cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulated annealing approach for solving stock cutting problem

The simulated annealing approach is applied to stock cutting. The conceptual approach proposed uses an energy function that measures the area of the rectangular enclosure of all the patterns to be nested, the level of similarity between pattern pairs, and the amount of overlap among patterns in evaluating various pattern configurations to be generated by the simulated annealing algorithm. Three methods for pattern configuration generation are considered. The first method uses heuristics to generate the initial configuration. The second and third methods use random selection and random placement of patterns. >
Structure of an intermediate conformer of the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2

The spindle checkpoint senses unattached kinetochores during prometaphase and inhibits the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C), thus ensuring accurate chromosome segregation. The checkpoint protein mitotic arrest deficient 2 (Mad2) is an unusual protein with multiple folded states. Mad2 adopts the closed conformation (C-Mad2) in a Mad1–Mad2 core complex. In mitosis, kinetochore-bound Mad1–C-Mad2 recruits latent, open Mad2 (O-Mad2) from the cytosol and converts it to an intermediate conformer (I-Mad2), which can then bind and inhibit the APC/C activator cell division cycle 20 (Cdc20) as C-Mad2. Here, we report the crystal structure and NMR analysis of I-Mad2 bound to C-Mad2. Although I-Mad2 retains the O-Mad2 fold in crystal and in solution, its core structural elements undergo discernible rigid-body movements and more closely resemble C-Mad2. Residues exhibiting methyl chemical shift changes in I-Mad2 form a contiguous, interior network that connects its C-Mad2–binding site to the conformationally malleable C-terminal region. Mutations of residues at the I-Mad2–C-Mad2 interface hinder I-Mad2 formation and impede the structural transition of Mad2. Our study provides insight into the conformational activation of Mad2 and establishes the basis of allosteric communication between two distal sites in Mad2.
Comparison of UWB and NB RF ranging measurements in homogenous tissue for BAN applications

Compared the measurement results in two different bandwidths, Ultra-wide band (UWB 3-10 GHz) and Narrow Band (NB 402MHz). We figured out the multi path situation by comparing the measurement results in empty flat box and in the homogenous tissue. The maximum distance of the measurement in this paper is 9 cm considering the huge path-loss in UWB measurement. Based on the analysis of the DME, the TOA of the first peak in UWB measurement and the phase of signal in narrowband measurement can both provide the accurate location information for BAN application.
Examining the locations of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Little is known about the spatial distribution of medical marijuana dispensaries, particularly whether or not sites are disproportionately located in minority or communities with younger populations. This paper will assess if there is a relationship between medical marijuana dispensaries and neighbourhood characteristics. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study used an ecological, cross-sectional design of 1000 census tracts from Los Angeles city in 2012 to explore the relationship between neighbourhood sociodemographics, structural features of neighbourhoods and density of medical marijuana dispensaries. Locations of dispensaries were obtained through a premise survey of all listed dispensaries. Data on neighbourhood characteristics were obtained from Geolytics. The study used Bayesian conditionally autoregressive models that include controls for spatial heterogeneity to analyse the data. RESULTS: Findings show that dispensaries are located in areas that allow for commercial establishments. RESULTS indicate a positive relationship between dispensaries and percent commercially zoned, areas with highway ramp access, density of on- and off-premise alcohol outlets and percent Hispanic residents. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: In sum, the findings suggest that, likely because of zoning regulations, dispensaries were located in primarily commercially zoned areas with greater road access (as measured by the presence of highway ramps). Given that areas with higher densities of dispensaries also have higher densities of alcohol outlets, future work should examine how this co-location affects neighbourhood problems such as crime and violence. [Thomas C, Freisthler B. Examining the locations of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;●●:●●-●●]. Language: en
Geolinked Open Data for the Municipality of Catania

Linked Open Data (LOD) is reaching significant adoption in Public Administrations (PAs), where it is often required to be connected to existing platforms, such as GIS-based data management. Bearing on previous experience with the pioneering data.cnr.it, through Semantic Scout, as well as Italian DigitPA agency recommendations for LOD in Italian PA, we are working on the extraction, publication, and exploitation of data from the Geographic Information System of the Municipality of Catania, referred to as SIT ("Sistema Informativo Territoriale"). This paper describes the results and lessons learnt from the first campaign, aiming at analysing, reengineering, linking, and formalizing the Shape-based geo-data from the SIT.
Preparing an annotated gold standard corpus to share with extramural investigators for de-identification research.

