cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of test anxiety in doctor of pharmacy students:An empirical study

The objective of this study was to analyze factors related to test anxiety among Doctor of Pharmacy students enrolled in their first three didactic years at two diverse universities. A survey-based cross-sectional study design with previously validated questionnaires was used to test the objectives at University of Houston (Texas, USA) and Howard University ( Washington,DC , USA). Students indicated moderate test anxiety (2.52+/- 0.84) on a scale by comparing their normal behavior with how they felt when anxious and rating it with a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being atypical and 5 being normal behavior. Around 40.1% of students indicated “family” as their support group during times of stress/anxiety. Test anxiety was negatively correlated with academic performance (p<0.05), academic competence (AC), (p<0.05), test competence (TC) (p<0.05) and time management (TM) (p< 0.05). A step wise multiple regression analysis indicated that AC and TC were the significant predictors of test anxiety (p,0.05). Understanding factors that may allay test anxiety in pharmacy students is important for successful interventions in order to help them achieve academic success
Recent advances in the management of Hirschsprung's disease

Abstract Background: Major advances have occurred in the management of Hirschsprung’s disease since Swenson described his definitive operation in 1948. These advances have occurred in the following areas: genetics, neurophysiology, definitive management in the newborn, total colonic aganglionosis (TCA), Hirschsprung’s-associated enterocolitis (HAEC), intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND), and laparoscopic and perineal approaches for definitive pull-through and redo pull-through operations. Methods: This paper will focus on the definitive management of the newborn, TCA, and HAEC, areas in which we have had considerable experience at our institution. Results: We have treated almost 90 newborns with the definitive pull-through with minimum morbidity. We have managed 25 patients with TCA, of whom 5 had total intestinal involvement and died. The remaining 20 have undergone a total colectomy and endorectal pull-through (ERPT), with zero mortality and a very acceptable stooling pattern and continence rate. Our experience with more than 350 patients with Hirschsprung’s disease over the past 25 years has demonstrated an incidence of HAEC of between 20% and 30%. During this period, we have performed 19 redo pull-through operations, the majority of which were ERPTs, with results comparable with those seen with a primary pull-through operation. Conclusions: The major advances that have occurred in the management of Hirschsprung’s disease include the definitive management of the newborn, our understanding of Hirschsprung’s-associated enterocolitis and the treatment of this entity, and the recent successful management of the very complex form of this disease, total colonic aganglionosis.
Calcium channels activated by depletion of internal calcium stores in A431 cells

Depletion of intracellular calcium stores induces transmembrane Ca2+ influx. We studied Ca(2+)- and Ba(2+)-permeable ion channels in A431 cells after store depletion by dialysis of the cytosol with 10 mM BAPTA solution. Cell-attached patches of cells held at low (0.5 microM) external Ca2+ exhibited transient channel activity, lasting for 1–2min. The channel had a slope conductance of 2 pS with 200 mM CaCl2 and 16 pS with 160 mM BaCl2 in the pipette. Channel activity quickly ran down in excised inside-out patches and was not restored by InsP3 and/or InsP4. Thapsigargin induced activation in cells kept in 1 mM external Ca2+ after BAPTA dialysis. These channels represent one Ca2+ entry pathway activated by depletion of internal calcium stores and are clearly distinct from previously identified calcium repletion currents.
Global Sensitivity of Random Parameters in Vibration Transfer Path Systems

Based on the Sobol’ theory, Hamma and Saltelli indicator system, the path parameters were divided into the different subsets for the vibration transfer path systems with random paths in this paper. The object function was constructed and decomposed, thus the global sensitivity based on variances was formed. The first-order and total sensitivities of various parameter subsets were calculated using Monte-Carlo simulation method combined with Latin hypercube sampling technique. Through the analysis example, the way is feasible to analyze the interaction of paths or path parameters in the vibration transfer path systems with uncertainty.
Dextranase Production by a Derepressed Mutant

A partir de la souche sauvage de Lipomyces strakeyi un mutant permettant la synthese de dextranases est fabrique. Differents sucres induisant la formation de l'enzyme sont testes, un seul est retenu et avec celui-ci, l'apparition de l'activite dextranase induite est mesuree en fonction du temps. Un transfert a des fermenteurs de tres grands volumes est decrit
Rate of cell division and weight of neonates following IVF

