cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The hepatitis B x antigen effector, URG7, blocks tumour necrosis factor α-mediated apoptosis by activation of phosphoinositol 3-kinase and β-catenin

Hepatitis B x antigen (HBxAg) contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of chronic infection and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. To discern some of its operative pathways, HepG2 cells were stably transduced with HBx or the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. Differential gene expression has previously revealed an upregulated gene, clone 7 (URG7), that conferred resistance to anti-Fas killing on HepG2X cells. Given that tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is also an important mediator of chronic hepatitis, and partially shares signalling with Fas, experiments were designed to test whether URG7 blocks TNFα killing of HepG2X cells. HepG2X cells expressing URG7 and HepG2 cells overexpressing URG7 in the absence of HBxAg were resistant to TNFα killing compared with HepG2CAT cells. URG7 small interfering RNA restored the sensitivity of HepG2X cells to TNFα killing. Killing was associated with the activation of caspases 3 and 8, suggesting that URG7 blocked these caspases. This resistance was also associated with activation of phosphoinositol 3-kinase/Akt. Given that Akt and HBxAg also activate β-catenin, experiments were designed to determine whether URG7 blocked apoptosis via activation of β-catenin. Both HBxAg and URG7 activated fragments of the β-catenin promoter, and also promoted expression of β-catenin target genes. Hence, URG7 inhibits TNFα-mediated killing by blocking one or more caspases in the apoptotic pathway and by activating phosphoinositol 3-kinase and β-catenin, thereby overriding the apoptotic signalling of TNFα. This suggests that URG7 helps to protect virus-infected hepatocytes during chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
Electrochemical studies on the influence of proteins on the corrosion of implant alloys.

The effect of proteins on corrosion rates of 316L stainless steel, commercially pure titanium and titanium 6-aluminium 4-vanadium was studied in the static and fretting modes. The static mode was studied using cylindrical specimens as per ASTM F-746, and static fracture fixation plates. The fretting mode was studied using a two-hole plate fretting machine which caused a cyclic rocking motion between the plate and the screws, as per ASTM F-897. Electrochemical techniques of polarization resistance and Tafel slope measurements were used to study effects of proteins on the anodic and cathodic corrosion reactions. It was found that proteins increased the corrosion rate of the stainless steel and C.P. titanium cylindrical specimens, but did not have an effect on the Ti-6AI-4V cylinders. In the fretting mode proteins decreased the corrosion rate of the stainless steel plates, but did not have an appreciable effect on either of the titanium alloys. The presence of proteins appeared to cause an increase in the anodic Tafel constant and a decrease in the cathodic Tafel constant of stainless steel specimens. Significant differences in the shapes of the cathodic Tafel slopes were also seen with cylinders with different surface conditions, and static versus fretting plates.
Reliability of uncertain dynamical systems with multiple design points

Asymptotic approximations and importance sampling methods are presented for evaluating a class of probability integrals with multiple design points that may arise in the calculation of the reliability of uncertain dynamical systems. An approximation based on asymptotics is used as a first step to provide a computationally efficient estimate of the probability integral. The importance sampling method utilizes information of the integrand at the design points to substantially accelerate the convergence of available importance sampling methods that use information from one design point only. Implementation issues related to the choice of importance sampling density and sample generation for reducing the variance of the estimate are addressed. The computational efficiency and improved accuracy of the proposed methods is demonstrated by investigating the reliability of structures equipped with a tuned mass damper for which multiple design points are shown to contribute significantly to the value of the reliability integral.
Is there value to primary tumor control in patients with stage IV breast cancer

SUMMARY In the past decade there has been interest as to whether or not resection of the primary tumor improves survival in metastatic breast cancer. There have been multiple retrospective reviews addressing this question. The retrospective data seem to suggest that there is a survival advantage with resection of the primary tumor. However, these reviews are not without bias. In this review, we will address the biases present in the retrospective data and the potential harm in offering surgery to women with metastatic breast cancer, as well as the ongoing randomized clinical trials to answer this question.
Encephalocele of the middle ear

A case of congenital encephalocele of the middle ear presenting as a conductive hearing loss is reported. In retrospect it is possible that CT scanning with metrizimide contrast studies may have been helpful in establishing the diagnosis (Cooper and Kassel, 1982). However, it is stressed that even in the absence of radiological abnormality of the temporal bone, surgical exploration of the middle cranial fossa should be undertaken.
Intrinsic mobility limit in graphene at room temperature

In this work, we report the limit of intrinsic mobility that can be achieved in graphene at room temperature. Experimental measurements confirmed that the carrier mobility in graphene is primarily affected by the charged impurity present in the system. Intrinsic phonon limited mobility can be achieved when this effect is negligible. The values of the coupling constants for the phonon scatterings were extracted from fitting measured data. Absolute theoretical limit of intrinsic mobility was found from our simulation to be 200,000 cm2/Vs at the Dirac point at room temperature.
Reimbursement rates and policies for primary molar pit-and-fissure sealants across state Medicaid programs.