Abstract Objective The current study aims to fill the gap in available healthcare de-identification resources by creating a new sharable dataset with realistic Protected Health Information (PHI) without reducing the value of the data for de-identification research. By releasing the annotated gold standard corpus with Data Use Agreement we would like to encourage other Computational Linguists to experiment with our data and develop new machine learning models for de-identification. This paper describes: (1) the modifications required by the Institutional Review Board before sharing the de-identification gold standard corpus; (2) our efforts to keep the PHI as realistic as possible; (3) and the tests to show the effectiveness of these efforts in preserving the value of the modified data set for machine learning model development. Materials and methods In a previous study we built an original de-identification gold standard corpus annotated with true Protected Health Information (PHI) from 3503 randomly selected clinical notes for the 22 most frequent clinical note types of our institution. In the current study we modified the original gold standard corpus to make it suitable for external sharing by replacing HIPAA-specified PHI with newly generated realistic PHI. Finally, we evaluated the research value of this new dataset by comparing the performance of an existing published in-house de-identification system, when trained on the new de-identification gold standard corpus, with the performance of the same system, when trained on the original corpus. We assessed the potential benefits of using the new de-identification gold standard corpus to identify PHI in the i2b2 and PhysioNet datasets that were released by other groups for de-identification research. We also measured the effectiveness of the i2b2 and PhysioNet de-identification gold standard corpora in identifying PHI in our original clinical notes. Results Performance of the de-identification system using the new gold standard corpus as a training set was very close to training on the original corpus (92.56 vs. 93.48 overall F -measures). Best i2b2/PhysioNet/CCHMC cross-training performances were obtained when training on the new shared CCHMC gold standard corpus, although performances were still lower than corpus-specific trainings. Discussion and conclusion We successfully modified a de-identification dataset for external sharing while preserving the de-identification research value of the modified gold standard corpus with limited drop in machine learning de-identification performance.
Biodegradation of DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane] by the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Extensive biodegradation of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) by the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was demonstrated by disappearance and mineralization of [14C]DDT in nutrient nitrogen-deficient cultures. Mass balance studies demonstrated the formation of polar and water-soluble metabolites during degradation. Hexane-extractable metabolites identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry included 1,1,-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD), 2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol (dicofol), 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol (FW-152), and 4,49-dichlorobenzophenone (DBP). DDD was the first metabolite observed; it appeared after 3 days of incubation and disappeared from culture upon continued incubation. This, as well as the fact that [14C]dicofol was mineralized, demonstrates that intermediates formed during DDT degradation are also metabolized. These results demonstrate that the pathway for DDT degradation in P. chrysosporium is clearly different from the major pathway proposed for microbial or environmental degradation of DDT. Like P. chrysosporium ME-446 and BKM-F-1767, the white rot fungi Pleurotus ostreatus, Phellinus weirii, and Polyporus versicolor also mineralized DDT.
A New Caridean Shrimp of the Family Bresiliidae From Thermal Vents of the Galapagos Rift

ABSTRACT Alvinocaris lusca, a new genus and species of caridean shrimp, is recorded from the thermally influenced Rose Garden area of the Galapagos Rift zone. Characters of this form indicate placement in the family Bresiliidae which is redefined. A key to the 5 bresiliid genera is given.
Dehulling crambe seed for improved oil extraction and meal quality

Crambe seed had low bulk density (328 kg/m3) due to thick hulls (0.23 mm), which made up 21.2% of the seed weight. The mean seed diameter was 2.7 mm (SD±0.2 mm); the thousand-grain-weight was 6.2 g. Dehulling improves oil extraction efficiency and facilitates the marketing of high-protein meal (>40% protein). The effectiveness of roller milling/aspirating and the effectiveness of impact milling/aspirating on dehulling crambe seed were studied and compared by analyzing the meat and hull fractions for oil and protein contents and calculating material balances. Roller milling was more effective than impact milling. The optimal roller mill gap was 7/64 in. (0.28 cm), and the optimal impact mill speed was 2,400 rpm generating 44.7 m/s tangential speed. The optimal aspiration airflow was 1,970 ft3/min (55.7 m3/min). Roller milling/aspirating was projected to produce 46% protein meal at 12% moisture and 1% residual oil (typical of solvent extraction) or 42% protein meal at 12% moisture and 6% residual oil (typical of screw pressing most other oilseeds). Hand-dissected hulls contained 10.4% moisture, and 1.2% oil and 8.8% protein on a dry basis, whereas the meats contained 8.8% moisture, and 47.6% oil and 31.6% protein on a dry basis. Optimal roller milling/aspirating produced hulls with 8.1% oil and 11.4% protein and meats with 42.6% oil and 30.5% protein on a dry basis.
Groundwater Contamination in the United States

Seldom has the sociotechnical community been more ready for a broad overview on an environmental issue than it is currently for a book on the subject of groundwater contamination in the United States. Many individuals, organizations, and institutions are asking: How much of our nation's groundwater resources are contaminated? Is our groundwater contamination problem getting worse and what is the longterm prognosis? What are the most significant causes of groundwater contamination and what are the most promising cures?
Genetic analysis of host resistance: Toll-like receptor signaling and immunity at large

