cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TANF’s 15th Anniversary and the Great Recession: are Low‐Income Mothers Celebrating Upward Economic Mobility?

This article examines the impact of welfare reform for the upward economic mobility of low-income families at the fifteenth anniversary of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The reformed policy was based on assumptions about participating families’ morality and encouraged states to move families off welfare through work and marriage without considering whether they were still poor. TANF was also implemented during an economic boom. Today, the US economy is suffering from the effects of the Great Recession, with many fearing a double dip recession. Poverty rates rose during the last 3 years and are currently above 15 percent. For the first time since 1996, the welfare rolls are increasing in many states. Welfare reform’s ‘work first’ approach did not create lasting upward economic mobility for low-income families. As an alternative, I explore how higher education for welfare mothers will create opportunities for lasting upward mobility, even in times of recession.
The PMC system level fault model: cardinality properties of the implied faulty sets

One aspect of the PMC system level fault model, the properties of the implied faulty sets, is considered. For tau -diagnosable systems that have at most tau faulty units, lower bounds on the cardinality of the maximal implied faulty sets are given. Then it is shown that these bounds are greatest lower bounds, and it is indicated how these results can be used in diagnosis algorithms. >
MUTUALISM AS RECIPROCAL EXPLOITATION: AFRICAN PLANT-ANTS DEFEND FOLIAR BUT NOT REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES

The foundation of many plant-ant mutualisms is ant protection of plants from herbivores in exchange for food and/or shelter. While the role of symbiotic ants in protecting plants from stem- and leaf-feeding herbivores has been intensively studied, the relationship between ant defense and measures of plant fitness has seldom been quantified. We studied ant aggression, damage by herbivores and seed predators, and fruit production among Acacia drepanolobium trees occupied by four different acacia-ant species in an East African savanna. Levels of ant aggression in response to experimental disturbance differed strongly among the four species. All four ant species recruited more strongly to new leaf growth on host plants following disturbance, while recruitment to developing fruits was on average an order of magnitude lower. Host plants occupied by more aggressive ant species suffered significantly less vegetative damage from leaf-feeding insects, stem-boring beetles, and vertebrate browsers than host plants occupied by less aggressive ant species. However, there were no differences among fruiting host plants occupied by different ant species in levels of seed predation by bruchid seed predators. Fruit production on host trees was significantly correlated with tree stem diameter but not with the identity of resident ants. Our results demonstrate that defense of host plants may differ substantially among ant species and between vegetative and reproductive structures and that fruit production is not necessarily correlated with high levels of aggression by resident ants.
Crystal structure of glycine N-methyltransferase from rat liver.

Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) from rat liver is a tetrameric enzyme with 292 amino acid residues in each identical subunit and catalyzes the S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) dependent methylation of glycine to form sarcosine. The crystal structure of GNMT complexed with AdoMet and acetate, a competitive inhibitor of glycine, has been determined at 2.2 A resolution. The subunit of GNMT forms a spherical shape with an extended N-terminal region which corks the entrance of active site of the adjacent subunit. The active site is located in the near center of the spherical subunit. As a result, the AdoMet and acetate in the active site are completely surrounded by amino acid residues. Careful examination of the structure reveals several characteristics of GNMT. (1) Although the structure of the AdoMet binding domain of the GNMT is very similar to those of other methyltransferases recently determined by X-ray diffraction method, an additional domain found only in GNMT encloses the active site to form a molecu...
Gene Expression and Target Tissue Dose in the Rat Epidermis after Brief JP-8 and JP-8 Aromatic and Aliphatic Component Exposures

Exposures of jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) to human and laboratory animal skin have resulted in skin irritation. JP-8 is a mixture of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, which in some cases have also been shown to be irritating to the skin. In an attempt to determine if aromatic or aliphatic components could mimic the JP-8-induced gene expression response, we exposed rats to JP-8, undecane (UND), tetradecane (TET), trimethylbenzene (TMB), and dimethylnaphthalene (DMN) for 1 h and examined the epidermis to characterize the gene expression response. We also measured the concentrations of the JP-8 components in the epidermis with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after 1-h exposures to JP-8 and pure components to determine if differences in potency could be identified. Changes in gene expression, compared to sham treatment, were studied with microarray techniques and analyzed for changes in gene ontology categories. UND and TMB exposures caused the greatest number of changes in transcript levels compared to DMN and TET. When only the specific functional and signaling pathways that were changed by JP-8 were considered, these pathways were nearly all activated by the components, but to different extents. After pure component exposures, the epidermal concentrations of the components showed no significant differences, although the differences in magnitude of either total or pathway-specific gene expression differed by a factor of 10-fold. We conclude that no single component that we studied mimicked the gene expression resulting from the JP-8 exposure but that UND had the most similar responses. These data suggest that there are differences in potency between the four components studied.
Molecular indications of protein damage in adenoviruses after UV disinfection.

