cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute Descending Aortic Dissections: Management of Visceral, Spinal Cord, and Extremity Malperfusion

Acute descending aortic dissection is considered the most catastrophic event affecting the aorta and occurs two to three times more often than rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms. The therapeutic aim in treating acute dissection is not only directed at the prevention of aneurysmal development and rupture but also to prevent and treat complications such as malperfusion syndrome. According to Lauterbach and coworkers patients with symptomatic malperfusion syndromes have a 51% mortality rate compared with a 29% mortality rate in patients who do not. The surgical in-hospital mortality rate in patients with mesenteric or peripheral vascular ischemic complications may be as high as 89%. Despite an improvement in diagnosing dissections and malperfusion syndromes, and despite improved operative techniques and a better understanding of the significance of perioperative care, the surgical mortality rate can be as high as 50%. Endovascular techniques are constantly evolving that provide an alternative to open procedures. The goal of this article was to review the pathogenesis of malperfusion syndromes in aortic dissection, discuss the current modalities to treat malperfusion of the spinal cord, viscera, and extremities, and examine the results of the treatments used today.
Driving Innovation and Knowledge Management Using Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is emerging as a critical source of information and knowledge in contemporary enterprises. Web 2.0-like tools are being developed to help enterprises perform crowdsourcing. Further, in an era of global competition and where “CIO” is increasingly being used to refer to “Chief Innovation Officer,” facilitating enterprise innovation is becoming more and more important. This paper presents a case that is designed to illustrate the use of a Web 2.0-like tool to gather data from an enterprise’s crowd to facilitate generating innovative ideas and help manage innovation knowledge. The case presents the basic system design and provides screens to illustrate its use. The case also examines how two firms have used the tool in the banking and consulting industries. Finally, the case examines some potential challenges associated with systems of this type.
Rank stable instantons over positive definite four manifolds

We study the moduli space of rank stable based instantons over a connected sum of q copies of CP^2. For c_2=1 we give the homotopy type of the moduli space. For c_2=2 we compute the cohomology of the moduli space.
The Source of Fluid Deep to the Iliotibial Band: Documentation of a Potential Intra-Articular Source

Objective To determine whether there is a consistent extension of the lateral synovial recess under the iliotibial band (ITB) in an unembalmed cadaveric model. Design A prospective laboratory investigation. Setting A procedural skills laboratory of a tertiary medical center. Subjects Twelve unembalmed cadaveric knee specimens. Methods The suprapatellar recess, ITB, and region deep to the ITB were examined sonographically to document the absence of fluid in each knee. Thereafter, 60 mL of normal saline solution was injected into each knee to distend the joint recesses. Postinjection sonographic examination of the ITB at the level of the lateral femoral epicondyle was repeated at 0°, 25°, and 45° of knee flexion to detect and characterize any fluid visualized in the region of the ITB. The location of fluid in relation to the ITB was recorded as anterior, deep, posterior, or a combination of these positions. Results Fluid was observed anterior and deep to the ITB in 100% of 12 specimens. In 2 specimens, fluid also was noted posterior to the ITB. The presence and location of the fluid did not appear to change as a function of knee position. Using dynamic sonographic evaluation, we could track the fluid deep to the ITB back to the knee joint. Conclusions The lateral synovial recess appears to regularly extend beneath the anterior ITB. Fluid deep to the ITB should precipitate further evaluation of the knee joint when clinically indicated. Although distention of the lateral synovial recess is not always symptomatic, synovial irritation may be a pathoetiologic factor in the production of lateral knee pain syndromes, including ITB syndrome.
The role of surgery in hemoptysis caused by thoracic actinomycosis; a forgotten disease.

