cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vectoring and small-scale motions effected in free shear flows using synthetic jet actuators

Novel fluidic actuators based on synthetic jet technology are used to effect thrust vectoring and manipulate small-scale motions in conventional air jets. Synthetic jets operate without net mass injection (and thus are comprised entirely of entrained fluid), have finite streamwise momentum, and are synthesized by the time-harmonic formation of a train of two-dimensional vortices at the edge of a sharp orifice. In the present experiments, millimeter-scale high aspect ratio actuator jets are placed along the long sides and near the exit plane of a primary rectangular jet scaling one to two orders of magnitude larger. The primary jet can be vectored either towards or away from the actuator jets at angles exceeding 30 deg (and 80 deg when pairs of actuator jets are operated in concert). The actuation frequency is at least an order of magnitude higher than the unstable frequency of the primary jet and thus results in direct excitation of small scale motions and enhanced turbulent dissipation. (Author)
Release and distribution of Lilioceris cheni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera: Dioscoreaceae), in Florida

ABSTRACTFrom 2012 to 2015, 429,668 Lilioceris cheni Gressit and Kimoto (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) were released in Florida for biological control of air potato Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Dioscoreaceae). In the fall of 2015, a state-wide survey was conducted at 113 randomly selected air potato infestations in order to determine the spatial distribution of L. cheni. Damage due to L. cheni was found at 86% of locations and was low in the Florida panhandle where air potato was relatively uncommon and fewer beetles had been released, and in far south Florida, despite high numbers of beetle releases. On average, beetles travelled 9.5 km from the nearest release site to survey sites from the date of release to the time of the survey, with a maximum distance of nearly 67 km. The rate of spread was estimated at 8.2 km/year under the assumption that beetles present at survey sites migrated or were moved from the nearest release site. Air potato vines produced fewer aerial tubers, the vegetative propagule of air potat...
Occupational Stress Status among Offshore Oil Workers

[Objective]To investigate the levels and characteristics of occupational stress among offshore oil workers and analyze the main impact factors.[Methods]A group of 134 offshore male oil workers(observation group) and 167 land-based male oil workers(control group) were enrolled by cluster sampling in September,2012.A questionnaire survey was conducted among the workers with the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised Edition(OSI-R).[Results]The total scores of occupational stress and occupational stress reaction of the offshore oil workers were higher than those of the control group,and the score of personal resources was lower.The scores of occupational stress caused by physical environment and psychological stress reaction were 33.18 and 27.5,respectively,obviously higher than those of the control group.The offshore oil workers' occupational stress reaction was positively related to occupational stress and negatively related to personal resources.The main impact factors included role boundary,role insufficiency,physical environment,self-care,and education background.[Conclusion]Offshore oil workers suffer from a high degree of occupational stress.Therefore,the impact factors of occupational stress should be considered in future health promotion.
The New Era of Hypospadias Surgery

The authors review four current techniques in hypospadias surgery that yield superior functional and aesthetic results to those obtained in the older, multi-stage repairs. If the repair is performed before the age of memory recall, there will be less psychological trauma to both the patient and his parents.
Physical and mental health outcomes associated with prior food insecurity among young adults

Following a biopsychosocial model of food insecurity, this study examined differences in physical health and mental health outcomes among young adults (N = 98) with and without a history of food insecurity. Young adults with a history of food insecurity had higher average levels of body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, depressive symptoms, stress, and disordered eating scores than individuals with no history of food insecurity. No differences were found with symptoms of anxiety. Future research should examine interventions targeted at decreasing negative mental health outcomes and risk for overweight among young adults who have experienced food insecurity.
Data quality issues for synchrophasor applications Part II: problem formulation and potential solutions

This work investigates the data quality issue for synchrophasor applications, and pays particular attention to synchronization signal loss and synchrophasor data loss events. First, the historical synchronization signal loss events are analyzed and the potential reasons and solutions are discussed. Then, the scenario of a small amount of synchrophasor data loss is studied and a Lagrange interpolating polynomial method is used to adaptively estimate the incomplete and missing data. The performance of proposed method is demonstrated with simulation results. Specifically, the proposed method considers the trade-off between the estimation accuracy and the hardware cost, and could be efficiently employed in reality.
Communist Cleansing: Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot

INTRODUCTION: MARXIST REVOLUTIONARIES All accounts of 20th-century mass murder include the Communist regimes. Some call their deeds genocide, though I shall not. I discuss the three that caused the most terrible human losses: Stalin's USSR, Mao's China, and Pol Pot's Cambodia. These saw themselves as belonging to a single socialist family, and all referred to a Marxist tradition of development theory. They murderously cleansed in similar ways, though to different degrees. Later regimes consciously adapted their practices to the perceived successes and failures of earlier ones. The Khmer Rouge used China and the Soviet Union (and Vietnam and North Korea) as reference societies, while China used the Soviet Union. All addressed the same basic problem – how to apply a revolutionary vision of a future industrial society to a presently agrarian one. Cambodia was more agrarian than China, which was more agrarian than the Soviet Union. These two dimensions, of time and agrarian backwardness, help account for many of their differences. These cases differ from those discussed so far. They were not mainly targeted against ethnic groups, and so key terms used so far do not quite fit. Not genocide, since the intent was almost never to eliminate whole peoples, and ethnic targeting was uncommon. Communists perceived their main enemies in terms of class, not ethnicity. For them, the notion of rule by the people became confused with rule by the proletariat or, rather, rule by the vanguard party of the proletariat , not rule by an ethnic group.
OSI Standards and the Top Fallacy of Distributed Computing

In 1994, the OSI(Open System Interconnection)/IEC 7498-1:1994 Model was published. The two-sided point-to-pointcommunication TCP/IP protocol became widely accepted asthe standard building block for all distributed applications. The OSI Standards states "Transport Layer: Reliable transmission of data segments between points on a network, including segmentation, acknowledgement and multiplexing".In the same year, "The Network is Reliable" was named thetop fallacy in distributed computing by Peter Deutsch andhis colleagues. Understanding these two conflicting descriptions for the seemingly same object has been the lasting myth for distributed and parallel processing. Investigating this myth under the lens of extreme scale computing revealed that it is impossible to implement reliablecommunications in the face of crashes of either the sender or the receiver in every point-to-point communication channel. The impossibility theory exposed two unacceptable risks: a) arbitrary data loss, and b) increasing probability of datalosses as the infrastructure expands in size. Therefore, thedirect use of point-to-point protocols in distributed and parallel applications is the cause of the notorious scalabilitydilemma. The top fallacy allegation in distributed computingis supported by theory and practice. The scalability dilemma is responsible for the growing planned and unplanned downtimes in existing infrastructures. It is also responsible for the under reported data and service losses in mission critical applications. It makes large scale computation's reproducibility increasingly more difficult. The growing instability is also linked to our inability to quantify parallel application's scalability. This paper reports a statistic multiplexed computing (SMC) paradigm designed for solving the scalability and reproducibility problems. Preliminary computational results are reported in support of the proposed solution.
Applying the Best Law

In Part One, this essay documents Professor Leflar's emphasis on the need for such judicial honesty. In Part Two, I then consider whether "better law" properly can serve as the primary desideratum for conflicts decision-making. I conclude that it would be a mistake - a form of judicial dishonesty, if you will - to let better law obscure consideration of the distinct power which a particular forum should exercise in relation to any fact pattern. I apply this argument in Part Three to fact patterns which arguably present strong arguments for a version of better law freed of any particular forum's interest. I conclude that there is no need for such a universal version of better law. A more modest version of better law, as the best forum law possible, can adequately decide the interstate cases, while more helpfully emphasizing where responsibility lies for the conflicts decisions made. Because I see Professor Leflar's writings as encouraging courts to take responsibility for the best decisions they have power to make, I believe they are consistent with such a lexfori approach.
Measuring services in the producer price index

