cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Three Nonsurgical Treatments for Bleeding Esophageal Varices

Ninety-seven patients with recent or active variceal bleeding were randomly assigned to oral propranolol, endoscopic sclerotherapy plus oral propranolol, or transhepatic sclerotherapy plus oral propranolol. The effects of treatment on the number of units transfused, rebleeding of any magnitude, major rebleeding, and death were assessed in these patients, 82% of whom were alcoholic and 81% Child's Class C. After a minimum follow-up interval of 2 yr (range, 27-65 mo), major rebleeding rates were 65% for propranolol alone, 45% for endoscopic sclerotherapy plus propranolol, and 60% for transhepatic sclerotherapy plus propranolol. The corresponding death rates were 81% for propranolol alone, 55% for endoscopic sclerotherapy plus propranolol, and 66% for transhepatic sclerotherapy plus propranolol (p = 0.03). Thirty-three patients (34%) never received propranolol; 8 due to medical contraindications and 25 because they died or bled enough to meet the definition of treatment failure within 3 or 4 days of randomizations (no significant differences among treatment groups). Patients assigned to propranolol alone bled sooner, bled more units, and had a higher mortality rate than patients treated by endoscopic sclerotherapy plus propranolol. Patients treated with transhepatic sclerotherapy plus propranolol had intermediate results. Propranolol alone is inadequate treatment for esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with advanced liver disease.
Stratospheric--tropospheric exchange processes

Qualitative descriptions and quantitative estimates are presented of various transport processes between stratosphere and troposphere. The seasonal changes of tropopause heights account for a flux of about 10 percent of the mass of the stratosphere in one hemisphere during the course of 1 yr. This flux is balanced approximately by the seasonal shift of stratospheric air masses between the northern and southern hemispheres. Vertical transport through the Hadley cell transfers approximately 38 percent of the mass equivalent to one hemispheric stratosphere through the tropopause per year. This appears to be the most effective of all transport mechanisms. Large-scale eddies of the scale of cyclones and anticyclones transfer about 20 percent of stratospheric air through the tropopause per year. Small-scale and mesoscale diffusion processes at tropopause level probably account for the transfer of only 1 percent of stratospheric air. These mass flux estimates are in reasonable agreement with observed residence times of stratospheric pollutants.
A highly parallel method for transient stability analysis

A simple but powerful method for solving the transient stability problem with a high degree of parallelism is implemented. The transient stability is seen as a coupled set of nonlinear algebraic and differential equations. By applying a discretization method such as the trapezoidal rule, the overall algebraic-differential set of equations is transformed into a unique algebraic problem at each time step. A solution that considers every time step, not in a sequential way, but concurrently, is suggested. The solution of this set of equations with a relaxation-type indirect method gives rise to a highly parallel algorithm. The parallelism consists of a parallelism in space (that is in the equations at each time step) and a parallelism in time. Another characteristic of the algorithm is that the time step can be changed between iterations using a nested iteration multigrid technique from a coarse time grid to the desired fine time grid to enhance the convergence of the algorithm. The method has been tested on various size power systems, for various solution time periods, and various types of disturbances. It is shown that the method has good convergence properties and can significantly increase computational efficiency in a parallel-processing environment. >
A Characterization of Partially Ordered Sets with Linear Discrepancy Equal to 2

The linear discrepancy of a poset P is the least k such that there is a linear extension L of P such that if x and y are incomparable in P, then |h L (x)–h L (y)|≤k, where h L (x) is the height of x in L. Tanenbaum, Trenk, and Fishburn characterized the posets of linear discrepancy 1 as the semiorders of width 2 and posed the problem of characterizing the posets of linear discrepancy 2. We show that this problem is equivalent to finding the posets with linear discrepancy equal to 3 having the property that the deletion of any point results in a reduction in the linear discrepancy. Howard determined that there are infinitely many such posets of width 2. We complete the forbidden subposet characterization of posets with linear discrepancy equal to 2 by finding the minimal posets of width 3 with linear discrepancy equal to 3. We do so by showing that, with a small number of exceptions, they can all be derived from the list for width 2 by the removal of specific comparisons.
Glucose control design using nonlinearity assessment techniques

The most effective control algorithm for regulation of glucose levels in persons with diabetes is determined using control-relevant nonlinearity analysis of a diabetic system model. Theoretical control-relevant nonlinearity analysis is performed using the Optimal Control Structure and a norm-based nonlinearity measure. These results are correlated with results of controller performance assessment trials, based on optimizing the rejection of glucose disturbances. Performance is quantified using a standard quadratic performance objective as well as an asymmetric performance objective in which negative glucose deviations are penalized more highly than positive deviations because of the greater health concerns associated with negative deviations. The control-relevant nonlinearity assessment indicates that the best controller design is a linear algorithm except when the desired performance is strongly asymmetric. For standard meal disturbances, the system is found to be well regulated using proportional–derivative control or standard linear model predictive control with no significant benefit observed in using nonlinear model-based control. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 51: 544–554, 2005
A reliability model for connector contacts