The present study tested the hypothesis that embryos with a lower number of cells on day 3 would be associated with infants born of lower weight. Singleton births (n = 447) were analysed to assess mean birth weight according to mean cell number in the transferred cohort. Mean birth weight increased with increasing average cell number. Each increase of one in average cell number was associated with a predicted increase in birth weight of 42.7 g (P = 0.01). This association was present only without assisted hatching, where an increase of one in average cell number was associated with a predicted increase of 79.1 g (P = 0.0005). Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was not associated with any change in birth weight. Demonstration of causality is limited because it is impossible to know which embryo in the transferred group implanted and grew into a fetus. Complete data were also lacking on some factors that influence birth weight. However, our data indicate that mean cell number on day 3 is positively associated with birth weight, but only without assisted hatching. Assisted hatching of slower-cleaving embryos may normalize birth weight distribution to that of faster-cleaving embryos.
Mechanics and kinematics of backward burrowing by the polychaete Cirriformia moorei

The polychaete Cirriformia moorei burrows in muddy sediments by fracture, using its hydrostatic skeleton to expand its anterior region and exert force against its burrow wall to extend a crack. Burrowing occurs in four phases: stretching forward into the burrow, extending the crack anteriorly, thickening the burrowing end to amplify stress at the tip of the crack, and bringing the rest of the body forward as a peristaltic wave travels posteriorly. Here, we show that C. moorei is also able to burrow with its posterior end using a similar mechanism of crack propagation and exhibiting the same four phases of burrowing. Worms burrowed backwards with similar speeds and stress intensity factors as forward burrowing, but were thinner and less blunt and did not slip as far away from the crack tip between cycles of burrowing. The anterior end is more muscular and rigid, and differences in body shapes are consistent with having reduce musculature to dilate the posterior segments while burrowing. Backward burrowing provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of morphology on burrowing mechanics within the same species under identical conditions.
Further Dissecting the Black Box of Citizen Participation: When Does Citizen Involvement Lead to Good Outcomes?

While various descriptive and prescriptive citizen participation models suggest ways to improve citizen participation, none has been subjected to large-scale empirical tests. This article develops and tests an organizational theory model that explores the conditions under which citizen involvement as a general strategy can improve administrative decision making. The new model focuses on organizational variables that are more directly subject to managerial influence, such as political support, leadership, red tape, and hierarchical authority, as well as variables related to participant competence and representativeness. Hypotheses are tested with data collected from a national survey of local government managers. The results suggest that public management matters for citizen participation. The conclusion calls for integrating quantitative designs with normative and qualitative citizen participation research.
A random spreading code assignment scheme for centralized spread-spectrum packet radio networks

The authors present a random spreading code assignment for enhancing channel efficiency in centralized spread-spectrum packet radio networks which employ a multiple capture receiver for each code channel. Compared to the common code case, this approach requires a modest increased in receiver complexity, but the number of distinct spreading codes being used is considerably less than the number of radios in the network. The capture and throughput performance of the random assignment scheme is evaluated for a proper set of codes, and compared with the theoretical results from the common code scheme. It is shown that the use of a random assignment scheme with more than one code results in a higher performance gain, and most of this gain can be achieved with just two distinct spreading codes. >
Rawls's Lexical Orderings Are Good Economics

Basic liberty, according to Rawls's first principle of justice, is not to be sacrificed for other values such as wealth. And, according to his second principle of justice, the material well-being of the worst-off members of society is not to be sacrificed to benefit better-off members of society. These trade-offs would be unjust, according to Rawls, no matter how small the sacrifice or how large the offsetting benefit. A decision-maker conforming to Rawls's theory, who is unwilling to sacrifice some values in favor of others, has lexical preferences. Lexical preferences, however, are not encountered in studies of consumer demand for market goods. Since goods trade off within the range of choices studied in demand theory, it seems to economists that political values ought to trade off as well.
A Prospective Audit Program to Determine Blood Component Transfusion Appropriateness at a Large University Hospital: A 5-Year Experience

Predetermined transfusion guidelines, pretransfusion approval, and transfusion audits are useful tools in the education of those ordering blood components, potentially resulting in the reduction of inappropriate use of blood components. Our institution requires mandatory prospective audits for a proportion (10%) of packed red blood cell unit orders and all orders for fresh frozen plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate. Cases where the blood bank physician recommends against a transfusion and the ordering physician concurs, or when blood components are released against blood bank's recommendation, are referred to the transfusion committee. Transfusion committee members review the medical records to determine the circumstances surrounding the transfusion request as well as patient outcomes relating to their receiving or not receiving the transfusion. We analyzed 220 transfusion episodes brought before the transfusion committee from 2001 to 2005. The most requested blood component denied or changed was fresh frozen plasma. With only a few exceptions, the denial or change of blood components had no adverse effect on the patient. Nonetheless, these interventions were deemed appropriate by the transfusion committee. In most cases, blood components released based on the demand of the ordering physician, despite the advice of the blood bank physician, were deemed as inappropriate transfusions. This study therefore suggests that prospective audits of blood component orders can help reduce inappropriate transfusions and can be a valuable educational tool for the ordering physicians as well as for residents in training.
Experimental verification of frozen mode phenomenon in printed magnetic photonic crystals