ABSTRACT Background Little is known about Medicaid policies regarding reimbursement for placement of sealants on primary molars. The authors identified Medicaid programs that reimbursed dentists for placing primary molar sealants and hypothesized that these programs had higher reimbursement rates than did state programs that did not reimburse for primary molar sealants. Methods The authors obtained Medicaid reimbursement data from online fee schedules and determined whether each state Medicaid program reimbursed for primary molar sealants (no or yes). The outcome measure was the reimbursement rate for permanent tooth sealants (calculated in 2012 U.S. dollars). The authors compared mean reimbursement rates by using the t test (α = .05). Results Seventeen Medicaid programs reimbursed dentists for placing primary molar sealants (34 percent), and the mean reimbursement rate was $27.57 (range, $16.00 [Maine] to $49.68 [Alaska]). All 50 programs reimbursed dentists for placement of sealants on permanent teeth. The mean reimbursement for permanent tooth sealants was significantly higher in programs that reimbursed for primary molar sealants than in programs that did not ($28.51 and $23.67, respectively; P = .03). Conclusions Most state Medicaid programs do not reimburse dentists for placing sealants on primary molars, but programs that do so have significantly higher reimbursement rates. Practical Implications Medicaid reimbursement rates are related to dentists' participation in Medicaid and children's dental care use. Reimbursement for placement of sealants on primary molars is a proxy for Medicaid program generosity.
Basic Traits of Effective Management

AbstractCommon effective management practices are found among successful organizations. Among those practices are establishing well-defined values and goals and working to make employees accept those values as their own; knowing the organization’s clients and working to find and keep those clients satisfied; developing and supporting employees; and communicating clearly. This article discusses these four common practices and how they have helped well-known organizations succeed.
Pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline in the white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus

Abstract Shrimp are among the most highly valued seafood in the US, and a large proportion are cultured. At least seven species of Vibrio bacteria and other pathogens often infect shrimp during some stage of culture, having profound impacts on productivity. The research described herein was conducted to optimize dosing to allow effective disease control while minimizing environmental residues. Pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline (OTC), a broad spectrum antibiotic were evaluated in the white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus , to characterize its disposition and to determine its potential for use in farm-raised shrimp for the treatment of Vibrio infections. Intravascular dosing and sampling techniques were developed, since this was the first pharmacokinetic study in shrimp using survival sampling. Pharmacokinetics of OTC were evaluated after single low and high bolus intravascular doses and hemolymph sampling. Tissue distribution was investigated after systemic administration, and protein binding was studied in hemolymph isolated from shrimp using ultrafiltration. The hemolymph and tissue levels of OTC were measured by HPLC and fitted to appropriate pharmacokinetic models to characterize the disposition of OTC in shrimp. Hemolymph OTC concentration–time profiles were well described by a biexponential equation indicative of two-compartment pharmacokinetics of OTC in shrimp. The half-lives of distribution and elimination were 2.05±0.48 and 22.27±7.45 h, respectively. Systemic clearance and steady-state volume of distribution were 78.04±24.33 ml/h/kg and 2304±280 ml/kg, respectively. OTC levels in tail muscle (% of total body burden) were significantly lower than in hemolymph, minimizing concerns of OTC residue in edible shrimp tissue after OTC treatment. Hemolymph protein binding of OTC was found to be low with almost 80% free OTC available systemically, supporting the high volume of distribution observed. Despite the simple anatomy, small size and short life span of shrimp, the disposition of OTC in shrimp after intravascular dosing showed pharmacokinetic characteristics indicative of extensive tissue distribution, such as a long elimination half-life and a high volume of distribution, with the low potential for OTC residues in tail muscle tissue. Our results suggest that shrimp given a therapeutic dose of OTC (i.e., sufficient to exceed the MIC) will have no detectable OTC levels in edible tissues 14 days following withdrawal. However, the salt form and formulation of OTC in feeds can impact dissolution, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and, hence, tissue residues. Thus, withdrawal times should not be drug or agent specific but product and formulation specific. These results must be confirmed with oral dosing studies and bioavailability determinations that are underway in our laboratory.
An Adolescent Female With Bulging Abdomen

CLINCAL HISTORY The patient is a 12-year-old Mexican female 3 years postoperative ovarian tumor resection with 1 month of radiation therapy in Mexico. Diagnosis of ovarian tumor was made when she presented with abdominal pain and weight loss. She did well after therapy until 6 months prior to admission, when she developed crampy lower-abdominal pain and epigastric fullness after meals. She had experienced bouts of hematuria and dysuria, and was absent of secondary sex characteristics. She lost 6.8 kg 1 month prior to admission, when she developed nausea and vomiting following intake of solid foods and began taking only liquids.
Role of hypothalamic interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in LPS fever in rat.

