cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Near-Zero Run-Time Energy Overhead within a Computation Outsourcing Framework for Energy Management in Mobile Devices

In order to support run-time computation outsourcing to save energy, a certain amount of overhead has to be incurred to facilitate appropriate communication. As computation outsourcing is a methodology for saving energy on mobile devices, the amount of overhead incurred must be kept to a minimum. In this work, we support our compile-time methodology to facilitate the outsourcing of intensive computation with a run-time monitoring system that consumes an extremely low amount of energy (near-zero). This near-zero overhead resulted from analyzing the code at compile- time rather than run-time execution and profiling. The compile-time strategy utilized in our work analyzes the code at multiple levels of abstraction (high, medium, and low). The result of the analysis, which takes advantage of a real-time systems technique that calculates the maximum number of loop iterations, hence giving us a worst-case execution time for each loop within the benchmark application, allows for a fine-grain analysis of our benchmark. Resulting from analyzing the code, a client/server version of the applications is produced. As a result of producing this client/server version, certain runtime support has to take place on both the machine executing the client (the mobile device) as the machine executing the server. Our experimental results as performed on a Sharp Zaurus, utilizing Wi-Fi as a means of communication, showed tremendous energy saving while incurring a near-zero run-time overhead.
Development of a miRNA-based diagnostic assay for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer remains a clinical challenge. Both chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer may present with similar symptoms and similar imaging features, often leading to incorrect interpretation. Thus, the use of an objective molecular test that can discriminate between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer will be a valuable asset in obtaining a definitive diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Following Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments and College of American Pathologists guidelines, Asuragen Clinical Services Laboratory has developed and validated a laboratory-developed test, miRInform(®) Pancreas, to aid in the identification of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This molecular diagnostic tool uses reverse-transcription quantitative PCR to measure the expression difference between two miRNAs, miR-196a and miR-217, in fixed tissue specimens. This article describes the test validation process as well as determination of performance parameters of miRInform Pancreas.
Sense of belonging as a buffer against depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND: Lack of a sense of belonging has been shown to be associated with loneliness, emotional distress, psychosocial disturbance, and mental illness. Conversely, sense of belonging was found to correspond with psychosocial health.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the buffering effect of sense of belonging against the development of depression.STUDY DESIGN: This study used a comparative design. The sample consisted of 443 Navy recruits in basic training who were divided into depressed and control groups based on depressive symptoms. The groups were then further stratified based on risk factors: a personal history of abuse and family histories of mental illness, alcohol, and drug abuse.RESULTS: The results refuted a significant buffering effect of sense of belonging against the development of depressive symptoms in several of the subgroups. However, sense of belonging significantly buffered those with a family history of alcohol abuse against developing depressive symptoms.CONCLUSI...
Meaningful Use: Participating in the Federal Incentive Program

Meaningful use legislation was first introduced in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 as a multistaged program to incentivize adoption of electronic health record technology. Since that time, numerous eligible providers and eligible hospitals have captured incentive payments by installing certified electronic health record technology and capturing and reporting on key elements for patients whose health records are stored in an electronic format. Although the question of whether radiologists should participate in the program was initially debated, the evidence is now clear that lack of participation leaves a significant amount of money at risk. This article provides an overview of how the program is structured, what technology needs to be installed, the necessary data elements to capture in an electronic format, and how radiologists can effectively participate in the program to capture their maximum incentive payment.
Opposing effects of age and reading ability on pseudoword priming

Repetition priming refers to the facilitation of stimulus processing due to prior processing of the same or similar stimulus, and is one of the most primitive ways in which experience and practice can affect performance. Previous studies have produced contradictory results regarding the stability of repetition priming across development. Drawing on models of word priming that suggest decreased priming with increased reading ability, the present experiment investigated the possibility that null effects of age in priming are due to opposing effects of age and reading ability on priming magnitude. Forty-eight participants between 7 and 22 years old read aloud primed and unprimed pseudowords, after completing a reading ability assessment. In line with predictions, the magnitude of priming for pseudowords increased with increased age when reading ability was controlled, and decreased with increased reading ability when age was controlled. Moreover, neither the age nor ability effect was significant when tested without the other. Results were not influenced by explicit memory for primed pseudowords. Thus, the present experiment provides evidence for developmental increases in word priming, as well as a potential explanation for the lack of developmental effects in previous studies.
Thick explanation in the ethnographic study of child socialization: A longitudinal study of the problem of schooling for Kwara'ae (Solomon Islands) Children

A framework for thick explanation in child socialization, involving integration of micko- and macrolevels in analysis, is illustrated in the case of Kwara'ae children's failure in school.
A high-efficiency carrier estimator for OFDM communications