Classical genetic methods, driven by phenotype rather than hypotheses, generally permit the identification of all proteins that serve nonredundant functions in a defined biological process. Long before this goal is achieved, and sometimes at the very outset, genetics may cut to the heart of a biological puzzle. So it was in the field of mammalian innate immunity. The positional cloning of a spontaneous mutation that caused lipopolysaccharide resistance and susceptibility to Gram-negative infection led directly to the understanding that Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential sensors of microbial infection. Other mutations, induced by the random germ line mutagen ENU (N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea), have disclosed key molecules in the TLR signaling pathways and helped us to construct a reasonably sophisticated portrait of the afferent innate immune response. A still broader genetic screen--one that detects all mutations that compromise survival during infection--is permitting fresh insight into the number and types of proteins that mammals use to defend themselves against microbes.
Creation of the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope has been the most successful space astronomy project to date, producing images that put the public in awe and images and spectra that have produced many scientific discoveries. It is the natural culmination of a dream envisioned when rocket flight into space was first projected and a goal set for the US space program soon after NASA was created. The design and construction period lasted almost two decades and its operations have already lasted almost as long. The capabilities of the observatory have evolved and expanded with periodic upgrading of its instrumentation, thus realizing the advantages of its unique design. The success of this long-lived observatory is closely tied to the availability of the Space Shuttle and the end of the Shuttle program means that the end of the Hubble program will follow before long.
CONVERGENCE AMONG DATA SOURCES, RESPONSE BIAS, AND RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF A STRUCTURED JOB ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE

Research examined both the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) and the possible analyst sources for gathering job analysis information. 25 state government jobs were examined using job incumbents, supervisors, job analysts, and a comparison group of college students. Reliability and validity (judge convergence and prediction of present pay levels) information was determined for each of the four analyst categories. Results indicate that there is little difference between analyst sources, including students, in terms of their ability to reliably analyze a job using the PAQ. Convergent validity results showed a high degree of agreement among all judge categories when summing item frequencies across all 25 jobs. The prediction of present pay levels was significant for all judge categories but was noticeably smaller than previously reported studies. This seemed to be primarily due to the restriction in salary range of the present study. An analysis of judge response bias showed that supervisors and incumbents rate all or most PAQ items higher than their analyst counterparts. These findings suggest that who furnishes responses to a job analysis inventory makes little practical difference. The exception is that the determination of pay levels and human requirements for test construction purposes should be viewed with caution when different analyst sources are utilized for different jobs.
Supervisory control of pouring process by tilting-type automatic pouring robot

This paper introduces a system of advanced control of the automatic pouring process, including the control of liquid level in the sprue cup, the flow control as the liquid is poured into a mold and sloshing (liquid vibration) suppression in the ladle. Through the pouring process model built in this paper, we calculated a forward tilting control input to hold the liquid in the sprue cup at a constant level. A backward tilting input is obtained by means of the Hybrid Shape Approach applied to suppress the slosh after backward tilting. We also designed a model by which supervisory control can take into account the After-Flow that occurs when switching the forward tilting input to the backward tilting input, and thus achieve the accurate poured quantity. The validity of the proposed total control system was demonstrated through experiments.
ACUTE AND LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF RADIO FREQUENCY BLADDER NECK SUSPENSION

Purpose: A new treatment modality for women with stress urinary incontinence secondary to urethral hypermobility is radio frequency bladder neck suspension. Radio frequency energy is a form of electromagnetic energy that is reliable and highly controllable. This thermal therapy can produce well-defined areas of tissue heating. The technology has been used extensively in dermatological and orthopedic surgery for tissue shrinkage and ablation. Radio frequency thermal therapy is now being applied to the endopelvic fascia at the bladder neck and urethra for treating hypermobility in patients with stress urinary incontinence. The purported mechanism is shrinkage of the collagenated tissue that supports the bladder neck and proximal urethra. We report our acute and long-term experience with laparoscopic radio frequency bladder neck suspension for stress urinary incontinence.Materials and Methods: Enrolled in this prospective multicenter trial were 94 women with a mean age of 48.4 ± 7.6 years who had urethral hy...
Dual Mechanism of Neuronal Ensemble Inhibition in Primary Auditory Cortex

SUMMARY Inhibition plays an essential role in shaping and refining the brain’s representation of sensory stimulus attributes. In primary auditory cortex (A1), so-called ‘‘sideband’’ inhibition helps to sharpen the tuning of local neuronal responses. Several distinct types of anatomical circuitry could underlie sideband inhibition, including direct thalamocortical (TC) afferents, as well as indirect intracortical mechanisms. The goal of the present study was to characterize sideband inhibition in A1 and to determine its mechanism by analyzing laminar profiles of neuronal ensemble activity. Our results indicate that both lemniscal and nonlemniscal TC afferents play a role in inhibitory responses via feedforward inhibition and oscillatory phase reset, respectively. We propose that the dynamic modulation of excitability in A1 due to the phase reset of ongoing oscillations may alter the tuning of local neuronal ensembles and can be regarded as a flexible overlay on the more obligatory system of lemniscal feedforward type responses.
Age-dependent changes of airway and lung parenchyma in C57BL/6J mice