Objective: Thoracic actinomycosis is a relatively uncommon anaerobic infection caused by Actinomyces israelii. Rarely, it may be complicated by an unusual but significant hemoptysis manifestation. We describe our experiences of surgical treatment for hemoptysis in patients with pulmonary actinomycosis. Methods: From 1984 to 2002, 14 patients with thoracic actinomycosis and hemoptysis were diagnosed after thoracotomy. There were 11 male and three female patients with a mean age of 53.6 years. They all had non-specific symptoms and radiographic findings, and no case was an accurate diagnosis made at the time of hospital admission, including echo-guide aspiration, serial bronchoscopic biopsy and computed tomography biopsy. The indications of surgical intervention in our patients were for treating complications such as hemoptysis, chronic sinus discharge, or empyema, also limited to diagnostic purposes. Preoperative embolization was performed in seven cases; however, none was successful. Results: Among the 14 patients, all the lesions were unilateral. The disease was confined to the lung in all patients; and chest wall involvement in one patient. The surgical procedures included were as follows: pneumonectomy (n ¼ 1), bilobectomy (n ¼ 1), lobectomy (n ¼ 10), wedge resection (n ¼ 2), and lung lesion with concomitant chest wall resection and chest wall reconstruction (n ¼ 1). Mean intraoperative and postoperative blood loss within the first 24 h was 192.3 ml, and five patients required blood transfusion. All of the specimens from the lesion site showed histological evidence of Actinomyces infection. All patients regularly took 12 million units per day of intravenous crystalline penicillin G during their hospitalization, and oral procaine penicillin for up to 2 months. During the follow-up, all patients had an uneventful postoperative course. Conclusions: A high index of suspicion for this disease is advised for the surgeon engaged in the treatment of hemoptysis. Surgical resection of pulmonary actinomycosis is effective in preventing recurrence of hemoptysis. After diagnosis, it is treated using penicillin chemotherapy for at least 2 months.
Vigabatrin: effects on human brain GABA levels by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Summary: Vigabatrin (VGB, Sabril) is a new antiepileptic drug used for treatment of partial and secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Many controlled short- and long-term trials have established efficacy as add-on therapy. Side effects have been infrequent. VGB acts as an irreversible substrate for 7-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase that leads to elevated brain GABA levels. Although this mechanism has been confirmed in animals and in cerebrospinal fluid of humans, we report the first study of brain GABA levels using noninvasive nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. GABA elevation in brain closely parallels VGB dosage and reaches concentrations 2–3 times control values at daily dosage of 3 g. This technique offers promising potential to monitor changes induced by VGB as a function of time, dose, and clinical effect.
A parametric approach to robust state and parameter estimation for a certain class of nonlinear systems

This work presents an observer design methodology which guarantees stability as well as bounds for performance for simultaneous state and parameter estimation for a certain class of nonlinear systems. The approach is based upon the idea that the unknown parameters can be treated as augmented states of the system and stability of the state and parameter estimator is guaranteed by application of a variation of Kharitonov's theorem. Certain performance criteria can also be met with the design approach via a change of coordinates followed by application of Kharitonov's theorem. The presented technique is illustrated with an example where simultaneous state and parameter estimation is performed.
Defect based testing with a new ISB current strategy

It is shown that in deep-sub-micron CMOS products, burn-in (BI) conditions can cause degradation of outgoing material because the electrical characterization of such material gives electrical signatures that correspond to integrated defect mechanisms. Sampling BI, with BI time adapted to reliability risk, is the first step to BI elimination. Standby current versus Vcc voltage is shown to be a good way for unit separation and reliability risk estimation.
Nearest optimal repeatable control strategies for kinematically redundant manipulators

Kinematically redundant manipulators, by definition, possess an infinite number of generalized inverse control strategies for solving the Jacobian equation. These control strategies are not, in general, repeatable in the sense that closed trajectories for the end-reflector do not result in closed trajectories in the joint space. The Lie bracket condition (LBC) can be used to check for the possibility of integral surfaces, also called stable surfaces, which define regions of repeatable behavior. However, the LBC is only a necessary condition. A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of stable surfaces is used to illustrate that such surfaces are much rarer than previously thought. A technique for designing a repeatable control that is nearest, in an integral norm sense, to a desired optimal control is presented. The desired optimal control is allowed to take the form of any generalized inverse. An example is presented that illustrates the capability of designing repeatable controls that approximate the behavior of desired optimal inverses in selected regions of the workspace. >
Flexural Capacity of Full-Depth and Two-Lift Concrete Slabs with Recycled Aggregates:

Full-depth and two-lift concrete slabs were cast with fractionated reclaimed asphalt pavement and recycled concrete aggregate as partial and full replacements of the coarse aggregate in a ternary blend concrete containing cement, slag, and fly ash. These large-scale slabs were monotonically loaded at the edge to quantify the effect of recycled aggregates on the slab's flexural capacity. Although the introduction of these recycled aggregates into the concrete reduced the compressive, split tensile, and flexural strengths as well as the elastic modulus of the concrete relative to virgin aggregate concrete, fracture testing demonstrated that recycled concrete aggregate can have fracture properties statistically similar to those of virgin aggregate concrete. Testing of the flexural capacity of the slabs revealed that concrete with recycled aggregates had peak loads at failure similar to or greater than those of virgin aggregate concrete despite a significant difference in beam flexural strength. The calculate...
The Health of the Corporate Body: Illness and Organizational Dynamics

The search for ways to cut health care costs in organizations has rarely considered the direct relationship between organizational variables and health. This article hypothesizes that health and illness within a particular organization may be related to the social dynamics of the work setting. Data was gathered from a survey of a corporation with 13,000 employees who work in 16 organizations. An index of reported health symptoms was correlated with scales developed from questions related to organizational issues. Using stepwise multiple regression, 20% of the variance of the aggregate health symptoms was accounted for by three organizational scales (organization-person balance, managerial treatment, and discrimination) after controlling for demographic variables. A second analysis, which focused on the collective dynamics of the 16 organizations, supported the findings of the first analysis. This study found that issues of support, balance, change, and inequity are crucial factors in fostering a healthy w...
The outer dynein arm-docking complex: composition and characterization of a subunit (oda1) necessary for outer arm assembly