While multipath induced phase rotations can be dealt with by differential encoding in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications, the loss of orthogonality due to the carrier offset must be compensated before discrete Fourier transform (DFT)-based demodulation can be performed. In this letter, we present a high-performance/low-complexity blind carrier offset estimation algorithm by exploiting intrinsic structure information of OFDM signals. The algorithm offers the accuracy of a super resolution subspace method, viz. MUSIC, without involving computationally intensive subspace decompositions.
Phase behavior of polyhedral nanoparticles in parallel plate confinement

Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the phase behavior of hard cubes, truncated cubes, cuboctahedra and truncated octahedra when confined between two parallel hard walls. The walls are separated by a distance H* which is varied to accommodate a different number of layers, from a monolayer up to approximately 5 layers, hence allowing us to probe the transitional phase behavior as the system goes from a quasi-2D geometry to a quasi-3D bulk behavior. While our results do reveal some phases whose structures resemble those that have been observed before for such systems in 2D and 3D spaces, other phases are also detected, including buckled phases, rotator plastic phases, and solids with significant translational disorder. Ordered phases formed for H* values that are a little too narrow to accommodate an additional particle layer are particularly interesting as they tend to have complex structures. The maximum density for such frustrated phases is low compared to that of non-frustrated ones for the same system at different H*. As the asphericity in the shapes is reduced, the simulated phases show structural features that approach those of the phases that have been reported for hard spheres under similar confinement.
Optimal selling strategies when buyers name their own prices

This paper models a name-your-own-price (NYOP) retailer who allows buyers to initiate their retail interactions by describing a product and submitting a binding bid for it. The buyers have an outside option to buy the same good for a commonly known posted price that also acts as an informative upper bound on the cost the NYOP retailer faces. We conceptualize a selling strategy of such an NYOP retailer to be the probability that a buyer’s bid gets accepted. The selling strategy is a function of only the bid level; it does not depend on the particular realization of the retailer’s procurement cost. Using mechanism-design techniques, we characterize the optimal selling strategy and the equilibrium bidding function that best responds to it. We show that the optimal strategy implements the first-best ex-post optimal mechanism: for every cost realization, the retailer can make as much profit as he would if he could learn his cost first and use the optimal mechanism contingent on it. The complexity involved in credibly communicating an entire bid-acceptance function to buyers can make the first-best strategy impractical in some real-world markets, so we also analyze several simpler NYOP strategies: setting a minimum bid, charging a participation fee, and accepting all bids above cost. We find that under many scenarios, the minimum-bid strategy dominates the other simpler strategies and achieves a majority of the maximal profit improvement available from the first best strategy. However, NYOP retailers in thin markets can do better by charging participation fees than by setting minimum bids.
Community and Violence in South Texas: 1930-1975

ABSTRACT “A Portrait of Community and Violence in South Texas, 1930-1975” addresses the question: How did LULAC help South Texas Mexican American communities bring about positive social, economic, and political change after decades of segregation, discrimination and marginalization? The Portraiture Methodology of social science research used in this qualitative research project seeks to bridge art and science. Portraiture combines quantitative and qualitative research methods by weaving interviews, observational site visits, library data, and personal narrative. I interviewed a historian and a LULAC ex-officer, recorded two observational site visits, researched library and web research materials and included my personal narrative. Through personal history and subject interviews, this research project exposes primary information not found in the historical record. “New Horizons in Early Texas” explains the economic, social and political climate in South Texas. “The Mexican American Struggle” addresses discrimination and segregation against Mexican Americans. “Forging the Way” highlights Mexican American civil rights groups. “All For One and One For All” gives a detailed historical account of LULACS birth and contributions. LULAC and other civil rights organizations primarily combated persecution and oppression. By utilizing the tools of education and the court system, LULAC and other civil rights organizations created positive change for Latinos
Rate Accelerations of Bromination Reactions with NaBr and H2O2 via the Addition of Catalytic Quantities of Diaryl Ditellurides

Diaryl ditellurides were oxidized in situ to give aryltellurinic acids, which catalyzed the oxidation of NaBr with H2O2 in buffered aqueous solutions. The aryltellurinic acids were slowly oxidized under the reaction conditions to the corresponding telluronic acids, which did not catalyze oxidation of NaBr with H2O2. Both 4-(methoxyphenyl)tellurinic acid and 4-(methoxyphenyl)telluronic acid were characterized in solution by 125Te NMR and for their effectiveness as catalysts in kinetics studies. The effectiveness of the tellurinic acids as catalysts was very sensitive to electron demand in the intermediates present during the course of the reaction. Electron-withdrawing substituents favor the deprotonated tellurinic acid (tellurinate) in solution, while electron-donating substituents favor the protonated tellurinic acid. Of the nine ditellurides screened for their ability to accelerate the oxidation of NaBr with H2O2, diphenyl ditelluride emerged as the most active. The addition of only 0.20 mol % of this d...
Free choice feeding of ronnel mineral block and granules for face fly, horn fly, and cattle grub control.