Connector contacts have a typical end-of-life behavior during accelerated life testing. A model that predicts the change in resistance ( Delta R) for an aging contact is developed based on that behavior. The model shows that the duration of accelerated life tests can sometimes be reduced by up to 50%, resulting in substantial time and cost savings. Analysis of the model leads to several unexpected conclusions. For example, the evaluation of contact reliability, using Delta R as a parameter, does not agree with a time-to-failure approach in which each individual contact is assumed to have a specific failure time. The agreement is restored by the use of change in conductance ( Delta G) ratios. The use of Delta G by itself leads directly to the conclusion that contact reliability evaluated at some point in a contact's life explicitly depends on the resistance of the contact when it was put into use. >
Combining Information from Multiple Complex Surveys.

Increasingly, many substantive research questions require a degree of information not adequately collected in a single survey. Fortunately, survey organizations often repeatedly draw samples from the same population for different surveys and collect data on a considerable number of overlapping variables. This dissertation presents a new method for combining multiple surveys from a missing data perspective. Two major improvements of the new method include: 1) adjusting for the incompatibility among different sample designs and 2) combining an unlimited number of surveys. The basic proposal is to simulate synthetic populations from which the respondents of each survey have been selected. In this process, different sampling designs of the multiple surveys will be taken into account. Once we have the synthetic populations, we could treat them as simple random samples with no complex sampling design features and borrow information across surveys to adjust for nonsampling errors or fill in the variables that are lacking in one or more surveys. Then, we can analyze each synthetic population with standard complete-data software for simple random samples and obtain valid inference by combining the point and variance estimates, first across synthetic populations within each survey, and then across multiple surveys. Existing methods borrowed from the disclosure risk field will be used to combine the synthetic populations from one survey; combining these results across multiple surveys will require the methods developed in this dissertation. The first study develops the combining rule when multiple surveys present and proposes a model-based method to impute the unobserved population. The 2006 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and Medical Expenditure Panel Study (MEPS) are combined to estimate health insurance coverage. The second study develops a nonparametric method to impute the unobserved population, which is used to generate synthetic populations for the NHIS and MEPS and produce combined estimates of health insurance coverage. The third study combines surveys with missing variables. A two-stage combining rule is developed to account for the uncertainty due to simultaneously imputing the missing variables and generating synthetic populations. The 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is combined with the NHIS and MEPS to estimate health insurance coverage.
Disability and abuse in relation to substance abuse: a descriptive analysis.

This analysis reviewed five years of a state's substance abuse treatment admissions and discharges in order to identify specific pat­ terns among persons who had a disability. Using a series of group compar­ isons, Chi-squares, and logistic regressions, specific patterns of violence and abuse to this population were identified. Results indicate that persons who had a disability and abused substances were more likely to be victim­ ized by physical abuse and domestic violence when compared with their peers without a disability. A person with a disability had about one-half to one-third the odds of receiving long-term residential, short-term residential and intensive outpatient care when compared with persons without a dis- ability. doi:10.1300/J198v06n03_04 (Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website:
Interdisciplinary Research on the Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest is a 4,000 ha, pine-dominated tract in northeastern California, in the Lassen National Forest. Between 1934 and 1960, research at Blacks Mountain focused on various methods of harvest and bark beetle activity. These studies demonstrated the effectiveness of harvesting on increasing tree growth and reducing widespread mortality from bark beetles.
A Choice of Catastrophes: Common Arguments for Space Colonization

Most human cultures have doomsday myths, ranging from Biblical stories of Armageddon to the Scandinavian tales of Ragnarok - the “Twilight of the Gods”. Hindu cosmology holds that the Universe ends in fire and regenerates from water. Andent Persian Zoroastrians believed along lines similar to Judea-Christians- that an ultimate savior would be born and rid the world of evilalthough for the Zoroastrians this involved the Earth and its inhabitants perishing in a flow of molten metal before renewal, just as Aztec cosmology proposed cyclic annihilation and renewal.
Interactions among weed, insect, and common rust treatments in sweet corn

