cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural Network Based Inspection of Machined Surfaces Using Multiple Sensors

The dominant idea of this research is that the measure of the topology or the quality of surfaces is best obtained by the utilization of a set of different sensors whose outputs are collectively examined by a neural network. Features are extracted from the output of each of these sensors which are then used as inputs to a hierarchical neural net. The net is “trained” by a selected training set of machined or otherwise prepared surfaces whose quality has already been independently established. These samples are repeatedly presented to the sensors and the network will, each time, make a decision about the surface roughness which is then compared to the correct answer, and the error used to modify the connection weights. Following this training period, the net will be able to identify the quality of new surfaces presented to it. Indeed, it should be able to do so even when some information is suppressed by a faulty sensor, or in the presence of noise which is likely to be caused by poor illumination. Examination of the internal connections of the neural network will then reveal the relative importance of each of the sensors used in the inspection process. Thus, from a generic inspection system it is expected that an optimum one may be obtained for a specific production line. Results, using a laser scattering technique, from a set of prepared surfaces are discussed with regard to fusion of different features in order to obtain an adequate measure of surface roughness using the hierarchical neural network.
Heartbeat: interaction of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone blocking drugs with COVID-19 disease susceptibility and severity.

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the primary receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus raising concern that patients with cardiovascular disease being treated with an ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) drug might have altered ACE2 expression leading to increased risk of COVID-19 infection or a more severe disease course. In this issue of Heart , Hippisley-Cox and colleagues1 addressed this question using routinely collected data in a prospective cohort study in England of 8.28 million participants aged 20–99 years. COVID-19 disease was diagnosed in 19 486 patients and 1286 required treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU). Even after adjustment for confounders, ACE inhibitors were associated with a significantly reduced risk of COVID-19 disease (adjusted HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.74) and no increased risk of ICU care (adjusted HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.06). Similarly, adjusted HRs for ARBs were 0.63 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.67) for COVID-19 disease and 1.02 (95% CI 0.83 to 1.25) for ICU care. However, there were significant interactions with ethnicity for ACE inhibitors and ARB (both p<0.001) for COVID-19 RT-PCR diagnosed disease outcome (table 1). View this table: Table 1 Adjusted HRs (95% CI) for risk of COVID-19 positive test associated with ACE inhibitor and ARB exposure by ethnic group In the accompanying editorial, Straw and Witte2 point out that ‘Observational data are challenging to work with, requiring care to avoid the pitfalls of observed and hidden interactions and biases while balancing …
Factors impacting clinically relevant rna fusion assays using next-generation sequencing

Context.— RNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) assays are being used with increasing frequency for comprehensive molecular profiling of solid tumors. Objective.— To evaluate factors that might impact clinical assay performance. Design.— A 4-month retrospective review of cases analyzed by a targeted RNA-based NGS assay to detect fusions was performed. RNA extraction was performed from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections and/or cytology smears of 767 cases, including 493 in-house and 274 outside referral cases. The types of samples included 422 core needle biopsy specimens (55%), 268 resection specimens (35%), and 77 cytology samples (10%). Results.— Successful NGS fusion testing was achieved in 697 specimens (90.9%) and correlated positively with RNA yield (P Conclusions.— The success of RNA-based NGS testing is multifactorial and is influenced by RNA quality and quantity. Identification of preanalytical factors affecting RNA quality and yield can improve NGS testing success rates.
Science and Art of Finite Element Modeling

A key factor in finite element analysis is often neglected: modeling. As this chapter implies, this is both an art and a science whose exercise can impact results.
Photophysics of nanographenes: from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to graphene nanoribbons

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and nanoribbons (GNRs) are classes of nanographene molecules that exhibit highly tunable photophysical properties. There have been great strides in recent years to advance our understanding of nanographene photophysics and develop their use in light-harvesting systems, such as artificial photosynthesis. Here, we review the latest studies of GQDs and GNRs which have shed new light onto their photophysical underpinnings through computational and advanced spectroscopic techniques. We discuss how the size, symmetry, and shape of nanographenes influence their molecular orbital structures and, consequentially, their spectroscopic signatures. The scope of this review is to comprehensively lay out the general photophysics of nanographenes starting with benzene and building up to larger polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, GQDs, and GNRs. We also explore a collection of publications from recent years that build upon the current understanding of nanographene photophysics and their potential application in light-driven processes from display, lasing, and sensing technology to photocatalytic water splitting.
Cost-efficient, QoS and Security aware Placement of Smart Farming IoT Applications in Cloud-Fog Infrastructure.