To learn more about how dyneins are targeted to specific sites in the flagellum, we have investigated a factor necessary for binding of outer arm dynein to the axonemal microtubules of Chlamydomonas. This factor, termed the outer dynein arm-docking complex (ODA-DC), previously was shown to be missing from axonemes of the outer dynein armless mutants oda1 and oda3. We have now partially purified the ODA-DC, determined that it contains equimolar amounts of M(r) approximately 105,000 and approximately 70,000 proteins plus a third protein of M(r) approximately 25,000, and found that it is associated with the isolated outer arm in a 1:1 molar ratio. We have cloned a full-length cDNA encoding the M(r) approximately 70,000 protein; the sequence predicts a 62.5-kDa protein with potential homologs in higher ciliated organisms, including humans. Sequencing of corresponding cDNA from strain oda1 revealed it has a mutation resulting in a stop codon just downstream of the initiator ATG; thus, it is unable to make the full-length M(r) approximately 70,000 protein. These results demonstrate that the ODA1 gene encodes the M(r) approximately 70,000 protein, and that the protein is essential for assembly of the ODA-DC and the outer dynein arm onto the doublet microtubule.
Securitization and Loan Performance: A Contrast of Ex Ante and Ex Post Relations in the Mortgage Market

This study presents an intriguing contrast of the ex ante and ex post relations between mortgage securitization and loan performance using a comprehensive dataset from a major national mortgage lender. While the paper supports that the bank applies lower screening efforts on loans that have higher ex ante probability of being securitized, it further shows that loans remaining on the bank’s balance sheet are, ex post, of worse quality than sold loans. Most of the delinquency difference can be explained by secondary market investors’ information advantage over the originating bank acquired over the time lag between loan origination and loan sale. While many blame the presence of the secondary market for creating demand for low-quality loans, we find that ironically these loans hurt the originating bank more than they did the secondary market.
Ethnic Identity at a Majority Hispanic-Serving Institution

This study examines the ethnic identity of Cuban American and non-Hispanic White college students at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. Current Latino/a and White college student ethnic identity theories are limited regarding a variety of contextual considerations such as immigration, majority-minority demographics, student ethnic interactions, and interethnic differences. This study finds that Cuban American and non-Hispanic ethnic identities at FIU are unique particularly because individually, students from both these ethnic groups do not fit in exactly their respective general ethnic categories. Additionally, students from both ethnic groups are in the midst of transculturation, or exchanging cultural traits.
Nash equilibrium seeking with infinitely-many players

We introduce a non-model based approach for the stable attainment of a Nash equilibrium in noncooperative static games with infinitely-many (non-atomic) players. In classical game theory algorithms, each player employs the knowledge of the functional form of his payoff and of the other players' actions, whereas in the proposed algorithm, the players need to measure only their own payoff values. This strategy is based on the extremum seeking approach, which has previously been developed for standard optimization problems and employs sinusoidal perturbations to estimate the gradient of an unknown function. We consider games with quadratic payoff functions, proving convergence to a neighborhood of the Nash equilibrium, and provide simulation results for an example price game.
Consciousness in robots: the hard problem and some less hard problems

Based on results from evolutionary psychology we discuss important functions that can be served by consciousness in autonomous robots. We distinguish intrinsic intentionality from consciousness, but argue it is also important. Finally we explore the hard problem for robots (i.e., whether they can experience subjective awareness) from the perspective of the theory of protophenomena.
Cultural Darwinism and Language

This article examines the effect of cultural selection on the development of language in humans. First, it is claimed that directive and expressive types of speech acts are commonly found in many animal species. Representative speech acts, on the other hand, with the exception of animal "calls," are found primarily among humans. !t is argued that a cultural environment is a probable selective factor for the capacity to produce representative speech acts. Second, it is argued that representative speech acts, once they became part of language, acted as a selective factor for increased intelligence and associated greater brain size. And, finally, it is argued that the capacity to create representative speech acts selected for brains that could store great numbers of memory episodes and narratives, as well as plan for the future. [Key words: evolution, language, cultural selection, brain, intelligence, memory]
Planar antenna-coupled transition-edge hot electron microbolometer

We describe a new type of bolometric detector for millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The detector is a variant of the Transition Edge Sensor (TES), which has recently been used to build bolometers. In this version of the TES, we couple radiation from a planar antenna to an absorbing normal metal film which is electrically connected to a superconducting thin film. The lateral dimensions of the absorber and TES are /spl sim/10 microns. At low temperatures, the thermal isolation between the electrons and the lattice in the absorber and the superconductor allows the electrons to heat up. We call this device a Transition-edge Hot-electron Microbolometer (THM). These detectors could have numerous advantages for low-background measurements in the far-IR, such as, background-limited sensitivity, short time constant, wide spectral range, immunity to cosmic rays, low microphonic noise and simple readout electronics. We are currently building a low-frequency scale model of the planar antenna to characterize microwave properties of the system.
Overview of Management of Posterior Uveal Melanoma