In the current study, we hypothesize that senescent-dependent changes between airway and lung parenchymal tissues of C57BL/6J (B6) mice are not synchronized with respect to altered lung mechanics. ...
Perivascular Human Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem Cells Express Pathways Relevant to Self-Renewal, Lineage Specification, and Functional Phenotype

Human endometrium regenerates on a cyclic basis from candidate stem/progenitors whose genetic programs are yet to be determined. A subpopulation of endometrial stromal cells, displaying key properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has been characterized. The endometrial MSC (eMSC) is likely the precursor of the endometrial stromal fibroblast. The goal of this study was to determine the transcriptome and signaling pathways in the eMSC to understand its functional phenotype. Endometrial stromal cells from oocyte donors (n = 20) and patients undergoing benign gynecologic surgery (n = 7) were fluorescence-activated cell sorted into MCAM (CD146)(+)/PDGFRB(+) (eMSC), MCAM (CD146)(-)/PDGFRB(+) (fibroblast), and MCAM (CD146)(+)/PDGFRB(-) (endothelial) populations. The eMSC population contained clonogenic cells with a mesenchymal phenotype differentiating into adipocytes when cultured in adipogenic medium. Gene expression profiling using Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST arrays revealed 762 and 1518 significantly differentially expressed genes in eMSCs vs. stromal fibroblasts and eMSCs vs. endothelial cells, respectively. By principal component and hierarchical clustering analyses, eMSCs clustered with fibroblasts and distinctly from endothelial cells. Endometrial MSCs expressed pericyte markers and were localized by immunofluorescence to the perivascular space of endometrial small vessels. Endometrial MSCs also expressed genes involved in angiogenesis/vasculogenesis, steroid hormone/hypoxia responses, inflammation, immunomodulation, cell communication, and proteolysis/inhibition, and exhibited increased Notch, TGFB, IGF, Hedgehog, and G-protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways, characteristic of adult tissue MSC self-renewal and multipotency. Overall, the data support the eMSC as a clonogenic, multipotent pericyte that displays pathways of self-renewal and lineage specification, the potential to respond to conditions during endometrial desquamation and regeneration, and a genetic program predictive of its differentiated lineage, the stromal fibroblast.
An Overview on Assessing Agreement with Continuous Measurements

Reliable and accurate measurements serve as the basis for evaluation in many scientific disciplines. Issues related to reliable and accurate measurement have evolved over many decades, dating back to the nineteenth century and the pioneering work of Galton (1886), Pearson (1896 1899 1901), and Fisher (1925). Requiring a new measurement to be identical to the truth is often impractical, either because (1) we are willing to accept a measurement up to some tolerable (or acceptable) error, or (2) the truth is simply not available to us, either because it is not measurable or is only measurable with some degree of error. To deal with issues related to both (1) and (2), a number of concepts, methods, and theories have been developed in various disciplines. Some of these concepts have been used across disciplines, while others have been limited to a particular field but may have potential uses in other disciplines. In this paper, we elucidate and contrast fundamental concepts employed in different disciplines an...
Medical ethos and social responsibility in clinical medicine

The medical profession will face many challenges in the new millenium. As medicine looks forward to advances in molecular genetics and the prospect of unprecedented understanding of the causes and cures of human disease, clinicians, scientists, and bioethicists may benefit from reflection on the origins of the medical ethos and its relevance to postmodern medicine. Past distortions of the medical ethos, such as Nazism and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, as well as more recent experience with the ethical challenges of employer-based, market-driven managed care, provide important lessons as medicine contemplates the future. Racial and ethnic disparities in health status and access to care serve as reminders that the racial doctrines that fostered the horrors of the Holocaust and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study have not been removed completely from contemporary thinking. Inequalities in health status based on race and ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic status, attest to the inescapable reality of racism in America. When viewed against a background of historical distortions and disregard for the traditional tenets of the medical ethos, persistent racial and ethnic disparities in health and the prospect of genetic engineering raise the specter of discrimination because of genotype, a postmodern version of “racist medicine” or of a “new eugenics”. There is a need to balance medicine’s devotion to the well-being of the patient and the primacy of the patient-physician relationship against the need to meet the health care needs of society. The challenge facing the medical profession in the new millennium is to establish an equilibrium between the responsibility to ensure quality health care for the individual patient while effecting societal changes to achieve “health for all”.
Efficient Automated Protocol Implementation Using RTAG