Smart farming is a recent innovation in the agriculture sector that can improve the agricultural yield by using smarter, automated, and data driven farm processes that interact with IoT devices deployed on farms. A cloud-fog infrastructure provides an effective platform to execute IoT applications. While fog computing satisfies the real-time processing need of delay-sensitive IoT services by bringing virtualized services closer to the IoT devices, cloud computing allows execution of applications with higher computational requirements. The deployment of IoT applications is a critical challenge as cloud and fog nodes vary in terms of their resource availability and use different cost models. Moreover, diversity in resource, quality of service (QoS) and security requirements of IoT applications make the problem even more complex. In this paper, we model IoT application placement as an optimization problem that aims at minimizing the cost while satisfying the QoS and security constraints. The problem is formulated using Integer Linear Programming (ILP). The ILP model is evaluated for a small-scale scenario. The evaluation shows the impact of QoS and security requirement on the cost. We also study the impact of relaxing security constraint on the placement decision.
Comprehensive Glabellar Anatomy for the Cosmetic Surgeon

Introduction:The purpose of this study was to clarify controversies in motor innervation to the glabellar muscles in order to create a comprehensive guide of anatomic relationships within the glabella for the cosmetic surgeon performing surgery or injections in this aesthetic region.Methods:Microdissection was performed on 28 sides of 14 preserved cadaver heads and 10 sides of 5 fresh-frozen cadaver heads. Dissection proceeded anterograde from the main trunk of the facial nerve to its terminal branches in the glabellar muscles. Measurements were made with calipers to record the locations of the motor nerve entry into the corresponding muscle and the locations of the sensory nerves, vessels, and orbital landmarks.Results:The temporal branch of the facial nerve did not terminate after supplying the posterolateral transverse corrugator muscle but continued medially to innervate the oblique head of the corrugator muscle, entering 4 mm inferior to the superior edge (range 2–6.5 mm). This pattern was identified...
Transient Electrophoretic and Sedimentation Analysis of Cells in Density Gradients

Separation, identification, and characterization of mammalian cells represents one of the great challenges of present-day biological research. The elucidation of some of the most intricate problems in immunology, cell and molecular biology, and cancer research depends on new developments in the cell separations field. However, the diversity of mammalian cell properties can act both as a deterrent and as an enhancer of progress in this area. Therefore the coordinated utilization of physical, morphological, biological, and immunological characteristics of cells and their surfaces is necessary to accomplish the task of separation and analysis.
High-throughput rapid yeast DNA extraction: Application to yeast artificial chromosomes as polymerase chain reaction templates

An automation-assisted method enables DNA extraction of over a thousand yeast colonies in a day by one person. Yeast DNA is extracted essentially quantitatively in three steps: (a) cells are converted into spheroplasts with yeast lytic enzyme, (b) cells are lysed with proteinase K, and (c) DNA is collected by ethanol precipitation. The DNA stored at 4 degrees C is active in polymerase chain reaction experiments for more than a year.
Simulating streamflow on regulated rivers using characteristic reservoir storage patterns derived from synthetic remote sensing data

This study presents a method to estimate streamflow in rivers regulated by lakes or reservoirs using synthetic satellite remote sensing data. To illustrate the approach, the new reservoir routing method is integrated into the Hillslope River Routing model, and a case study is presented for the highly regulated river in the Cumberland River basin (46,400 km2). The study period is April–May 2000, which contains a significant flood event that occurred in 1–2 May 2000. The model is shown to capture storage/release characterises in eight reservoirs with a mean normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 20% for entire simulation period and 27% for the May flood event. These errors are 69 and 75%, respectively, less than the NRMSE if reservoirs are not included in the model. Given the limitations of satellite missions, the impacts of the revisit cycles and operational periods are quantified. We used 26 observation sets of satellite altimetry over Cumberland River basin that are generated by considering both repeat cycles and satellite operation periods. For the revisit cycles, increasing the interval of repeat cycle leads to a corresponding increase of mean NRMSE from 27 to 59% as a result of sampling fewer flood events and smoothing of the change in storage signal as a result of longer intervals between visits. For the operation periods, the impact of data periods is limited because of the strong seasonal pattern of reservoir operations. Overall, the results suggest that the generalized routing model derived from reservoir stage observations can be used to simulate reservoir operating conditions, which can be used in forecasting hydrologic impacts of land cover or climate change. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Church Burning: Using a Contemporary Issue to Teach Community Organization

This article examines the recent epidemic of church burning, the important role of churches in African-American communities, and ways that social work educators can use church burning to teach empowerment-based community organization principles and skills. Two models of community practice described by Weil and Gamble are discussed, as are implications of the topic of church burning for social work education.
Implementing reinforcement learning in the chaotic KIV model using mobile robot AIBO