In the first edition of this textbook, we stressed the controversies in management of melanomas of the ciliary body and choroid (posterior uveal melanoma). Many of the controversies have been largely resolved, and there continue to be new developments related to the management of patients with posterior uveal melanoma. Therefore, it seems appropriate in this chapter to provide a brief overview of the current options in management of this important intraocular tumor. Other authors will discuss the details of radiation therapy of uveal melanoma.
Rotating quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy ion collisions

We study the rotational collective motion of the quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions using the widely adopted a multiphase transport (AMPT) model. The global angular momentum, the average vorticity carried by the quark-gluon plasma, and the locally defined vorticity fields are computed for $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions, with detailed information of their time evolution, spatial distribution, as well as the dependence on beam energy and collision centrality.
Abstract W P79: Hyperhomocysteinemia Is Associated With Vulnerability of the Cerebral Aneurysmal Wall to Rupture in Ovariectomized Rats

Introduction: The pathogenesis of cerebral aneurysms is multifactorial. Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) leads to endothelial and platelet deterioration and may be associated with the formation of cerebral aneurysms. We tested the hypothesis that HHcy plays a role in the growth and/or rupture of cerebral aneurysms. Methods: We exposed 13-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-salt diet to estrogen deficiency, hemodynamic stress, and induced hypertension. To induce HHcy we added methionine to their drinking water. Results: In methionine induced rats the aneurysms the total rupture rate was higher than in rats not treated with methionine. One fourth of the aneurysms arising at the anterior communicating (Acom) artery, and half of the aneurysms at the posterior half of the circle of Willis, but no aneurysms at the anterior cerebral artery-olfactory artery (ACA-OA) bifurcation ruptured. Immunohistochemically, the infiltration of M1 macrophages was increased at the Acom artery in methionine induced rats and the messenger ribonucleic acid level of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, the ratio of MMP-9 to tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease (TIMP)2, and the interleukin-6 level were higher at the Acom artery than the ACA-OA bifurcation. Treatment with folic acid abolished the exacerbated effects due to HHcy, suggesting that the propensity of cerebral aneurysms at the Acom artery to rupture is attributable to disequilibrium between the degradation molecules and their inhibitors and to macrophage infiltration. Conclusion: HHcy may be associated with vulnerability of the cerebral aneurysmal wall to rupture in hypertensive ovariectomized rats.
Adapting to the Changing Climate: An Assessment of Local Health Department Preparations for Climate Change-Related Health Threats, 2008-2012.

Background Climate change poses a major public health threat. A survey of U.S. local health department directors in 2008 found widespread recognition of the threat, but limited adaptive capacity, due to perceived lack of expertise and other resources. Methods We assessed changes between 2008 and 2012 in local public health departments' preparedness for the public health threats of climate change, in light of increasing national polarization on the issue, and widespread funding cutbacks for public health. A geographically representative online survey of directors of local public health departments was conducted in 2011–2012 (N = 174; response rate = 50%), and compared to the 2008 telephone survey results (N = 133; response rate = 61%). Results Significant polarization had occurred: more respondents in 2012 were certain that the threat of local climate change impacts does/does not exist, and fewer were unsure. Roughly 10% said it is not a threat, compared to 1% in 2008. Adaptation capacity decreased in several areas: perceived departmental expertise in climate change risk assessment; departmental prioritization of adaptation; and the number of adaptation-related programs and services departments provided. In 2008, directors' perceptions of local impacts predicted the number of adaptation-related programs and services their departments offered, but in 2012, funding predicted programming and directors' impact perceptions did not. This suggests that budgets were constraining directors' ability to respond to local climate change-related health threats. Results also suggest that departmental expertise may mitigate funding constraints. Strategies for overcoming these obstacles to local public health departments' preparations for climate change are discussed.
Radiosurgery of the Sellar and Parasellar Region

Tumors of the sellar and parasellar regions have posed tremendous challenges to neurosurgeons over the past century. Conventional microsurgical techniques alone are often insufficient in providing definitive treatment. Attempts at complete resection are often hindered by tumor proximity to critical vascular, neuronal, and hormonal structures. Treatment combinations including surgery, radiosurgery, radiation therapy, and medical management are often utilized to improve remission rates. Since Dr. Harvey Cushing used the “radium bomb” to treat intracranial tumors in 1923, ionizing radiation has been used as a primary or adjuvant treatment for sellar and parasellar tumors by both neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists.
Value of Early Operation in Blunt Testicular Contusion with Hematocele