RTAG is a system for automated implementation of communication protocols from formal specifications. The RTAG specification language is based on attribute grammars, and allows complex protocols to be specified concisely and with minimal need for additional program code. This paper describes a set of techniques for efficient automated implementation of protocols from RTAG specifications, and compares the performance to that of hand-coded protocol implementations. We conclude that in many cases the performance of RTAG-based protocol implementation is acceptable for experimental or production uses.
Immigration stabilizes a population of threatened cavity‐nesting raptors despite possibility of nest box imprinting

Nest box provisioning is a common management tool intended to increase population size or stability of threatened birds, but its effectiveness is rarely assessed. The provisioning of nest boxes may lead to unexpected results if nest type imprinting prevents naive adult birds from immigrating into the nest box population, or limiting the ability of juveniles reared in nest boxes to emigrate to areas with only natural nesting substrates. We analyzed the population trends from 2008 to 2010 of southeastern American kestrels Falco sparverius paulus associated with a network of nest boxes in north-central Florida, USA, with Bayesian integrated population models (IPMs) that simultaneously considered mark–recapture data sets, fledgling production, and population surveys. We evaluated the demography of the nest box population by comparing population growth rates, apparent survival probabilities, and recapture probabilities between an IPM that explicitly modeled immigration and one that did not. Overall population growth rates suggested that the population was stable, and that immigration was apparently important in maintaining this stability, with approximately 0.3 and 0.5 female immigrants per resident female kestrel each year. Explicitly modeling immigration resulted in lower estimates of juvenile kestrel apparent survival probability, suggesting that a large proportion of locally produced juveniles emigrated rather than recruited locally. We concluded that neither preference for natural cavities nor imprinting on artificial nest boxes appeared to prevent immigration from maintaining the stability of the local population. Natal habitat preference imprinting on nest sites may occur to some degree, but it did not preclude the adoption of nest boxes by most breeding kestrels. We also found additional indications that many juvenile kestrels fledged from nest boxes emigrated to the surrounding natural areas.
Defining and Assessing Professional Competence

ContextCurrent assessment formats for physicians and trainees reliably test core knowledge and basic skills. However, they may underemphasize some important domains of professional medical practice, including interpersonal skills, lifelong learning, professionalism, and integration of core knowledge into clinical practice.ObjectivesTo propose a definition of professional competence, to review current means for assessing it, and to suggest new approaches to assessment.Data SourcesWe searched the MEDLINE database from 1966 to 2001 and reference lists of relevant articles for English-language studies of reliability or validity of measures of competence of physicians, medical students, and residents.Study SelectionWe excluded articles of a purely descriptive nature, duplicate reports, reviews, and opinions and position statements, which yielded 195 relevant citations.Data ExtractionData were abstracted by 1 of us (R.M.E.). Quality criteria for inclusion were broad, given the heterogeneity of interventions, complexity of outcome measures, and paucity of randomized or longitudinal study designs.Data SynthesisWe generated an inclusive definition of competence: the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values, and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and the community being served. Aside from protecting the public and limiting access to advanced training, assessments should foster habits of learning and self-reflection and drive institutional change. Subjective, multiple-choice, and standardized patient assessments, although reliable, underemphasize important domains of professional competence: integration of knowledge and skills, context of care, information management, teamwork, health systems, and patient-physician relationships. Few assessments observe trainees in real-life situations, incorporate the perspectives of peers and patients, or use measures that predict clinical outcomes.ConclusionsIn addition to assessments of basic skills, new formats that assess clinical reasoning, expert judgment, management of ambiguity, professionalism, time management, learning strategies, and teamwork promise a multidimensional assessment while maintaining adequate reliability and validity. Institutional support, reflection, and mentoring must accompany the development of assessment programs.
An Approximate Method for Sizing Detention Reservoirs

ABSTRACT: The detention reservoir is an effective measure for the management of storm water runoff, but random or unplanned placement may aggravate potential flood hazards. An approximate method for the sizing and placement of detention reservoirs is presented. The procedure is based upon the application of a storage estimation equation. The results show that the procedure closely approximates the results produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HEC-1 Flood Hydrograph Package in computing reservoir capacities on a hypotehtical watershed. Pending further tests, the use of the procedure is very limited, but it is an initial step to incorporating detention storage into regional storm water management plans.
Producing dense zirconium diboride components by room-temperature injection molding of aqueous ceramic suspensions