The purpose of this study was to determine, using push-pull perfusion, the levels of interleukin (IL)-1-like, IL-6-like, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-like activity in the anterior hypothal...
Abstract 3538: Quorum-sensing Salmonella selectively trigger protein expression within tumors

Salmonella that secrete anti-cancer proteins have the potential to eliminate tumors, but nonspecific expression causes damage to healthy tissue. Salmonella, integrated with a density-dependent switch, would only express proteins in tightly packed colonies within tumors, reducing side-effects after the initial bacterial administration. To test this, we cloned the lux quorum-sensing (QS) system and a GFP reporter into the attenuated Salmonella strain VNP20009. Fluorescence and bacterial density were measured in culture and a tumor-on-a-chip device to determine the critical density necessary to initiate expression. QS Salmonella were injected into 4T1 tumor-bearing mice to quantify GFP expression in vivo. At densities below 0.6×10 10 CFU/g in tumors, less than 3% of QS Salmonella expressed GFP. Above densities of 4.2×10 10 CFU/g, QS Salmonella had similar expression levels to constitutive controls. GFP expression by QS colonies was dependent upon the distance to neighboring bacteria. No colonies expressed GFP when the average distance to neighbors was greater than 155 μm. Calculations of autoinducer concentrations showed that expression was sigmoidally dependent on density and inversely dependent on average radial distance. Based on bacterial counts from excised tissue, the liver density (0.0079×10 10 CFU/g) was less than the critical density (0.11×10 10 CFU/g) necessary to initiate expression, indicating that expression of a therapeutic protein would not be induced in healthy organs. Inserting the bacterial toxin S. Aureus α-hemolysin (SAH) under the control of the QS system resulted in the expression of SAH only at high bacterial dosage. In vitro, supernatant from cultures of QS-SAH Salmonella reduced cancer cell viability by 70%. When administered to the microfluidic tumor-on-a-chip, QS-SAH Salmonella killed 43% of the tissue, 12 times greater (P Citation Format: Charles A. Swofford, Nele Van Dessel, Neil S. Forbes. Quorum-sensing Salmonella selectively trigger protein expression within tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3538. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3538
Determining optimal diagnostic criteria through chronicity and comorbidity

Contemporary approaches to clinical diagnosis have not adequately exploited state-of-the-art empirical techniques in deriving diagnostic criterion sets that are statistically optimal based on 1) relevant external indicators and 2) replicability across data sets. We provide a proof of concept that optimal criterion sets can be derived with respect to alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnosis that are both more efficient and precise than current systems. Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions we selected chronicity (i.e. persistence) of AUD diagnosis and comorbidity of AUD with other disorders as validation criteria on which to optimize the size of the AUD criterion set and the threshold for AUD diagnosis. We used cross-validation and consensus approaches for choosing a final solution. Cross-validation did not produce a solution that replicated across random subsamples or differed from conventional diagnosis. Alternatively, consensus produced a more global solution that was associated with greater validity than “conventional” diagnosis. Such methods, if applied to extant diagnostic criteria and algorithms can generate simpler and more reliable rules and hold promise for greatly reducing misclassification of individuals in both research and applied clinical contexts.
Global optimization of heat exchanger networks using a new generalized superstructure

We present an extension of a previously presented superstructure (Floudas et al., 1986) for heat exchanger network grassroots design. This extension is such that it includes several matches between two streams, activates splitting control and allows for mixing temperature control. We solve this model globally using RYSIA, a recently developed method bound contraction procedure (Faria and Bagajewicz, 2011a, 2011b, 2011c; Faria et al., 2015). We also add a new RYSIA feature called Lifting Partitioning. Results show structures that cannot be obtained using the stages model (Yee and Grossmann, 1990) or other similar restrictive models.
A Microscopic Particle Image Velocimetry Study of Transition to Turbulence in Microscale Capillaries

Instantaneous velocity realizations in the streamwise{wall-normal plane of a 536 „m capillary are acquired using microscopic PIV at Re = 2600 and 3400. The mean streamwise velocity proflle at Re = 2600 is ∞atter and fuller than the laminar proflle, indicating an active transition from laminar to turbulent behavior. A fully-turbulent state appears to be attained at Re = 3400 where the mean velocity proflle collapses onto the mean proflle of fully-developed turbulent pipe ∞ow from an existing direct numerical simulation at Re = 5300. Examination of the instantaneous velocity flelds acquired by micro-PIV at Re = 2600 reveals that transitional ∞ows at the microscale are composed of a subset of velocity flelds illustrating a purely laminar behavior and a subset of flelds that display signiflcant disordered motion. Instantaneous velocity flelds that are non-laminar in character consistently contain multiple spanwise vortices that appear to streamwise-align into larger-scale interfaces that incline slightly away from the wall. These characteristics are highly reminiscent of the spatial features of hairpin-like vortices and hairpin vortex packets often observed in fully-turbulent wall-bounded ∞ow at both the macro- and micro-scales. Similar spatial signatures of hairpin vortices and hairpin vortex packets are noted in estimates of the conditionally averaged velocity flelds, suggesting that the dominant structural characteristics of the non-laminar patches of disordered ∞ow in the transitional regime are similar to that observed for fully-turbulent ∞ow. Finally, single-point statistics computed from the non-laminar flelds at Re = 2600, including root-mean-square velocities and the Reynolds shear stress, suggest a maturation in the voracity of the patches of disordered motion as the ∞ow approaches a fully-turbulent state.
A Three-Dimensional System with Knotted Trajectories