The use of ultrasound for evaluation of blunt testicular injury with hematocele allows contusion to be differentiated from rupture, and some authors advocate reserving surgical management for rupture. Our experience with the conservative management of 20 men with testicular contusion and hematocele was not encouraging. Of the patients 8 (40 per cent) required delayed exploration that involved orchiectomy in 3 (15 per cent) because of unresorbed hematoma or infection despite antibiotic use. In contrast, early surgical exploration in 19 patients reduced the morbidity and duration of disability, and resulted in an orchiectomy rate of 0.
Teaching Introductory Manufacturing Experimental Design Using Taguchi Methodology

Students in a manufacturing curriculum need to be exposed to the concepts of quality as part of the manufacturing design by performing industrial experiments. Taguchi methodology is one such method. It is widely accepted, not overly complex, and economic to implement. This works well in the educational environment.
Safe Control under Uncertainty with Probabilistic Signal Temporal Logic.

Safe control of dynamical systems that satisfy temporal invariants expressing various safety properties is a challenging problem that has drawn the attention of many researchers. However, making the assumption that such temporal properties are deterministic is far from the reality. For example, a robotic system might employ a camera sensor and a machine learned system to identify obstacles. Consequently, the safety properties the controller has to satisfy, will be a function of the sensor data and the associated classifier. We propose a framework for achieving safe control. At the heart of our approach is the new Probabilistic Signal Temporal Logic (PrSTL), an expressive language to define stochastic properties, and enforce probabilistic guarantees on them. We also present an efficient algorithm to reason about safe controllers given the constraints derived from the PrSTL specification. One of the key distinguishing features of PrSTL is that the encoded logic is adaptive and changes as the system encounters additional data and updates its beliefs about the latent random variables that define the safety properties. We demonstrate our approach by deriving safe control of quadrotors and autonomous vehicles in dynamic environments.
Level of aspiration of high and low achievers on a problem-solving task

Level of aspiration on a problem-solving task was hypothesized to (a) depend on achievement on a previous problem-solving task, (b) be higher in males than in females, and (c) be related to long-term educational aspirations. College students (28 males and 31 females) were divided into high achievers and low achievers based on their performance on Problem Set A. High achievers made higher estimates for their performance on Problem Set B than low achievers. Males made higher estimates and performed better on Problem Set B than females. However, estimates were not related to students’ long-term educational aspirations. The low achievers improved significantly more than the high achievers lost on Problem Set B. The low achievers also set a positive goal discrepancy whereas the high achievers did not.
Aegis audio engine: integrating a real-time analog signal processing, pattern recognition, and a procedural soundtrack in a live twelve-perfomer spectacle with crowd participation

This material is based upon work supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 0940723.
A numerical analysis of projectile nose geometry including sliding friction for penetration into geological targets

Optimal axisymmetric penetrator nose shapes that result in most penetration under the effect of pressure-dependent Coulomb Friction are presented. The nose shapes were determined by dividing a circ...
Theory of educational art: A reply

W E WERE INTERESTED in the comments of Drs. Spaulding and Cooney on the subject of educational art in textbook design, and welcome the opportunity to reply. The most telling point made in either of these critiques is that of Seth Spaulding, who demands some experimental justification of the use of visual art in textbooks, especially to test what types of illustration are best for different purposes and different reader groups. We agree with his call for research on these problems, and would welcome his support in carrying out projects in this area. In terms of our present knowledge, we justify our use and programming of art in books and classrooms as follows:
Enantioselective Synthesis of (-)-Acetylapoaranotin.

The first enantioselective total synthesis of the epipolythiodiketopiperazine (ETP) natural product (−)-acetylapoaranotin (3) is reported. The concise synthesis was enabled by an eight-step synthesis of a key cyclohexadienol-containing amino ester building block. The absolute stereochemistry of both amino ester building blocks used in the synthesis is set through catalytic asymmetric (1,3)-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. The formal syntheses of (−)-emethallicin E and (−)-haemotocin are also achieved through the preparation of a symmetric cyclohexadienol-containing diketopiperazine.
Flow separation effects on shoreline sediment transport

Abstract Field-tested numerical model simulations are used to estimate the effects of an inlet, ebb shoal, wave height, wave direction, and shoreline geometry on the variability of bathymetric change on a curved coast with a migrating inlet and strong nearshore currents. The model uses bathymetry measured along the southern shoreline of Martha's Vineyard, MA, and was validated with waves and currents observed from the shoreline to ~10-m water depth. Between 2007 and 2014, the inlet was open and the shoreline along the southeast corner of the island eroded ~200 m and became sharper. Between 2014 and 2015, the corner accreted and became smoother as the inlet closed. Numerical simulations indicate that variability of sediment transport near the corner shoreline depends more strongly on its radius of curvature (a proxy for the separation of tidal flows from the coast) than on the presence of the inlet, the ebb shoal, or wave height and direction. As the radius of curvature decreases (as the corner sharpens), tidal asymmetry of nearshore currents is enhanced, leading to more sediment transport near the shoreline over several tidal cycles. The results suggest that feedbacks between shoreline geometry and inner-shelf flows can be important to coastal erosion and accretion in the vicinity of an inlet.
Hybrid state transactional database for product lifecycle management features in a multi-engineer synchronous heterogeneous CAD environment