Spectral non-reciprocity, previously proposed and recently demonstrated in volumetric anisotropic crystals, is experimentally demonstrated using a simple printed transmission line set-up. Specifically, wave propagation in otherwise volumetric magnetic photonic crystals is emulated via a pair of partially coupled microstrip transmission lines printed on a ferromagnetic substrate. Directional asymmetry of wave propagation within the 1D periodic medium is validated by computing the K-ω diagram from measured S-parameters. Measurements are carried out using 8- and 9-unit-cell structures to suppress undesired finite size effects. For the first time, spectral non-reciprocity and the frozen mode behavior is clearly observed in the measured data. Additionally, the unidirectionality of the transmission medium is verified by the observed contrast between the forward and backward transmittances (75%) on the 9-unit-cell structure.
Industrial Life and Labor in France 1815–1848

A new study of labor in France in the earlier nineteenth century seems justified for two reasons. First, a change in the point of view is desirable. Labor in that period has been treated as a movement related to political factors and to socialistic and other doctrines. I feel that it should be studied now in the light of the changes wrought in the lives of the French people by the advent of large-scale industry with its factories, machinery, and concentration of capital. It is important to realize that much of the unemployment from which French laborers suffered in this period was due to those recurrent crises in industry and trade which we now study as parts of the business cycle. We have been taught wrongly to believe that while England suffered from these crises early in the nineteenth century France was virtually exempt until 1857. Secondly, the study of French labor needs revision in the light of new evidence and of a reappraisal of some of the familiar evidence.
Coordinating computer-supported cooperative work: a review of research issues and strategies

User-centered design methods have long focused on solitary users interacting with isolated computer systems. The explosion of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) has expanded this traditional approach to encompass communication within and among work groups. While these technologies have often been studied from the user's perspective, little research has addressed the roles different communication channels play in coordinating work in cooperative systems. Similarly, many of these systems have been offered with little regard for their appropriate match with the task requirements. This article seeks to accomplish two objectives with respect to the design of cooperative systems. First, issues related to the fundamental communication channels, socio-technical factors, and task characteristics associated with collaborative work situations are reviewed. Second, research strategies incorporating theory-motivated design, ethnographic methods, and controlled testing methods are discussed as a means of addressing the plethora of communication issues present in these emerging computer-based systems. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Management of chronic daily headache in children

Children and adolescents can develop frequent, at times daily, headaches. The more severe forms of headaches that these children experience are often migrainous. This article discusses the typical characteristics of these patients and reviews treatments considered in this condition. Unfortunately, there are no high-quality studies to definitively guide treatment in children with chronic daily headache. Treatment decisions are often made using data from adult studies, childhood studies on episodic migraine or expert opinion. Current data on which to base treatment decisions are reviewed in this article.
The formation of growth coalitions: the role of the rural sector

The political elite require resources in order to survive politically. Given the conditions existing in most developing nations, this implies following an inward-oriented development strategy promoting a large-scale, capital-intensive industrial sector. This strategy impoverishes agriculture and implies that the leaders of the industrial sector will make up a critical component of the coalition providing political support to the political elite. Reform allowing for outward-oriented growth will be extremely difficult. Dramatically increasing agricultural productivity provides a means to provide political legitimacy for the ruling elite as well as the political leverage to bring about reform.
A null-steering viewpoint of interferometric SAR

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) extends the two-dimensional imaging capability of traditional synthetic aperture radar to three-dimensions by using an aperture in the elevation plane to estimate the 3D structure of the target. The operation of this additional aperture can be viewed from a null-steering point of view, rather than the traditional phase determination point of view. Knowing that IFSAR can be viewed from the null-steering perspective allows the authors to take advantage of the mathematical foundation developed for null-steering arrays. In addition, in some problems of interest in IFSAR the null-steering perspective provides better intuition and suggests alternative solutions. One example is the problem of estimating building height where layover is present.
Comprehension in the Age of Charles II

Much has been made of the persecutions and repressions of the Protestant nonconformists in the age of Charles II, but the equally important, if less dramatic, attempts at toleration and comprehension have been neglected. As reflections of the transitory nature of the period—as a bridge between the first half of the century and the glorious revolution—this interest, on the part of a large group of lay and ecclesiastical peers, as well as the king, in a broader, more tolerant church is of critical significance.
Height Loss, Vertebral Fractures, and the Misclassification of Osteoporosis