Abstract Aqueous suspensions of zirconium diboride (ZrB2), boron carbide (B4C) and tungsten carbide (WC) with dispersant and water-soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were investigated for processing by room-temperature injection molding, a novel, environmentally benign ceramic processing method. B4C and WC were used as sintering aids, and the as-received powders were attrition milled to reduce particle size to promote full densification of ZrB2 specimens by pressureless sintering. Zeta potential measurements of individual ZrB2, B4C and WC powders and of powder mixtures revealed that maximum stability was achieved in aqueous solutions of attrition milled powder mixtures dispersed using an ammonium polyacrylate dispersant. A maximum powder loading of 49 vol% with ≤5 vol% PVP was attained for ZrB2/B4C/WC suspensions with dispersant. Although exhibiting a time-dependent rheological response determined by parallel-plate rheometry, suspensions containing 49 vol% powders and ≤3 vol% PVP, as well as suspensions of 46 vol% powders and ≤4 vol% PVP, were flowable under the conditions of the process. ZrB2 rings prepared by room-temperature injection molding were machinable prior to binder removal and exhibited maximum brown densities of 56% true density (TD). Sintered densities were >98%TD with ~20% linear shrinkage. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an average grain size of 7.3±2.8 µm, and chemical analysis confirmed that no undesirable oxide phases remained in the sintered ZrB2 specimens. Aqueous ZrB2-based suspensions containing B4C and WC sintering aids and PVP were effectively processed via room-temperature injection molding to yield dense ZrB2 rings after binder burnout and pressureless sintering.
Working Collaboratively to Improve Students’ Application of Critical Thinking to Information Literacy Skills

Students’ limited information literacy skills raise concerns among writing instructors and librarians alike. In order to improve students’ information literacy skills, a librarian and writing instructors at a two-year open-access college collaborated to design information literacy instruction and collected student work to evaluate its effectiveness with regard to students’ ability to find and evaluate sources. Our experience from our collaborative approach indicates that by using specifically designed instructional activities such as concept maps and research logs, students’ ability to think critically about their information literacy skills can be improved.
Brachial Artery-Brachial Vein Fistula for Hemodialysis: One- or Two-Stage Procedure-A Review.

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate the patency rate of the brachial vein transposition–arteriovenous fistula [BVT–AVF] and to review the available literature regarding the comparison of the one-stage with the two-stage procedure. Methods A multiple electronic health database search was performed, aiming to identify studies on brachial vein superficialization. Case reports and series with five or less patients were excluded from the study. End points of the study were the patency rates at 12, 24, and 36 months of follow-up. The patency of the one- or two-stage BVT–AVF procedure was investigated. Results Overall, 380 BVT–AVFs were analyzed. The primary patency rate at 12 months ranged between 24 and 77%. Rate of early fistula malfunction or failure of maturation of the fistula resulting in loss of functionality ranged from 0 to 53%. Forearm edema, hematomas, wound infection, and early thrombosis were among the most common complications. Limited data were available for the comparison of patency rates between the one- and the two-stage procedure because of the absence of sufficient comparative studies. However, series with one-stage procedure presented a lower patency rate at 12 months compared to series with two stages. Conclusion Patency rates after BVT–AVF, although not excellent, has encouraging results taking into account that patients undergoing these procedures do not have an accessible superficial vein network; failure of maturation and the increased rate of early postoperative complications remain a concern. The BVT–AVF is a valuable option for creating an autologous vascular access in patients lacking adequate superficial veins.
Dynamics of the Au (001) surface in electrolytes: In situ coherent x-ray scattering

We studied the dynamics of the Au (001) surface in 0.1 M HClO${}_{4}$ electrolyte solution using coherent surface x-ray scattering (CSXS). We find that edges of steps and islands on the Au (001) surface are highly dynamic in electrolyte and evolve continuously even at room temperature. The evolving speed increases nearly two orders of magnitude when the quasihexagonal reconstruction is lifted during slow potential sweep and is higher by more than four orders of magnitude than the speed measured previously in vacuum. In addition, we find that surface lattice dynamics appear when the reconstruction is lifted, and they are faster by two orders of magnitudes than the edge dynamics. Complementary scanning tunneling microscopy images are also presented for visual confirmation of the changes measured by the CSXS technique.
Character of agent inducing leukemia in newborn mice.

Summary1. Tissue extracts from mice of the high-leukemia strain Ak injected into newborn mice greatly increased the leukemia incidence in Rf, DBA 1 and C3Heb mice. and greatly hastened the development of leukemia in AkR mice. 2. Mortality without gross anatomic manifestation of leukemia was also enhanced in extract-injected mice of low-leukemia strains. 3. Although all leukemias in Ak mice were lymphoid with thymic involvement, many leukemias in the low-leukemia strains were of non-thymic types. 4. Transplantation assays of leukemias induced in the low-leukemia strains disclosed a heterogeneity in types, some being related immunogenetically with both host and donor strain. 5. Neither salivary gland nor other tumors were induced by the leukemia agent studied. 6. The available information suggests consideration of a process analogous with DNA-induced transformation (transduction) of genetic properties of microorganisms rather than to a natural type of viral infection.
Endogenous respiration of human gingival tissue.