Two formulations of ronnel, 5.5% ronnel mineral granules and 5.5% ronnel mineral block, were given free choice to Charolais cows, calves, and heifers for control of face fly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer; horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.); and cattle grub, Hypoderma (spp.). The 5.5% ronnel mineral block was also tested in conjunction with a combination face rubber and mineral feeder. The face rubber was treated with 1% ronnel in no. 2 fuel oil. Good horn fly reduction occurred in all tests, whereas face fly reduction was negligible in 2 of 3 tests. Face fly reduction was greatest on the cattle having access to the face rubber. Bioassay of composite fecal sample with face fly larvae indicated that the manure was completely unsuitable for larval development. However, inspection of individual dung piles in the field showed relatively poor control of face fly larvae. Cattle grub control was essentially 100%. The cows and calves having access to the blocks consumed more ronnel mineral than cows and calves having access to the granular form. Open heifers consumed more ronnel mineral block than the cows and calves on either formulation.
Small bright charged colloidal quantum dots.

Using electrochemical charge injection, the fluorescence lifetimes of negatively charged core/shell CdTe/CdSe QDs are measured as a function of core size and shell thickness. It is found that the ensemble negative trion lifetimes reach a maximum (∼4.5 ns) for an intermediate shell thickness. This leads to the smallest particles (∼4.5 nm) with the brightest trion to date. Single dot measurements show that the negative charge suppresses blinking and that the trion can be as bright as the exciton at room temperature. In contrast, the biexciton lifetimes remain short and exhibit only a monotonous increase with shell thickness, showing no correlation with the negative trion decays. The suppression of the Auger process in small negatively charged CdTe/CdSe quantum dots is unprecedented and a significant departure from prior results with ultrathick CdSe/CdS core/shell or dot-in-rod structures. The proposed reason for the optimum shell thickness is that the electron–hole overlap is restricted to the CdTe core whi...
Learning to Circumvent the Limitations of the Written-Self: The Rhetorical Benefits of Poetic Fragmentation and Internet ‘Catfishing’

One of the most complex relationships we have to convey as humans is the written identification of that which we call the self. Despite the fact that we are multifaceted beings, contemporary lingual limitations often force the perception of the individual as a definitive entity through three fundamental normative communication standards: authority, authenticity and moral accountability. This essay examines the resulting paradoxes of writerly identity in relation to these constructs, and simultaneously proposes that the way to rectify such issues is to embrace disparate identity performances of writings past and present. Using research from multiple disciplines, including sociolinguistics, literary theory, and composition studies, this essay asserts that there is a great deal to be learned from the practices of two unlikely genres of written communication— Specifically, it draws a parallel between current internet culture and poetics, as the phenomenon of “catfishing” (or creating and portraying complex fictional identities through online profiles) parallels earlier Modernist acts of fragmentation through poetry. Therefore, this paper argues that although their motives may differ considerably, both endeavours are useful rhetorical performances in that they provide a practical framework for circumventing common lingual identity traps. Ultimately, it suggests that these unconventional perspectives of the “impersonal” in and through writing can help us to (re)approach the methodology of lingual identification and those written performances of the self (professional and everyday) that may not properly serve us.
Designing for Learning in a Three-Dimensional Virtual Learning Environment: A Design-Based Research Approach

This article reports the design, implementation, and results of a longitudinal design-based research effort that seeks to promote meaningful learning in a three-dimensional virtual learning environ...
Revised AAP Practice Guidelines for Evaluation of the Child with a Simple Febrile Seizure

An AAP subcommittee on febrile seizures has revised the practice guidelines of 1996 for the diagnosis and evaluation of a simple febrile seizure in children 6 months through 60 months of age.
VASCULAR DEMENTIA, HYPERTENSION, AND THE BRAIN