The US Producer Price Index (PPI) Program continues to expand coverage with a new economy-wide index model based on the input-output tables produced by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). All marketed US domestic production of goods and services is considered in-scope under the new economy-wide index model. An important benefit of the PPI’s expanded coverage is the production of a more comprehensive set of deflators that in turn should lead to improved measures of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and productivity. The deflation properties of a price index are partly dependent on how statistical agencies respond operationally to the conceptually difficult price measurement challenges presented by service industries such as finance, consulting or medical care. Several criteria can be used to access the accuracy and relevance of deflators that vary according to the complexity of the price measurement challenge. There are major issues to be resolved both in developing the new data product and in educating the user public about the new data product and its relationship to the existing PPI.
Trade-offs in CAC memory terminations

DDR3L based memory bus design conventionally employs termination on the command, address and control bus. This paper discusses the effort to optimize the bus to function within the specifications without these terminations. Signaling and power sensitivities are discussed at various bus speeds.
Automating student survey reports in online education for faculty and instructional designers

In this paper, we discuss Colorado State University Online's progress toward designing automated survey reports for student feedback data collected through our newly designed LTI survey tool. Using multiple R packages, including 'rmarkdown' and 'likert', the reporting tool imports student survey response data and generates reports for faculty and instructional designers. These reports focus on student perceptions of communication, course design, academic challenge, general satisfaction, and more. These reports display visual representations of the Likert-type response frequencies, basic descriptive statistics, and free-response comments. Surveys are administered just before half-way through the semester to provide formative feedback and just before the end of the semester to provide summative feedback. In this way, faculty and instructional designers can obtain a quick and easily digestible report to make changes and improvements to their classes with minimal effort in the back end production.
Sentencing Recommendations by Probation Officers and Judges: An Examination of Adult Offenders Across Gender

Connecting the courtroom workgroup model with attributions and stereotyping based on the focal concerns perspective and gender sentencing literature, the present study investigates the extent to which probation officer recommendations influence judicial sentencing, and whether the gender of the offender further conditions this relationship. Results from logistic and ordinary least squares regression indicate that there is concordance between probation officer recommendations and sentencing by judges. Offender gender has both direct and indirect effects on judicial sentencing through its relationship with probation officer recommendations, and Black males tend to receive lengthier sentences than other race/gender counterparts. These findings provide evidence that probation officer recommendations are an important part of the sentencing process and offer additional insight on how extralegal factors such as gender and race impact criminal justice decision making.
Using conics to construct geometric 3-configurations, part II: the generalized Steiner construction

In a number of previous papers, techniques have been developed to construct geometric 3-configurations whose reduced Levi graph has at least one pair of parallel edges, but construction techniques for configurations whose reduced Levi graph is a simple bipartite cubic graph remained elusive. In Using conics to construct geometric 3-configurations, part I: symmetrically generalizing the Pappus configuration (2016), a primarily straightedge-and-compass construction, along with the construction of a certain conic section, was developed to construct configurations whose reduced Levi graph is an edge-labelled digraph with underlying graph \(K_{3,3}\). In this paper, we extend that construction to produce a construction technique for certain classes of configurations whose reduced Levi graphs are bipartite simple cubic graphs that contain at least one quadrilateral; in particular, we produce a geometric construction method that produces configurations whose reduced Levi graphs have as their underlying graphs the cyclic fence graphs, which unify even prism graphs and odd Moebius ladders.
Influence of Long-Range Transport of Siberian Biomass Burning at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory during the Spring of 2015

ABSTRACTWe looked at a Siberian biomass burning (BB) event on Spring 2015 that was observed at Mt. Bachelor Observatory (MBO; 2.8 km a.s.l) and by satellite instruments (MODIS and CALIPSO), and intercepted by the NOAA WP-3D research aircraft during the Shale Oil and Natural Gas Nexus (SONGNEX) campaign. The Siberian airmass split into two plumes in the eastern Pacific. One plume moved eastward and was sampled directly at MBO. The other moved northeast to Alaska and then down to the U.S. Midwest; this second plume was intercepted by the WP-3D aircraft. We find that the ΔO3/ΔCO enhancement ratio at MBO is higher than for the plume intercepted by the aircraft. This is due to the warmer plume observed at MBO which led to thermal decomposition of PAN to NOx. The colder plume observed by the aircraft allowed PAN to be locked up and therefore this led to less ozone production. This is supported by the reactive nitrogen (NOy) measurements from the aircraft, which show that 64% of the NOy is stored as PAN. We also find that the Δσsp/ΔCO enhancement ratios at MBO and on the aircraft were much higher than the ratios for similarly aged Siberian fires that were observed previously in the western U.S. We observe that this is because of dust transport in addition to the fire smoke. Ground-based, satellite, and LiDAR data suggest that the Siberian plume was transported at high elevation, and while it was efficiently transported across the Pacific, there was no significant subsidence over North America. Therefore, this long-range transport event did not lead to air quality impacts at the surface in western North America.
Author’s Overview