Adenoviruses are resistant to monochromatic, low-pressure (LP) UV disinfection—but have been shown to be susceptible to inactivation by polychromatic, medium-pressure (MP) UV—when assayed using cell culture infectivity. One possible explanation for the difference between UV lamp types is that the additional UV wavelengths emitted by MP UV enable it to cause greater damage to viral proteins than LP UV. The objective of this study was to examine protein damage in adenoviruses treated with LP and MP UV. Results show that MP UV is more effective at damaging viral proteins at high UV doses, though LP UV caused some damage as well. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate protein damage in UV-treated adenovirus, and the overview presented here is expected to provide a basis for further, more detailed work.
Design and Integration: Chip- and System-Level Challenges

In this special issue, guest edited by Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli and Luciano Lavagno, the readers get an excellent view of the issues, challenges, and trends in on-chip integration within the emerging field of complex system-ona-chip (SOC) design. These articles come from presentations at a Project Madess workshop in Rome. Madess stands for Materiali e Dispositivi per l’Elettronica dello Stato Solido (materials and devices for solid-state electronics); it is a special initiative managed by Italy’s Council of National Research (CNR). An ambitious multiyear project, Madess has sought to promote the cooperation of industry and academia in microelectronics development (http://www. madess.cnr.it/summary.htm). These articles cover challenges presented by
Experimental Infection of White-Leghorn Cockerels with Macrorhabdos ornithogaster (Megabacterium)

Abstract Macrorhabdus ornithogaster is a newly described anamorphic ascomycetous yeast that has been reported to cause a chronic, debilitating disease in many species of birds, including poultry. Study of this organism is complicated by the limited ability to grow M. ornithogaster in vitro. In this study, we showed that the chicken can be used to amplify this organism and as a model to study its pathogenicity. An infection rate of 100% was achieved in day-old chicks orally inoculated with 105 M. ornithogaster derived from the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus). The organism was also determined to increase in number by greater than 10-fold 14 days after oral inoculation in these chicks. Chickens infected with M. ornithogaster demonstrated no sign of illness but had decreased feed conversion efficiency and consistent and characteristic histopathologic lesions in the proventriculus and isthmus of the stomach, suggesting that M. ornithogaster may represent a potential threat to the poultry industry.
Improving convergence of distributed LMS estimation by enabling propagation of good estimates through bad nodes

A noisy node that is the only passage between two parts of a network can obstruct propagation of a good estimate through the network. Assuming adapt-then-combine diffusion based least mean square algorithm that uses combiners minimizing the mean square weight deviations, we found a sufficient condition for mean square weight deviation convergence that also guarantees propagation of good estimates through the whole connected part of the network. A practical algorithmic implementation of this condition is developed and compared in performance with several known algorithms for a nontrivial network. The proposed algorithm demonstrates improved performance.
Measuring and Modeling Fiber Bridging: Application to Wood and Wood Composites Exposed to Moisture Cycling

Abstract We propose a new method for determining fiber-bridging, cohesive laws in fiber-reinforced composites and in natural fibrous materials. In brief, the method requires direct measurement of energy released during crack growth, known as the R curve, followed by a new approach to extracting a cohesive law. We claim that some previous attempts at determining cohesive laws have used inappropriate, and potentially inaccurate, methods. This new approach was applied to finding fiber bridging tractions in laminated veneer lumber (LVL) made from Douglas-fir veneer and four different adhesives. In addition, the LVL specimens were subjected to moisture exposure cycles and observations of changes in the bridging cohesive laws were used to rank the adhesives for their durability. Finally, we developed both analytical and numerical models for fiber bridging materials. The numerical modeling was a material point method (MPM) simulation of crack propagation that includes crack tip propagation, fiber bridging zone development, and steady state crack growth. The simulated R curves agreed with experimental results.
Abstract 2866: Targeting autophagy in pancreatic cancer