Abstract Treatment interactions affecting endemic populations of annual grass and broadleaf weeds, corn rootworm larvae (CRW), corn earworm (CEW), European corn borer (ECB), and common rust in sweet corn were investigated in three field studies near Arlington, WI, in 1996 and 1997. In all environments, weed biomass was affected only by the weed control treatments with cultivation resulting in the highest weed biomass. Corn root damage was affected only by the CRW insecticide treatments in the early- and late-planted environments in 1997 (E97 and L97). Both weed control and ear insect (CEW and ECB) control treatments affected corn ear damage by CEW and ECB. In E97 and L97, more insect ear damage occurred in plots with 1× herbicide treatments than in cultivation treatments. In L97, the ear insect treatment decreased ear damage 55% compared to untreated plots. The interaction between ear insect and weed control treatments affected the number of CEW found per 10 ears in L97. The interaction between hybrid rus...
Managing Interruptions in the Accounting Workplace

CPAs are frequently interrupted while they complete work-related tasks. The authors surveyed 79 accounting professionals, 85% of whom indicated that they are interrupted by e-mails, instant messages, phone calls, or interpersonal (that is, face-to-face) interactions at least once per hour. Research from a broad array of professional and academic disciplines has documented that task interruption negatively impacts task performance, both in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, research indicates that individuals are largely overconfident in their ability to manage the negative consequences of task interruption. These findings have important implications for CPAs because competitive market and regulatory pressures require them to perform tasks efficiently and effectively. This article describe the nature of task interruption in the accounting workplace and documents accountants’ self-identified preferred and actual responses to task interruption. It also describes several best practices that CPAs can employ to manage the negative effects of task interruption.
A novel gene, LGI1, from 10q24 is rearranged and downregulated in malignant brain tumors.

Loss of heterozygosity for 10q23–26 is seen in over 80% of glioblastoma multiforme tumors. We have used a positional cloning strategy to isolate a novel gene, LGI1 (Leucine-rich gene–Glioma Inactivated), which is rearranged as a result of the t(10;19)(q24;q13) balanced translocation in the T98G glioblastoma cell line lacking any normal chromosome 10. Rearrangement of the LGI1 gene was also detected in the A172 glioblastoma cell line and several glioblastoma tumors. These rearrangements lead to a complete absence of LGI1 expression in glioblastoma cells. The LGI1 gene encodes a protein with a calculated molecular mass of 60 kD and contains 3.5 leucine-rich repeats (LRR) with conserved flanking sequences. In the LRR domain, LGI1 has the highest homology with a number of transmembrane and extracellular proteins which function as receptors and adhesion proteins. LGI1 is predominantly expressed in neural tissues, especially in brain; its expression is reduced in low grade brain tumors and it is significantly reduced or absent in malignant gliomas. Its localization to the 10q24 region, and rearrangements or inactivation in malignant brain tumors, suggest that LGI1 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene involved in progression of glial tumors.
Martin Paul Eve, Open Access and the Humanities: Contexts, Controversies and the Future.

Martin Paul Eve, Open Access and the Humanities: Contexts, Controversies and the Future. Cambridge University Press, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316161012. From disciplinary repositories such as arXiv to publishers such as the Public Library of Science, open access is often associated with scientific research. But, as Martin Paul Eve notes in his new book Open Access and the Humanities: Contexts, Controversies and the Future (Cambridge UP, 2014), the humanities as well as science can benefit from free access to scholarly literature and the ‘removal of permission barriers' (p. 2). Indeed, journals such as Digital Humanities Quarterly and platforms such as NINES demonstrate the applicability of open access to the humanities, and humanities scholars such as Peter Suber have made important contributions to the open access movement. Yet many humanities scholars have not embraced open access, suspecting that it means less prestige. In addition, some believe that open access must necessarily be funded through article and book processing charges, which they fear distort the publication process and impede academic freedom. But open access can widen access to scholarly publications, deepen their impact, and support text mining and other (digital) humanities work—without compromising quality or depending upon an author-pays model. With this book, Eve offers a nuanced exploration of factors informing attitudes toward and practices of open access in the humanities. Eve is well qualified to author such a work, since he is a founder and co-director of the Open Library of Humanities, serves on the steering committee for JISC's OAPEN-UK project and other open access initiatives, and has a Ph.D. in English. As Eve points out, open access in the humanities and in the sciences are not inherently different, but research cultures do differ. Taking a humanities perspective means paying special attention to the complexities of monograph publishing, … lspiro{at}rice.edu
Boundary regularity for the\(\bar \partial _b - Neumann\) problem, part 1problem, part 1

We establish sharp regularity and Fredholm theorems for the\(\bar \partial _b - Neumann\) operator on domains satisfying some nongeneric geometric conditions. We use these domains to construct explicit examples of bad behavior of the Kohn Laplacian: It is not always hypoelliptic up to the boundary, its partial inverse is not compact and it is not globally subelliptic.
Factors to Consider for Optimal Span of Control in Community Supervision Evidence-Based Practice Environments:

In the face of budgetary constraints, legislative discussions in Iowa have focused on fiscal savings through an increased probation/parole supervisor to officer ratio, resulting in a reduced number...
Chao control of discrete FitzHugh-Nagumo system

The existence of chaos of the discrete FitzHugh-Nagumo model is given in the sense of Marotto and the dynamical behavior which the model has.The controller of the discrete FitzHughNagumo system is designed by principle of chaos tracking control.Finally,the system is controlled in the positive fixed point or a given periodic orbit,the conclusion is validated by simulation.
CNC Turning for Brittle Metallic Materials

To solve the problems existing in CNC turning brittle metallic materials,taking the processing of a stretch test piece as an example,aiming at material properties and processing characteristics,in aspects of the processes,tools,processing programs,clamping methods,programming skills,CNC turning technology was explored to increase production efficiency and assure process quality.
Legislating for Good Times and Bad

Congress tends to move in fits and starts. Major policy changes are often followed by periods of legislative stasis. This means that, even as circumstances change and policies may no longer be appropriate in the new conditions, Congress may not respond. This is the problem of “policy drift.” The academic literature has recognized this challenge and largely focused on one particular type of solution employed by Congress: empowerment of other institutions that can move more quickly, in particular administrative agencies or the courts. However, this view is far too limited. Congress can keep such authority in its hands and still address policy drift, sometimes even more effectively.This article is the first to comprehensively consider the tools available to Congress to address such drift. It particularly focuses on “automatic-adjustment mechanisms” — mechanisms that are pre-set by Congress and automatically adapt policy to new circumstances. Such mechanisms are among the most promising ways for reducing policy drift — since they respond quickly and predictably. For instance, such mechanisms could automatically diversify risk across generations in Social Security; cut unemployment in a recession; and reduce the danger that a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system would result in carbon prices that are either too high or too low. Still, automatic-adjustment mechanisms have their limits, since they come with little room for discretion, and so there are roles for other tools as well — such as alarm-bells for Congress, fast-track rules for congressional consideration, and the traditional tools of empowering agencies or courts. In combination, these tools — and especially automatic-adjustment mechanisms — can help Congress legislate for good times and bad.
Patterns of hepatic resections in North America: use of concurrent partial resections and ablations.

Background National registries have not adequately captured concurrent partial hepatic resections or ablations. Therefore, the aim of this analysis was to describe the patterns of concurrent partial resections and ablations in North America.
Measuring 20-100 T B-fields using Zeeman splitting of sodium emission lines on a 500 kA pulsed power machine.

We have shown that Zeeman splitting of the sodium (Na) D-lines at 5890 and 5896 A can be used to measure the magnetic field (B-field) produced in high current pulsed power experiments. We have measured the B-field next to a return current conductor in a hybrid X-pinch experiment near a peak current of about 500 kA. Na is deposited on the conductor and then is desorbed and excited by radiation from the hybrid X-pinch. The D-line emission spectrum implies B-fields of about 20 T with a return current post of 4 mm diameter or up to 120 T with a return current wire of 0.455 mm diameter. These measurements were consistent or lower than the expected B-field, thereby showing that basic Zeeman splitting can be used to measure the B-field in a pulsed-power-driven high-energy-density (HED) plasma experiment. We hope to extend these measurement techniques using suitable ionized species to measurements within HED plasmas.
The Notion Site

In spite of critiques that date to the early 1970s (Dancey 1971; Thomas 1975) the notion site is as ubiquitous as any archaeological concept in the current literature. Archaeologists look for, and find sites (e. g., site surveys); they record sites (e. g., state surveys, the National Register of Historic Places); they collect and/or excavate sites, they interpret sites; and incredibly, they even date sites. Site usually provides the framework for recording artifact provenience; it usually serves as a sampling frame at some level in most fieldwork (e. g., Binford 1964; McManomon 1981; Redman 1973); and, largely by default, it, or some partitioning of it (e. g., Dewar 1986), serves as the unit of artifact association. Site is, as usually depicted in introductory texts, a basic, if not the basic, unit of archaeology.
THE PHAGOCYTOSIS OF SOLID PARTICLES : III. CARBON AND QUARTZ.