Pharmacological doses of many hormones during uterine life or shortly after birth cause severe disturbances in reproductive functions, affect the development of sex organs and sex behavior, and predispose some tissue to the development of neoplastic lesions. The neonate is very sensitive to steroid hormone insult. A single injection of as little as 1µg of estradiol benzoate and 5–10 µg of testosterone propionate is sufficient to produce sterility in the adult. Females exposed to such small amounts may sexually mature and ovulate for several weeks, or even a few months, before becoming sterile. The rodent neonate was held to be sensitive to the insult only during a “critical” period defined to last about 10 days after birth.
Molecular basis for necitumumab inhibition of EGFR variants associated with acquired cetuximab resistance.

Acquired resistance to cetuximab, an antibody that targets the EGFR, impacts clinical benefit in head and neck, and colorectal cancers. One of the mechanisms of resistance to cetuximab is the acquisition of mutations that map to the cetuximab epitope on EGFR and prevent drug binding. We find that necitumumab, another FDA-approved EGFR antibody, can bind to EGFR that harbors the most common cetuximab-resistant substitution, S468R (or S492R, depending on the amino acid numbering system). We determined an X-ray crystal structure to 2.8 A resolution of the necitumumab Fab bound to an S468R variant of EGFR domain III. The arginine is accommodated in a large, preexisting cavity in the necitumumab paratope. We predict that this paratope shape will be permissive to other epitope substitutions, and show that necitumumab binds to most cetuximab- and panitumumab-resistant EGFR variants. We find that a simple computational approach can predict with high success which EGFR epitope substitutions abrogate antibody binding. This computational method will be valuable to determine whether necitumumab will bind to EGFR as new epitope resistance variants are identified. This method could also be useful for rapid evaluation of the effect on binding of alterations in other antibody/antigen interfaces. Together, these data suggest that necitumumab may be active in patients who are resistant to cetuximab or panitumumab through EGFR epitope mutation. Furthermore, our analysis leads us to speculate that antibodies with large paratope cavities may be less susceptible to resistance due to mutations mapping to the antigen epitope. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(2); 521-31. ©2017 AACR.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motives Support Adults' Regular Physical Activity Maintenance.

Motives for physical activity were compared between adults who either successfully or unsuccessfully maintained regular physical activity over the last 10 years. Adults age 28–45 (N=721) completed an online survey, reporting their current physical activity levels and self-determination theory (SDT) motives, as well as their physical activity levels at least 10 years prior. With participants’ current and retrospective reports of their physical activity, four sample subgroups were created, including maintainers, improvers, decliners, and sedentary. ANOVA analyses were used to examine differences in motives between physical activity maintenance groups. Those who successfully maintained regular physical activity (maintainers) reported higher intrinsic and extrinsic motives compared to those who were not regularly active (P
Effects of feeding growing cattle high-concentrate diets at a restricted intake on feedlot performance.