ABSTRACTAs interoperability between Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems becomes a possibility, a need arises for a way for the Neutral Parametric Canonical Form (NPCF), as designed at the BYU Site of the NSF Center for e-Design, to be integrated with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). The only method currently available to users to sync with a PLM system at this time would be to choose one CAD system and create files based off of the NPCF data then save those part files in the PLM system. This database expansion to the NPCF allows the NPCF to hold the entire part history as well as enable future work revision history and configuration management. Enforcing referential integrity within the database allows for part data to never get corrupted and the NPCF allows any CAD system with the appropriate plug-ins to read the uncorrupted data.
Cost Analysis of Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Cambodia with and without Xpert ® MTB/RIF for People Living with HIV/AIDS and People with Presumptive Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis

The Xpert® MTB/RIF (Xpert) test has been shown to be effective and cost-effective for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) under conditions with high HIV prevalence and HIV-TB co-infection but less is known about Xpert’s cost in low HIV prevalence settings. Cambodia, a country with low HIV prevalence (0.7%), high TB burden, and low multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB burden (1.4% of new TB cases, 11% of retreatment cases) introduced Xpert into its TB diagnostic algorithms for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and people with presumptive MDR TB in 2012. The study objective was to estimate these algorithms’ costs pre- and post-Xpert introduction in four provinces of Cambodia. Using a retrospective, ingredients-based microcosting approach, primary cost data on personnel, equipment, maintenance, supplies, and specimen transport were collected at four sites through observation, records review, and key informant consultations. Across the sample facilities, the cost per Xpert test was US$33.88–US$37.11, clinical exam cost US$1.22–US$1.84, chest X-ray cost US$2.02–US$2.14, fluorescent microscopy (FM) smear cost US$1.56–US$1.93, Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) smear cost US$1.26, liquid culture test cost US$11.63–US$22.83, follow-on work-up for positive culture results and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) identification cost US$11.50–US$14.72, and drug susceptibility testing (DST) cost US$44.26. Specimen transport added US$1.39–US$5.21 per sample. Assuming clinician adherence to the algorithms and perfect test accuracy, the normative cost per patient correctly diagnosed under the post-Xpert algorithms would be US$25–US$29 more per PLHIV and US$34–US$37 more per person with presumptive MDR TB (US$41 more per PLHIV when accounting for variable test sensitivity and specificity). Xpert test unit costs could be reduced through lower cartridge prices, longer usable life of GeneXpert® (Cepheid, USA) instruments, and increased test volumes; however, epidemiological and test eligibility conditions in Cambodia limit the number of specimens received at laboratories, leading to sub-optimal utilization of current instruments. Improvements to patient referral and specimen transport could increase test volumes and reduce Xpert test unit costs in this setting.
Case Study: Moexipril Hydrochloride: A Prodrug of Moexiprilat

Moexiprilat is an orally active, nonsulfhydryl, long-acting dipeptide angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used to lower blood pressure (Stimpel et al., 1995; Brogden and Wiseman, 1998; Chrysant and Chrysant, 2003). Moexipril hydrochloride shows improved bioavailability compared to moexiprilat, most likely because esterification reduces the charge of the molecule and the pKa of its amine group (pKa Moexprilat = 7.7; pKa Moexipril = 5.4). Based on the comparable oral bioavailabilities of various esters of enalapril with different lipophilicities, it appears that lipophilicity is not the only factor that enhances oral bioavailability (Wyvratt and Patchett, 1985).
Topic, Focus and Copy Possessor Ascension

This chapter deals with the surface constituency of PA clauses and the interaction with PA of various ‘extraction rules’, in particular, Focus and Topicalization. These interactions illuminate properties of the latter two phenomena.
The medieval cosmos : Its structure and operation

La structure physique de l'univers est a l'origine dominee par les idees de Platon et d'Aristote qui, grâce a leurs travaux metaphysiques, sont les precurseurs de la nouvelle cosmologie
From Field to Hearth: An Earthly Interpretation of Maya and Other Mesoamerican Creation Myths

Ancient Maya mythology may perplex the modern student. As recorded in inscriptions, mythological episodes are cryptically short, speak of obscure places and entities, and leave much to the reader who, if Maya, would have been so intimately familiar with the story that the details we find lacking were already deeply imprinted on their psyche. Nevertheless, from these esoteric textual fragments and associated imagery we may redact a rich mythological world whose symbolism owes much to the agricultural practices and foodways surrounding maize, still the staple crop of Mesoamerican peoples (Staller et al. 2006; see Anderson and Tuxill, this volume).
Combustion-Powered Actuation for Transitory Flow Control

