cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Foster Care Workers' Emotional Responses to Their Work

The field of child welfare struggles with high rates of job turnover. This study describes the contributors to and experiences of foster care workers’ emotional responses to their work. Uniquely drawing from the field of Positive Psychology, it describes and conceptualizes the relationships of multi-level contributors to foster care workers’ emotional reactions at work. In-depth interviews conducted with 25 foster care workers found that negative emotions were more prominently featured than positive, but that working in an agency with positive workplace characteristics mitigated this relationship. Theoretical implications and limitations of taking a Positive Psychology approach to the study are discussed.
SHOULD THE PATIENT CONQUER

In 1596, Robert Bainbridge carved “The patient shall conquer” into the wall of his cell in the Tower of London. It is highly unlikely that Bainbridge was an early advocate for recipients of medical care, imprisoned perhaps by a cruel sheriff denied his payroll taxes or by a domineering barber refused his fee. But its unintended meaning would immediately provoke sympathy from many health care reformers. As we confront the critical challenges of implementing national health-care reform, however, whether the patient should conquer is a legitimate topic for debate. Does the patient’s conquest risk the collapse of the health-care system that he or she would dominate? There are several reasons why it might.
Light-regulated thyroid hormone signaling is required for rod photoreceptor development in the mouse retina

Purpose Ambient light is both a stimulus for visual function and a regulator of photoreceptor physiology. However, it is not known if light can regulate any aspect of photoreceptor development. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether ambient light is required for the development of mouse rod photoreceptors. Methods Newborn mouse pups (C57BL/6) were reared in either cyclic light (LD) or constant dark (DD). Pups were collected at postnatal day (P)5, P10, P17, or P24. We performed retinal morphometric and cell death analysis at P5, P10, and P17. Rhodopsin expression was assessed using immunofluorescence, Western blot, and quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Electroretinograms were performed at P17 and P24. Radioimmunoassay and ELISA were used to follow changes in thyroid hormone levels in the serum and vitreous. Results In the DD pups, the outer nuclear layer was significantly thinner at P10 and there were higher numbers of apoptotic cells at P5 compared to the LD pups. Rhodopsin expression was lower at P10 and P17 in DD pups. Electroretinogram a-waves were reduced in amplitude at P17 in the DD pups. The DD animals had lower levels of circulating thyroid hormones at P10. Light-mediated changes in thyroid hormones occur as early as P5, as we detected lower levels of total triiodothyronine in the vitreous from the DD animals. Drug-induced developmental hypothyroidism resulted in lower rhodopsin expression at P10. Conclusions Our data demonstrate that light exposure during postnatal development is required for rod photoreceptor development and that this effect could be mediated by thyroid hormone signaling.
Compression buckling behavior of 7075-T6 aluminum skin stiffened panels fabricated by friction stir welding

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of skin stiffened structures is being developed as a rivet replacement technology in the aerospace industry. Preliminary research was done on compressive strength and deformation characteristics of FSW aluminum skin stiffened panels. 7075-T6 aluminum sheets were bent to form stiffeners and friction stir welded to 7075-T6 aluminum sheets to fabricate two FSW panels. Another stiffened panel of similar dimensions was made by using traditional riveting. The compression test results and the failure modes of the panels are presented in this paper. The tests revealed that the FSW panels failed at approximately 17% higher load than the riveted panel. The failure loads of the FSW test panels were within 3 to 10% of the predicted load obtained by using two existing theoretical methods, and the failure load of the rivet panel was within 11 to 20% of the predicted load.
Hemostatic Nanoparticles Improve Survival Following Blunt Trauma Even after 1 Week Incubation at 50 °C.

According to the CDC, the leading cause of death for both men and women between the ages of 5 and 44 is traumatic injury. Blood loss is the primary cause of death at acute time points post trauma. Early intervention is critical to save lives, and yet there are no treatments to stop internal bleeding that can be deployed in the field. In this work, we developed hemostatic nanoparticles that are stable at high temperatures (50 °C for 7 days) and are still effective at stopping bleeding and improving survival over the 1 h time period in a rat liver injury model. These particles are exceptionally simple: PLA-based nanospheres functionalized with PEG terminated with variants of the RGD motif. This simple system can be stored at temperatures up to 50 °C and maintain size, shape, and efficacy. The particles lead to a reduction in bleeding and increased acute survival with significance compared to both control particles and saline. Overall, these hemostatic nanoparticles offer an important step toward an immediat...
A Directed Graph Based Model for Fault Diagnosis in Internal Control Systems