We use the biologically inspired dynamic neural network architecture KIV to achieve robust goal-oriented navigation in a physical environment with obstacles. KIV operates on the principle of chaotic neurodynamics, in the style of brains. It performs the task of multi-sensory fusion, recognition, and decision-making in real time. We use the Sony AIBO robot to demonstrate the operation of our algorithm. AIBO's video camera and infra sensors have been complemented with an external camera for monitoring of the robot's position. The performance of the autonomous system is evaluated using goal-oriented navigation.
A fully integrated CMOS fluorescence biosensor with on-chip nanophotonic filter

Affinity-based fluorescence sensing has been one of the key enabling technologies in biomolecular sensing, used for detection of proteins, DNAs, toxins, bacteria, etc, and remains one of the most sensitive, specific, robust, and widely used diagnostics methodology [1-4]. In absence of high-performance integrated optical filters, miniaturization of a fluorescence sensing system in CMOS has relied on time-resolved techniques with synchronized sources or externally grown optical filters and/or collimators. This paper presents a nanophotonic-electronic co-design approach towards fully-integrated fluorescence biosensor with on-chip copper-interconnect based nanoplasmonic filters. The filters demonstrate a measured extinction ratio of greater than 51dB in the excitation/emission bands for a class of quantum-dot based fluorescence tags. Integrated with these filters, the sensor platform is a correlated double sampling architecture which achieves femtowatt photon sensitivity. Detection sensitivity of 47 zeptomoles of quantum-dots was experimentally demonstrated, making the chip a low-cost, fully integrated, high-performance, and fully scalable biosensor for point-of-care applications.
Microsensors and Nanosensors

Sensors are systems or devices that provide signals, which are correlated to some physical, chemical, or biological condition in their neighborhood. The signals can be transformed, by use of a calibration curve, into information about the environment of a sensor. There are two classes of sensors, point sensors that provide information only from their immediate surroundings and volume sensors (imagers or cameras) that can give information on conditions in an extended region. Sensors are old, but recent advances in miniaturization technologies have been leading to very small and capable sensors. Micromachining processes, which grew out of the microelectronics industry, have been used for about two decades to make microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that are relative cheap and extraordinarily reliable. Microsensors for pressure and acceleration are now sold by the tens of millions annually. In the past decade, processes have been developed to grow nano-materials, which have structures on the scale of molecules. They are proving to be very useful for small sensors, especially for chemical and biological applications. Two-dimensional arrays of bio-sensors, based on DNA or antibodies to recognize the target molecules in a sample, are especially important. They, and other small sensors, enable almost immediate diagnostics at the point of care, rather than sending samples to a central laboratory. Small sensors make it possible to put diagnostic equipment inside the body. They are expected to have an increasing impact on biomedical engineering and clinical medicine. Keywords: sensors; microsensors; nano-sensors; microtechnology; nano-technology; chemical sensors; bio-sensors; clinical medicine
Xilitol na prevenção da Otite Média Aguda em crianças

Aim: Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common illness in children and accounts for a significant proportion of antibiotic prescriptions. However antibiotic use is controversial since the disease may be self-limiting and recurrent in childhood and excessive antibiotic use may lead to increased bacterial resistance. Xylitol has potential in preventing AOM. This review examines the evidence for the effectiveness of xylitol in preventing AOM in children. Data sources: National Guideline Clearinghouse, NHS Evidence, Canadian Medical Association, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines, Evidence Based Medicine, InfoPOEMs, TRIP, The Cochrane Library, DARE, Bandolier and Medline. Review methods: A search was performed between January 2000 and May 2012, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, using otitis media and xylitol as MeSH terms. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) scale was used to assess level of evidence and strength of recommendations. Results: Of the 106 articles found, 3 met the inclusion criteria. Two meta-analyses found evidence for the efficacy of xylitol in reducing the occurrence of AOM in children (Level of Evidence 2). A systematic review concluded that there was poor quality evidence for the use of xylitol in preventing AOM (Level of Evidence 2). Conclusions: Current evidence shows the efficacy of xylitol in preventing AOM in children (SORT B). Questions remain regarding the dose of xylitol, its long-term benefits, the duration of treatment, and the target population. Research on routes of administration providing better adherence to treatment in all age groups is needed.
Lessons Learned From Hundreds of Thorough QT Studies.