1. The rates of ingestion of quartz and carbon particles by leucocytes, when both are in suspension in serum, was compared with the availability of the two particles as predicted from the calculated chances of collision with the leucocytes, and it was shown that carbon is ingested about 4 times as readily as quartz. 2. The greater ease of ingestion of carbon was verified by a new method of measuring phagocytosis, described as the film method in which the cells ingest particles as they creep about on a slide. 3. The relative rates of ingestion of carbon and quartz depend upon the condition of the cells, the difference increasing as the phagocytic activity of the cells decreases. 4. Sponge cells also ingest carbon about 3 times as readily as quartz. 5. The hypothesis is suggested that the cause of the more rapid ingestion of carbon may be identical with the cause of the greater instability of the carbon suspensions. 6. An inorganic analogy to this selective phagocytic action is offered. 7. The application to opsonins and agglutinins is discussed.
Some Non-Uniform Large Deviation Results

Thus far we have a quite satisfactory theory of large deviations for Markov processes under the assumption (6.1), in case (D), or (6.8), in case (C). Unfortunately, when E is not compact, such an assumption will not be satisfied, except in very special situations (e.g. the Sanov theorem). For example, let E = R1 and P(t,x,dy) = g(1-e-2t,y-e-tx)dy, where g(s, ξ) = (2πs)-1/2 exp(-ξ2/2s). Clearly, the associated process (i.e. the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process) has strong ergodic properties and one ought to be able to study the large deviation theory. At the same time, it is equally clear that P(t,x,•) fails to satisfy (6.8), and therefore the theory developed in section 6) is not applicable. Of course, the reason why section 6) cannot handle this process is clear; namely: when section 6) applies, the resulting large deviation principle is uniform, whereas one should not expect a uniform principle to hold for the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. Indeed, one can hope for uniform large deviation principles only in the presence of uniform ergodicity.
Alzheimer Disease: Monotherapy vs. Combination Therapy.

Combination treatment with memantine and donepezil results in a small improvement in cognitive function that is of uncertain clinical significance in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer disease, but no improvement in patients with mild to moderate disease.
Principles of meteorology and numerical weather prediction

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are important tools in the process of generating forecasts of wind and solar power output from a farm. Before running an NWP model or being able to interpret its output, however, modelers and forecasters ought to develop an understanding of several foundational principles that undergird a successful NWP forecast. These foundational principles include atmospheric motion, observation sources and quality, data assimilation, the need for postprocessing model output, the value of probabilistic predictions, and how to perform validation and verification of the forecast. Additionally, knowledge about how the NWP model is discretized in space and time, the conditions under which the physical parameterizations have been tested and work well, and the quality of the initial and boundary conditions are all essential to producing a useful forecast. All of these principles are discussed, as is an example of tailoring an NWP model (WRF-Solar) specifically for solar power forecasting.
Nitrogen and the Threshold Odor Number Produced by an Actinomycete Isolated from Lake Sediments

The objective of this study was to determine environmental factors which favor the production of Threshold Odor Number (TON) by an Actinomycete (Streptomyces sp.) isolated from a reservoir with frequent taste and odor problems. The isolate was cultured under varying conditions of form and concentration of nitrogen. Geosmin produced by the isolate was identified by GC-MS. The effect of form and concentration of nitrogen was measured as TON by an odor panel. ANOVA indicated that the TON and the cell biomass varied with the concentration of nitrogen but not the form of nitrogen supplied. There was a significantly greater TON with higher concentrations (75 to 600 µg N l −1 ) of nitrate and ammonia nitrogen but not organic nitrogen. Cell biomass increased with nitrate and organic nitrogen but not ammonia nitrogen. On the other hand, TON per unit biomass (specific TON) varied with the form of nitrogen but not the concentration. Specific TON was greater with ammonia nitrogen than with either nitrate or organic nitrogen. Although the differences in specific TON with concentration were not significant, rank correlation analysis showed that high values of specific TON were associated with higher values of nitrate and ammonia nitrogen. These laboratory data support field observations that taste and odor episodes occur in the reservoir after rainfall events that supply pulses of nitrogen to the system.
Role of aberrant protein modification, assembly, and localization in cloned embryo phenotypes.

Aberrant post-translational modifications of proteins contribute markedly to the abnormal characteristics of cloned embryos. This review summarizes aberrant aspects of protein modifications and protein interactions, taking an inside–outside view to the cell. These aberrant aspects affect a range of processes including the control of chromatin structure, expression of pluripotency genes, propagation of epigenetic inheritance, protein trafficking, localization and signaling, cytoskeletal structure, mitosis, and correct localization of membrane proteins. By observing these aberrant features of cloned embryos, how they arise, and their impacts on development, it is possible to gain insight into normal development and identify novel strategies for enhancing cloning outcomes.
5.8 Volcanic Landforms and Hazards

Volcanic centers are complex, dynamic, and continuously evolving landforms. As a consequence, volcanic landforms are highly diverse and controlled by the tectonic setting, magma type and volume, surface environment, and their age. Active volcanoes occur in most tectonic settings. Most of Earth's active volcanoes, however, are subduction-zone related and occur around the margins of the Pacific. Volcanic hazards are both direct and indirect, involving pyroclastic materials, lava flows, poisonous gases, landslides, debris flows, floods, and climate change. Mitigating volcanic hazards and disaster management require understanding of the geologic context and processes, monitoring of volcanic centers, and disaster preparedness.
Dual Users and Electronic Cigarette Only Users: Consumption and Characteristics.