Auditors rely on two important types of knowledge when performing audit tasks. The first type is the knowledge of financial transactions, internal controls, their interrelationships, and the associated processes, i.e., the knowledge of the structure of internal control systems and financial reporting in accounting cycles. The second type is the more heuristic knowledge that comes from experience. Most of the existing research on modeling auditor knowledge and behavior has focused on the second type of knowledge, i.e., probabilistic models and expert systems that rely on heuristics and expert auditor experience. While knowledge based on heuristics and experience is important, evidence suggests that knowledge about the structure of internal control systems is equally important in helping auditors perform their job of assessing and testing internal controls. This paper proposes a new approach to modeling the structure of internal control systems. The model uses a directed graph to represent the various elements in an internal control system, such as financial statement assertions, control activities, financial processes, and the causal relationships that exist among these elements. The paper demonstrates the usefulness of the model by presenting and discussing an algorithm based on this model to help external auditors in fault diagnosis during substantive testing and internal auditors in assessment of internal control systems.
Relating Mandates in the United States for Managing the Ocean to Ecosystem Goods and Services Demonstrates Broad but Varied Coverage

There are numerous ecosystem goods and services (EGS) provided by the ocean. There are also multiple mandates to address this suite of EGS. Which facets of the ocean EGS does this portfolio of mandates collectively address? How are these mandates interrelated? Are there gaps in their coverage of EGS? Are there areas of reinforcement? To elucidate this set of issues, we characterize the portfolio of mandates that a leading U.S. governmental ocean agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the subset of those that one of its Line Offices, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA-Fisheries), is responsible for implementing. We link these mandates to a suite of EGS, evaluating the relative degree that each mandate addresses each EGS. The weighted overlap across mandates with respect to EGS was also estimated. Of the nearly 100 NOAA mandates, and the subset of 50 NOAA-Fisheries mandates, there was broad coverage of ocean EGS; every EGS has at a minimum of 9 NOAA mandates that addressed that topic. Food production, habitat provision, genetic resources, recreation, tourism, historical and heritage value, and knowledge and science value were the EGS that had the highest amount of coverage at 30, 42, 50, 39, 38, 34, and 60 NOAA mandates, respectively. There was some reinforcement across mandates, particularly for the top EGS, suggesting that the multiple facets of these EGS are being reasonably well addressed. Seventy percent of mandates informed the same EGS via implementation of the top 10 mandates considered to be the most important for NOAA. The large number of mandates and the overlap in the EGS they address suggest that some form of coordination is warranted, particularly via adoption of an ecosystem-based approach to management.
Disestablishment of the Anglican Church in England in the Late Nineteenth Century: Reasons for Failure

Yesterday we asked for toleration, today we ask for religious equality; tomorrow we shall demand the disestablishment of the Church of England."1 This statement made at a conference of Non conformists in 1872 expressed the sentiments of many outside the Anglican Church who associated religious equality with disestablish ment. In the opinion of the more vocal advocates of separation between church and state, religious equality was not possible until this relationship was severed, since establishment, in their view, was based on inequality.2 The desire of those outside the Anglican Church to achieve religious equality by abolishing privileges enjoyed by churchmen because of religious affiliation was one of the major themes of the late nineteenth century in England. Many of the specific grievances of Nonconformists such as church rates and university tests had been eliminated by Gladstone's Liberal Government from 1868 to 1874. The 1870s was a decade of optimism for Nonconformists who hoped to continue this momentum until all their goals including the dis establishment of the Anglican Church were accomplished. Despite many hopeful signs of progress toward disestablishment in the 1870s and early 1880s, the Anglican Church remained the Established Church of England at the dawn of the twentieth century. The failure to disestablish the Church at a time when the friends of religious
An analysis of Acronyms in Written Text

A two-part study was conducted to examine the comprehension of acronyms in written text. In the first part of the study, 260 articles were examined for acronym usage. Acronyms were used in 81.2% of the papers and a mean of 4.13 acronyms per paper was observed. The number of acronyms was related to the author's affiliation, with papers from authors employed in government and military positions using more acronyms that authors employed in industry or colleges. Results from a questionnaire given in part two of the study showed that the mean percent correct scores for acronym identification was about 55%. Participants showed a highly variable performance on the identification task. Four of the twenty acronyms were incorrectly identified by all of the participants, five were identified by at least 95% of the sample, and performance was between these extremes on eleven acronyms. These results suggest that acronyms should always be defined in writing to ensure comprehension.
Studies of Fibroblast-Like Cells from the Bone Marrow of Leukemic and Nonleukemic Children.∗

SummaryHuman bone marrow aspirates were suspended in nutrient media and dispensed into Leighton tubes with coverslips but no feeder layer. Fibroblast-like cell sheets were cultivated from 17 of 18 (94%) nonleukemic children and from 42 of 47 (89%) children with leukemia or lymphomas. Such cell cultures could be maintained in serial subcultivation for 1 to 21 passages. No differences in morphology or rate of metabolism in vitro were observed between nonleukemic and leukemic cultures. Leukemic cell cultures survived significantly longer than nonleukemic cultures when cultivated in human serum. None became permanent cell lines. Unstained and stained preparations of every passage of each cell line failed to reveal the unmasking of any latent viral agent. Leukemic cell cultures failed to hemadsorb guinea pig erythrocytes. The technic described provides a simple method for cultivation of human fibroblast-like cells on coverslips without a feeder layer. Such preparations may be useful in hematological or microbi...
Preparation and Characterization of High Porosity Si02 Xerogels for Low k Dielectrics