Background:The coherence between the relationship of QTc and drug plasma concentration (this relationship is measured through the slope) and ICH E14 findings based on hundreds of QT study reports was studied.Results:Based on ICH E14 analysis, our findings indicate that if the slope was not positive, in most cases (86%) the corresponding QT studies were also negative. If the slope was positive, 92% of the corresponding QT studies were also positive.Conclusions:In exploring whether a thorough QT (TQT) study may be needed, we recommend that the relationship analysis between QTc and drug plasma concentration be performed when proper single ascending dose (SAD) and multiple ascending dose (MAD) studies are available. If the relationship cannot be detected and the 90% upper confidence interval at a fixed concentration level (50th or 75th percentile, or mean peak plasma concentration [Cmax]) is below a certain threshold level (eg, 10 milliseconds), then a TQT study might be unnecessary. If the relationship can b...
THE REDUCTION OF TRUNCATION ERROR BY EXTRAPOLATION TECHNIQUES1

Abstract By the use of two separate mesh sizes instead of one in computing finite differences, an extrapolation to effective “zero” mesh size may be made in order to reduce the truncation error, as originally suggested by Richardson. This technique of “difference extrapolation” is applied to the estimation of individual differentials in the barotropic vorticity equation, and here corresponds to the use of “second-order” finite differences. The truncation-induced phase speed lag of the difference solution relative to the true solution is shown to be systematically reduced, especially for the shorter waves. Next, the extrapolation is applied with two separate solutions of the barotropic difference equation, with the result that the phase speeds are further improved, but at the expense of an amplitude distortion of about 10 percent. This amplitude distortion may be removed for a particular wavelength, and a small further phase speed improvement obtained, but the amplitude distortion remains for other wavelen...
Iron influx across the brush border of rabbit duodenum: effects of anemia and iron loading.

Abstract 1. 1. Unidirectional influx of iron across the mucosal border of duodenum was determined in normal, anemic, and iron-loaded anemic rabbits. 2. 2. Unidirectional influx of iron is significantly greater in anemic rabbits than in controls. 3. 3. Unidirectional influx of iron in anemic rabbits treated with intramuscular iron does not differ significantly from control. 4. 4. These results strongly suggest that the stimulation of intestinal iron absorption by iron deficiency involves the mechanism(s) responsible for entry across the mucosal border and cannot be attributed to an effect on the serosal transfer mechanism alone.
Mice with an acquired immunodeficiency (MAIDS) develop a persistent infection after injection with Listeria monocytogenes

Mice with a retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency were challenged with Listeria monocytogenes and resistance to this facultative intracellular bacterium was analyzed. Early innate immunity was unaltered or enhanced. Although immunodeficient mice had reduced bacterial titers after these reached their peak on Day 3, infection with L. monocytogenes generally resulted in a low-grade persistent infection and occasionally there was a delayed resolution of bacterial infection. Endogenous cytokines are important in the containment of bacteria as mice often developed a high load of bacteria or succumbed to infection in the absence of cytokine action. There was a substantial heterogeneity in disease after bacterial challenge which probably reflects the variability found in retrovirus-infected mice during the later stages of this immunodeficiency syndrome.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Getting and Keeping a Job at a Private Liberal Arts College, but Your Graduate Advisor Didn't Tell You

The irony was so striking that it could not be lost on anyone. Sitting before us was a soon-to-be-minted Ph.D. candidate whom we all liked tremendously, and who had an incredibly strong academic record, both in research and teaching. Yet, as our panel read his letter of application and CV, which were displayed on an overhead projector, and as we discussed them in progressively greater detail and honesty, we found several aspects of his materials off-putting. Why did he phrase something THIS way, another THAT way, we asked him? Sometimes his decisions were driven by a concern he need not have had; other times he was being advised by his graduate department. We ended by agreeing tat although he SHOULD have been given a job interview, our hypothetical search process might have passed him over for inclusion on our short list.
Transmural impedance measurements in an insect myocardium

Abstract 1. 1. The passive electrical properties of the wall of an insect myocardium have been measured with an active impedance bridge in conjunction with a “lumen” electrode. 2. 2. An equivalent circuit comprising a leaky capacitor was matched to the impedances measured over a range of 0.2 Hz to 15 kHz. 3. 3. An unexpectedly high capacitance (280 μF/cm 2 ) was measured and questions regarding the structure of the heart wall are considered.
Interplanetary observations of solar g‐mode oscillations?

By applying spectral techniques to magnetic field and plasma data from Helios 1 and 2, Pioneer 1 and 2, and Voyager 1 and 2 missions, an attempt has been made to find evidence for solar g-mode oscillations in the solar wind. It is demonstrated that analysis employing simple spectral techniques is unlikely to detect such oscillations. Using the multi-taper method, however, many ‘significant’ lines are identified. Unfortunately, we cannot conclude that such lines are necessarily the signature of solar g-mode oscillations because (i) these lines do not appear to be stationary; (ii) there is no evidence for the predicted signatures of asymptotic g-modes; and (iii) the statistics of these lines do not deviate significantly from pseudo-randomly generated data. We suggest that the difference between our conclusions and previous studies lies in the criteria used to identify these lines.
Constrained coding and detection for TDMR using generalized belief propagation