Autophagy is a cell survival pathway that has been shown to be activated in a variety of cancers including pancreatic cancer. It has been suggested that cancer cells activate autophagy to survive microenvironmental stresses such as depletion of nutrients, hypoxia and chemotherapeutic agents. Studies have shown that inhibition of autophagy can sensitize cancer cells to the treatment of therapeutic agents. Chloroquine (CQ) is a well established pharmacological inhibitor of autophagy and has been shown to enhance the sensitivity of cancer cells to treatment of cytotoxic agents. Dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic gluococorticoid, which has been reported to sensitize pancreatic cancer cells to the treatment of gemcitabine (GEM) and carboplatin, is known to induce autophagy. In addition, activation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by DEX inhibits NF-kB and AP-1, two activators of survival pathways in many tumors. Whether DEX increases the cytotoxic effects of GEM through autophagy, NF-kB signaling, or a combo of both is unclear. Our preliminary studies show that DEX dramatically enhances the anti-tumor activity of CQ, indicating that the inhibition of autophagy may increase cell sensitivity to drug treatment. Therefore, we hypothesize that a combination pretreatment with CQ and DEX will significantly enhance the anti-tumor activity of GEM in pancreatic cancer, and that such enhancement in GEM activity is induced by the synergistic inhibition of autophagy by CQ and DEX. In vitro cell growth assay results showed that addition of CQ and DEX significantly increase the antitumor activity of GEM in MIA PaCa-2 and SU.86.86 pancreatic cancer cells. Interestingly, combination treatment of DEX+GEM or CQ+GEM did not show significant synergistic effect. A correlation between autophagy inhibition and cell death was evident when levels of LC3B-II protein, a common indicator of autophagy induction, were compared in cells exposed to single or combination drug treatments. In MIA PaCa-2 cells, CQ+DEX with 100nM GEM reduced LC3B-II levels by at least 50%. Animal studies are underway to determine the efficacy of the triple drug combination in vivo. Our results indicate pancreatic cells use autophagy as a cell survival mechanism in response to gemcitabine, and the drug combination dexamethasone and chloroquine are able to inhibit authophagy, thus rendering the pancreatic cancer cells more sensitive to gemcitabine. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2866. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2866
Design on Pressure Control System of High-altitude Simulation Cabin

The pressure system constitutes of high-altitude simulation cabin i s introduced.The combination of fuzzy controller and PID controller is proposed.The data processing method for fluctuating pressure signal is provided.The fe asibility of the design is proved by actually running.
The Sexual Impact of Infertility Among Women Seeking Fertility Care

Abstract Introduction Infertility affects approximately 6.7 million women in the United States. Couples with infertility have significantly more anxiety, depression, and stress. This is compounded by the fact that almost 40% of couples undergoing assisted reproduction technology still cannot conceive, which can have an ongoing effect on quality of life, marital adjustment, and sexual impact. Aim To assess the sexual impact of infertility in women undergoing fertility treatment. Methods This study is a cross-sectional analysis of women in infertile couples seeking treatment at academic or private infertility clinics. Basic demographic information was collected. Respondents were surveyed regarding sexual impact and perception of their infertility etiology. Multivariate regression analyses were used to identify factors independently associated with increased sexual impact. Main Outcome Measure Sexual impact of perceived fertility diagnosis. Results In total, 809 women met the inclusion criteria, of whom 437 (54%) agreed to participate and 382 completed the sexual impact items. Most of the infertility was female factor only (58.8%), whereas 30.4% of infertility was a combination of male and female factors, 7.3% was male factor only, and 3.5% was unexplained infertility. In bivariate and multivariate analyses, women who perceived they had female factor only infertility reported greater sexual impact compared with woman with male factor infertility ( P = .01). Respondents who were younger than 40 years experienced a significantly higher sexual impact than respondents older than 40 years ( P Conclusion In women seeking fertility treatment, younger age and female factor infertility were associated with increased sexual impact and thus these women are potentially at higher risk of sexual dysfunction. Providers should consider the role young age and an infertility diagnosis plays in a women’s sexual well-being.
Combating Work Refusal Using Research-Based Practices

Academic expectations are often antecedents for various types of inappropriate classroom behavior for students with challenging behavior. Effective interventions for managing these behaviors must i...
Near-field capacitive wireless power transfer array with external field cancellation

In this paper, a near-field phased-array cancellation technique for a modular and scalable capacitive wireless transfer system is presented. The application is for kW power transfer to static electric vehicles and vehicles in motion. The goal of the distributed array approach is to increase maximum transferable power while decreasing the external electric field produced by the WPT system, accomplished by field focusing through phase control. Full-wave simulations show that high power transfer efficiency with an accompanied 40% reduction in maximum external field can be accomplished with an 8-element array with 180° alternating phase difference between adjacent elements. A comparison is made for allocated bands at 6.78, 13.56 and 27.12 MHz showing improved focusing with increasing frequency. A system prototype at a scaled power level is currently being designed, taking account tradeoffs in circuit element loss and focusing loss.
A Lisrel Application in Sales Management: Model Testing and Refinement

This study is concerned with an LISREL V application to a sales management survey of 77 General Motors dealers. Of eight sales models considered, the Walker-Churchill-Ford model was tested with mixed conclusions. The results supported extrinsic and intrinsic satisfaction as a function of role conflict and ambiguity, but did not confirm performance as a function of aptitude, motivation, role conflict and ambiguity. This Is attributed to a lack of correlation between Indicators of performance, aptitude and motivation. The results address Issues and difficulties of measuring these Indicators more than the viability of the WCF model.
Formula Feeding Predisposes Gut to NSAID-Induced Small Intestinal Injury