SummaryRate of endogenous respiration of human gingival tissue is markedly dependent upon time. However, reasonably high values may be obtained for endogenous QO2 if speed and low temperatures are used in preparation of the slices. Respiratory studies on gingiva should be carried out in the presence of added substrate.
Perfectionism and longitudinal patterns of stress for STEM majors: Implications for academic performance

Complementary hypotheses suggest that perfectionism may (a) cause later stress (stress generation) and (b) moderate the effects of stress on subsequent outcomes (stress enhancement). The present study tested these hypotheses with a sample of 432 first-time college freshmen pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors. Students completed baseline perfectionism scales and repeated measures for perceived academic stress at monthly intervals 3 times in the fall semester and 3 times in the spring semester. Course grade data from institutional records were used to calculate first-year STEM grade point average (GPA) as the distal outcome in analyses. Gender, high school GPA, SAT math scores, and university were covariates. Latent profile analyses supported adaptive, maladaptive, and nonperfectionist classes and latent class growth mixture models identified distinctly low, moderate, and high patterns of academic stress over the year. Latent transition analyses indicated that maladaptive perfectionists were likely to experience moderate or high stress (none transitioned to low stress), and adaptive perfectionists were likely to have low or moderate stress (only 4% transitioned to high stress). Women were substantially more likely than male maladaptive perfectionists to experience high stress. Low-stressed adaptive perfectionists followed by moderately stressed maladaptive perfectionists had relatively higher GPAs than other groups. Subgroups of perfectionists who transitioned to the next higher stress level had substantially lower GPAs than other groups. Overall, results were consistent with stress-generation and stress-enhancement hypotheses regarding perfectionists. Findings suggested implications for prevention and intervention with perfectionistic STEM students that should be implemented early in their college experience.
Alternative Models to Deliver Developmental Math Issues of Use and Student Access

Objective: Changing how community colleges deliver developmental education has become a key policy lever to increase student achievement. Alternative development education models reduce the amount of time a student spends in remediation, provide students with supplemental instruction and support, and contextualize content to align with student academic and career interests. While some states mandate the use of alternative delivery models, other states, such as California, give discretion to colleges over how developmental education should be delivered. We investigated how community colleges from one California district with particularly high remediation rates have responded to external pressures to revamp the traditional delivery model for developmental math. We did so by studying which delivery models they used, where they allocated alternative delivery models in the math sequence, and the extent that they adopted alternative delivery models over time. Method: We employed content and descriptive analytic...
nab-Paclitaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil followed by concurrent cisplatin and radiation for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma☆

Abstract Objectives We previously reported the efficacy of nab-paclitaxel added to cisplatin, 5-FU, and cetuximab (APF-C) followed by concurrent high dose bolus cisplatin and radiation therapy (CRT) in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In this phase II trial, we determined the efficacy of APF (without cetuximab) followed by CRT in similar patients. Materials and methods Eligible patients had stage III–IV oropharynx (OP), larynx, or hypopharynx SCC and adequate organ function and performance status. T1 tumors were excluded. Patients were treated with three cycles of APF followed by CRT. Efficacy endpoints included two-year disease-specific survival (DSS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and relapse rate. Results Thirty patients were enrolled. Most patients were smokers (77%) with bulky T3/4 (73%) and N2/3 (83%) tumors. Analyses were stratified for human papilloma virus (HPV) status: HPV-related OPSCC (n = 17; 57%) and HPV-unrelated HNSCC (n = 13; 43%). With a minimum follow-up of 21 months, relapse occurred in 1 (3%) patient. Two-year DSS was 94% in HPV-related OPSCC and 100% in HPV-unrelated HNSCC. Two-year PFS was 94% in HPV-related OPSCC and 100% in HPV-unrelated HNSCC. Two-year OS was 94% in HPV-related OPSCC and 92% in HPV-unrelated HNSCC. Causes of death were relapse (1), treatment-related mortality (1), and co-morbidity (1). Two patients with HPV-unrelated HNSCC treated with APF declined CRT and remained free of relapse at 36 and 28 months of follow-up. Conclusion This phase II trial demonstrated favorable two-year DSS, PFS, and OS and a low relapse rate in HPV-unrelated HNSCC and HPV-related OPSCC treated with APF followed by CRT.
Synthetic aperture processing for passive co-prime linear sensor arrays

In this paper, we explore the use of synthetic aperture processing for optimizing the spatial covariance estimation capabilities of a moving linear co-prime sensor array. The linear co-prime sensor array geometry is a thinned linear array that is constructed by nesting uniform linear arrays with inter-related element spacing factors. The application of synthetic aperture processing in this setting is designed to create virtual sensors at missing half-wavelength intervals up to the degree required to produce a hole-free difference co-array across the full aperture of the synthetic array. Once a full set of spatial covariances are estimated covariance matrix based array processing methods can be applied as if the synthetic array were a uniform linear array. In this sense, the synthetic array is designed to approximate a uniform linear array while it retains a thinned linear array structure. We show simulation results examining the quality of the uniform linear array approximation afforded by this application synthetic aperture processing.
JOURNAL CLUB: Radiologists' Online Identities: What Patients Find When They Search Radiologists by Name.