The susceptibility of wall-bounded and free shear flows to transitory, pulsed actuation having time scales that are significantly shorter than the flow’s characteristic convective time scale has be...
Margaret C. Simms: Economist, Educator, Administrator, Organizer, and Mentor:

In the history of African American women economists, no name stands above that of Dr. Margaret C. Simms. When she earned the PhD in economics in 1974, she joined a very small cadre of African Ameri...
A Four-Level Modular Multilevel Converter with Self Voltage Balancing and Extremely Small DC Capacitor

The modular feature of modular multilevel converter (MMC) makes it stand out for medium/high voltage applications. However, as the number of sub-modules increases, the control complexity of voltage balance of each sub-module sharply increases. Conventionally, the MMC sub-module voltage cannot be balanced without voltage monitoring and control. This paper mathematically proofs that four-level MMC has the merit of self voltage balancing by nature. This merit eliminates the voltage monitoring and control for MMC. The four-level MMC simulations are provided for verification purpose. In addition, since the sub-module capacitor voltage tends to converge to nominal value, the low frequency voltage ripple is greatly reduced, which allows the sub-module capacitance to be extremely small. The proposed four-level MMC is 1/8th –1/6th the capacitance compared to conventional MMCs.
Running economy, mechanics, and marathon racing shoes

The choice of marathon racing shoes can greatly affect performance. The purpose of this study is to metabolically and mechanically compare the consumer version of the Nike Vaporfly 4% shoe to two o...
Can offshore HABs hinder the development of offshore mussel aquaculture in the northeast United States

Abstract Shellfish aquaculture is predicted to expand from nearshore locations into US federal waters in response to increased seafood demand and domestic food security concerns. As the industry moves into new areas, risk from offshore harmful algal blooms (HABs) focuses attention on new needs for summary background information about past algal bloom events to guide management decisions and monitoring programs. Indigenous Alexandrium and Pseudo-nitzschia species both have triggered shellfish harvest closures in offshore areas of New England after toxins were measured in bivalve tissues. The information in this short communication summarizes the scope of monitoring and management programs for HABs and their toxins in offshore New England areas where future aquaculture may be located. It also identifies HAB-related challenges to offshore farming development and suggests future research and monitoring directions.
Smartphone App to Enable Community-based Surveillance for Neuromuscular Hip Dysplasia in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Development and Application

Purpose: Children with cerebral palsy are at a high risk of developing hip dysplasia. Studies have demonstrated substantially improved function with early identification and treatment of hip dysplasia through a hip surveillance program of regular hip radiographs. The migration percentage (MP), or the percent of the femoral head that is outside of the lateral margin of the acetabulum on a pelvis radiograph, is predictive of progressive hip displacement. An MP of 30% is considered a threshold for referral to a pediatric orthopaedic center in most hip surveillance programs in Europe and Australia. Application of a hip surveillance program in …
POD-DOSI: A dedicated dosimetry system for GammaPod commissioning and quality assurance

PURPOSE GammaPod, a stereotactic partial breast irradiator allowing highly conformal radiation dose delivery, has its unique mechanical design and treatment planning system (TPS). However, the uniqueness of the system poses challenges regarding initial GammaPod system commissioning and routine quality assurance (QA). In this study, we report POD-DOSI, a dedicated dosimetry system for accurate and efficient commissioning and QA of GammaPod. MATERIALS AND METHODS The POD-DOSI system consists of two subsystems, POD-Scanner and POD-Calculator. The POD-Scanner is an automatic ion-chamber positioning system driven by two translational stepper motors for anterior-posterior, longitudinal, and lateral beam scanning. The stepper motors are controlled by a microcomputer through an in-house-developed graphical user interface, which can be remotely accessed by a laptop via wireless connection. The POD-Calculator is a commissioned GPU-based Monte Carlo dose calculation engine, which calculates dose by transporting particles from phase space constructed for GammaPod. In our institution, the POD-DOSI system was used for GammaPod TPS commissioning and dose verification. The POD-Calculator was further developed as a secondary dose calculation tool performing patient-specific plan QA before each treatment. RESULTS The POD-DOSI system has been fully evaluated and tested, both mechanically and dosimetrically, and applied successfully to drive the commissioning of our GammaPod system. The POD-Scanner achieved 0.1 mm accuracy in ion-chamber positioning tests. The POD-Calculator generated dose profiles matched well with water phantom measurements and TPS calculations to <0.5 mm accuracy. For end-to-end test on 56 different treatment plans, in-water point dose measurements by POD-Scanner were within ±2.20% of the doses calculated by POD-Calculator (range: -2.01% to 2.20%, mean: 0.04%, std_dev: 1.10%). Correspondingly, when switching the calculation medium from water to breast tissue, the point doses calculated by the POD-Calculator were within ±1.60% of the point doses calculated by the GammaPOD TPS (range: -1.59% to 1.51%, mean: -0.02%, std_dev: 0.73%). The average three-dimensional gamma passing rate between the GammaPod TPS doses and the POD-Calculator doses was 97.10% under the 2%/1 mm gamma criteria. The POD-DOSI system substantially shortened the GammaPod dosimetry commissioning time from weeks to days. CONCLUSION The developed POD-DOSI system resolves the challenges and streamlines the process of GammaPod commissioning and QA. It improves the efficiency and accuracy for both GammaPod commissioning and routine patient-specific QA.
The epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease in Pinggu District of Beijing during 2011-2013