Objectives: Breast feeding protects infants from many diseases, including necrotizing enterocolitis, peptic ulceration and infectious diarrhea. Conversely, maternal separation stress and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s) can induce intestinal injury and bleeding. This study aimed to evaluate in suckling rats if maternal separation/formula feeding leads to increased intestinal sensitivity to indomethacin (indo)-induced intestinal injury and to look at potential mechanisms involved. Methods: Nine-day-old rats were dam-fed or separated/trained to formula-feed for 6 days prior to indo administration (5 mg/kg/day) or saline (control) for 3 days. Intestinal bleeding and injury were assessed by measuring luminal and Fecal Hemoglobin (Hob) and jejunal histology. Maturation of the intestine was assessed by measuring luminal bile acids, jejunal sucrase, serum corticosterone, and mRNA expression of ileal Apical Sodium-Dependent Bile Acid Transporter (ASBT). Results: At 17 days, formula-fed indo-treated pups had a 2-fold increase in luminal Hb compared to formula-fed control pups and had evidence of morphological injury to the small intestinal mucosa as observed at the light microscopic level, whereas indo had no effect on dam-fed littermates. In addition, formula-fed rats had significant increases in luminal bile acid, sucrase specific activity, serum corticosterone, and expression of ASBT mRNA compared to dam-fed rats. Conclusion: Maternal separation stress may cause early intestinal maturational changes induced by corticosteroid release, including increased epithelial exposure to bile acids. These maturational changes may have a sensitizing rather than protective effect against indo-induced injury in the new-born.
Evolution of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme Uba1 (E1)

Abstract Ubiquitin tags diseased proteins and initiates an enzyme conjugation cascade, which has three stages. The first-stage enzyme Uba1 (E1) has evolved only modestly from slime mold to humans, and is > 14 times larger than Ub. Here we use critical point thermodynamic scaling theory to connect Uba1 (E1) evolution from yeast and slime mold to fruit flies and humans to subtle changes in its amino acid sequences.
From Equilibrium-Based Business Intelligence to Information Conservational Quantum-Fuzzy Cryptography—A Cellular Transformation of Bipolar Fuzzy Sets to Quantum Intelligence Machinery

A cellular transformation of bipolar fuzzy sets to quantum intelligence (QI) machinery is presented based on an axiomatic formulation of equilibrium-based business intelligence (EBBI) and information conservational quantum-fuzzy cryptography (ICQFC). It is proven that any active bipolar cognitive map can be normalized to a bipolar quantum-fuzzy cognitive map—the logical equivalent of an information conservational bipolar quantum-fuzzy logic gate for equilibrium-based quantum cellular rebalancing. Such rebalancing leads to EBBI and ICQFC—an unexpected combination with unexpected synergy. Applicability of one EBBI algorithm and two ICQFC algorithms are illustrated. Information theoretic security and scalability of ICQFC are proved as a computational intelligence testbed for postquantum cryptography. It is argued that, while the illogical aspect of quantum mechanics prevents quantum computing from lending itself as an analytical paradigm, EBBI and ICQFC constitute a cellular transformation of bipolar fuzzy sets to high precision QI machinery—an equilibrium-based analytical paradigm for ubiquitous quantum modeling and quantum-digital compatible computing. A QI architecture is drafted. A QI transfer protocol is illustrated with ICQFC for EBBI. QI is, thus, distinguished by its ubiquitous, analytical, transferable, and quantum-digital compatible properties. It is asserted that QI as the most generic genre of intelligence underpins artificial and biological intelligence with mathematical, philosophical, and scientific distinctions. It is expected that through QI the research field of fuzzy sets and systems is destined to advance to the forefront of modern science including but not limited to brain science and quantum information science.
Dual specific antibody, scds-D2C7-PE38KDEL, for GBM therapy