Abstract Background The presence of a vertebral fracture identifies a patient who has clinical osteoporosis. However, approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of VFs are asymptomatic. Vertebral Fracture Assessment is a method derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess vertebral fractures. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the association between the degree of height loss in older men and women and the risk of a vertebral fracture, and 2) to determine if the knowledge of vertebral fractures will alter the classification of osteoporosis based on bone mineral density alone. Methods 231 men and women over the age of 65 underwent DXA scan of their spine and hip (including bone mineral density and Vertebral Fracture Assessment), measurement of their height, and a questionnaire. Results We found that height loss was significantly associated with a vertebral fracture (p = 0.0160). The magnitude of the association translates to a 19% increase in odds for 1/2 in. and 177% for 3 in. Although 45% had osteoporosis by either bone mineral density or fracture criteria, 30% would have been misclassified if bone mineral density criteria were used alone. Conclusions Height loss is an indicator for the presence of vertebral fractures. Bone mineral density criteria alone may misclassify older patients who have osteoporosis.
Learning by an autonomous robot at a process control panel

The authors describe initial work in autonomous learning, using HERMIES-IIB, their current robotic experimental testbed. The integrated system in HERMIES-IIB (the hostile environment robotic machine intelligence experiment, series IIB) is the latest in a series of autonomous, intelligent machines designed to perform in environments that humans cannot readily enter. They describe a system that learns the control panel's system dynamics and remembers the most efficient series of responses to shut down a control process in case of future encounters with similar (but not necessarily identical) situations. Ultimately, this system could infer a classification scheme for panel categories, enabling it to hypothesize about correct response sequences for panels not yet encountered. They discuss preliminary work on the system's inferencing section. >
Robust smoothers for high-order discontinuous Galerkin discretizations of advection-diffusion problems

The multigrid method for discontinuous Galerkin discretizations of advection-diffusion problems is presented. It is based on a block Gauss-Seidel smoother with downwind ordering honoring the advection operator. The cell matrices of the DG scheme are inverted in this smoother in order to obtain robustness for higher order elements. Employing a set of experiments, we show that this technique actually yields an efficient preconditioner and that both ingredients, downwind ordering and blocking of cell matrices are crucial for robustness. Discretizations of partial differential equations by higher order finite element methods or hp-methods gained popularity during the last years after computing power and memory became readily available. These methods yield much higher accuracy with similar degrees of freedom than standard schemes based on linear or bilinear polynomials. Nevertheless, the utility of these schemes depends very much on the availability of efficient solvers for the discrete problems. In this article, we continue previous work and demonstrate that multilevel methods with suitably chosen smoothers can provide such solvers, even in the presence of non self-adjoint advection terms and locally refined meshes. In [8], we devised a multilevel preconditioner for the symmetric interior penalty method and proved it’s optimality. These results were extended to other adjoint
Parylene-Based Strain Sensors for Bone

This paper presents a novel flexible implantable device to provide high-resolution mechanical strain data from a bone surface in real time. The design of the device has been verified with finite-element analysis, and a prototype has been successfully fabricated which consists of a thin-film metal gauge encapsulated between two layers of parylene-C. The prototype has been characterized simultaneously with a commercial strain gauge using tensile testing. The results indicated that the strain sensitivities of the prototype were approximately 2.5 times greater than those of commercial gauges. In addition, real-time strain data collection has been successfully demonstrated on bone surfaces with the novel devices using mechanical testing of chicken tibiae in three-point bending.
Effect of Selected Antibiotics on Staphylococcus aureus Present in Milk From Infected Mammary Glands

Milk from a mammary gland infected with Staphylococcus aureus Newbould 305 was collected and dispensed into sterile tubes. Selected antibiotics were added at 2, 4, or 32 times the MIC, and the percentage survival of S. aureus at various times through 24 h after addition of each antibiotic was determined. Percentage survival of the same S. aureus strain grown in vitro and added to 1) Mueller-Hinton broth and 2) ultrahigh temperature pasteurized milk with the same concentration of antibiotics was also determined. Percentage survival observed after 24 h in milk from the infected quarter at 2, 4, and 32 times MIC, respectively, were: penicillin: 12, 9.4, and 13%; cephapirin 43, 50, and 30%; erythromycin: 120, 95, and 82%; pirlimycin: > 1000, 148, and 38%; tilmicosin: > 1000, > 1000, and 9%; ciprofloxacin: 458, 6, and 3%; norfloxacin: 40, 10, and < 1%; rifampicin: < 1, < 1, and < 1%; and novobiocin: 20, 41, and 5%. By comparison, percentage survival observed after 24 h for in vitro grown S. aureus tested in Mueller-Hinton broth at 2, 4, and 32 times MIC, respectively, were < 1% for penicillin, cephapirin, pirlimycin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and rifampicin, and < 10% for erythromycin, novobiocin, and tilmicosin. UHT milk had minimal effect on percentage survival compared to Mueller-Hinton broth for S. aureus 305 when tested against penicillin or cephapirin. Increased survival was noted in UHT milk for erythromycin, pirlimycin, and tilmicosin at all antibiotic concentrations and for ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, rifampicin, and novobiocin at 2 times the MIC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Forecasting Industrial Water Requirements in Manufacturing