(1977). A Three-Dimensional System with Knotted Trajectories. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 84, No. 6, pp. 468-469.
The Collection of Sensitive Information Using a Two-Stage, Randomized Response Model:

This article extends the randomized response sampling design to find the intensity of positive action on a sensitive topic among those who have taken a positive action. Sampling properties of the r...
Chemistry of the Intestinal Flora of Nurslings: Studies in Bacterial Metabolism. LXXVII

The intestinal and fecal floras of normal nurslings has been a fruitful field for study in the past, and much information has accumulated about the types of bacteria commonly present, as well as qualitative data concerning the reactions these floras induce in various cultural mediums.1 The general conclusions reached in these investigations point uniformly toward the relative absence of proteolytic types among the nursling intestinal bacteria, and the predominance of lactic acid producing microbes, both aerobic and anaerobic, the latter being somewhat more numerous, although difficult to cultivate outside the body.2 The prominent specific organisms are Bacillus bifidus, Bacillus acidophilus (several types of each), together with Micrococcus ovalis,3 and fewer numbers of Bacillus coli and Bacillus aerogenes. The latter belongs to the mucous capsulatus group. Bacillus bifidus is an obligate anaerobe; and both Bacillus acidophilus and Micrococcus ovalis grow somewhat better in initial cultivation outside the body in artificial mediums from which oxygen is excluded. Hence, in making studies of the normal nursling flora for any purpose, anaerobiosis is an indispensible condition, both for specific isolation, and for the study of composite chemical changes induced by these organisms. It follows that intestinal contents should be kept anaerobic from the time the sample is obtained to the final stage of analysis. Cultural mediums, also, should be free from oxygen immediately before inoculation with
Möglichkeiten fotorealistischer Visualisierungen im Produktprozess eines Automobils

Fotorealistische Visualisierungen sind neben dem Bereich der Film- und Werbeindustrie auch mittlerweile fester Bestandteil in Arbeits- und Gestaltungsprozessen der Automobilentwicklung. Dabei werden neben real auf ge nommenen Filmsequenzen auch rein virtuelle Szenarien und Welten geschaffen. Bei Volkswagen gehort dem Zusammenspiel der Disziplinen Fotografie und Computergraphik die Zukunft, um neue Designs und Fahrzeug modelle schnell beurteilen zu konnen. Am Beispiel des Scirocco, Tiguan und Passat CC wird gezeigt, wie dabei die Chancen sind, beide Technologien kombiniert optimal einzusetzen.
DNA REPAIR DEFECTS AND HUMAN DISEASE

ABSTRACT Mechanisms of DNA repair have for many years been explored in nonhuman systems, and only recently has the basic information concerning them been integrated into medicine. Already, several human genetic disorders of repair are recognized; each of these presents as an additional feature chromosome instability. However, only normal repair has been demonstrable in Bloom's syndrome which shows a striking degree of chromosome instability. The possibility is presented that Bloom's syndrome signifies a new class of disorders in which repair mechanisms themselves are intact but in which some other cellular defect is responsible for imposition on the cell itself of an increased burden of substrates in DNA upon which repair mechanisms in turn will act.
Spinal Cord Astrocytes Display a Switch From TTX-Sensitive to TTX-Resistant Sodium Currents After Injury-Induced Gliosis In Vitro

Two distinct morphological subtypes of astrocytes have been shown to express Na+ currents that differ biophysically and pharmacologically. Using an in vitro model for reactive gliosis, we recently reported marked changes in Na+ and K+ channel expression by astrocytes induced to proliferate. Using this in vitro assay in which a confluent monolayer of astrocytes is mechanically scarred to induce gliosis, we now demonstrate that sodium currents of scar-associated cells, in addition to doubling in current density, also switch from being tetrodotoxin-sensitive(TTX-S, IC50 8 nM) to being approximately 40-fold more TTX-resistant (TTX-R,IC50 314 nM). These changes occurred within 6 h after injury and were not associated with any notable changes in cell morphology. Changes in biophysical properties were analyzed for the two current types. The activation curve for TTX-R currents demonstrated a significant depolarized shift versus that of TTX-S currents (P </= 0. 003), and TTX-R currents have more depolarized V1/2 of activation (-33 vs. -23 mV). The V1/2 of inactivation was slightly, but not significantly, more depolarized for TTX-R currents as compared to TTX-S (-63 vs. -68 mV). Most notably, TTX-R currents showed significantly slower inactivation kinetics at depolarized voltage potentials than TTX-S sodium currents (0.76 vs. 1.128 ms, at -10 mV; P < 0.0004).
Examining Concordant and Discordant Sexual and Romantic Attraction in American Adults: Implications for Counselors