4053 Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and most frequently occurring brain tumor in the adult and pediatric populations. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is expressed by normal epithelial cells in most tissues but overexpressed in 60%-90% of all GBMs. In addition, 58%-61% of all GBMs also express the EGFR variant III mutant (EGFRvIII), which is not found in normal tissues. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) targeting either the wild-type EGFR (wt) or EGFRvIII have been developed, and one of them, D2C7, a murine IgG1κ, recognizes both the wt and tumor-specific EGFRvIII receptors. In the present study, we have demonstrated cloning of a novel recombinant single chain variable region antibody fragment (scFv) from the D2C7 hybridoma and engineered a disulfide-stabilized linkage between variable heavy (VH) and light (VL) domains to generate scds-D2C7. The scds-D2C7 is connected to a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE38KDEL). The binding affinity (KA) of scds-D2C7-PE38KDEL by surface plasmon resonance, against the wt and against the EGFRvIII extracellular domain (ecd) was 6.3 x 108 (mol/L)-1 and 7.8 x 108 (mol/L)-1, respectively. Flow cytometry against wt transfected (NR6W), EGFRvIII transfected (NR6M) and parental NR6 cells, a mouse 3T3 fibroblast cell line that naturally lacks EGFR expression, further confirmed the dual specificity of scds-D2C7-PE38KDEL. The immunotoxin was highly cytotoxic, with an IC50 of 1 ng/ml and 3 ng/ml respectively, on cells expressing the wt (NR6W) and EGFRvIII (NR6M) receptors. There was no cytotoxic activity at 1000 ng/ml on the parental NR6 cells. Further investigations of the scds-D2C7-PE38KDEL are in progress to assess its in vivo therapeutic potential as a targeting agent for wt and EGFRvIII expressing malignant gliomas.
Effect of Graphene on Nonneuronal and Neuronal Cell Viability and Stress

In recent years graphene has drawn considerable research interest for biomedical applications. However, applications of graphene in biological systems also raise concerns about its possible toxicity. Here, by using live cell imaging techniques, we investigate the effect of pristine graphene on the viability as well as stress of both nonneuronal and neuronal cells under physiological conditions. We find that graphene promotes cell adhesion and proliferation. Furthermore, we find that graphene has no detectable adverse effect on mitochondrial membrane potential and morphology, or autophagy levels in the cell, indicating that graphene does not induce cell stress. Our results highlight the potential of graphene to be used in biomedical applications by providing long-term and stable nonneural and neural interfaces.
Clarifying the Conundrum: Evidence-Based Practice, Quality Improvement, or Research? The Clinical Scholarship Continuum

Nurses' active involvement in clinical scholarship is necessary to advance the nursing profession and improve patient outcomes. Yet, definitional confusion and numerous barriers exist to clinical scholarship in and across academic and patient care settings. We discuss factors that pose barriers to the continuum of clinical scholarship and suggest opportunities for clinician-researcher collaborations that promote nurses' engagement in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and research.
Trauma patients meeting both Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's definitions for ventilator-associated pneumonia had worse outcomes than those meeting only one

Abstract Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) replaced its old definition for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) with the ventilator-associated events algorithm in 2013. We sought to compare the outcome of trauma patients meeting the definitions for VAP in the two modules. Methods Trauma patients with blunt or penetrating injuries and with at least 2 d of ventilator support were identified from the trauma registry from 2013 to 2014. VAP was determined using two methods: (1) VAP as defined by the “old,” clinically based NHSN definition and (2) possible VAP as defined by the updated “new” NHSN definition. Cohen's kappa statistic was determined to compare the two definitions for VAP. To compare demographic and clinical outcomes, the chi-square and Student's t-tests were used for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Results From 2013 to 2014, there were 1165 trauma patients admitted who had at least 2 d of ventilator support. Seventy-eight patients (6.6%) met the “new” NHSN definition for possible VAP, 361 patients (30.9%) met the “old” definition of VAP, and 68 patients (5.8%) met both definitions. The kappa statistic between VAP as defined by the “new” and “old” definitions was 0.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.27). There were no differences in age, gender, race, or injury severity score when comparing patients who met the different definitions. Those satisfying both definitions had longer ventilator support days (P = 0.0009), intensive care unit length of stay (LOS; P = 0.0003), and hospital LOS (P = 0.0344) when compared with those meeting only one definition. There was no difference in mortality for those meeting both and those meeting the old definition for VAP; patients meeting both definitions had higher respiratory rate at arrival (P = 0.0178). Conclusions There was no difference in mortality between patients meeting the “old” and “new” NHSN definitions for VAP; those who met “both” definitions had longer ventilator support days, intensive care unit, and hospital LOS.
Adaptive channel estimation for space-time block coded MIMO-OFDM communications

Abstract We develop adaptive channel estimation techniques for space–time block–coded (STBC) multiple–input multiple–output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications. The structure of the space–time code is exploited to lower the complexity of the adaptive receiver.
Superstitious Subjects: us Religion, Race, and Freedom

This article employs the trinary framework to interrogate American religious freedom and religious actors’ interaction with the US state. It focuses on issues of governance and the classification and management of state subjects and their activities, showing how these lived effects are entwined with more “academic” or intellectual concerns about the categories religion and superstition. The article uses “superstition” in two ways. First, it is a term many Americans, from jurists to popular writers to academics, have used to describe human activities, often with racial assumptions and implications built into the framework. Second, scholars today might use the term, as part of the trinary, as an analytical device. The argument is that because the United States guarantees religious freedom, the state (or, more specifically, a particular state agent) must classify beliefs and practices as religious. This leaves a third category of activities that are clearly not secular but are also not religious, because they are not protected. Thus, we might call this third category “superstition” or “the superstitious.” The article tests this framework with two brief case studies drawn from the early and late twentieth century, respectively.
Flow of power-law fluid in a partially blocked eccentric annulus