Procedures used to establish current and prospective manufacturing water withdrawals in a river basin are described. The needs study incorporated a computerized analysis of industrial requirements at basin, county and county subarea levels. Current usage in the universe of industries was examined preparatory to the determination of probable future withdrawals, to facilitate plan formulation with constraints involving large masses of data. In preparing the needs estimates, it was assumed that employment data on an establishment basis would provide a reasonably current, consistent and continuing basis for relating the water demands of an industry to the operating rate of its establishments, when changes in employment were related to the trend in output per employee, and intake per employee was related to water use technology by analysis of reuse, and use by function. The forecasting technique described employs a well-defined data base, accounts for the major share of self-supplied needs generally disregarded in per-capita demand estimates, and differentiates between the “once-through” and recycled components of initial withdrawal.
Effects of Opioid Antagonists on the Abuse-Related Effects of Psychomotor Stimulants and Nicotine

Psychomotor stimulant abuse continues to be a major health problem. Despite intensive study, pharmacological therapies for the treatment of stimulant addiction and the prevention of relapse are lacking. Furthermore, although certain individuals may be at greater risk for the development of compulsive drug-seeking behavior, the neural substrates mediating individual differences in sensitivity to the behavioral effects of stimulants are unknown. Opioid receptors and their endogenous ligands are present in high concentrations in brain circuits upon which psychostimulants act to exert control over behavior. Studies in humans and experimental animals have shown that the activity of endogenous opioid systems is altered in response to psychostimulants. It is also apparent that the administration of nonselective opioid receptor antagonists can profoundly affect the responsiveness of an individual to these agents. In the past decade, antagonists selective for the various opioid receptor types have become available. These agents have been used to probe the function of endogenous opioid systems and have provided important insights as to the role of μ-, μ-, and K-opioid receptor systems in mediating the actions of psychostimulants. This chapter will review preclinical data examining the influence of opioid receptor antagonists on the behavioral and neurochemical effects of psychostimulants. We will provide evidence that opioid receptor antagonists can attenuate or exacerbate several effects of psychostimulants that are linked to their abuse liability. Furthermore, we will show that the effects of opioid receptor antagonists is dependent on the receptor type targeted as well as on the psychostimulant tested, the prior drug history of an individual, and the animal model employed.
Equations in Type-2 Fuzzy Sets

The main concern of this paper is with the equations satisfied by the algebra of truth values of type-2 fuzzy sets. That algebra has elements all mappings from the unit interval into itself with operations given by certain convolutions of operations on the unit interval. There are a number of positive results. Among them is a decision procedure, similar to the method of truth tables, to determine when an equation holds in this algebra. One particular equation that holds in this algebra implies that every subalgebra of it that is a lattice is a distributive lattice. It is also shown that this algebra is locally finite. Many questions are left unanswered. For example, we do not know whether or not this algebra has a finite equational basis, that is, whether or not there is a finite set of equations from which all equations satisfied by this algebra follow. This and various other topics about the equations satisfied by this algebra will be discussed.
Just an Average Integral

(See, for example, [2].) This integral is also special because it is useful in solving seemingly unrelated problems. For example, if you wanted to find the arc length of a parabolic curve you would use an integral of the form f U2 + a2 du and the solution of this involves the integral f sec3x dx. Indeed, there are many useful integrals whose solutions require some ingenuity. However, f sec3 xdx has another especially interesting property: it is precisely the average (arithmetic mean) of the derivative and the antiderivative of secx. Recognizing this might make the solution of f sec3 x dx easy to remember, but it also brings up a very good question: what other functions have this property? (An obvious answer is csc x.) We can rephrase the question. What are the solutions of
Self-perceived healthcare needs for African American women in street-level prostitution: strategies for interventions

Prostituted women have a unique combination of overall healthcare needs. This qualitative study explored the general health and perceived healthcare needs for eleven women. Lack of access to affordable culturally sensitive health clinics, individual mental health counseling, and healthy nutrition were unmet needs. Cultural sensitivity training and formation of partnerships among health care providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers with those in the social service and behavioral health fields could facilitate the provision of integrated healthcare services.
Course of IL-2-inducible T-cell kinase deficiency in a family: lymphomatoid granulomatosis, lymphoma and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in one sibling; and death in the other.

Course of IL-2-inducible T-cell kinase deficiency in a family: lymphomatoid granulomatosis, lymphoma and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in one sibling; and death in the other
Perinatal suicide associated with depression diagnosis and absence of active treatment in 15-year UK national inquiry.