Due to its low dielectric constant, high porosity SiO2 is a potential intermetal dielectric (IMD) film for sub-half micron devices. High porosity SiO2 xerogels with a low dielectric constant were prepared by a sol-gel method. Basic and mixtures of SiO2 sols (acid/base) aqueous particulate suspensions were employed using TEOS as a precursor. Porosity values up to 55% could be obtained for the silica xerogels calcined at 250°C. The porosity values were estimated by means of nitrogen adsorption (BET). The dielectric constant was directly measured using an impedance analyzer and also calculated from the nitrogen adsorption measurements. Both techniques were in good agreement and resulted in a dielectric constant value of 2.32 for xerogels having the highest porosity.
Mechanisms of laryngeal obstruction in cases of paediataic sudden death

Obstruction of the larynx may cause death at any age. There are, however, a number of relatively unique obstructive entities that are found predominantly within the paediatric age group. Retrospective review of the autopsy files at the ACH was undertaken over a thirty year period (1962 -91) to characterise more clearly the range and clinicopathological presentations of these conditions, as well as the mechanisms by which laryngeal obstruction may be caused. Less than 1 % of fatal episodes involved laryngeal obstruction. The two most common causes of airway occlusion were acute epiglottitis (when cultured, most often due to Haemophilis influenzae infection), and foreign body inhalation. Children who had died unexpectedly from acute epiglottitis often had only a several hour history of a mild non-specific febrile illness reported. Foreign bodies impacted at the glottis included vegetables and a single case with a wood screw. Congenital malformations of the upper aerodigestive tract with mandibular hypoplasia, in the form of Pierre-Robin, Treacher-Collins and Goldenhar syndromes, occasionally resulted in acute respiratory obstruction and death from compression of the epiglottis by posterior displacement of the tongue. Similar backward displacement of the epiglottis occurred in an infant with a large lingual thyroglossal duct cyst. Congenital deformities of the epiglottis and laryngeal hypoplasia also predisposed to upper airway obstruction. A single case of an extensive cystic hygroma involving the epiglottis and aryepiglottic folds resulted in airway obstruction in a 7 month old infant, and a 1 year old child with treated neuroblastoma and Pseudomonas sp. septicaemia died from airway obstruction due to spontaneous interstitial haemorrhage around the laryngeal inlet. These cases demonstrate a wide range of disorders capable of causing sudden death in the paediatric age group due to obstruction of the larynx. In a number of these patients antemortem symptoms and signs were either absent, or were relatively minor and nonspecific, and so history was of no assistance in directing the autopsy examination. All levels of the upper airway should be carefully examined in cases of paediatric sudden death.
Cross-tissue Analysis of Gene and Protein Expression in Normal and Cancer Tissues

The central dogma of molecular biology describes the translation of genetic information from mRNA to protein, but does not specify the quantitation or timing of this process across the genome. We have analyzed protein and gene expression in a diverse set of human tissues. To study concordance and discordance of gene and protein expression, we integrated mass spectrometry data from the Human Proteome Map project and RNA-Seq measurements from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project. We analyzed 16,561 genes and the corresponding proteins in 14 tissue types across nearly 200 samples. A comprehensive tissue- and gene-specific analysis revealed that across the 14 tissues, correlation between mRNA and protein expression was positive and ranged from 0.36 to 0.5. We also identified 1,012 genes whose RNA and protein expression was correlated across all the tissues and examined genes and proteins that were concordantly and discordantly expressed for each tissue of interest. We extended our analysis to look for genes and proteins that were differentially correlated in cancer compared to normal tissues, showing higher levels of correlation in normal tissues. Finally, we explored the implications of these findings in the context of biomarker and drug target discovery.
The practice in and reflection on the characteristic construction of university libraries ——Taking the Northwestern Poly-technical University Library as an example

This paper expounds the background of the characteristic collection of university library and the connotation,variety of the characteristic collection by taking the library of Northwest Polytechnic University as an example.The authors of this article make a detailed introduction to the construction of characteristic collection,analyze the existing problems and deficiencies in the construction,and propose some measures to improve the construction.
Postweaning growth, feed efficiency and chemical composition of sheep as affected by prenatal and postnatal testosterone.