Ischemic vascular dementia is a clinical syndrome of acquired intellectual impairment with ischemic cerebral injury resulting from occlusion of cerebral blood vessels and loss of cerebral tissue caused by cerebrovascular disease. With increasing life expectancy, the developed countries have experienced a shift towards a progressively older population. As the average age of the population increases, the prevalence of cerebrovascular disease and vascular dementia is likely to increase. The risk of vascular dementia seems to be correlated with the epidemiologic risk factors of stroke, namely hypertension. Hypertension is thought to be directly associated with vascular dementia and preliminary evidence suggests an association between elevated blood pressure and impairments in cognitive functioning. Recent investigations have found significant associations between hypertension and cerebral dilation and left hemisphere atrophy, and an increased incidence of white matter hyperintensities among hypertensives. Treatment and prevention of vascular dementia and cognitive dysfunction in the elderly require attention to cerebrovascular risk factors, particularly hypertension. Vascular dementias are potentially preventable and cases of Alzheimer's disease with vascular components are becoming increasingly recognized.
Review: Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg’s Urban Vision by Igor Marjanović and Katerina Rüedi Ray; Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention by Zoë Ryan, ed.

Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg’s Urban Vision New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010, 176 pp., 105 b/w illus. $35, ISBN 9781568988634, by Igor Marjanovic and Katerina Ruedi Ray. Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press and the Art Institute of Chicago, 2011, 192 pp., 140 color and 75 b/w illus. $60, ISBN 9780300167047, by Zoe Ryan, ed.. In 1967 a group of five buildings bearing the name Marina City opened for business on the north bank of the Chicago River. The city greeted the addition enthusiastically, and on two levels—cultural and social. The arts community recognized the pair of sixty-story towers that dominated the new complex as architecturally unprecedented in Chicago. Unlike most of the city’s tall buildings, they were cylindrical, not rectilinear. They were constructed of concrete, not steel. Forty-two stories of residences with balconies above were served by fourteen stories of parking ramps immediately below, and the edges of both were curved. The designers did not intend the resemblance, but the public could not help likening the elevations to a pair of giant corncobs and enjoying the comparison. So much for Chicago’s early, fascinated response to the vision newly materialized on the river. No less important, especially to the city’s movers and shakers, was the probable demographic impact of Marina City on the inner city. Chicago had recently witnessed a major population shift, with downtown steadily losing numbers, and economic and political clout, to the suburbs. For a variety of reasons Marina City promised a reversal of these fortunes. In 1959 William McFetridge, head of the Chicago Janitors’ Union, approached local architect Bertrand Goldberg with a request that Goldberg design a new headquarters for the union in downtown Chicago; the union would provide the financing. Conversations led to the proposal for a building that would combine commercial and residential facilities, with the understanding that housing would be made available to office workers in the downtown area, thus bringing new life to that section of the city. The result would be, in Goldberg’s words, “a 24-hour environment” (Ryan, 34). With the passage of time, the building became five buildings, consisting of apartments, an office building, retail …
The Importance of E. M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel

E. M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel (1927) remains a cornerstone of Anglo-American novel criticism. Forster’s study helped define the values and questions with which we have approached novels for the past several decades. Moreover, today, it still addresses the crucial questions that concern us about form, point of view, and the relationship between art and life. While acknowledging the importance of Percy Lubbock’s The Craft of Fiction (1921) in extending the James aesthetic, the brilliance of Virginia Woolf’s insights in her essays in The Common Reader (1925) and elsewhere, and the usefulness of Edwin Muir’s The Structure of the Novel (1928), I believe that Forster’s book is the one of these 1920s books on the novel to which we most frequently return to learn about how novels mean and why they matter to us. Aspects of the Novel is informed not merely by the living experience of Forster’s having written novels throughout his adult life but, more importantly, by judgment, perspicacity, and erudition. To be sure, he does not articulate what we now think of as a theory, and he lacks the dialectical and polemical edge of recent criticism. Thus he disarmingly explains that he has chosen the term ‘aspects’, ‘because it means both the different ways we can look at a novel and the different ways a novelist can look at his work’ (p. 24).1 In the early chapters, Forster begins with such traditional aspects as ‘story’, ‘people’, and ‘plot’ before turning in the later ones to less conventional ones such as ‘fantasy’, ‘prophecy’, ‘pattern’, and ‘rhythm’.
‘Being black is like being a soldier in Iraq’: metaphorical expressions of blackness in an urban community

AbstractMetaphor and metaphorical expressions are phenomenon of interest in teacher education research, critical race literature, and research on black communicative practices. Only marginal concerted attention has been paid to students’ metaphorical expressions, and what these expressions might tell us about students’ racial identities and lived experiences. This study explores the metaphorical language that nine black youth used to describe what it means to be black in their social and political context. Data collected through the metaphor elicitation prompt, ‘Being black is like …,’ is presented to probe participants’ understandings of race, racial identity, and urban society. Conclusions indicate that abstract or indirect conversations about race may provide teachers and other hearers of students’ metaphors a greater understanding of and empathy toward students’ needs, experiences, and identities.
Elucidating Structure–Composition–Property Relationships of the β-SiAlON:Eu2+ Phosphor