In this paper, we propose two-dimensional (2D) constraints for mitigating media noise in two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) systems with generalized belief propagation (GBP) detectors. By imposing restrictions on 2D input patterns, we forbid patterns harmful to the GBP detector. Such 2D constraints result in an order of magnitude improvement in the bit error rate. This improvement is demonstrated on TDMR systems with realistic grain, bit, track and head dimensions. We also estimate the capacities of locally defined 1D and 2D low-pass constraints using the GBP-based method.
A Significant Factor in Autism: Methyl Mercury Induced Oxidative Stress in Genetically Susceptible Individuals

The dramatic increase in prevalence rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) over recent decades likely reflects the influence of multiple factors. In the current paper, it is argued ASDs can result from an interaction between genetic susceptibilities and environmental exposures. Specifically, we hypothesize that fetal or infantile exposure to methyl mercury containing pollution by individuals with biologically inhibited antioxidant functions contributes to development of autism. Correlational data reveal that ASD rates are higher in areas of greater pollution levels, and autistic individuals exhibit biological evidence of mercury toxicity. Further, oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant activities are manifested in individuals with ASDs, specifically autism. Taken together, available evidence supports a methyl mercury-induced oxidative stress model of the disorders for at least some sufferers. Consequently, legislative efforts should focus on preventing exposures to methyl mercury and other toxicants that can adversely impact neurodevelopment.
Caffeine cross-tolerance to selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists but not to their synergistic interaction

This study examined the role of dopamine systems in tolerance to caffeine-induced stimulation of motor activity in the rat. Selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists were tested alone and combined in rats receiving caffeine chronically by a method of scheduled access to a caffeine solution or in control rats receiving no caffeine. Rats treated chronically with oral caffeine were tolerant to the motor stimulant effects of caffeine (3.0–100 mg/kg, i.p.). The partial dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF-77434 (1.0–30 mg/kg, s.c.) and the dopamine D2 receptor agonists quinpirole (0.03–10 mg/kg, s.c.) and R(−)-propylnorapomorphine (NPA, 0.03–1.0 mg/kg, s.c.) dose-dependently increased activity in control rats. Caffeine-treated rats were cross-tolerant to the locomotor stimulant effect of these selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists. The concurrent administration of the partial dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF-38393 (10 mg/kg, s.c.) with the dopamine D2 receptor agonists quinpirole and R(−)-propylnorapomorphine had a synergistic effect on locomotor activity in both control and caffeine-treated rats. This synergistic effect was also seen when the partial dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF-77434 (1.0 and 10 mg/kg, s.c.) was given in combination with quinpirole. There was little or no cross-tolerance to the concurrent administration of selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists. It appears that tolerance to the locomotor stimulant effect of caffeine is imediated by both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor sub-types. Cross-tolerance occurs to drugs that activate a single type of domapine receptor but not to drug combinations that concurrently activate more than one type of receptor.
Site-specific Expression of IQGAP1, a Key Mediator of Cytoskeleton, in Mouse Renal Tubules

SUMMARY IQGAP1 is a multifunctional junction molecule that is involved in cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, cell polarity, and cell–cell adhesion. It is highly expressed in the kidney and has recently been identified in the glomerular basement membrane as a nephrinassociated protein. However, the distribution of IQGAP1 in renal tubular epithelial cells is unknown. We performed confocal microscopic studies to localize IQGAP1 in each nephron segment using dual immunofluorescence staining with various antibodies against segmentspecific markers. We found that IQGAP1 was strongly expressed in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT), collecting duct, and macula densa and moderately in the thick ascending limb andproximaltubule.IntheDCT,theIQGAP1–F-actincomplexformsacomb-likestructurewith multiple parallel spikes sitting on the basal membrane. In the macula densa cells, IQGAP1 is strongly expressed in the apical membrane, whereas in type A intercalated cells, IQGAP1 is expressed in the basolateral membrane, where it colocalizes with anion exchanger 1, and in principal cells, it is diffusely expressed. In conclusion, we showed the expression and subcellular localization of IQGAP1 in various nephron segments. The site-specific expression pattern of this potent modulator of multiple biological pathways in the renal tubules suggests that IQGAP1 may have multiple important roles in various renal functions. (J Histochem Cytochem 56:659–666, 2008)
Metropolitan local crime clusters: Structural concentration effects and the systemic model