Data were collected from intact males, castrated males and ewe lambs to investigate the effect of presence or absence of testosterone prenatally and during the postweaning period on postweaning growth, feed intake and carcass chemical composition. Half the lambs from each sex were the progeny of dams that had received five injections of testosterone cyprionate from d 32 through d 87 of gestation. Linear contrasts were used to detect differences. Postweaning daily gain of intact males was greater (P less than .01) than that of male castrates. Ewe lambs from treated dams had approximately 12% greater rate of growth (P less than .04) than ewe lambs from control dams. Ewe lambs from dams that had been treated were 28% more efficient (P less than .01) in the conversion of food to weight than those from untreated dams. Ewe lambs from treated dams had heavier livers (P less than .07). Carcass protein for intact males was greater (P less than .11) than for castrates, and extractable fat was less (P less than .05). Masculinization of growth characteristics of ewe lambs affected the quantity of carcass fat relative to control ewes (7.59 vs 8.92 kg). These ewe lambs also had more water in the carcass than did the control ewes (13.93 vs 12.29 kg). Administration of exogenous testosterone to pregnant ewes over an interval of time approximating time of sexual differentiation in the fetus enhances postweaning growth rate, feed conversion efficiency and chemical composition of genetic females.
Longitudinal analysis of patient-reported outcomes and cosmesis in a randomized trial of conventionally fractionated versus hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation.

BACKGROUND The authors compared longitudinal patient-reported outcomes and physician-rated cosmesis with conventionally fractionated whole-breast irradiation (CF-WBI) versus hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation (HF-WBI) within the context of a randomized trial. METHODS From 2011 to 2014, a total of 287 women with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage 0 to stage II breast cancer were randomized to receive CF-WBI (at a dose of 50 grays in 25 fractions plus a tumor bed boost) or HF-WBI (at a dose of 42.56 grays in 16 fractions plus a tumor bed boost) after breast-conserving surgery. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using the Breast Cancer Treatment Outcome Scale (BCTOS), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast, and the Body Image Scale and were recorded at baseline and 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 years after radiotherapy. Physician-rated cosmesis was assessed at the same time points. Outcomes by treatment arm were compared at each time point using a 2-sided Student t test. Multivariable mixed effects growth curve models assessed the effects of treatment arm and time on longitudinal outcomes. RESULTS Of the 287 patients enrolled, 149 were randomized to CF-WBI and 138 were randomized to HF-WBI. At 2 years, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Trial Outcome Index score was found to be modestly better in the HF-WBI arm (mean 79.6 vs 75.9 for CF-WBI; P = .02). In multivariable mixed effects models, treatment arm was not found to be associated with longitudinal outcomes after adjusting for time and baseline outcome measures (P≥.14). The linear effect of time was significant for BCTOS measures of functional status (P = .001, improved with time) and breast pain (P = .002, improved with time). CONCLUSIONS In this randomized trial, longitudinal outcomes did not appear to differ by treatment arm. Patient-reported functional and pain outcomes improved over time. These findings are relevant when counseling patients regarding decisions concerning radiotherapy. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society. Cancer 2016;122:2886–2894. © 2016 American Cancer Society
Cell Sources and Nanotechnology for Neural Tissue Engineering

Neural injuries resulting in loss of sensory and motor functions have less than ideal restoration due to the limited self-regenerative capacity of the nervous system. Neural tissue engineering strategies integrating cells with biomaterials are already leading to significant advancements for various neural defect repairs. In particular, stem cells with the capacity of differentiating into all relevant neural cell types essential to replace degenerated neural tissues have garnered greater interest. With regard to biomaterials, nanomaterials offer a new perspective in regenerative medicine owing to their unique physical, chemical, and biological properties which can interact with neural cells at the molecular level. In this chapter, we will discuss about various stem cells including embryonic, fetal, neonatal, and adult stem cells, their differentiation potential toward neural lineages as well as their use in engineering implantable neural grafts. We will also discuss the potential applications of various biomimetic nanomaterials such as carbon-based nanomaterials and engineered 3D nanofibrous scaffolds for neural tissue regeneration.
Boltzmann Complexity: An Emergent Property of the Majorization Partial Order

Boltzmann macrostates, which are in 1:1 correspondence with the partitions of integers, are investigated. Integer partitions, unlike entropy, uniquely characterize Boltzmann states, but their use has been limited. Integer partitions are well known to be partially ordered by majorization. It is less well known that this partial order is fundamentally equivalent to the “mixedness” of the set of microstates that comprise each macrostate. Thus, integer partitions represent the fundamental property of the mixing character of Boltzmann states. The standard definition of incomparability in partial orders is applied to the individual Boltzmann macrostates to determine the number of other macrostates with which it is incomparable. We apply this definition to each partition (or macrostate) and calculate the number C with which that partition is incomparable. We show that the value of C complements the value of the Boltzmann entropy, S, obtained in the usual way. Results for C and S are obtained for Boltzmann states comprised of up to N = 50 microstates where there are 204,226 Boltzmann macrostates. We note that, unlike mixedness, neither C nor S uniquely characterizes macrostates. Plots of C vs. S are shown. The results are surprising and support the authors’ earlier suggestion that C be regarded as the complexity of the Boltzmann states. From this we propose that complexity may generally arise from incomparability in other systems as well.
Dynamic left ventricular changes in patients with gestational diabetes: A speckle tracking echocardiography study