In this work, we performed a systematic investigation of structure–composition–property relationships in Eu2+-activated β-SiAlON, one of the most promising narrow-band green phosphors for high-power light-emitting diodes and liquid crystal display backlighting with wide color gamut. Using first-principles calculations, we identified and confirmed various chemical rules for Si–Al, O–N, and Eu activator ordering within the β-SiAlON structure. Through the construction of energetically favorable models based on these chemical rules, we studied the effect of oxygen content and Eu2+ activator concentrations on the local EuN9 activator environment, and its impact on important photoluminescence properties such as emission peak position (using the band gap as a proxy), bandwidth, and thermal quenching resistance. Increasing oxygen content is shown to lead to an increase in Eu–N bond lengths and distortion of the EuN9 coordination polyhedron, modifying the crystal field environment of the Eu2+ activator, and result...
Routine dyspnea assessment and documentation: Nurses’ experience yields wide acceptance

Dyspnea (breathing discomfort) is a common and distressing symptom. Routine assessment and documentation can improve management and relieve suffering. A major barrier to routine dyspnea documentation is the concern that it will have a deleterious effect on nursing workflow and that it will not be readily accepted by nurses. Nurses at our institution recently began to assess and document dyspnea on all medical-surgical patients upon admission and once per shift throughout their hospitalization. A year after dyspnea measurement was implemented we explored nurses’ approach to dyspnea assessment, their perception of patient response, and their perception of the utility and burden of dyspnea measurement. We obtained feedback from nurses using a three-part assessment of practice: 1) a series of recorded focus group interviews with nurses, 2) a time-motion observation of nurses performing routine dyspnea and pain assessment, and 3) a randomized, anonymous on-line survey based, in part, on issues raised in focus groups. Ninety-four percent of the nurses surveyed reported administering the dyspnea assessment is “easy” or “very easy”. None of the nurses reported that assessing dyspnea negatively impacted workflow and many reported that it positively improved their practice by increasing their awareness. Our time-motion data showed dyspnea assessment and documentation takes well less than a minute. Nurses endorsed the importance of routine measurement and agreed that most patients were able to provide a meaningful rating of their dyspnea. Nurses found the patient report very useful, and used it in conjunction with observed signs to respond to changes in a patient’s condition. In this study, we have demonstrated that routine dyspnea assessment and documentation was widely accepted by the nurses at our institution. Our nurses fully incorporated routine dyspnea assessment and documentation into their practice and felt that it improved patient-centered care.
Thermo-acoustofluidic separation of vesicles based on cholesterol content

Biomechanical properties of cells such as cellular stiffness have been increasingly considered as biomarkers for diseases. For instance, stiffness of cancer cells has been correlated to the malignant potential in certain cell lines. In cells, the cholesterol content plays a crucial role in determining stiffness. Changes in the cholesterol content in cellular membranes can be an indication of pathological disorders. Acoustophoresis as a separation and diagnostic tool is well positioned to help in the separation and diagnosis of cells taking advantage of its unique separation criteria of density and compressibility. However, under the same conditions, cells and vesicles secreted by these cells often have a positive contrast factor sign and thus do not yield simple separations. Thermally-assisted acoustophoresis, also referred to as thermo-acoustophoresis, solves this problem by adding a temperature dimension to the separation. In this work, we evaluate the acoustic contrast temperature (TΦ) of vesicles at different cholesterol molar ratios (Xchol) and develop a multi-stage lab-on-a-chip method to accomplish for the first time the separation of a three-vesicle mixture. Using Xchol = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 vesicles, we have obtained separation efficiencies exceeding 93%. The simplicity, rapidity, and label-free nature of this approach holds promise as a diagnostic and separation tool for cells and extracellular vesicles such as exosomes and microvesicles.
Sortiervorgang — II. Schnell-Sortierung (QUICKSORT)

Wir stellen Ihnen in diesem Kapitel einen weiteren wichtigen Sortier-Algorithmus vor, der nicht allzu umfangreich ist und “SCHNELL-SORTIERUNG” genannt wird. Vergessen Sie nicht, das Ihr wesentliches Ziel auch hier darin besteht, weitere Erfahrungen fur Problemlosungen zu sammeln, u.z. indem Sie den hier beschriebenen Algorithmus in ein korrekt ablaufendes Rechner-Programm umwandeln.
Abstract 283: The Coupling of Tumor Endothelial Marker-8 and Capillary Morphogenesis Gene-2 Receptors to Contractile-Related Signaling Pathway in Cardiac Myocytes