Abstract Purpose Using community structure and the racial-spatial divide as a framework, this study examines whether geographic sub-regions of violent crime exist in a large metropolitan area, and if the systemic model of crime can predict them. In addition, surrounding social structure measures are included to determine whether they demonstrate the same violent crime links seen in recent work on concentration impacts. Methods A LISA analysis is used to identify violent crime clusters for 355 jurisdictions in the Philadelphia (PA)-Camden (NJ) primary metropolitan area over a 9-year period. Multinomial logit hierarchical/mixed effects models are used to predict cluster classification using focal and lagged structural covariates. Results Models confirmed links of focal jurisdiction socioeconomic status and residential stability with sub-region classification. Models with spatially lagged predictors show powerful impacts of spatially lagged racial composition. Conclusions Findings extend work on racial concentration effects and the basic systemic model to metropolitan sub-regions. Implications for shifting spatial inequalities in metropolitan structure and questions about responsible dynamics merit attention.
M&A failures: Receivables and inventory may be key

Researchers estimate that at least 75 percent of all merger-and-acquisition (M&A) deals fail to meet the expectations of the acquirer, of the acquiree, or of investment bankers. The reasons cited include incompatible management cultures, marketing strategies that do not mesh, overly optimistic financial projections, and more. But one critical factor in M&A—too often overlooked—is the accuracy of important current asset accounts, particularly accounts receivable and inventory. These concerns are often forgotten as investment bankers, accountants, and attorneys focus their attention on the “big picture” of the deal. This article examines these two current asset accounts, provides examples of problems that occurred in publicly held and private companies, and suggests specific metrics you can use to monitor receivables and inventory in takeover candidates. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pore size distributions in porous glasses : A computer simulation study

We have prepared a series of molecular models of porous glass using a recently developed procedure (Gelb, L. D.; Gubbins, K. E. Langmuir 1998, 14, 2097) that mimics the experimental processes that produce Vycor and controlled-pore glasses. We calculate nitrogen adsorption isotherms in these precisely characterized model glasses using Monte Carlo simulations. These isotherms are analyzed using the Barrett−Joyner−Halenda (BJH) method to yield pore size distributions, which are tested against exact pore size distributions directly measured from the pore structures. The BJH method yields overly sharp distributions that are systematically shifted (by about 1 nm) to lower pore sizes than those from our geometric method.
Revisiting the Value of Somatic Education in Dance Training through an Inquiry into Practice Schedules.

Abstract The practice conditions within dance training have remained essentially unchanged for decades. Those conditions appear to be based largely on a “culture of rigor,” a philosophy of which implies that continuous practice is the most beneficial way to improve (motor) skills. Current evidence in motor learning supports the concept of “distributed practice,” in which the resting phase within a practice session is comparable to, or longer than, the activity phase. Researchers in motor learning have shown distributed practice to be more beneficial to acquisition and retention of motor skills, and to decreased rates of injury, than continuous (“massed”) practice. At the center of somatic education is a pedagogical emphasis on balancing rest with activity. The authors reopen the question of the value of somatic education within dance training, drawing upon experiential evidence from their qualitative research and other recent research in neuroscience and motor learning.
Retrotendinous calcification of the infrapatellar tendon: Unusual cause of anterior knee pain syndrome

Summary Bilateral anterior knee pain is a common presentation to the orthopaedist. Correct diagnosis is based on careful history and physical examination aided by proper radiographs. Erroneous diagnosis may lead to improper treatment. This report describes a case of bilateral anterior knee pain syndrome of 3 years' duration. The teenaged patient was believed to be suffering from seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. Her pain persisted despite numerous antirheumatoid medications as well as a single injection of steroids into each infrapatellar tendon. The management of her case by means of arthroscopic surgical intervention is described.
LiI elastic constants and temperature derivatives at 295 K

Abstract LiI elastic constants (adiabatic) and their temperature derivatives were measured using the ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. The results, at 295 K, expressed in terms of the three independent [110] modes are: C n C′ C 44 C( kbar ) 357·1 74·3 140·7 d C d T ( kbar deg − ) −0·270 −0·155 −0·078 where C n = (C 11 + C 12 + 2C 44 ) 2 , C′ = (C 11 − C 12 ) 2 . These results were derived from acoustic waves propagating in a direction approximately midway between [100] and [110] in the only suitable crystal that could be obtained. The data reduction process is described.
Novel approach to fabricate porous sponges of poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) without the use of organic solvents