ABSTRACT FROM: Khalifeh H, Hunt IM, Appleby L, et al . Suicide in perinatal and non-perinatal women in contact with psychiatric services: 15 year findings from a UK national inquiry. Lancet Psychiatry 2016;3(3):233–42. Perinatal suicide is a rare but tragic complication of pregnancy and childbirth with significant public health implications.1 Among women with psychiatric illness, prior research suggests that suicide risk may be increased as much as 70-fold if compared with the general population.2 Beyond this, little is known about risk factors for completed suicide among perinatal women and there is a lack of population-based research on this topic. The authors used 1997–2012 data from the UK National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, which includes all suicides by people in the UK (age ≥10 years) who had been in contact with psychiatric services in the previous year. The study sample comprised all women who died by suicide in pregnancy …
Upstaging of nonurothelial histology in bladder cancer at the time of surgical treatment in the National Cancer Data Base.

Abstract Purpose To determine patient and pathologic characteristics as well as outcomes for patients with clinically localized, nonurothelial histology bladder cancer. Materials and methods Using the National Cancer Data Base, we identified patients between 2000 and 2010 diagnosed with bladder cancer as their only malignancy undergoing definitive surgical management. Patients were characterized as urothelial ( n = 13,442), squamous ( n = 789), small cell ( n = 124), adenocarcinoma ( n = 789), or other histology ( n = 499). Patient and pathologic characteristics were compared across histologic subtypes. We also evaluated for incidence of T and N upstaging. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate survival analysis was performed to identify predictors of adverse overall survival. Results Patients with nonurothelial histology were more likely to be African-American, treated at academic medical centers, and of younger age (all P Conclusion We present the largest survival analysis of various rare subtypes of bladder cancer to date. Patients with nonurothelial bladder cancer have significantly higher rate of upstaging at cystectomy and with this a worsened overall survival. Aggressive treatment should be strongly considered for nonurothelial cancers when identified.
Average and Maximum Revisit Time Trade Studies for Satellite Constellations Using a Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm

Recently, versions of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) have successfully generated low-Earth orbit sparse coverage satellite constellations that appear to outperform traditionally developed constellations. The objective of these constellations was to minimize the maximum revisit time over a latitude band of interest. However, many constellation designers are also concerned with the average revisit time, and contrary to expectations, these two objectives often compete with each other. This paper presents a multiobjective GA approach to generate numerous constellation designs that show the trade-off between the revisit time objectives. These trade studies are conducted using a single run of the multiobjective GA. The designs generated using this approach are discussed and some trends are examined.
Functional Effects of Delivering Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Seeded Biological Sutures to an Infarcted Heart

Abstract Stem cell therapy has the potential to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI); however, existing methods to deliver cells to the myocardium, including intramyocardial injection, suffer from low engraftment rates. In this study, we used a rat model of acute MI to assess the effects of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC)-seeded fibrin biological sutures on cardiac function at 1 week after implant. Biological sutures were seeded with quantum dot (Qdot)-loaded hMSCs for 24 h before implantation. At 1 week postinfarct, the heart was imaged to assess mechanical function in the infarct region. Regional parameters assessed were regional stroke work (RSW) and systolic area of contraction (SAC) and global parameters derived from the pressure waveform. MI (n = 6) significantly decreased RSW (0.026 ± 0.011) and SAC (0.022 ± 0.015) when compared with sham operation (RSW: 0.141 ± 0.009; SAC: 0.166 ± 0.005, n = 6) (p < 0.05). The delivery of unseeded biological sutures to the infarcted hearts ...
The Ins and Outs of Lipid Flip-Flop.

ConspectusOur current view of cellular membranes centers on the fluid-mosaic model, which envisions the cellular membrane as a “liquidlike” bilayer of lipids, cholesterol, and proteins that freely diffuse in two dimensions. In stark contrast, the exchange of materials between the leaflets of a bilayer was presumed to be prohibited by the large enthalpic barrier associated with translocating hydrophilic materials, such as a charged lipid headgroup, through the hydrophobic membrane core. This static picture with regard to lipid translocation (or “flip-flop” as it is affectionately known) has been a long-held belief in the study of membrane dynamics. The current accepted membrane model invokes specific protein flippase (inward moving), floppase (outward moving), and scramblase (bidirectional) enzymes that assist in the movement of lipids between the leaflets of cellular membranes. The low rate of protein-free lipid flip-flop has also been a cornerstone of our understanding of the bilateral organization of ce...
Pictures From the Sky: Propaganda Leaflet Psyop During the Korean War

This research examines illustrated propaganda leaflets designed by the military to influence the Communist enemy during the Korean War (1950–1953). The United States built a propaganda operation in an effort to counteract Communist ideology. This required military propagandists to design a leaflet campaign to reach the enemy by means of pictures and text. But skeptics demanded evidence that leaflet-based propaganda was effective; psyop staff responded by gathering documentation. Leaflet campaigns seemed to have had limited effect, however. Authors conclude that psyop staff found it challenging to design leaflets faced with an unclear mission, designers trained in irrelevant techniques of American advertising, anti-Asian bias, and weaknesses in measurements.
Do Pre-Operative Glycated Hemoglobin Levels Correlate with the Incidence of Revision in Diabetic Patients that Undergo Total Knee Arthroplasty?