Purpose The left ventricle (LV) undergoes physiologic remodeling in adaptation to the hemodynamic changes that occur in pregnancy. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a novel and reliable tool to evaluate subtle myocardial alterations that have been utilized to assess myocardial changes in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) but not in patients with gestational DM (GDM). We seek to evaluate changes in LV function using STE in patients with GDM compared with women with normal pregnancy. Methods This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. A total of 312 pregnant patients that underwent transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) between 2009 and 2014 were screened. After excluding patients with comorbidities or insufficient data, 90 women were included. TTE from the second and third trimester for each patient were then reviewed, and STE analysis was performed. Results Of the 90 subjects, 72 had normal pregnancies and 18 developed GDM. There was no difference in LV end-diastolic diameter (4.73 ± 0.40 versus 4.60 ± 0.56, p = 0.25), LV end-systolic diameter (3.12 ± 0.35 versus 2.91 ± 0.61, p = 0.152), or ejection fraction (62.26 ± 4.12 versus 63.50 ± 5.24, p = 0.314) between the two groups. Global longitudinal strain was lower (−19.8 ± 3.34 versus −17.2 ± 2.18, p < 0.001) in patients with GDM, while time-to-peak strain was greater (0.43 ± 0.05 versus 0.50 ± 0.06, p < 0.001). Circumferential and radial strains were preserved in both groups. Conclusions Although conventional TTE variables show preserved LV size and function, LV longitudinal strain suggests subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients with GDM. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2016
Internet Governance Forum: What Went Right?

This chapter presents a case study of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Established simultaneously with GAID, the IGF took a different approach. It did not attempt to privilege one stakeholder (i.e., the private sector) over another, but developed robust governance and management mechanisms and policies. The combination of its Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), and multistakeholder Dynamic Coalitions (DCs) has helped to stabilize the IGF. Its initial five-year mandate was renewed for five years, and as a testament to its widely perceived value, in December 2015, the UN General Assembly extended the IGF for another ten years. This chapter explores the underlying factors contributing to the perceived success and effectiveness of the IGF.
Multiple-Phase Modeling of Degradation Signal for Condition Monitoring and Remaining Useful Life Prediction

Remaining useful life prediction plays an important role in ensuring the safety, availability, and efficiency of various engineering systems. In this paper, we propose a flexible Bayesian multiple-phase modeling approach to characterize degradation signals for prognosis. The priors are specified with a novel stochastic process and the multiple-phase model is formulated to a novel state-space model to facilitate online monitoring and prediction. A particle filtering algorithm with stratified sampling and partial Gibbs resample-move strategy is developed for online model updating and residual life prediction. The advantages of the proposed method are demonstrated through extensive numerical studies and real case studies.
Multisource Rotating Shield Brachytherapy Apparatus for Prostate Cancer

Purpose Our purpose is to present a novel multisource rotating shield brachytherapy (RSBT) apparatus for the simultaneous precise angular and linear positioning of partially shielded 153 Gd brachytherapy sources in interstitial needles for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer. It is designed to lower the dose to nearby healthy tissues, the urethra in particular, relative to conventional high-dose-rate brachytherapy techniques. Methods and Materials Following needle implantation through the patient template, an angular drive mechanism is docked to the patient template. Each needle is coupled to a multisource afterloader catheter by a connector passing through a shaft. The shafts are rotated about their axes by translating a moving template between 2 stationary templates. The shafts' surfaces and moving template holes are helically threaded with the same pattern such that translation of the moving template causes simultaneous rotation of the shafts. The rotation of each shaft is mechanically transmitted to the catheter-source-shield combination, inside the needles, via several key-keyway pairs. The catheter angles are simultaneously incremented throughout treatment, and only a single 360° rotation of all catheters is needed for a full treatment. For each rotation angle, source depth in each needle is controlled by a multisource afterloader, which is proposed as an array of belt-driven linear actuators, each of which drives a wire that controls catheter depth in a needle. Results Treatment plans demonstrated that RSBT with the proposed apparatus reduced urethral D 0.1cm 3 (the minimum dose delivered to the hottest 0.1cm 3 of the urethra) below that of conventional high-dose-rate brachytherapy by 31% for urethral dose gradient volume within 3 mm of the urethra surface. Treatment time to deliver 20 Gy with the proposed multisource RSBT apparatus by use of nineteen 62.4-GBq 153 Gd sources was 122 minutes. Conclusions The proposed RSBT delivery apparatus enables a mechanically feasible urethra-sparing treatment technique for prostate cancer in a clinically reasonable time frame.
Distributed identity testing with zero-rate compression