Abstract One of the most significant benefits of directional drilling is the increase in well productivity using multiple wells from a single vertical wellbore. During directional drilling, the drill pipe rests on the low-side of the annulus because of gravity. Moreover, cuttings beds form on the low-side of the annulus. Cuttings beds are undesirable because they increase hydraulic resistance of the annulus and consequently, the bottom hole pressure and Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD). Beside this, the annular flow becomes complicated. As a result, predicting relevant hydraulic characteristics of the annulus (friction pressure gradient and wall shear stresses acting on the bed and wellbore) becomes challenging due to lack of accurate hydraulic models that account for bed formation in eccentric annulus. In this study, a numerical simulation-based investigation has been performed in order to analyze the effect of cuttings bed formation on annular flow of power law fluid in a partially blocked eccentric (90%) annulus under laminar flow condition. The investigation is conducted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software (ANSYS Fluent). The effects of fluid rheological properties (fluid behavior index and consistency index) and flow geometry (diameter ratio, and cuttings bed height) on velocity profile, frictional pressure loss and bed/wall shear stress are investigated. CFD simulation results are validated with available experimental measurements and they have shown reasonable agreement. Subsequently, the results are systematically analyzed using dimensionless hydraulic parameters (fRe and Πbed) and geometric constants (a and b) to develop approximate models for frictional pressure loss and average bed shear stress. When compared with CFD simulation results, the new models have demonstrated better accuracy than the existing ones.
Correlation of clinical stage, serum prostatic acid phosphatase and preoperative Gleason grade with final pathological stage in 275 patients with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

AbstractThe usefulness of clinical stage, serum prostatic acid phosphatase and preoperative Gleason grade in predicting final pathological stage in patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate remains controversial. To determine the predictive value of these 3 preoperative variables we reviewed 275 patients with clinically localized disease who were treated between April 1982 and February 1986. All patients were examined preoperatively and subsequently were operated upon by 1 urologist. Serum prostatic acid phosphatase was determined in all patients by the Roy method using thymolphthalein monophosphate as the substrate. The Gleason grade of each prostatic biopsy specimen was determined preoperatively by 1 pathologist, who also examined the final pathological specimen with respect to capsular penetration, and seminal vesicle and pelvic lymph node involvement.Using logistic regression analysis with the likelihood ratio chi-square test, clinical stage and Gleason grade had a direct correlation with capsular ...
Fitness Center Service Quality Model Confirmation SQAS-19

A fitness center service quality measure was tested with 151 respondents to confirm a 19-item, five-factor model. The results substantiated the SQAS-19 as an adequate measure of fitness center service quality in that it continued to demonstrate that service quality is a multidimensional construct. Alpha and construct reliability coefficients found within the current study were relatively consistent with prior findings that support the use of this more parsimonious and less invasive version of a fitness center service quality assessment. Subscribe to JPRA
Orofacial Muscle Activity During Deglutition As Revealed By Physiographic Cinematography

Abstract No Abstract Available. This paper is based on a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science degree, Department of Dentistry and Dental Research, University of Rochester, 1961 and was supported by Research Grant D-1071 from the National Institute of Dental Research.
Conjugate Immunofluorescence—SEM Array Tomography for Studying Mammalian Synapses and Axons

Conjugate immunofluorescence—SEM array tomography enables the imaging of both the molecular content and the ultrastructure of tissues. The method is based on physical ultrathin serial sectioning, immunostaining and acquiring fluorescence and electron microscopy images of resin embedded tissues, followed by computational volume reconstruction and analysis. Conjugate immunofluorescence—SEM array tomography has been used for the study of brain tissue, and in particular for the characterization of diverse synapses and axons.
Source characterization of airborne emissions using a sensor network: Examining the impact of sensor quality, quantity, and wind climatology