Recent molecular and pharmacological studies performed on non-cardiac tissues suggest that tumor endothelial marker-8 (TEM-8), also known as anthrax toxin receptor 1 (ANTXR1) and capillary morphogenesis gene-2 (CMG-2), known as anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2) regulate survival, proliferation, cell shape, as well as polarity, adhesion, migration and differentiation. However, downstream signaling mechanisms and function of these molecules have not been studied. Recent studies indicate that activation of protein kinase B (Akt) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) have been associated with hypertrophic growth, as well as regulation of contractility in cardiac myocytes (CM). In this study we’ve investigated the role of ANTXR1 and ANTXR2 receptors in intracellular pathways of contractility regulation in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). Primary culture of NRVM was used to determine the effects of ANTXR1/ANTXR2 activation on Akt and JNK phosphorylation by Western blot analysis. Flow cytometry and immunostaining of alive CM were used to determine expression levels and distribution of anthrax receptors throughout the cells. Furin-activated form of anthrax protective antigen (PA 63 ) was used in order to selectively stimulate ANTXR1/ANTXR2 receptors and get understanding of downstream signaling mechanisms coupled to them. The treatments with angiotensin II, type1 receptor (AT 1 ) inhibitors were used in order to separate responses of distinct regulatory pathways of contractility. All treatments were done at variable time courses started in seconds and finished in half of hour to determine a sequence of phosphorylation reactions going from cellular membrane to deep inside of cell. As a result, abundant expression of both receptors was observed in cardiac myocytes. Activation of one phospho-site of focal adhesion kinase (FAK 861 ) was started in 15 sec with subsequent phosphorylation of JNK and Akt 473 in 5 and 10 minutes. Involvement of new molecules was observed in cascade chain reaction of contractility regulation. In conclusion, ANTXR1/ANTXR2 were demonstrated to couple to mechano-sensor molecules: FAK, Akt and JNK, as well as interact with the AT 1 receptors to mediate downstream signaling events responsible for regulation of contractility.
External Validity of Electronic Sniffers for Automated Recognition of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Introduction:Automated electronic sniffers may be useful for early detection of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for institution of treatment or clinical trial screening.Methods:In a pros...
Thoracic Surgery in Older Patients

The purpose of the review is to describe recent findings concerning the thoracic surgical management of elderly patients. The population of the USA is aging and the “baby boomer” generation members are now elderly. Pulmonary function declines, leading to an increase in the risk of a postoperative pulmonary complication. The cardiovascular system stiffens, making it more difficult for elderly patients to tolerate fluid shifts. Particular attention should be paid to nutrition, support systems, and frailty in the elderly. Outcomes are generally worse in the elderly. End-of-life discussions are important for these patients. Surgeons need to do a better job of initiating these discussions. Elderly patients are becoming increasingly common for thoracic surgeons. They have specific physiologic changes that can alter the postoperative course thus require careful consideration. Outcomes are not as good for this group of patients making careful discussions about preoperative and postoperative issues important.
Dynamics of degenerate quasilinear reaction diffusion systems with nonnegative initial functions

Abstract This paper is concerned with a system of quasilinear reaction–diffusion equations with density dependent diffusion coefficients and mixed quasimonotone reaction functions. The equations are allowed to be degenerate and the boundary conditions are of the nonlinear type. The main goals are to prove the existence and uniqueness of the weak solution between a pair of coupled upper and lower solutions; show that the weak solution evolves into the classical solution, and analyze the asymptotic behavior of the solution using quasi-solutions of the steady-state system. The general results are applied to a degenerate Lotka–Volterra competition model. Conditions are given for the solution to exist globally, to evolve into the classical solution, and to be attracted into a sector formed by quasi-solutions of the elliptic system. Especially for the Neumann problem we give a simple condition for the solution to converge to a unique constant steady-state solution which is a global attractor.
Effect of nicotine on uterine artery contractility

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that nicotine exposure increases vascular contractility and decreases endothelium-dependent relaxation of pregnant uterine arteries (UAs). UAs ...
Adapting Medical Guidelines to Be Patient-centered Using a Patient-driven Process for Individuals With Sickle Cell Disease and Their Caregivers