Background E-cigarette use has grown in popularity, especially as the devices have been touted as smoking cessation tools. In an exploratory study, we sought to compare dual users (i.e., users of both combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes) to e-cigarette only users. Methods The Electronic Cigarette Opinion Survey (ECOS) was employed to assess users' (n=78) perceptions and consumption of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes. Quantity of e-juice and nicotine used and time of initial nicotine exposure were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between e-cigarette use behaviors and being an e-cigarette only user compared to a dual user. Results Compared to dual users, e-cigarette only users consumed higher levels of nicotine in e-juice (p=0.0009) and more nicotine per month (p=0.03). For dual users, the time of first nicotine exposure after waking was significantly earlier than for e-cigarette only users (mean= 9.6 minutes (SD= 8.0) and mean= 26.6 minutes (SD= 22.0), respectively; p=0.0056). Results from the regression models suggest the amount of e-juice consumed and time of first nicotine exposure after waking are significantly associated with being an e-cigarette only user. Conclusions These findings shed light on the perceptions and use patterns of e-cigarette only users compared to dual users. As regulation of e-cigarettes is considered, understanding the impact of e-cigarettes and dual use is imperative. Despite frequent marketing claims that e-cigarettes are completely safe, health campaigns need to convey emerging and mixed findings on safety as well as current scientific uncertainty to the public.
Research in Journal Of Organization Design , 2012–2018

Articles published in the Journal of Organization Design (JOD) from its inception in 2012 until mid-2018 are reviewed and summarized according to their type: research, point of view, translational, case study, research primer, and Organization Zoo. Using multiple assessment criteria, JOD’s contributions to the field of organization design are identified. Important topics for future research on organization design are suggested.
Trypanosoma cruzi diversity in naturally infected nonhuman primates in Louisiana assessed by deep sequencing of the mini-exon gene.

Background Trypanosoma cruzi is a zoonotic pathogen of increasing relevance in the USA, with a growing number of autochthonous cases identified in recent years. The identification of parasite genotypes is key to understanding transmission cycles and their dynamics and consequently human infection. Natural T. cruzi infection is present in captive nonhuman primate colonies in the southern USA. Methods We investigated T. cruzi genetic diversity through a metabarcoding and next-generation sequencing approach of the mini-exon gene to characterize the parasite genotypes circulating in nonhuman primates in southern Louisiana. Results We confirmed the presence of T. cruzi in multiple tissues of 12 seropositive animals, including heart, liver, spleen and gut. The TcI discrete typing unit (DTU) predominated in these hosts, and specifically TcIa, but we also detected two cases of coinfections with TcVI and TcIV parasites, unambiguously confirming the circulation of TcVI in the USA. Multiple mini-exon haplotypes were identified in each host, ranging from 6 to 11. Conclusions The observation of multiple T. cruzi sequence haplotypes in each nonhuman primate indicates possible multiclonal infections. These data suggest the participation of these nonhuman primates in local parasite transmission cycles and highlight the value of these naturally infected animals for the study of human Chagas disease.
Disruption of Protein Homeostasis and Activation of Cellular Stress Pathways in Autoinflammation

In addition to being a critical part of host defense against pathogens, the inflammatory response can also be triggered by a number of perturbations to cellular homeostasis, including responses to protein misfolding and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Physiologically, these responses can lead to activation of tissue repair pathways, but when not properly regulated, these stress response pathways can lead to chronic inflammation. ER stress and other inflammatory pathways triggered by misfolded proteins have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several monogenic autoinflammatory diseases, and also may play a role in other conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, where increasing evidence has accumulated about the contribution of inflammation to disease pathogenesis. Alterations in protein homeostasis can trigger autoinflammatory diseases in a number of ways, including (1) a pathogenic protein is itself misfolded, primarily activating inflammatory signaling pathways, as with the mutant tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) protein in TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), or triggering an intracellular ER stress response, such as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 protein in spondylarthropathies; (2) inflammatory responses can also be triggered by extracellular misfolded proteins, and (3) genetic defects in protein homeostasis pathways which lead to inflammatory diseases. Examples of this mechanism are proteasome mutations in chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatitis with lipodystrophy and elevated temperature (CANDLE) and related syndromes, and variants in the gene encoding ATG16L which reduce the efficiency of autophagy and related secretory pathways in inflammatory bowel disease.
Compound-Nucleus Fluctuation Effects