The present study examined self-reported sexual and romantic attractions in a sample of 414 American adults. Forty-four (10.6%) participants reported discordant sexual and romantic orientations. Th...
Atlas construction of cardiac fiber architecture using a multimodal registration approach

Abstract Cardiac fibers have a quite complex and interesting spatial structure and the myocardial fiber orientation provides a great effort on both cardiac research studies and further clinical applications. Diffusion magnetic resolution imaging is a unique imaging methodology for non-invasively investigating the myofiber architecture, e.g., diffusion tensor imaging. Accurate quantitative mapping of the cardiac fiber is still challenging. In this study, a statistical diffusion atlas for myofiber is constructed from seven subjects that were acquired by diffusion weighted imaging scans. The atlas reconstruction work is based on a multimodal statistical framework which involves most advances in image analysis methods: level-sets for image segmentation, multi-modal registration and symmetric diffeomorphic nonlinear registration, weighted diffusion tensor averaging and accurate quantitative analysis. Experimental results demonstrate that the myofiber helix angle variation is markedly correlated with the transmural myocardial wall depth and its values vary from 45° in the endocardium to −40° in the epicardium, whilst it is 26° in the endocardium and −29° in the epicardium from traditional averaged atlas. The proposed atlas construction approach can effectively retain the water diffusion anisotropic information, especially on the myocardial tissue edges, which is a common known limit of current techniques. Moreover, we find that fractional anisotropy (FA) for the proposed atlas (0.55 ± 0.10) was higher than that of averaged one (0.42 ± 0.05). Substantial differences were found between FA values (P = 0.02). Mean diffusivity (MD) from proposed atlas (0.76 ± 0.05 × 10−3 mm2/s) was significantly lower than that of average atlas (0.80 ± 0.12 × 10−3 mm2/s), P = 0.03. This study illustrates a quantitative description for the myofiber structure and may provide a powerful tool to assess the micro-structure of myocardial tissue.
The Challenge of Osteoporosis: A Look to the Future

Osteoporosis is manifested not only in terms of personal physical, financial, and emotional costs but also in the costs imposed on the larger society, ranging from rising healthcare expenditures to lost productivity on the part of disabled workers and increased morbidity and mortality rates in the aging population. With growing life expectancy worldwide, osteoporosis has become an important public health priority, both in developed nations and in developing countries as they become increasingly westernized. This book has reviewed the new approaches, strategies, and medications developed for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in itself and in the context of other diseases. In closing, the author reviews a number of broader concerns that must be addressed if we are to alleviate the burden of this disease. These include the barriers to osteoporosis prevention and treatment, lack of adherence to prescribed medications and therapy programs, and strategies to improve osteoporosis management with specific reference to new forms of healthcare delivery.
HUMAN CAPITAL PRODUCTION WITH PARENTAL TIME INVESTMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

This paper considers parental time investment in early childhood as an education input and investigates its relationships with other inputs in their contribution to human capital. I develop a 12-period overlapping generations model where human capital formation is a multistage process. The model is calibrated to the US economy so that the generated data matches patterns in parental education spending and child care time. The estimation results show that time input is complementary to education expenditure. I apply the model by implementing three early education policies. The first two involve more government spending and the third is paid parental leave. The policy experiments show that adopting paid parental leave is the most costly means of increasing human capital. An education subsidy is more effective than a direct increase in government spending at promoting human capital; however, its impact on earnings inequality and persistence is smaller.
Multirelational Recommendation in Heterogeneous Networks

Recommender systems are key components in information-seeking contexts where personalization is sought. However, the dominant framework for recommendation is essentially two dimensional, with the interaction between users and items characterized by a single relation. In many cases, such as social networks, users and items are joined in a complex web of relations, not readily reduced to a single value. Recent multirelational approaches to recommendation focus on the direct, proximal relations in which users and items may participate. Our approach uses the framework of complex heterogeneous networks to represent such recommendation problems. We propose the weighted hybrid of low-dimensional recommenders (WHyLDR) recommendation model, which uses extended relations, represented as constrained network paths, to effectively augment direct relations. This model incorporates influences from both distant and proximal connections in the network. The WHyLDR approach raises the problem of the unconstrained proliferation of components, built from ever-extended network paths. We show that although component utility is not strictly monotonic with path length, a measure based on information gain can effectively prune and optimize such hybrids.
Living Lean: Peter Goes Shopping

