiple DAA regimens, but their impact was often minimized with the use of an intensified treatment regimen, such as a longer treatment duration and/or addition of ribavirin. We discuss the drug resistance-related considerations that contributed to pretreatment resistance testing and treatment recommendations in drug labeling for FDA-approved DAA regimens. Conclusion Independent regulatory analyses confirmed that baseline HCV RASs can reduce the efficacy of certain DAA-based regimens in selected patient groups. However, highly effective treatment options are available for patients with or without baseline RASs. (Hepatology 2018;67:2430-2448).
Motor Planning and Gait Coordination Assessments for Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Aims: The purposes were to examine construct validity of the Motor Planning Maze Assessment (Maze) and three items from the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) that were modified for children (pediatr...
Changes in regional cerebral blood flow associated with a 45 day course of the ketogenic agent, caprylidene, in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: Results of a randomized, double-blinded, pilot study.

Abstract Background Caprylidene is a ketogen that, when metabolized, produces the ketones beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate, which can cross the blood brain barrier. It has been hypothesized that ketone bodies can be used as an alternate energy source by neurons with impaired glucose utilization. Caprylidene has been shown to improve cognition in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) who lacked an AD-predisposing allele (ɛ4) of the gene for apolipoprotein E. In this pilot study, we examined the effects of caprylidene on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with mild to moderate AD. Methods Sixteen subjects with mild-to-moderate AD, based on NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, were enrolled in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Fourteen subjects received treatment with caprylidene, and 2 subjects were given placebo. Subjects received 4 15O-water PET scans over the course of the study to assess rCBF: once before receiving a standard caprylidene or placebo dose and 90 min after the dose, on the first day and after 45 days of daily caprylidene or placebo consumption. The scans were examined by standardized volumes of interest (sVOI) and voxel-based statistical parametric mapping (spm) methods of analysis. Results Subjects lacking an ɛ4 allele had significantly elevated rCBF in the left superior lateral temporal cortex by sVOI analysis after adopting a caprylidene diet for 45 days (p = 0.04), which was further corroborated by spm. The anterior cerebellum, left inferior temporal cortex, and hypothalamus were also found by spm to be regions of long-term increase in rCBF in these subjects. In contrast, patients who possessed the ɛ4 allele did not display these changes in rCBF. Conclusion Daily ingestion of caprylidene over 45 days was associated with increased blood flow in specific brain regions in patients lacking an apolipoprotein ɛ4 allele.
Expanding and Preserving the Utility of Quinolone Antimicrobials

It is a distinct honor for me to have the opportunity to participate in this symposium in honor of Dr. Karl Metzger, who was instrumental in the identification and development of ciprofloxacin, the fluoroquinolone that opened the door to the expanded therapeutic potential of the quinolone class of antimicrobials (Wolfson and Hooper 1989; Hooper and Wolfson 1991). The first member of the quinolone class, nalidixic acid, is a naphthyridine derivative that was developed in the mid-1960s. Nalidixic acid was, however, limited in its clinical application to the treatment of urinary tract infections, and it was not until the 1980s with the development of the newer members of this class, the fluoroquinolones, that it became possible to treat a broad range of Gram-negative and some Gram-positive bacterial infections at many body sites. Ciprofloxacin, with its novel cyclopropane ring substituent, was the first broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone to be used successfully to treat infections outside the genitourinary tract. The increasing problem of resistance to other classes of antimicrobial agents has contributed to the need for and value of current fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin. In particular, the occurrence in some strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae of plasmid-mediated multidrug resistance that includes most β-lactams and aminoglycosides, has resulted in organisms that are susceptible only to imipenem and amikacin. In addition, increasing resistance to β-lactams in Enterobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa has enhanced the need for other classes of agents with activity against these organisms.
Iron and Erythropoiesis

Iron deficiency and iron overload disorders are among the most common diseases afflicting modern man. Iron deficiency affects up to one billion individuals worldwide. Women and children are most commonly iron deficient, as a result of increased iron needs attributable to regular blood loss and rapid growth, respectively. Untreated iron deficiency in infants and toddlers can lead to irreversible cognitive deficits. Internationally, most iron deficiency can be traced to dietary insufficiency or subacute gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with chronic parasitic infections. Rare patients have inherited defects in iron absorption or iron utilization. Iron deficiency is usually treatable with oral iron salts. While this treatment is inexpensive, it may be difficult to achieve compliance, because iron repletion takes several months to complete.
How Inclusive Is Your Physical Education Class? Introducing the Lieberman/Brian Inclusion Rating Scale for Physical Education

Many children do not feel included in integrated physical education settings, despite teachers' efforts to include them. This article describes the use of the Lieberman/Brian Inclusion Rating Scale...
Prospective Association of Serum and Dietary Magnesium with Colorectal Cancer Incidence.

Background: Laboratory and epidemiologic research suggests a protective role of magnesium in colorectal cancer development. We estimated the associations of serum and dietary magnesium with colorectal cancer incidence in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Methods: Serum magnesium concentration was measured in blood collected twice (1987–1989 and 1990–1992) and averaged. Dietary magnesium was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire administered twice (1987–1989 and 1993–1995) and averaged. For both dietary and serum magnesium, the averaged measures were categorized into quintiles for analysis. Analyses included 315 colorectal cancer cases among 13,009 participants for serum magnesium (followed for a median of 20.4 years), and 256 cases among 10,971 participants for dietary magnesium (followed for a median of 17.5 years). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CI) of colorectal cancer for the highest four quintiles compared with the first quintile of serum magnesium were as follows: Q2: 0.70 (0.49–0.99); Q3: 0.68 (0.47–1.00); Q4: 0.87 (0.62–1.21); and Q5: 0.79 (0.57–1.11; Ptrend = 0.04). An inverse association was present in females (HR for Q5 vs. Q1: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36–0.98, Ptrend = 0.01), but not males (HR for Q5 vs. Q1: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.67–1.79, Ptrend = 0.92; Pinteraction = 0.34). Dietary magnesium was not statistically significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk. Conclusions: Our study found a higher risk of colorectal cancer with lower serum magnesium among females, but not males. Impact: If our findings are confirmed, maintaining adequate serum magnesium levels may be important for colorectal cancer prevention.
Princely Patronage on Display: The Case of Cardinal Pietro Riario and Pope Sixtus IV, 1471–1474

Following on from the translation of Nikolaus of Modrus’ funeral oration for Cardinal Pietro Riario in issue 5.2 (December 2018), which explored his developing posthumous reputation, this study examines the role of Pope Sixtus IV’s nephew as a representative of the pontificate. Less constrained than the pope by behavioral restrictions, cardinal-nephews could mix ecclesiastical and secular activities, welcoming and hosting visiting ambassadors and princes. The cardinal-nephew’s blood ties emphasized his elite position in his uncle’s pontificate, while his wealth, derived from lucrative benefices bestowed by his patron the pope, allowed a magnificent display that projected messages about power based on liberality. This practice shows a sort of resource-sharing that benefitted both the pope and his nephew, while performing necessary ceremonial, political, and social functions. Via these events observers could identify important members of the papal court and thus the pope’s relatives were able to establish alliances that benefitted both clerical and lay papal kin. Using Nikolaus of Modrus’ funeral oration, ambassadorial letters, contemporary chronicles, and household inventories, the cardinal’s household emerges as an important vehicle for the display of dignity and the development of diplomatic relationships. Read together with the translation of Nikolaus of Modrus’ funeral oration, this essay presents Pietro Riario as a frontrunner in the use of elite households as a conduit for patronage systems that extended papal reach across and beyond the city of Rome, at the onset of a period of change characterized as a papal monarchy.