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine the incidence of revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA); 2) correlate the percent of glycated hemoglobin with incidence of revision; and 3) determine the cause of revision in diabetic patients stratified by a glycated hemoglobin level. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed 424,107 patients from a national private payer database from 2007 to 2015 to determine who had diabetes and underwent TKA. We determined the incidence of revision TKA in the overall cohort and stratified it by glycated hemoglobin levels. Correlation analysis between the levels of glycated hemoglobin and the incidence of revision TKA was performed. We performed descriptive statistics of the underlying cause of revision TKA in both the overall and stratified cohorts. RESULTS There was a 3.2% incidence of revision in the overall cohort. When stratified by glycated hemoglobin levels, the cohort in the 6.6 to 7.0% category had the lowest incidence of revision (2.9%). The cohorts in the 8.6 to 9% glycated hemoglobin category had the highest revision rate (4.7%). There was a significantly positive correlation between rate of revision and ascending glycated hemoglobin levels, and a significantly negative correlation between descending glycated hemoglobin levels and revision incidence. The most common cause of revision was infection in the overall and stratified groups. CONCLUSION Sub-optimal glycated hemoglobin levels in diabetic patients correlated with increased revision rates in those who underwent TKA. Management of diabetics should be optimized before undergoing TKA to minimize revision surgery risk.
RED BLOOD CELL DISTRIBUTION WIDTH AND OUTCOMES IN FONTAN PATIENTS

Background: Fontan palliation results in late multi-organ co-morbidity. However, predictors of worse prognosis are lacking. We evaluated the association of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) with functional capacity and inflammatory biomarkers shown to be elevated in adult Fontan patients
Dreamtime: Version 5.0 of the Australian Guidelines for Preparing Submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC)

In September 2016 the Australian Department of Health published Version 5.0 of the Guidelines for Preparing Submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). These guidelines, which were first published for comment in 1990, set out how to prepare a submission to list a new medicine or medicinal product on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS). The guidelines give instructions on the information required by the PBAC and the Economic Sub-Committee (ESC), the most appropriate form for presenting clinical evidence and the standards for an economic evaluation. The purpose of this commentary is to consider whether or not the evidence standards proposed and the consequent modeled claims for economic effectiveness meet the standards of normal science: are the claims presented to support PBS listing credible, evaluable and replicable. The review concludes that the PBAC guidelines do not meet the standards expected in normal science. The absence of empirically evaluable claims means there is no way of judging whether they are right or even if they are wrong. If the Guidelines were never intended to support experimentation and systematic observation to generate feedback to health system decision makers, then this should be made clear by the PBAC. If not, then consideration should be given to redrafting the guidelines to ensure they conform to these standards. Hopefully, future versions of the guidelines will address this issue and focus on a rigorous research program of claims assessment and feedback. Type: Commentary
Deficit irrigation effects on yield and yield components of grain sorghum

Abstract Development of sustainable and efficient irrigation strategies is a priority for producers faced with water shortages. A promising management strategy for improving water use efficiency (WUE) is managed deficit irrigation (MDI), which attempts to optimize yield and WUE by synchronizing crop water use with the crop’s reproductive stages. In comparison, deficit irrigation (DI) is applied at a fraction of the full (FI) irrigation requirement. Soil water use and grain yield of grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] were evaluated in the High Plains of Texas, USA under three irrigation strategies: FI, DI, and MDI from 2010 to 2012. Grain yields of FI sorghum averaged 3.7 Mg ha−1 greater (p
Staying Connected: MPA Student Perceptions of Transactional Presence

Online education has increased exponentially in the past five years and is now considered part of mainstream higher education. It has significantly changed bricks and mortar institutions, but has t...
Review of Noise Processes and Noise Concepts Relevant to Microwave Semiconductor Devices

The universality of 1/f noise transcends the limits of electro-physics. Indeed, 1/f noise is present in the phase and frequency of all known frequency standards… It has also been found in the flow rate of sand in an hourglass, the frequency of sunspots, the light output of quasars, the flow rate of the Nile over the last 2,000 years, the central Pacific Ocean current velocities at a depth of 3,100 meters, the flux of cars on an expressway, and in the loudness and pitch fluctuations of classical music (Quoted from (Handel, 1980), with permission).
Indices of Vector Fields