This case is part of the "Living Lean" series, which presents accessible, everyday scenarios for a Lean process-improvement journey. In this episode on optimal reorder quantities, an unemployed procurement manager enlists the support of a neighbor as he applies Lean principles to household purchasing habits. Excerpt UVA-OM-1462 Rev. Nov. 15, 2013 Living Lean: Peter Goes Shopping Peter Orville was a Darden MBA for Executives student who was currently between roles. Previously, he had been an operations and logistics manager for a Dallas-based hardwood lumber, millwork, and flooring supplier. In this role, he had negotiated the procurement of a variety of resources. He enjoyed the process of establishing optimal reorder quantities as well as those aspects of his job that allowed him to establish and improve upon processes. His motto while on the job was always that of a gemba-walk proponent: “Go and see,” he'd say. He believed that it was only by personally observing and dissecting each aspect of a critical business process that he could truly eliminate wasteful or duplicative activities and optimize any given process in the service of a particular business goal. Lately, Peter had been spending a good part of each day sending out his resume and communicating within his professional network, but he still had plenty of time to glance around at the workings of his own household. Due to the fact that he was between jobs, he and his wife, Mary, had shifted to cost-cutting mode in an effort to maintain their standard of living. Peter, therefore, had both the opportunity and the motivation to streamline and optimize the ways in which he and Mary purchased and used consumable goods. He considered this project not only necessary from a financial standpoint but also a way to exercise his professional skills. No sense in allowing my game to slip, he thought to himself. One morning midweek, Peter was pulling several recycling containers out to the curb when he ran into his neighbor, Paul Wright, who was hauling his green bins out to the street at the same time. Paul was a consultant for a restructuring firm that helped streamline companies' operations while they were under bankruptcy protection. He didn't deal primarily with the financial underpinnings of a company; instead, he worked to improve operational efficiency where needed and appropriate for the bankruptcy workout plan. He was between assignments at the moment, as well, and preparing to head to Shanghai the following week to assist with a multinational-company project there. Today, however, he was simply carting his recycling out to the curb like every other suburbanite. . . .
Asymptomatic Type 1 Submucosal Myoma in the Setting of Tubal Factor Infertility Requiring IVF

A 29-year-old nulligravid woman presents with a chief complaint of a 5-year history of infertility and a 2-year history of progressively heavier periods. She has been married for 5 years and she and her partner have never used contraception during their marriage. Her menses occur every 27–33 days, with heavy flow requiring up to 8–10 pads per 24 h on the first 2 days of flow and her menstrual flow duration lasts for 7 days. The patient also occasionally reports 1–3 days of light spotting between her periods. Her partner has a normal semen analysis and her workup for primary infertility showed evidence of bilateral distal tubal blockage without evidence of a hydrosalpinx on her hysterosalpingogram with a filling defect in the cavity protruding from the left lateral margin of the uterus. Her thyroid function testing (TSH and total T4) is normal and her ovarian reserve testing is reassuring with an anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level of 5.8 ng/mL and a cycle day 3 FSH level of 5 mIU/mL and an estradiol level of 49 pg/mL. Her past medical, surgical, and social histories are unremarkable with the exception of a prior chlamydia infection treated as an outpatient in college and mild anemia for the last 2 years recently corrected with oral ferrous sulfate.
ILLICO: A Nodal Neutron Diffusion Method for Modern Computer Architectures

A nodal multigroup neutron diffusion method for modern computer architectures has been developed and implemented in the ILLICO code. Vectorization and parallelization strategies that are successful...
Mom matters: Maternal influence on the choice of academic major

Using High School and Beyond data and multinomial logit modeling, this analysis explores the parental impact on a student's choice of academic major. Family measures that have traditionally been used in status attainment models have focused primarily on father. This analysis includes measures for both the mother and the father to gauge their individual impact. Results indicate that mothers influence students' choice of academic major most readily through emotional and normative channels. In addition, mothers generally encourage the pursuit of nontechnical majors, whereas fathers encourage the pursuit of technical majors. The implications of this analysis are that mothers ought to be included more systematicly in status attainment models.
Local Search and High Precision Gray Codes: Convergence Results and Neighborhoods

Abstract A proof is presented that shows how the neighborhood structure that is induced under a Gray Code representation repeats under shifting. Convergence proofs are also presented for steepest ascent using a local search bit climber and a Gray code representation: for unimodal 1-D functions and multimodal functions that are separable and unimodal in each dimension, the worst case number of steps needed to reach the global optimum is O L with a constant ≤ 2. We also show how changes in precision impact the Gray neighborhood. Finally, we also show how both the Gray and Binary neighborhoods are easily reachable from the Gray coded representation.
Object-Oriented Wavelet Analysis with MATLAB 5

All of the numerical processing and examples presented in this book have been computed using a suite of object-oriented tools developed in MATLAB 5. This set of tools has been called collectively the Wavelet Signal Processing Workstation (WSPW) and is described generally in Section 8.1. Up-to-date code and detailed documentation is available online at www.birkhauser.com/book/ISBN/0-8176-3909-8.
Random excitation of coupled oscillators with single and simultaneous internal resonances