In this paper, we consider the identity testing problems in the distributed setting, in which each terminal has data only relates to one random variable. Each terminal sends zero-rate message to the decision maker, and the decision maker decides the distribution of (Xn, Yn), which is indirectly revealed from the encoded messages, is the same as or λ-far from a given distribution. Interpreting this as a distributed composite hypothesis testing problem, we characterize the best error exponent of the type 2 error probability using a universal coding scheme under the exponential-type constraint on the type 1 error probability.
Nuclear Heating and Radiation Damage in the NBI Region of the ITER Vacuum Vessel

AbstractThe ITER vacuum vessel (VV) is a double walled toroidal shaped stainless steel structure divided into nine 40 degree sectors. In the design process for the ITER blanket system (which provides shielding for the VV), determining integrated nuclear heating loads on the VV is important for cooling system sizing and determining localized nuclear heating on the VV is important for assessing thermal stress loads. Further, determining radiation damage, displacements per atom (dpa) on the VV, is important in meeting pressure vessel limits. Near the neutral beam injection (NBI) region of the VV (both sector 2 and sector 3), there are significant gaps and cut-outs in the blanket system to accommodate the 3 heating neutral beam (HNB) ports and the diagnostic neutral beam (DNB) port. These features lead to higher localized radiation loads. Previous analysis indicated high nuclear heating and dpa in the NBI region. The CAD based DAG-MCNP5 transport code was used to perform neutronics calculations in detailed, u...
Synthetic Lethality: Achilles Heel in Select Patient Subpopulations

Synthetic lethality is a biological phenomenon where the co-occurrence of two genetic events results in cellular death, in contrast to the setting where one such event is survivable. Mutations in BRCA1/2 or homologous recombination genes lead to dependency on alternative low-fidelity DNA repair mechanisms. Inhibition of the alternative pathways, such as with a PARP inhibitor, can lead to cancer cell death in preclinical models.
Leadership for Public Health 3.0: A Preliminary Assessment of Competencies for Local Health Department Leaders.

Background: the foundational public health services model V1.0, developed in response to the Institute of Medicine report For the Public’s Health: Investing in a Healthier Future identified important capabilities for leading local health departments (LHDs). The recommended capabilities include the organizational competencies of leadership and governance, which are described as consensus building among internal and external stakeholders. Leadership through consensus building is the main characteristics of Democratic Leadership. This style of leadership works best within the context of a competent team. Not much is known about the competency structure of LHD leadership teams. The objectives of this study characterize the competency structure of leadership teams in LHDs and identify the relevance of existing competencies for the practice of leadership in public health. Materials and Methods: The study used a cross-sectional study design. Utilizing the workforce taxonomy six management and leadership occupation titles were used as job categories. The competencies were selected from the leadership and management domain of public health competencies for the Tier -3, leadership level. Study participants were asked to rank on a Likert scale of 1-10 the relevance of each competency to their current job category, with a rank of 1 being least important and a rank of 10 being most important. The instrument was administered in person. Data: Data was collected in 2016 from 50 public health professionals serving in leadership and management positions in a convenience sample of 3 LHDS. Results: The competency of most relevance to the highest executive function category was that of ‘interaction with interrelated systems’. For sub-agency level officers the competency of most relevance was ‘advocating for the role of public health’. The competency of most relevance to Program Directors/Managers or Administrators was ‘ensuring continuous quality improvement’. The variation between competencies by job category suggests there are distinct underlying relationships between the competencies by job category.
Endoscopic repair of lateral sphenoid Encephaloceles: a case series

Lateral sphenoid encephaloceles present a surgical challenge. These encephaloceles may be difficult to access given their lateral location and proximity to the neural and vascular structures of the sphenoid floor, pterygopalatine fossa, and lateral and superior sphenoid walls. Additionally, many patients have idiopathic intracranial hypertension, increasing the risk of recurrence. When untreated or undiscovered, these encephaloceles increase the risk of meningitis. All consecutive endoscopic repairs of lateral sphenoid encephaloceles by a single surgeon from 2012 to 2017 were analyzed for method of repair, complications, and recurrence rate. Odds ratio for recurrence of CSF leak for Alloderm inlay/abdominal fat sphenoid obliteration/nasoseptal flap with multilayer repair vs. other method (Alloderm onlay/contralateral nasoseptal flap or free mucosal graft) was compared, and Fischer’s exact test was used to calculate the two-sided p-value for the two repair methods. The success rate (no recurrence of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea) for Alloderm inlay/abdominal fat onlay/nasoseptal flap onlay was 100% while for Alloderm onlay/contralateral nasoseptal flap + free mucosal graft the success rate was 0%. For any nasoseptal flap repair vs. free mucosal graft the success rates were 83.3% and 16.7% respectively. The success rate for Alloderm inlay/abdominal fat onlay/nasoseptal flap onlay vs. Alloderm onlay/contralateral nasoseptal flap + free mucosal graft was statistically significant (p = 0.048), but the success rate for any nasoseptal flap repair vs. free mucosal graft was not significant (p = 0.29). The success rate for patients without post-op lumbar drain vs. with post-op lumbar drain was also nonsignificant (p = 0.29). In the author’s hands Alloderm inlay/abdominal fat onlay/nasoseptal flap onlay was superior to other repair methods (Alloderm onlay/contralateral nasoseptal flap or free middle turbinate mucosa onlay graft). The complication rate was low. Post-operative lumbar drainage did not affect the success rate.
RGB pixel analysis of fingertip video image captured from sickle cell patient with low and high level of hemoglobin