A novel method was developed to produce highly porous sponges for potential use in tissue engineering, without the use of organic solvents. Highly porous sponges of biodegradable polymers are frequently utilized in tissue engineering both to transplant cells or growth factors, and to serve as a template for tissue regeneration. The processes utilized to fabricate sponges typically use organic solvents, but organic residues remaining in the sponges may be harmful to adherent cells, protein growth factors or nearby tissues. This report describes a technique to fabricate macroporous sponges from synthetic biodegradable polymers using high pressure carbon dioxide processing at room temperature. Solid discs of poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) were saturated with CO2 by exposure to high pressure CO2 gas (5.5 MPa) for 72 h at room temperature. The solubility of the gas in the polymer was then rapidly decreased by reducing the CO2 gas pressure to atmospheric levels. This created a thermodynamic instability for the CO2 dissolved in the polymer discs, and resulted in the nucleation and growth of gas cells within the polymer matrix. Polymer sponges with large pores (approximately 100 microns) and porosities of up to 93% could be fabricated with this technique. The porosity of the sponges could be controlled by the perform production technique, and mixing crystalline and amorphous polymers. Fibre-reinforced foams could also be produced by placing polymer fibres within the polymer matrix before CO2 gas processing.
Genetic polymorphisms in alcoholic pancreatitis.

Background: Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption is clearly associated with acute and chronic pancreatitis. However, both clinical and laboratory studies demonstrate that alcohol consumption alone does not directly cause alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Growing evidence suggests that environmental and possibly genetic cofactors must also be present to overcome the redundant mechanisms protecting the pancreas from pancreatitis and facilitating complete recovery. Methods: The SAPE hypothesis model was used to organize potential triggering factors, susceptibility factors and disease-modifying factors based on insights from animal studies. A systematic review of genetic studies on alcoholic pancreatitis was conducted and the results were analyzed in the context of animal studies. Results: To date, no major genetic cofactors for susceptibility or progression have been identified in ∼90% of cases of human alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Mutations have been identified in the pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor gene (SPINK1) in about 8% of cases, and an excess in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance inhibitor (CFTR) gene variants have been reported, but the details of the complex genetics with CFTR have not been clarified. None of the polymorphisms in alcohol-metabolizing genes or detoxifying genes appear to explain pancreatic susceptibility. Conclusions: New, adequately powered genetic studies are needed. Several major genetic epidemiology studies are underway in both Europe and the United States to help determine why only a subset of alcoholics develop alcoholic chronic pancreatitis.
Generalization of API RP 14E for Erosive Service in Multiphase Production

Solid particles such as sand in produced oil and gas can cause severe erosion damage even resulting in failure. Often production rates are limited or sand screens are used to limit the severity of erosion damage caused by the sand. However, even when applying these methods decisions such as determining the allowable (threshold) production rate or sand screen size must be made. The American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 14E (API RP 14E) is often used by oil and gas producers to calculate an erosional flowstream velocity. However, this guideline does not consider sand nor does it account for many of the factors that affect erosion. A model has been developed that account for factors such as geometry type, size, and material; fluid properties and rate; and sand size, shape, and density. Additionally, this method accounts for multiphase flow conditions. Comparison of the model with API RP 14E shows that API RP 14E is too conservative for high superficial liquid velocities but is not conservative enough for low superficial liquid velocities.
Authors: A disconnected profession

H ow often do authors meet with each other and under what circumstances? How extensive are their contacts with their professional counterparts? And does the extent of "professional connection" systematically differ among various types of authors? These are the questions that we will address here in seeking to describe the social organization among contemporary authors. The task of freelance writing is almost inevitably a solitary pursuit, perhaps prompting Ernest Hemingway to remark, "Writing is the loneliest trade "1 While the practice of the trade may be carried out in relative social isolation, writers are not necessarily social isolates. Many stories, some undoubtedly apocryphal, celebrate the comings and goings of certain prominent writers--drinking together at favorite hangouts, summering at particular resorts, meeting at promotional bashes or award ceremonies, coming together in workshops. These accounts anecdotally suggest that not only are authors sociable, but they are sociable with others within the writers' ranks--or at least that s o m e authors are. However, such astute observers of the writing scene as Bellow (1977), Cowley (1954), and Coser et al. (1982) tell us, almost as "common wisdom," that American authors are a highly disconnected lot with little contact with each other. These commentators necessarily rely on their impressionistic sense of matters, not systematic evidence; but typically the point of comparison is some intense "literary society'--exemplified by the coffee houses and salons of London or Paris in past eras--presumed to characterize cultural life in certain European societies. Commenting on the American "literary world" and his own experience, Bellow (1977, p. 182) writes, "no tea at Gertrude Stein's, no Closerie de Lilas, no Bloomsbury evenings, no charming and wicked encounters between George Moore and W. B. Yea ts . . . I can't say I miss them, because I never knew anything like them" Quite clearly, such prominent and densely linked networks of authors have existed in England and on the Continent among a literary el i te--and perhaps did so in early twentieth-century America. These circles seem to have been conduits for the diffusion of ideas; they also provided social support for the innovative endeavor while creating and defining broad patterns of cultural "taste" Yet we really do not know how extensive literary circles were or are now, nor to what extent nonelite authors were or are involved in them or tied to each other. The social organization of authors as a whole may have been and still be quite different from that of the elite. Indeed, it would be surprising if this were not so,
The experimental determination of on-off keying laser communications probability models and a comparison with theory