Evidence-based guidelines for sickle cell disease (SCD) health maintenance and management have been developed for primary health care providers, but not for individuals with SCD. To improve the quality of care delivered to individuals with SCD and their caregivers, the main purposes of this study were to: (1) understand the desire for patient-centered guidelines among the SCD community; and (2) adapt guideline material to be patient-centered using community-engagement strategies involving health care providers, community -based organizations, and individuals with the disease. From May–December 2016, a volunteer sample of 107 individuals with SCD and their caregivers gave feedback at community forums (n = 64) and community listening sessions (n = 43) about technology use for health information and desire for SCD-related guidelines. A team of community research partners consisting of community stakeholders, individuals living with SCD, and providers and researchers (experts) in SCD at nine institutions adapted guidelines to be patient-centered based on the following criteria: (1) understandable, (2) actionable, and (3) useful. In community forums (n = 64), almost all participants (91%) wanted direct access to the content of the guidelines. Participants wanted guidelines in more than one format including paper (73%) and mobile devices (79%). Guidelines were adapted to be patient-centered. After multiple iterations of feedback, 100% of participants said the guidelines were understandable, most (88%) said they were actionable, and everyone (100%) would use these adapted guidelines to discuss their medical care with their health care providers. Individuals with SCD and their caregivers want access to guidelines through multiple channels, including technology. Guidelines written for health care providers can be adapted to be patient-centered using Community-engaged research involving providers and patients. These patient-centered guidelines provide a framework for patients to discuss their medical care with their health care providers.
Understanding the potential of state-based public health genomics programs to mitigate disparities in access to clinical genetic services.

State health agencies (SHAs) have developed public health genomics (PHG) programs that play an instrumental role in advancing precision public health, but there is limited research on their approaches. This study examines how PHG programs attempt to mitigate or forestall health disparities and inequities in the utilization of genomic medicine. We compared PHG programs in three states: Connecticut, Michigan, and Utah. We analyzed 85 in-depth interviews with SHA internal and external collaborators and program documents. We employed a qualitative coding process to capture themes relating to health disparities and inequities. Each SHA implemented population-level approaches to identify individuals who carry genetic variants that increase risk of hereditary cancers. However, each SHA developed a unique strategy—which we label public health action repertoires—to reach specific subgroups who faced barriers in accessing genetic services. These strategies varied across states given demographics of the state population, state-level partnerships, and availability of healthcare services. Our findings illustrate the imperative of tailoring PHG programs to local demographic characteristics and existing community resources. Furthermore, our study highlights how integrating genomics into precision public health will require multilevel, multisector collaboration to optimize efficacy and equity.
SAB, Reward, and Learning

The primary purpose of this chapter is to document a meaningful relationship between two somewhat diverse areas of psychological research —discrimination learning and SAB. An attempt will be made to demonstrate that: (1) The cues responsible for SAB can be used to predict discrimination learning rates; and (2) Depending on the situation, SAB may interfere with or facilitate discrimination learning. A secondary aim of this chapter is to review and interpret the effects of food deprivation and food reinforcement on SAB, especially as they interact to affect the cues to which the rats are attending.
Use of Social Media in the Workplace: Contradictions and Unintended Consequences

Even though social media technologies have been increasingly adopted in the workplace, few studies have looked at the consequences and contradictory outcomes of this adoption. This exploratory case study seeks to understand how organizations are using social media and what the consequences of this adoption are, from the perspective of managers and users. Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers and social media users of a large professional association in the US (Pro-Org, a pseudonym). Preliminary findings suggest that adoption of social media is not a controlled process, and contradictory expectations among management and coping strategies from users may undermine organizational capacity to achieve its outcomes regarding social media.
Natural Hazards in Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production Assessments

The overall purpose of this book has been to describe the main types of geological hazards present in the region of the South Caspian Basin, and to try to quantify, where possible, the probabilities of occurrence and the spatial scales of such catastrophic events. Using methods given in the body of the book one can calculate or estimate the chances of occurrence (or nonoccurrence). Such events can lead to catastrophic financial losses for a company during the years of hydrocarbon exploration, development and production in an area of interest. As has been shown, an eruption of a mud volcano or associated flames, mud flows and hydrate explosions can destroy platforms, pipelines and other equipment. All of those factors should be kept in mind when decisions on exploration and exploitation are made.
FSH, Bone Mass, Body Fat, and Biological Aging

The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation has taught us that impending ovarian failure during late perimenopause is associated with a sharp rise in serum FSH, which coincides with the most rapid rate of bone loss and the onset of visceral adiposity. At this time in a woman’s life, serum estrogen levels are largely unaltered, so the hypothesis that hypoestrogenemia is the sole cause of bone loss and visceral obesity does not offer a full explanation. An alternative explanation, arising from animal models and human data, is that both physiologic aberrations, obesity and osteoporosis, arise at least in part from rising FSH levels. Here, we discuss recent findings on the mechanism through which FSH exerts biological actions on bone and fat and review clinical data that support a role for FSH in causing osteoporosis and obesity. We will also provide a conceptual framework for using a single anti-FSH agent to prevent and treat both osteoporosis and obesity in women across the menopausal transition.
Abstract WMP42: Revascularization of Symptomatic Chronically Occluded Internal Carotid: A Meta-Analysis