With the recent development of low-cost sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), air quality monitoring is facing new opportunities and challenges. This study examines the effect of sensor quality, quantity, and wind climatology on the accuracy of characterizing airborne emission sources for sensor network data. We consider a simulation domain with a point-source emission and virtual sensors evenly placed around the facility fence-line. A source characterization framework is introduced that consists of three parts: plume dispersion, sensor response, and Bayesian source inference. Two types of real-time sensors are considered as candidate sensors: point-scale sensors (PS) and line-integrated real-time sensors (LS). A parsimonious set of parameters, including sensor bias, noise, and detection limit, are used to describe sensor quality. Wind data are obtained from multiple geographic settings to represent typical wind conditions from inland and coastal regions. Overall, we find that LS offer superior performance of source characterization than PS, mainly due to their extended spatial coverage that leads to a large observational footprint. However, PS have some advantages over the LS for field deployment and cost. It was also found that the persistence and uncertainty of wind direction are critical for source characterization. Persistence of wind direction is shown to be negatively correlated with the performance of source characterization, such that places with more broadly varying wind direction can better utilize sensors on the fence-line, thus improving source characterization. However, uncertainties in wind direction data can severely affect source characterization, especially for the estimation of emission strength. Finally, it is shown that a trade-off between sensor quality and quantity exists under certain circumstances, such that a dense sensor network with relatively low-quality sensors (large sensor noise or low sensitivity) could outperform a sparse sensor network with high-quality sensors (small sensor noise or high sensitivity) for source characterization. This finding suggests that a relatively low-quality sensor network has the potential of being a cost-effective method for long-term air quality monitoring.
Enhancing Health IT Functionality for Children: The 2015 Children’s EHR Format

Electronic health record (EHR) use throughout the United States has advanced considerably, but functionality to support the optimal care of children has been slower to develop and deploy. A previous team of experts systematically identified gaps in EHR functionality during collaborative work from 2010 to 2013 that produced the Children’s EHR Format (Format), funded under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, Public Law 111-3. After that, a team of practitioners, software developers, health policy leaders, and other stakeholders examined the Format’s exhaustive list of 547 EHR functional requirements in 26 topic areas and found them to be valuable but in need of further refinement and prioritization. Work began in 2014 to develop a shortened high priority list of requirements and provide guidance to improve their use. Through a modified Delphi process that included key document review, selection criteria, multiple rounds of voting, and small group discussion, a multistakeholder work group identified and refined 47 items on the basis of earlier requirements to form the 2015 Children’s EHR Format Priority List and developed 16 recommended uses of the Format. The full report of the Format enhancement activities is publicly available. In this article, we aim to promote awareness of these high priority EHR functional requirements for the care of children, sharpen industry focus on adopting these changes, and align all stakeholders in prioritizing specific health information technology functionalities including those essential for well-child preventive care, medication management, immunization tracking, and growth data for specific pediatric subgroups.
BinQuasi: a peak detection method for ChIP-sequencing data with biological replicates.

Motivation ChIP-seq experiments that are aimed at detecting DNA-protein interactions require biological replication to draw inferential conclusions, however there is no current consensus on how to analyze ChIP-seq data with biological replicates. Very few methodologies exist for the joint analysis of replicated ChIP-seq data, with approaches ranging from combining the results of analyzing replicates individually to joint modeling of all replicates. Combining the results of individual replicates analyzed separately can lead to reduced peak classification performance compared to joint modeling. Currently available methods for joint analysis may fail to control the false discovery rate at the nominal level. Results We propose BinQuasi, a peak caller for replicated ChIP-seq data, that jointly models biological replicates using a generalized linear model framework and employs a one-sided quasi-likelihood ratio test to detect peaks. When applied to simulated data and real datasets, BinQuasi performs favorably compared to existing methods, including better control of false discovery rate than existing joint modeling approaches. BinQuasi offers a flexible approach to joint modeling of replicated ChIP-seq data which is preferable to combining the results of replicates analyzed individually. Availability and implementation Source code is freely available for download at https://cran.r-project.org/package=BinQuasi, implemented in R. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Wind farm cooperative control for optimal power generation

The power generation of a wind farm depends on the efficiency of the individual wind turbines of the farm. In large wind farms, wind turbines usually affect each other aerodynamically at some speci...
Medical device landscape for communicable and noncommunicable diseases in low-income countries.

This study characterized the landscape of commercially available medical devices specifically designed for use in low-income countries (LICs). A state-of-the-art review of peer-reviewed publications, patents, global health databases, and online resources was performed. The criteria established for a health technology’s inclusion in the study were: it met the definition of a medical device; it was designed and developed to address one of the top ten causes of death in LICs, Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4, or MDG 5; and there was evidence of its commercialization. Analysis identified 134 commercialized devices exclusively designed for use in LICs. More than 85% of devices were designed to address infectious diseases or child or maternal health (MDG 4 or 5, respectively). None of the identified devices addressed prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Only 8% of devices were designed for use in primary health facilities by non-physician health providers. There is a significant mismatch between the projected global burden of disease due to NCDs and the relevant number of commercialized medical devices designed specifically for use in LICs. A limited number of commercialized devices were designed for use by non-physician health providers. These findings suggest the need for medical devices targeting NCDs in LICs and design processes that consider the broader context of design and engage stakeholders throughout all phases of design.
Variable climate response differentiates the growth of Sky Island Ponderosa Pines