It is well known that atmospheric turbulence diminishes the performance of laser communications systems. Among the multiple degradations caused by turbulence is fading and surging of the received signal, usually referred to as scintillation. If a minimum probability of error receiver is employed for on-off keying (OOK), it is necessary to understand the two conditional probability densities (pdfs) corresponding to the transmission of ones and zeros. These probability densities are the distributions of signals received when the laser is on when sending binary ones and when the laser is off sending binary zeros. Many theoretical studies have determined the expected forms of the pdfs. An ongoing experimental study operating a low-power, low data rate link over a range of 9.3 Km has been started at Colorado State University-Pueblo to carefully examine the effects of atmospheric turbulence on laser communications. Experimental models of actual, true and typical pdfs have been obtained. The results do not always match theoretical predictions. The non-stationary nature of these pdfs is also a problem that must be addressed. This paper summarizes the experimental testing and shares a number of its conclusions.
Pharmacy considerations in tobacco cessation for patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder

Multiple studies have associated post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with variable and high rates of smoking documented in different populations. This article will cover the neurobiology behind tobacco use, and its implications in those with PTSD. Discussion on cessation programs (e.g., effectiveness, drug interactions), and controversy over the use of varenicline will also be discussed.
Entanglement of Formation of an Arbitrary State of Two Qubits

The entanglement of a pure state of a pair of quantum systems is defined as the entropy of either member of the pair. The entanglement of formation of a mixed state $\ensuremath{\rho}$ is the minimum average entanglement of an ensemble of pure states that represents \ensuremath{\rho}. An earlier paper conjectured an explicit formula for the entanglement of formation of a pair of binary quantum objects (qubits) as a function of their density matrix, and proved the formula for special states. The present paper extends the proof to arbitrary states of this system and shows how to construct entanglement-minimizing decompositions.
Secret Key Steganography with Message Obfuscation by Pseudo-random Number Generators

Steganography is the art of concealing information within different types of media objects such as images or audio files. Its counterpart, Steganalysis, is the study of methods that uncover information in a suspicious file, which has being altered for stego purposes. Its techniques rely on the inspection of changes at the pixel information level. In this paper, we propose a method for Secret-key Steganography that uses a picture to conceal a message with unaltered pixel information, so it would be secure against Steganalysis inspection techniques. This is possible using a technique derived from code obfuscation using random numbers. In summary, we will modify the stego-key transmitted during the communication process, which maps the information in the unaltered cover image. So the original message will be reconstructed by the receiver using the seeds of Pseudo-Random Number Generators, included in the stego-key. The proposed technique is secure against classical steganalysis attacks because it leaves the original and generated stego images unchanged.
A structural analysis of the vitreous silica surface via a molecular dynamics computer simulation

Molecular dynamics computer simulations were used to study surfaces of pure silica glass. The potentials used here were those previously established to model bulk silica and have been extended to study surface relaxation in a perfect vacuum. A large number of surfaces were made using different starting configurations; system sizes, and cooling procedures. Following ‘‘fracture,’’ many broken bonds rearranged in response to the changes in the net forces in the surface region. After this reconstruction, the simulations showed the expected general features observed experimentally, such as a prevalence of oxygen atoms at the outermost surface, nonbridging oxygens, and strained siloxane bonds. Threefold silicons (similar to e’ centers) were initially present in the ‘‘fractured’’ surfaces but most often were incorporated into the network tetrahedrally after reconstruction. Other defects produced during the reconstruction were five coordinated silicons and more importantly, edge sharing tetrahedra, forming the st...
Role strain and ease in decision-making to withdraw or withhold life support for elderly relatives.

Purpose: To describe the concepts of role strain and role satisfaction (renamed ease in decision-making following analysis) experienced by family caregivers when making decisions to withdraw or withhold life support for elderly relatives in a variety of settings. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 family caregivers to obtain descriptions of their experiences when making decisions about life support for elderly relatives. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings: Role strain was complex, dynamic, and multidimensional, and it evolved over time before, during, and after decision making about life support. Role satisfaction, the concept name used at the beginning of the study, did not match descriptions or the experience of family caregivers, and a revised name, ease in decision-making, was selected. Conclusions: The concepts of role strain and ease in decision-making have not previously been used in studies of decisions about life support. Both role strain and ease in decision-making augment the existing literature on role strain in family care by providing a more complete picture of caregivers' responses during their experience of making life-support decisions. Research focused on the measurement of strain and ease in decision-making is needed to understand their interrelationship as well as their association with such variables as caregiver grief and health.