Three trials were conducted to compare effects of restricted intake of high-concentrate diets vs ad libitum intake of corn silage diets during the growing phase on feedlot cattle performance. In Trial 1, 120 steers (initial BW, 246 kg) were fed 1) a corn silage-based diet ad libitum, 2) a high-moisture corn-corn silage-based diet with intake restricted to a level 20% less than that of the corn silage diet or 3) a high-moisture corn-based diet with intake restricted to a level 30% less than that of the corn silage diet. Steers fed the 20% restricted corn-corn silage-based diet tended (P = .07) to gain slower than those fed the corn silage or 30% restricted high-concentrate diet. Feed efficiency and diet digestibility were greatest for steers fed the 30% restricted-intake, high-concentrate diet (P less than .01). Performance of steers during the subsequent 118-d finishing period was not affected (P greater than .65) by source of energy during the growing period. In Trial 2, ADG of steers fed the 30% intake-restricted, high-concentrate diet was lower (P less than .01) than that of steers with ad libitum access to corn silage. During the 84-d growing period, steers fed supplemental blood meal had 8.3% greater gains and a 6% greater efficiency of feed use than those fed supplemental soybean meal (P less than .01). Monensin did not affect (P = .82) performance of steers fed 30% restricted-intake diets. During the 76-d finishing period, gains and feed conversion were improved (P less than .01) for steers fed the restricted-intake diet in the growing period compared with those given ad libitum access to corn silage. During the growing period in Trial 3, ADG of steers restricted-fed an all-concentrate diet were slightly greater (P less than .10) than ADG of those given ad libitum access to corn silage. Gains did not differ (P = .37) during the subsequent finishing period when steers were switched to 85 or 100% concentrate diets. We concluded that intake of all concentrate diets can be restricted to achieve gains equal to those of steers given ad libitum access to corn silage-based diets without detrimental effects on finishing performance.
Outdoor Careers and Motherhood.

Background: Working in an outdoor career with extensive travel and long hours away from home can pose challenges for practitioners. For women, motherhood can create constraints and impact one’s car...
Power Systems Analysis Illustrated with MATLAB and ETAP

Electrical power is harnessed using several energy sources, including coal, hydel, nuclear, solar, and wind. Generated power is needed to be transferred over long distances to support load requirements of customers, viz., residential, industrial, and commercial. This necessitates proper design and analysis of power systems to efficiently control the power flow from one point to the other without delay, disturbance, or interference. Ideal for utility and power system design professionals and students, this book is richly illustrated with MATLAB® and Electrical Transient Analysis Program (ETAP®) to succinctly illustrate concepts throughout, and includes examples, case studies, and problems. Features Illustrated throughout with MATLAB and ETAP Proper use of positive/negative/zero sequence analysis of a given one-line diagram (OLD) associated with a grid, as well as finger-holding instructions to tackle a power system analysis (PSA) problem for a given OLD of a grid On-line evaluation of power flow, short-circuit analysis, and related PSA for a given OLD Appropriately learn the finer nuances of designing the several components of a PSA, including transmission lines, transformers, generators/motors, and illustrate the corresponding equivalent circuit Case studies from utilities and independent system operators
DNA Evidence for a Colonial Jewish Settlement in Appalachia

Using a 5,000-person DNA database from the Cumberland Gap Region of Appalachia, we document the presence of a Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish settlement in Central Appalachia. The settlement may have begun as early as the mid-sixteenth century with the Pardo Expedition and been substantially supplemented from the early seventeenth century onward with Jewish colonists from England, Scotland, and Wales. Additional persons found in this mountainous region show DNA origins from Southeastern Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. Thus the region may have served as a refuge for non-white, non-Christian persons arriving in Colonial North America.
A Strategy for Using LSD

WOULD you believe that LSD can be used constructively when first-year algebra students begin to translate verbal state ments into open sentences? It can?but I should hasten to add, those letters do not have their usual meaning. Let me explain. Most mathematics teachers agree that probably the greatest difficulty experienced by students in solving so-called story problems lies in their inability to organize the data sufficiently to allow them to write an acceptable open sentence. Once the cor rect open sentence has been formulated, the solution usually follows with relative ease. However, most of us have probably observed situations similar to the one described here. Suppose that you have asked your beginning algebra students to translate the following verbal statement into an open sentence and to find the solu tion set: 'One less than twice a number is 2 more than the number." Inevitably there will be those who will write
Preoperative Mental Health Scores and Achieving Patient Acceptable Symptom State Are Predictive of Return to Work After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