The primary objective of this paper is to examine the random response characteristics of coupled nonlinear oscillators in the presence of single and simultaneous internal resonances. A model of two coupled beams with nonlinear inertia interaction is considered. The primary beam is directly excited by a random support motion, while the coupled beam is indirectly excited through autoparametric coupling and parametric excitation. For a single one-to-two internal resonance, we used Gaussian and non-Gaussian closures, Monte Carlo simulation, and experimental testing to predict and measure response statistics and stochastic bifurcation in the mean square. The mean square stability boundaries of the coupled beam equilibrium position are obtained by a Gaussian closure scheme. The stochastic bifurcation of the coupled beam is predicted theoretically and experimentally. The stochastic bifurcation predicted by non-Gaussian closure is found to take place at a lower excitation level than the one predicted by Gaussian closure and Monte Carlo simulation. It is also found that above a certain excitation level, the solution obtained by non-Gaussian closure reveals numerical instability at much lower excitation levels than those obtained by Gaussian and Monte Carlo approaches. The experimental observations reveal that the coupled beam does not reach a stationary state, as reflected by the time evolution of the mean square response. For the case of simultaneous internal resonances, both Gaussian and non-Gaussian closures fail to predict useful results, and attention is focused on Monte Carlo simulation and experimental testing. The effects of nonlinear coupling parameters, internal detuning ratios, and excitation spectral density level are considered in both investigations. It is found that both studies reveal common nonlinear features such as bifurcations in the mean square responses of the coupled beam and modal interaction in the neighborhood of internal resonances. Furthermore, there is an upper limit for the excitation level above which the system experiences unbounded response in the neighborhood of simultaneous internal resonances.
Lamb Shift of the 1 2 S Ground State of Deuterium

According to modern quantum electrodynamics, the 1S level (ground state) of hydrogen and deuterium is predicted to lie 0$\cdot $272$_{6}$ cm$^{-1}$ above the energy given by the Dirac theory. In order to obtain an experimental value for this Lamb shift, the absolute wavelength of the L$_{\alpha}$ line of deuterium has been determined by means of a 3 m vacuum grating spectrograph in fifth order. Lines of the series 6$^{1}$S$_{0}$-n$^{1}$P$_{1}$ and 6$^{1}$S$_{0}$-n$^{3}$P$_{1}$ of $^{198}$Hg observed in the same order were used as standards. The wavelengths of these standards were obtained to $\pm $ 0$\cdot $0002 angstrom by the combination principle from lines in the visible and near ultra-violet regions, some of which were newly measured. Both the far ultra-violet Hg lines and L$_{\alpha}$ of deuterium were simultaneously recorded on the plate in absorption. In this way, from six independent plates the wavelength of the L$_{\alpha}$ line of deuterium was found to be 1215$\cdot $3378 $\pm $ 0$\cdot $0003 angstrom. This value refers to an unresolved doublet. If the relative intensity of the two doublet components (2:1) and the temperature of the absorbing column (80 degrees K) is taken into account and the result compared with the Dirac value of L$_{\alpha}$, a shift of the 1$^{2}$S level of 0$\cdot $26$_{2}\ \pm $ 0$\cdot $03$_{8}$ cm$^{-1}$ is obtained. The agreement with the predicted value is very satisfactory.
Wideband Slow Light in a Photonic Topological Insulator

We demonstrate that chiral edge states can be used to generate wideband slow light. This is achieved by producing an edge state that winds many times around the Brillouin zone as it crosses the bandgap. © 2019 The Author(s)
Children with cerebral palsy display altered neural oscillations within the visual MT/V5 cortices.

Abstract Cortical visual processing in visual MT/V5 is necessary for tracking movement and performing reliable visuomotor transformations. Although the role of this cortical area is well recognized, the activity of the visual MT/V5 cortical area in children with cerebral palsy (CP) has not been examined nor has its potential role in the atypical motor actions of these children been considered. This study used magnetoencephalography to image the neural activity in the motion-sensitive MT/V5 cortices of typically developing (TD) children (n = 21; mean age 14 yrs. ± 2, 12 males) and children with CP (n = 21; mean age 16 yrs. ± 4, 13 males) as they viewed a horizontally moving stimulus. Behavioral measures of visual perception were additionally assessed by having the participants press a button when the visual stimulus changed to moving in vertical direction. Our results showed that the horizontal movement of the visual stimulus evoked changes in the strength of the theta-alpha (5–10 Hz) and alpha-beta (8–20 Hz) oscillations in the visual MT/V5 area of all participants. Compared with the TD children, the children with CP had weaker alpha-beta oscillations in the visual MT/V5 cortices. In addition, the children with CP took longer to perceive a directional change of the visual stimulus and made more errors in detecting the change. Lastly, weaker alpha-beta oscillations were correlated with slower detection of the change in motion direction and less accuracy in identifying the change. This study shows that the uncharacteristic neural oscillations in the visual MT/V5 cortical area may partially account for the abnormal perceptions and motor decisions seen in children with CP.
Food Insecurity Screening in Pediatric Clinical Settings: A Caregivers’ Perspective