The demand for medical image processing is ever growing, especially for medical device manufacturers, researchers, and innovators. In this article, we present the image processing of a fingertip video to investigate the relationship between image pixel information and different hemoglobin (Hb) levels. We use the smartphone camera to record the fingertip videos of different sickle cell patients. We also collect their clinical Hb records. We extract the red, green and blue (RGB) pixel of the video image and make the histogram of selected frames for each video. The averaged histogram values of those selected frames are used as an input feature matrix in the regression analysis. Linear regression as well as the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm is applied to the input feature matrix. We consider five sickle cell patients who received the blood transfusion. We analyze the thirty fingertip videos from five patients where each patient gave three videos at the same time. Fifteen fingertip videos are recorded before blood transfusion, and rest of the videos are captured after two weeks of their blood transfusion. Matlab tool is used for the data analysis and visual image presentation of the RGB image histogram values, masked RGB image, and the confusion matrix of this paper. The result generated from linear regression and the goodness of fit of PLS model shows the reliable performance of this research work.
UGT2B17 deletion polymorphism and exemestane-induced toxicity.

e12534Background: Genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes can have significant impact on drug toxicity and/or efficacy. Exemestane (Exe), a steroidal aromatase inhibitor, is extensively ...
Studies on fish scale formation and resorption. III. Fine structure and calcification of the fibrillary plates of the scales in Carassius auratus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae).

Electron microscopic investigation of scales of the goldfish Carassius auratus revealed that the lamellae of fibrillary plates contain sheet-like structures composed of vertically oriented collagen fibers embedded in an organic matrix. The fibers (TC fibers) are smaller in diameter (35–45 nm) than those of the lamellae and the matrix is stained intensely with lead citrate.
It's complicated… m6A-dependent regulation of gene expression in cancer.

Abstract Cellular function relies on multiple pathways that are coordinated to ensure the proper execution of gene expression networks. Failure to coordinate the multiple programs active in the cell can have catastrophic consequences and lead to diseases such as cancer. At the post-transcriptional level, RNA modifications play important roles in the regulation of gene expression. N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) is the most abundant internal messenger RNA (mRNA) modification and has gained increasing interest in the last few years as a dynamic regulator of RNA metabolism . Modifications regulate all stages of the RNA life cycle, from transcription to decay. Recent studies have pointed to the role of RNA methylation in cancer initiation and progression, and aberrant modification has served as a biomarker of early-stage diagnosis in several cancers. Here, we review the regulation of m 6A, disruptions to methylation-dependent pathways that influence carcinogenesis, and potential avenues for m6A-related therapeutic strategies.
Towards a Model and Graph Representation for Smart Homes in the IoT

A key aspect of the emerging Internet of Things is resilience, as life- and mission-critical services are incorporated. In contrast to the current emphasis on IoT network protocols and services, in this paper we take steps towards analyzing resilience by focusing on a smaller subset of the smart city: smart-home network-infrastructure resilience. We present a model smart home that we believe will be typical in the near future, and examine its network structure and vulnerable technologies, links, and nodes quantified as betweenness centrality. We then propose two novel graph representations to capture the importance and interdependence of particular technologies, such as the 802.11 core, 802.15.4/ZigBee IoT smart devices, and LTE/4G/5G access links: the end-system technology graph and technology interdependence graph. A preliminary analysis indicates the importance of a biconnected 802.11s mesh core and diverse Internet access paths so that mission-critical devices and services remain operational.
Machine learning for locating organic matter and pores in scanning electron microscopy images of organic-rich shales

Abstract For purposes of locating kerogen/organic matter and pores in SEM images of shale samples, we tested an automated SEM-image segmentation workflow involving feature extraction followed by machine learning. The proposed segmentation workflow is an alternative to threshold-based and object-based segmentation. For each pixel in the SEM image, sixteen features are generated and then fed to a random forest classifier to determine the presence of four rock components, namely (1) pore/crack, (2) rock matrix including clay, calcite and quartz, (3) pyrite, and (4) organic/kerogen components. Extraction of the 16 features for each pixel in a 2058 (pixel) by 2606 (pixel) SEM image requires approximately 5 s on a conventional desktop configuration. The most important features for the desired segmentation are wavelet transforms, Gaussian blur and difference of Gaussians. The random-forest classifier was trained using only 705, 2074, 17373, and 15,000 pixels for the pore/crack, organic/kerogen, rock matrix, and pyrite components, respectively. Training of the classifier was accomplished in approximately 7 s. The proposed segmentation methodology can segment one 2058 (pixel) by 2606 (pixel) SEM image in approximately 30 s. For purposes of validation of the segmentation method, 5121, 4725, 4815, and 4775 pixels were used for the pore/crack, organic/kerogen, rock matrix, and pyrite components, respectively, where 1 pixel covers 100 nm2. Despite the limited number of pixels used for training, the performance of the trained classifier, quantified in terms of overall F1 score, on the validation dataset was higher than 0.9. The newly developed method is significantly more reliable and robust in comparison to the popular histogram thresholding and object-based segmentation methods, especially for the matrix and pyrite components in shale samples.
Spatial structure determination of ( sqrt 3 x sqrt 3)R30 degrees and (1.5 x 1.5)R18 degrees CO or Cu(111) using angle-resolved photoemission extended fine structure.