This review concerns the observation and analysis of the effects of fluctuations as a function of bombarding energy of differential cross sections observed with polarized beams in the region of statistical excitation of the compound nucleus (CN). Surveys of fluctuation studies for unpolarized beams have been given recently 1,2). Although many of the data reported at the Madison symposium probably contained CN effects, no intentional measurements thereof were reported. Probably the first such data, taken 14 years after Ericso’s 3) suggestions for cross section studies, are those from Rutgers 4), on 27A1(p,p)27A1, and from TUNL 5) on 28Si(d,d)28Si. (By comparison, fluctuation studies in high-energy physics were reported in 1973 6), on p(π,π)p at 5 GeV, 9 years after they were suggested 7).)
Cost-effectiveness of patient navigation for breast cancer screening in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

Patient navigation (PN) services have been shown to improve cancer screening in disparate populations. This study estimates the cost-effectiveness of implementing PN services within the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). We adapted a breast cancer simulation model to estimate a population cohort of women aged 40–64 years from the NBCCEDP through their lifetime. We incorporated their screening frequency and screening and diagnostic costs. Within the NBCCEDP, Program with PN (vs. No PN) resulted in a greater number of mammograms per woman (4.23 vs. 4.14), lower lifetime mortality from breast cancer (3.53% vs. 3.61%), and fewer missed diagnostic resolution per woman (0.017 vs. 0.025). The estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for a Program with PN was $32,531 per quality-adjusted life-years relative to Program with No PN. Incorporating PN services within the NBCCEDP may be a cost-effective way of improving adherence to screening and diagnostic resolution for women who have abnormal results from screening mammography. Our study highlights the value of supportive services such as PN in improving the quality of care offered within the NBCCEDP.
APPENDIX 3M Basic Statistics

Statistics is a relatively new science with most of the important developments occurring within the last 100 years. The goal of this unit is to summarize some of the philosophical ideas behind statistics and to provide a general framework in the form of flowcharts for deciding which statistical test is appropriate for a given dataset and scientific question. Also provided is a list of references and software for commonly used statistical methods.
An electromagnetic articulography-facilitated deep neural network model of tongue contour detection from ultrasound images

Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive technique for the measurement of the tongue in speech. Recent advancements in analytical edge detection algorithms and deep learning methods have improved tongue contour segmentation. However, most edge detection algorithms require user input as initialization “seeds” and accuracy can drift as segmentation subsequently proceeds. Deep learning in ultrasound tongue contour tracking, on the other hand, requires large, manually labelled training data, has poor spatial resolution and does not generalize well to images acquired by ultrasound machines outside the training set. Here, we demonstrate an approach combining both edge detection and deep learning in automatic tongue contour tracking in ultrasound images of the tongue, aided by synchronously acquired electromagnetic articulometry (EMA) data. A deep learning model was trained by edge detection seeded by tongue locations from EMA with minimal human intervention. Spatial and temporal constraints for tongue contours were learned simultaneously using a three-dimensional convolutional neural network. Finally, the deep neural network inferred tongue contour in low resolution was passed through additional edge detection to refine the contour in higher resolution. Our preliminary results demonstrate the proposed architecture improved accuracy compared to using analytical edge detection or deep learning alone.Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive technique for the measurement of the tongue in speech. Recent advancements in analytical edge detection algorithms and deep learning methods have improved tongue contour segmentation. However, most edge detection algorithms require user input as initialization “seeds” and accuracy can drift as segmentation subsequently proceeds. Deep learning in ultrasound tongue contour tracking, on the other hand, requires large, manually labelled training data, has poor spatial resolution and does not generalize well to images acquired by ultrasound machines outside the training set. Here, we demonstrate an approach combining both edge detection and deep learning in automatic tongue contour tracking in ultrasound images of the tongue, aided by synchronously acquired electromagnetic articulometry (EMA) data. A deep learning model was trained by edge detection seeded by tongue locations from EMA with minimal human intervention. Spatial and temporal constraints for tongue contours were...
Wise Women’s Provision of Maternal-Child Health Information and Support for Urban, African American Women:

Introduction: The United States is experiencing a maternal-child health (MCH) crisis including racial inequalities in mortality. This study explored the roles of lay experts who provide information and support to women of childbearing age (i.e., Wise Women) and cultural norms for sharing MCH information and support in an urban, predominantly African American community. Methodology: This qualitative community-engaged study (N = 49) of social networks utilized a semistructured guide and brainstorming activities with eight focus groups (three community leader, three community women, and two Wise Women). Results: Although several sources of MCH information and support were noted, Wise Women were the most frequently reported culturally normative sources. Emergent themes included positive affirmations for informal exchange of MCH information among women and roadblocks to MCH information exchange and support. Discussion: Results suggest a need for culturally relevant interventions that would strengthen lines of communication and social connectedness among African American women.
Adamts13-Cultured Red Blood Cells to Treat Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Red Blood Cells (RBCs) have long been considered a potentially useful means of delivering drugs to the circulation because delivery through therapeutic RBCs as compared to direct injection in the plasma can lengthen the half-life of the therapeutic agent in the circulation, spatially restrict the drugs to the lumen of the cardio-vascular system, and shield the drug from the immune system. Despite some progress, loading the cells with therapeutically useful cargo remains technically challenging. We have recently developed PSC-RED, a chemically-defined scalable method to differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into unlimited numbers of enucleated cultured RBCs. This provides an ideal method to produce therapeutic RBCs since iPSCs can be genetically manipulated with powerful CRISPR-based technologies. ADAMTS13, whose deficiency is responsible for congenital and acquire Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) is a good target as a therapeutic that could be delivered through drug-carrying RBCs because large amounts of plasma concentrate, or more recently recombinant proteins, are necessary to treat TTP. We report here we have produced engineered erythroid cells that contains globin-LCR driven ADAMTS13 fusion transgenes inserted at safe harbor AAVS1, and that these cells express a membrane bound version of an inhibitor-resistant version of ADAMTS13. We show using flow cytometry that the fusion protein is express at high levels, and using a FRET assay that detect cleavage of the von Willebrand cognate site, that the membrane bound ADAMTS13 is enzymatically active. Comparison of enzymatic activity with plasma concentrate suggests that about 50 billion engineered ADAMTS13-cRBCs would be sufficient to deliver an amount of ADAMTS13 equivalent to 2 liters of plasma concentrate. This suggests that a transfusion of about 10 mL of ADAMTS13-RBCs could be therapeutic for congenital and acquired TTP. The number of cRBCs necessary to treat even a few patients is very large. This has been considered a major obstacle to the development of treatment based on in vitro produced RBCs because of the volume of culture that is necessary to produce the cells. We also report that we have developed a culture method based on holo-fiber bioreactors that allows the production of cRBCs at a density of 5.108 cell/mL which is sufficient to produce enough cells to performed small clinical trials. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Catecholamine metabolism in affective disorders: I.: Normetanephrine and VMA excretion in depressed patients treated with imipramine

INTRODUCTION DATA deriving both from studies in man and laboratory animals suggest that the antidepressant actions of imipramine may be mediated through its effect on the metabolism of catecholamines. l-14 Such a mechanism of action of imipramine would be compatible with the hypothesis that some depressions may be associated with an absolute or relative functional deficiency of catecholamines, especially norepinephrine, at specific brain receptor sites, whereas elations may be associated with an excess of such amines.1~2J~4J5J6 Clinical studies relevant to the catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorders are limited, however, and it is not possible either to confirm definitively or to reject this hypothesis on the basis of data currently available.l~2~4,16-21 In a previous study of depressed patients, it was found that imipramine (like the monoamine oxidase inhibitors) also decreased the excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (vanillylmandelic acid) (VMA), the major urinary metabolite of norepinephrine.2 Most VMA is believed to derive from norepinephrine which has been synthesized in the nerve cell, and deaminated intracellularly by mitochondrial monoamine oxidase and thereby inactivated without necessarily having exerted a physiological effect.22123 The decrease in VMA excretion during treatment with imipramine, a drug which does not chemically inhibit monoamine oxidase, therefore suggested the possibility that imipramine by a mechanism of action other than chemical inhibition of monoamine oxidase might also decrease the intracellular deamination of norepinephrine and thereby increase the norepinephrine available for use at receptor sites .2 This reasoning led to the prediction that
Rape Myth Acceptance In College Students: A Literature Review

Sexual violence is a common phenomenon in the United States. College women appear to be at an even higher risk than those in the general population. Though there is much we still do not know about the causes of sexual violence, the acceptance of rape myths has been associated with the perpetration of sexual assaults.
Photothermoelastic analysis of transient thermal stresses

Photothermoelasticity by means of heating is used to obtain an experimental solution to the quasi-static problem of transient thermal stresses around elliptical holes. Empirical equations are obtained for the maximum stresses due to step temperature changes at the edges of the plates.