Objective: The overall annual risk of stroke from a chronically occluded internal carotid artery (COICA) is approximately 5%-7%, despite maximal medical management. In addition, patients with COICA...
Assessment of Polyethylene Glycol Hydrogel Spacer and Its Effect on Rectal Radiation Dose in Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Proton Beam Radiation Therapy.

Abstract Purpose To assess the efficacy of placing a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacing hydrogel in patients undergoing proton beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer. This study also aims to assess the effect on rectal radiation dose of prostate–rectum separation in various anatomic planes. Methods and Materials Seventy-two consecutive prostate cancer patients undergoing conventionally fractionated pencil beam scanning proton radiation therapy with and without hydrogel placement were compared. Magnetic resonance images taken after hydrogel placement measured prostate–rectum separation and were correlated to rectal dosing and rectal toxicity. Univariate analysis of clinical variables and radiation dosing was conducted using nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test with continuity correction between groups (hydrogel spacer vs controls). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient assessed relationships between the various anatomic dimensions of perirectal space and rectal radiation dosing. Results Fifty-one patients had hydrogel placement before therapy and 21 did not. There was a 42.2% reduction in rectal dosing (mL3 rectum) in hydrogel patients (P Conclusions Polyethylene glycol hydrogel placement before pencil proton beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer reduced rectal radiation dose. The most important factor reducing total rectal dose was the degree of sagittal midline separation created by the PEG hydrogel. This is the largest study with the longest follow-up to investigate hydrogel placement in the proton beam radiation setting.
Robotic Colostomy Takedown in a Patient with Extensive Ventral Hernias and Adhesive Disease.

ABSTRACT Study Objective To demonstrate a surgical video wherein a robot-assisted colostomy takedown was performed with anastomosis of the descending colon to the rectum after reduction of ventral hernias and extensive lysis of adhesions. Design Case report and a step-by-step video demonstration of a robot-assisted colostomy takedown and end-to-side anastomosis. Setting Tertiary referral center in New Haven, Connecticut. A 64-year-old female was diagnosed with stage IIIA endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma in 2015 when she underwent an optimal cytoreductive surgery. In addition, she required resection of the sigmoid colon and a descending end colostomy with Hartmann's pouch, mainly secondary to extensive diverticulitis. After adjuvant chemoradiation, she remained disease free and desired colostomy reversal. Body mass index at the time was 32 kg/m2. Computed tomography of her abdomen and pelvis did not show any evidence of recurrence but was notable for a large ventral hernia and a parastomal hernia. She then underwent a colonoscopy, which was negative for any pathologic condition, except for some narrowing of the distal rectum above the level of the levator ani. Interventions Enterolysis was extensive and took approximately 2 hours. The splenic flexure of the colon had to be mobilized to provide an adequate proximal limb to the anastomosis site. An anvil was then introduced into the distal descending colon through the colostomy site. A robotic stapler was used to seal the colostomy site and detach it from the anterior abdominal wall. Unfortunately, the 28-mm EEA sizer (Covidien, Dublin, Ireland) perforated through the distal rectum, caudal to the stricture site. A substantial length of the distal rectum had to be sacrificed secondary to the perforation, which mandated further mobilization of the splenic flexure. The rectum was then reapproximated with a 3-0 barbed suture in 2 layers. This provided us with approximately 6- to 8-cm distal rectum. An end-to-side anastomosis of the descending colon to the distal rectum was performed. Anastomotic integrity was confirmed using the bubble test. Because of the lower colorectal anastomosis, a protective diverting loop ileostomy was performed. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course. A hypaque enema performed 3 months after the colostomy takedown showed no evidence of anastomotic leak or stricture. The ileostomy was then reversed without any complications. Conclusion Robot-assisted colostomy takedown and anastomosis of the descending colon to rectum were successfully performed. Although there is a paucity of literature examining this technique within gynecologic surgery, the literature on general surgery has supported laparoscopic Hartmann's reversal and has demonstrated improved rates of postoperative complications and incisional hernia and reduced duration of hospitalization [1] . Minimally invasive technique is a feasible alternative to laparotomy for gynecologic oncology patients who undergo colostomy, as long as the patients are recurrence free.