We report a study of the spatial structure of ({radical}(3){times}{radical}(3)){ital R}30{degree} and (1.5{times}1.5){ital R}18{degree} CO adsorbed on Cu (111), using the angle-resolved photoemission extended fine structure (ARPEFS) technique. The ARPEFS data were taken along the surface normal-emission direction with a sample temperature of 80 K. The CO molecule adsorbs on an atop site for both adsorption phases. Full multiple-scattering spherical-wave (MSSW) calculations were used to extract the C-Cu bond length and the first Cu-Cu layer spacing for each adsorption phase. The C-Cu bond length is 1.91(1) A in the ({radical}(3){times}{radical}(3)){ital R}30{degree} phase and 1.91(2) A in the (1.5{times}1.5){ital R}18{degree} phase. The first layer Cu-Cu spacing is 2.07(3) A in the ({radical}(3){times}{radical}(3)){ital R}30{degree} phase. The first layer Cu-Cu spacing in the (1.5{times}1.5){ital R}18{degree} phase is 2.01(4) A, a contraction of 3{percent} from the clean metal value of 2.07 A. We calculate the bending mode force constant (1.5{times}1.5){ital R}18{degree} phase to be {ital k}{sub {delta}}=2.2(1){times}10{sup {minus}12} dyn/cm rad from the above bond lengths combined with previously published infrared absorption frequencies. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Early Parenting and the Intergenerational Transmission of Self-Regulation and Behavior Problems in African American Head Start Families.

The present investigation used a national sample of African American Head Start children (N = 640; Mage = 4.40) to determine whether conditions of socioeconomic disadvantage, particularly poverty, low parent education, and single parent homes were associated with children’s executive function (EF; attention and impulse control) and behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) via the mediating effects of parent–child interactions. Path models with manifest and latent variables revealed that parent–child interactions (i.e., cognitive stimulation, control, and harsh discipline) mediated the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Furthermore, parent cognitive stimulation mediated the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and children’s EF skills. The overall pattern of results provides empirical support for the family stress model of development in which conditions of socioeconomic disadvantage exert a significant influence on parent–child interactions and in turn children’s emergent self-regulation and behavior problems.
Complex phenotypes in ALG12-congenital disorder of glycosylation (ALG12-CDG): Case series and review of the literature.

Abstract ALG12-congenital disorder of glycosylation (ALG12-CDG) is a rare disorder caused by a deficiency of dolichol-P-mannose:Man7GlcNAc2-PP-dolichyl-α-6-mannosyltransferase which presents with intellectual disability, hypotonia, dysmorphic features, low IgG levels with recurrent infections, male genital hypoplasia, and coagulation abnormalities. We report a unique family with three affected individuals, including two older brothers with only cognitive and coagulation defects and a younger brother who died from a severe multisystem disease at age 18 months. The two living brothers are the oldest and mildest cases of ALG12-CDG described thus far. Whole exome sequencing of the older brothers revealed a previously described c.1001delA (p.N334TfsX15) pathogenic variant and a c.671C > T (p.T224 M) variant of uncertain significance in ALG12. Our cases broaden the recognized genetic and phenotypic spectrum of this disorder and suggest a role for other genetic and environmental factors in modulating disease phenotype.
Women in Law: A Statistical Review of the Status of Women Attorneys in Idaho

Women make up 50.8% of the population of the United States, receive over 57% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States, and fi ll 52.3% of first-year law school classes across the country. But are women advancing within the legal profession? And are they doing so at the same rate as their male counterparts? This is by no means the first time an author has considered the status of women lawyers in Idaho: previous articles have addressed the surprising variance between the number of women who join the profession and the number who advance to leadership roles within the legal field in Idaho. This article seeks to update the data presented in previous articles with current statistics regarding how women are advancing in the profession. Additionally – where possible – this article includes national data to assess how women in Idaho are faring compared to women in other states. Finally, this article concludes by raising a series of questions with the hope that the answers to these questions may both explain why women are not advancing to some leadership roles and ultimately increase the number of women advancing to leadership roles across the profession.