Food insecurity (FI) has serious academic, social, and physical health consequences for children. A recent clinical recommendation suggests FI screening during child well visits. While FI screening research has considered clinician feedback, little is known about caregivers’ experience of disclosing FI to health care providers. Our paper explores caregivers’ barriers and facilitators to FI disclosure. A survey on factors influencing FI disclosure was completed in a pediatric clinic waiting room in St. Louis, MO. Among households with FI, 15 caregivers participated in a qualitative interview. Caregivers were asked about experiences discussing FI with health care providers. We calculated frequencies for survey responses and analyzed interview data using thematic content analysis. Caregivers highlighted stigma, fear of child being taken away, and shame as barriers to FI disclosure. Caregivers identified strong interpersonal skills, open body language, and empathy as facilitators to disclosure at the interpersonal level. Provider initiated conversations, consideration of FI disclosure in the presence of a child, and normalization of FI discussions within the clinic were described as ways to encourage FI disclosure at the organizational level. In response to FI disclosure, caregivers would like providers to offer resources including referrals to community-based resources extending beyond food. Our study identifies considerations for FI screening in health care settings, spanning the social-ecological model, from the perspective of caregivers. To successfully screen and address FI, multifaceted health care interventions should address barriers and promote facilitators across multiple levels and in consideration of multiple social needs.
Association of Hospital Readmissions and Survivability With Frailty and Palliative Performance Scores Among Long-Term Care Residents.

Background:Frailty and palliative performance scores are 2 markers used in the measurement of functional decline in oncology and hospice care.Objective:To evaluate the frailty and palliative perfor...
Subserosal adenomyotic cysts and peritoneal inclusion cysts - Unusual differential diagnoses of multicystic pelvic masses: A review of two cases.

Abstract Background Multiloculated pelvic cysts are commonly misdiagnosed as ovarian tumors or malignancies. We report 2 patients diagnosed with subserosal adenomyotic cysts and peritoneal inclusion cysts, mimicking multiloculated pelvic tumors. We discuss their clinical presentation, investigations, operation findings, and histopathology, present a literature review. Cases Case 1 was a 44-year-old patient with abnormal uterine bleeding. Imaging showed an enlarging multiloculated cystic structure over the right uterine wall. She underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy and right salpingo-ophorectomy. Intra-operatively, she was found to have multiple subserosal uterine cysts, diagnosed as adenomyotic cysts on histology. Case 2 was a 50-year-old patient with history of laparoscopic cystectomy done 20 years ago. She was incidentally found to have a multiloculated cystic lesion in the pelvis. The lesion was located midline, anterior and superior to the uterus and bladder. She underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-ophorectomy, and bladder peritonectomy. Intra-operatively, multiple cystic lesions were noted over the anterior and fundus of uterus, bladder peritoneum, and pelvic side walls. The condition was confirmed to be peritoneal inclusion cysts on histology. Conclusion Subserosal adenomyotic cysts are a rare presentation of adenomyosis. They typically occur in premenopausal women. Treatment is usually by hormonal medications or surgical excision. Many patients with peritoneal inclusion cysts have a history of peritoneal insults. Surgical excision is the most commonly described management as they often mimic malignancy. Both conditions are unusual presentations of multiloculated pelvic masses. A high recurrence rate is found, hence long-term follow-up with imaging is essential.
Sustainable thorium nuclear fuel cycles: A comparison of intermediate and fast neutron spectrum systems

Abstract This paper presents analyses of possible reactor representations of a nuclear fuel cycle with continuous recycling of thorium and produced uranium (mostly U-233) with thorium-only feed. The analysis was performed in the context of a U.S. Department of Energy effort to develop a compendium of informative nuclear fuel cycle performance data. The objective of this paper is to determine whether intermediate spectrum systems, having a majority of fission events occurring with incident neutron energies between 1 eV and 105 eV, perform as well as fast spectrum systems in this fuel cycle. The intermediate spectrum options analyzed include tight lattice heavy or light water-cooled reactors, continuously refueled molten salt reactors, and a sodium-cooled reactor with hydride fuel. All options were modeled in reactor physics codes to calculate their lattice physics, spectrum characteristics, and fuel compositions over time. Based on these results, detailed metrics were calculated to compare the fuel cycle performance. These metrics include waste management and resource utilization, and are binned to accommodate uncertainties. The performance of the intermediate systems for this self-sustaining thorium fuel cycle was similar to a representative fast spectrum system. However, the number of fission neutrons emitted per neutron absorbed limits performance in intermediate spectrum systems.