The seasonally cool and moist conditions of spring improved the growth of two co-occurring ponderosa pine species, which displayed different seasonal climatic responses and length of correlations to drought. We examined the climatic sensitivity of two partially sympatric pine species growing at their transition zone in the Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ, USA. Pinus arizonica is found at lower elevations compared to P. ponderosa var. brachyptera. Ring widths were measured in trees at two sites and correlated with precipitation, temperature, and Palmer Drought Severity Index to assess the influence of climate on growth. The two species were analyzed within and between sites, which have similar elevation, aspect, and species composition, although soils at the two sites have different water-holding capacities. Response function analyses of P. arizonica [sampled near its upper (and wetter) elevation limit], and P. ponderosa var. brachyptera [sampled near its lower (and drier) elevation limit] indicated that annual growth correlated positively and strongly with spring precipitation at both study locations. Local site conditions had a major impact on tree growth and variability in site conditions helped resolve the differences in species’ response to climate. For example, at the less dry site, growth of the lower-elevation pine (P. arizonica) responded to early-winter precipitation, while P. ponderosa var. brachyptera did not. Also, correlation analysis indicated that P. arizonica’s growth was more sensitive to drought for longer periods than P. ponderosa var. brachyptera. Finally, partial temperature-growth correlations of P. arizonica and P. ponderosa var. brachyptera indicated growth was limited by increased growing season and winter respiration, respectively. Rising night-time temperatures during spring significantly reduced growth of P. arizonica at Mt. Lemmon. These findings demonstrate subtle yet meaningful interspecies differences in sensitivity to seasonal moisture stress and use of carbon resources.
“HIV saved My life”: toward a translational model of design research through participatory design in public history and public health

AbstractDesign research and practice have multiple roles to play in articulating social and political issues related to public health. One such opportunity exists in interdisciplinary collaborations that extend beyond ‘design’ and ‘health’ disciplines and include historical methods of collection and interpretation. This article dissects the intentions and design-enabled methods behind an ongoing public history project on American women living with HIV. Participatory design methods and practical design methods have played distinct roles in the project. Maintaining a distinction between the two has helped leverage the value of both. Meanwhile, partnering participatory design with public history has generated a variety of hybrid methods for working with a marginalized community. These methods have operated to identify structural barriers to health—without eviscerating personal experiences of those barriers—in direct collaboration with participants whose medical status has a stigmatizing social impact. This c...
Networked Microgrid Security and Privacy Enhancement By the Blockchain-enabled Internet of Things Approach

This paper proposes a novel framework for privacy and security enhancement of power trading in the networked microgrids (MGs) based on the blockchain-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) approach. Utilizing the blockchain-enabled IoT technology in the power trading of the network MGs can potentially lead to some significant advantages such as fewer system risks, mitigate financial fraud, and less the operational cost. A newly stochastic framework based on the unscented transform (UT) is employed to model the uncertainties of renewable energy resources and hourly load demand. Consequently, the proposed framework is tested on the network MG containing residential MG (as a non-crucial load), commercial MG (as an intermediate level load), and hospital MG (as a crucial load), to validate the effectiveness and high performance of the proposed technique.
Late Adolescence to Early Adulthood

The years of transition from late adolescence to early adulthood encompass a critical developmental period. During this time, youth grow increasingly independent of their families of origin and pursue post-secondary education or employment. These tasks come with their own unique set of challenges and opportunities for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth. Discrimination in employment and healthcare contributes to higher rates of unemployment and poorer health outcomes, which are further exacerbated in cases of family rejection or non-acceptance. For those pursuing college, this may be the first opportunity to find a supportive, affirming community, particularly for those youth who have struggled with family rejection. This chapter reviews the state of affairs for TGD people in late adolescence and early adulthood with respect to employment, healthcare, family relationships, and college, and provides recommendations for healthcare providers in how to optimally support their patients during this exciting but challenging time.
Branch-Awareness in Service Function Graph Design and Embedding

To deliver an end-to-end service in the Network Function Virtualization (NFV) environment, Service Function Chain (SFC) is used to define the sequence of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) that needs to be applied to the data stream of the service. In the literature, SFC is typically regarded as a linear topology that represents the sequence of the VNFs that a data stream is navigated through. Our recent study, however, reveals a group of real-life use cases for which a linear topology is in-sufficient to describe the complexity of the SFC: the data stream can branch out into multiple streams due to multiple reasons (e.g., load-balance the web/non-web traffic). In this paper, we study representative use cases with presence of branching, categorize traffic branching into three major categories, and introduce policies to specify the service requirement that involves traffic branching. In addition, we define the resulting problem and discuss directions for further exploration.
Human trafficking: The relationship between government efforts & survivor punishment

Human trafficking is a global public health and human rights issue, although it remains unknown how governmental-level systems impact survivors of human trafficking. Survivor punishment (where fede...