OBJECTIVE. Patients are increasingly seeking online information regarding their health and their health care providers. Concurrently, more patients are accessing their electronic medical records, including their radiology reports, via online portals. Thus, this study aims to characterize what patients find when they search for radiologists online. MATERIALS AND METHODS. All Medicare-participating U.S. radiologists were identified using the Physician Compare National Downloadable File dataset obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Using a custom application, the top 10 Google search results for each radiologist in the national dataset were retrieved, and 90.5% of website domains with more than one occurrence were categorized as follows: physician or institution controlled, third party–controlled physician information systems, social media, or other. Aggregate and subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS. Of all U.S. health care providers recognized by CMS, 30,601 self-identified...
386. Toxicology for DUX4-Targeted MicroRNAs

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant disorder affecting 1 in 7500. Symptoms typically arise in young adulthood and most patients show clinical features before age 30. FSHD is characterized by progressive wasting and weakness of facial and shoulder-girdle muscles, though all skeletal muscle can be affected. Currently there is no treatment for FSHD. The pathogenic events leading to FSHD have only recently started coming into focus. Several studies now support an FSHD pathogenesis model involving aberrant expression of the DUX4 gene, which encodes a myotoxic transcription factor. The emergence of DUX4 enabled the development of FSHD therapies. Previously our lab demonstrated proof of principle for the use of a DUX4-targeted RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene therapy. We have pursued two engineered microRNAs that showed strong therapeutic efficacy determined by their ability to suppress pathogenic levels of DUX4, and prevent myopathy in mice. To continue down a translational path this study was designed to determine the safety of microRNA therapy to muscle (which has not been previously determined) by delivering high doses for preliminary non-GLP toxicity studies. Both local intramuscular injections and systemic isolated limb perfusions were performed to identify safe sequence and dosing parameters for lead DUX4-targeted microRNAs at acute (3 week) and long-term (5 month) timepoints. To further circumvent potential off-target organ toxicity we have optimized these vectors to restrict expression to skeletal muscle. The safety parameters along with the promoter optimization provide necessary data for translating an RNAi-based therapy for FSHD.
The effect of BMI at time of surgery on long-term outcome after radical prostatectomy.

e15203 Background: Body mass index (BMI) at time of surgery was determined among 715 radical prostatectomy patients. The association of BMI with a range of treatment outcomes was considered. Methods: The associations of BMI at time of radical prostatectomy (RP) with disease stage and aggressiveness and long-term outcome were evaluated among 715 patients treated with RP at Roswell Park Cancer Institute between 1993 and 2005. Clinical and pathological aggressiveness indicators included clinical Gleason sum and tumor stage (2002 TNM), highest preoperative PSA, pathological Gleason sum and tumor stage (2002 TNM) and surgical margin status. Ten post-RP recurrence definitions were considered: 1) PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/ml; 2) PSA ≥ 0.4 ng/ml (with 1 confirming value); 3) 1 or more post RP treatments (ADT, radiation, chemotherapy); 4) PSA doubling time < 12 months; 5) PSA doubling time < 9 months; 6) PSA doubling time < 6 months; 7) NCCN definition of PSA failure; 8) AUA definition of PSA failure; 9) diagnosis of metastati...
Evaluating transformation with available resources: The influence of APEX on depression screening.

OBJECTIVE The University of Colorado developed and piloted a team-based primary care delivery model called ambulatory process excellence (APEX) in a family medicine residency in 2015. We evaluated its impact on depression screening using found data and tools readily available to practice-based evaluators. METHOD The APEX model calls for 5 medical assistants (MAs) supporting 2 providers. MAs have dedicated time to provide delegated care, including depression screening with 2 versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire: PHQ-2 and PHQ-9. Using an interrupted time-series-with-control design, we created longitudinal profiles of the pilot and a control practice using statistical process control charts. We obtained data from preexisting dashboards derived from the electronic medical record. Outcomes included PHQ-2 screening rates, patients screening positive, and the proportion of them completing a PHQ-9. Covariates included monthly visits and new-patient appointments. Using Microsoft Excel, we transformed all data into modified z scores, plotted them on a multivariate control chart for each practice, and assessed them for evidence of special cause variation. Key informants provided information about potentially confounding concurrent events. RESULTS Compared with baseline, the intervention practice significantly increased primary care medical visits and new-patient appointments, increased positive PHQ-2 patients, and improved PHQ-9 completion. High screening rates remained stable. In the control practice, new-patient appointments increased and PHQ2 screening improved. DISCUSSION APEX may contribute to better depression-screening processes. We have provided a detailed description of a real-world, practice-based, quasi-experimental evaluation model using common spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel) to transform and analyze found data with multivariate statistical process-control charts. (PsycINFO Database Record