We want to look at continuous vector fields on an open set U in the plane, but allowing them to have a finite number of singularities. A singularity will be a point at which either the vector field is not defined, or a point where it is defined and is zero. A vector field on U with singularities in Z will therefore be a continuous mapping $$ V:U\backslash Z \to {{\mathbb{R}}^{2}}\backslash \{ 0\} , $$ where Z is a finite set in U. For vector fields arising from flow of a fluid, the singularities may arise from “sources,” where fluid is entering the system, or “sinks,” where it is leaving, or some other discontinuity.
Biomaterial-Based Delivery of a Small Molecule Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitor Limits Adverse Biomechanical Changes Throughout the Left Ventricle Following Myocardial Infarction

Introduction Adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI) involves associated changes in extracellular proteolytic activity and LV biomechanics. This study evaluates how targeted injections of a self-assembling hydrogel (SAgel) loaded with SD-7300, an established matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (MMPi), impacts regional LV biomechanics post-MI. Hypothesis We hypothesize that delivery of SD-7300 to the MI region will attenuate post-MI changes in biomechanics throughout the LV. Method Mature pigs (25 kg; n=15) were subjected to an ischemia-reperfusion model in which MI is induced by left anterior descending occlusion. At three days post-MI, a subset of pigs were injected with 500μg/mL of SAgel/SD7300 (MI/MMPi; n=7) in a 9 point 100µL array spanning the MI region while the remaining pigs served as controls (MI only; n=8). Peak strain (epeak) and systolic strain rate (γsys), indices of systolic function, were assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography at baseline and at 28 days post-MI. Regional diastolic myocardial stiffness (Km), an index of diastolic function, was computed from stress-strain relations developed at both time points. Results While global epeak ( Fig 1 A) and global γsys ( Fig 1 B) were reduced at 28 days post-MI in both groups (p Fig 1 C) was significantly lower in the MI/MMPi group relative to MI only in the border zone (3.5 ± 0.4kPa vs. 8.9 ± 1.2kPa, p Conclusions Localized delivery of MMPi mechanically stabilizes the MI region and also impacts border zone and remote myocardial biomechanics over 28 days post-MI. Injectable biomaterials enable the repurposing of an established MMPi for attenuation of post-MI remodeling.
Finding the possible mechanisms for a given type of overall reaction

A systematic way to derive all thea priori possible mechanisms classified according to the numbers, ϱ, of elementary or molecular reaction steps was presented recently. The method is now applied to overall reactions of the type A +B ⇒ C+D. The “laminar” (elementary steps' stoichiometric coefficients unity) mechanisms that turn out possible are derived and listed for the important ϱ = 2 case. The ϱ = 3 three step mechanisms were reported in another paper. Many examples from actual chemical, biochemical mechanisms, such as SE1, SN1, SE2, SN2, activated complex theory of abstraction reactions, free radical chain propagation and biochemical electron transport chains are given. By far most mechanisms usually encountered are of the laminar type, although the method also gives the “turbulent” ones, i.e. with some stoichiometric coefficients in elementary steps larger than one or some species occurring in many of the steps.
Carbon DioxideOpen image in new window

The role of CO2 as the climate-regulating greenhouse gas for planet Earth has become evident in recent years.
Ion-binding properties of network polymers with pendant crown ether ligands

The macrocyclic crown ethers and cryptands and the acyclic podands have been incorporated into polymeric structures either as part of the backbone or anchored as pendant ligands.1 Considerable effort has been focussed on attaching these cation-chelating agents to insoluble supports in the form of polymeric networks, gels or glass beads2–8. This immobilization facilitates of course the recovery of these materials and prevents contamination of reaction products. The polymeric ligands have been tested extensively as chromatographic stationary phases for the separation of ionic and neutral solutes and as heterogeneous anion-activating catalysts. In all such applications the cation interaction with the polymers depends not only on the ligand structure and type of cation but is also sensitive to the nature of the counterion, solvent and temperature. Other important factors affecting the binding are the spacing between the ligands along the polymer chain, the length and structure of the spacer connecting the ligand with the polymer backbone, the crosslinking density and the presence of comonomer substituents which either may hinder or cooperate in the binding process.
Scheduling of tasks with effectiveness precedence constraints

We formally present the problem of scheduling tasks with effectiveness precedence relationships in order to achieve the minimum total weighted completion time. We provide the problem formulation and define the scope of the problem considered. We present computational complexity results for this problem and an approximation algorithm for it. We prove the theoretical performance of our algorithm and demonstrate its efficiency and practical performance through computational testing, which includes a comparison to the optimal results obtained with an integer programming formulation.
Activism in Southwestern Queer and Trans Young Adults After the Marriage Equality Era

In 2015, marriage equality in the United States was a big win for the gay and lesbian movement. Marriage equality as a primary focus of the movement, however, was not without its critiques, particu...