Objective To describe the epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in Pinggu from 2011 to 2013,and to provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of HFMD.Methods Descriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the epidemiological data of HFMD in Pinggu district from 2011 to 2013.Rate and constituent ratio were used to describe the epidemiological characteristics.Results A total of 2012 cases of HFMD were reported during this period.Most of the cases were scattered children and preschool children under 5 years old.Male patients were more than female patients.HFMD cases can be found from May to October and the peak time was from June to July.The average annual notification rates were 161.18/105.Enterovirus 71(EV71) and Coxsackie virus A16(CoxA16) were the most common pathogens.Conclusions The incidence of HFMD varied with age,sex,season,address and occupations in Pinggu district.It is necessary to strengthen the surveillance and targeted prevention and control of HFMD. Key words: Hand-foot-mouth disease; Epidemiological characteristics; EV71; CoxA16
Gastrointestinal parasite community in the critically endangered West African lion

Large carnivores of Africa, such as lions (Panthera leo), suffer from prey depletion and habitat fragmentation, that possibly impact the composition of the gastrointestinal parasite community. West African lions are particularly important, as this population is critically endangered and yet little is known of their gastrointestinal parasite community, which can reflect the health and resilience of the host population. From fecal samples collected in the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) transboundary protected area complex in Burkina Faso and Niger, we identified 309 oocysts of at least five different species using fecal flotation and sedimentation tests. We also compared these gastrointestinal parasites to other results from surveys of lions from Southern and East African regions and found similar taxa to previous surveys, but lower species richness across West African samples.
Pulled-in-two syndrome in a patient with heavy eye syndrome

We report the case of a 73-year-old woman diagnosed with heavy eye syndrome who underwent loop myopexy of the superior rectus and lateral rectus muscles after suffering pulled-in-two syndrome caused by exploration of the medial rectus muscle, which could not be recovered. Given that intraoperative forced ductions remained positive after loss of the muscle, a loop myopexy of the superior rectus muscle and lateral rectus muscles was performed. Postoperatively the patient regained full adduction, and her esotropia improved notably.
Spatial Distribution of Chesapeake Bay Riparian Hemlock Forests Threatened by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Landscape-scale maps of tree species densities are important tools for managing ecosystems threatened by forest pests. Eastern hemlock dominates riparian forests throughout its range. As a conifer in a deciduous landscape, hemlock plays an ecohydrological role, especially when other species are dormant. The nonnative, hemlock woolly adelgid has caused widespread hemlock decline and mortality. We used two existing basal area raster layers first to identify Chesapeake Bay subwatersheds with ≥6 percent hemlock basal area and second to quantify hemlock basal area densities within fixed-width riparian buffers of 50 m, 100 m, 250 m, and 500 m. Hemlock densities were higher in riparian zones compared with entire subwatersheds. In five subwatersheds, 50 m and 100 m zones had higher percentages of pixels with ≥25 percent hemlock basal area. We produced maps identifying hemlock riparian densities in the Pine Creek Watershed, which managers can use to prioritize sites for supplemental conifer planting under anticipated hemlock decline.
Oclusão Aórtica Aguda: Uma Emergência Rara

Homem de 72 anos, fumador, com diabetes tipo 2, hipertensao arterial e enfarte agudo do miocardio com cirurgia de revascularizacao, suspendeu medicacao ha 3 anos por iniciativa propria. Inicia quadro de dor subita no terco distal da perna esquerda com pe frio e sem pulsos pedioso e tibial posterior. [...]
Sink or float? : Thought problems in math and physics

Sink or float? Contents What do you think? A sampler Geometry Numbers Astronomy Archimedes' principle Probability Classical mechanics Electricity and magnetism Heat and wave phenomena The leaking tank Linear algebra What do youthink? Answers Geometry answers Numbers answers Astronomy answers Archimedes' principle answers Probability answers Mechanics answers Electricity answers Heat and wave phenomena answers The leaking tank answers Linear algebra answers Glossary.
Roles of the vagus in endogenous release of secretin and exocrine pancreatic secretion in dog.

It has been well established that secretin1 is released from upper small intestinal mucosa in response to hydrogen ion delivered in the duodenum in man 2 and dog.3 As pH of the proximal duodenum decreased below 4.0 during the postprandial period, plasma secretin concentration increased significantly in man.4 We investigated a possible role of the vagus nerve in release of endogenous secretin in conscious dogs as well as anesthetized dogs.