Background:The incidence of rotator cuff repairs has risen dramatically over the past 10 years, most notably in the working-class population. Return to work (RTW) is a valuable outcome measure to s...
A Real-Time Mobile Intervention to Reduce Sedentary Behavior Before and After Cancer Surgery: Usability and Feasibility Study

Background: Sedentary behavior (SB) is common after cancer surgery and may negatively affect recovery and quality of life, but postoperative symptoms such as pain can be a significant barrier to patients achieving recommended physical activity levels. We conducted a single-arm pilot trial evaluating the usability and acceptability of a real-time mobile intervention that detects prolonged SB in the perioperative period and delivers prompts to walk that are tailored to daily self-reported symptom burden. Objective: The aim of this study is to develop and test a mobile technology-supported intervention to reduce SB before and after cancer surgery, and to evaluate the usability and feasibility of the intervention. Methods: A total of 15 patients scheduled for abdominal cancer surgery consented to the study, which involved using a Fitbit smartwatch with a companion smartphone app across the perioperative period (from a minimum of 2 weeks before surgery to 30 days postdischarge). Participants received prompts to walk after any SB that exceeded a prespecified threshold, which varied from day to day based on patient-reported symptom severity. Participants also completed weekly semistructured interviews to collect information on usability, acceptability, and experience using the app and smartphone; in addition, smartwatch logs were examined to assess participant study compliance. Results: Of eligible patients approached, 79% (15/19) agreed to participate. Attrition was low (1/15, 7%) and due to poor health and prolonged hospitalization. Participants rated (0-100) the smartphone and smartwatch apps as very easy (mean 92.3 and 93.2, respectively) and pleasant to use (mean 93.0 and 93.2, respectively). Overall satisfaction with the whole system was 89.9, and the mean System Usability Scale score was 83.8 out of 100. Overall compliance with symptom reporting was 51% (469/927 days), decreasing significantly from before surgery (264/364, 73%) to inpatient recovery (32/143, 22%) and postdischarge (173/420, 41%). Overall Fitbit compliance was 70% (653/927 days) but also declined from before surgery (330/364, 91%) to inpatient (51/143, 36%) and postdischarge (272/420, 65%). Conclusions: Perioperative patients with cancer were willing to use a smartwatch- and smartphone-based real-time intervention to reduce SB, and they rated the apps as very easy and pleasant to use. Compliance with the intervention declined significantly after surgery. The effects of the intervention on postoperative activity patterns, recovery, and quality of life will be evaluated in an ongoing randomized trial.
Quantifying Technical Diversity Benefits of Wind as a Distributed Energy Resource

Distributed energy resources are increasingly used in power distribution systems and microgrids. State policy makers are becoming more concerned with renewable energy and resilience. Diversifying variable renewable resources (e.g., by combining wind with solar) can increase renewable energy usage efficiency and improve system resilience. However, when grid optimization and resilience studies consider multiple renewable resources, diversity benefits are usually captured only implicitly in the results of location-specific economic optimization. In this paper, metrics are introduced to express the technical value of resource diversity independent of jurisdiction-specific market structures. Specifically, marginal energy usage efficiency metrics are developed to quantify the ability of new distributed generation to produce useful energy and an incremental sustainable ride-through metric is developed to express improvement in grid outage ride-through capability. While there are economic implications for each of these metrics, the metrics themselves are technically-driven and could be used as components of a technical figure of merit to inform policy actions. Each of these metrics is demonstrated using balance-of-energy simulations that highlight the benefits of improving resource diversity.
From The Inside Out: Museum Educators and Professional Development On Race Talk

The purpose of this article is to share highlights of a professional development workshop, aimed at helping museum educators build capacity for difficult dialogues on race with adults. Museum educators play a unique role in adult education as facilitators of learning on social justice issues. But in sharing with adults about the scope and elements of race related objects, they may fear or be unable to manage the kinds of emotions that could be evoked. Consequently, they may hesitate to fully engage in what could be a rich learning moment. The workshop was designed to explore characteristics of adults as learners and featured discourse and activities around a recently developed “8 S” framework for educators who often engage in race talk.
Differences in Graft-versus-Host Disease Characteristics between Haploidentical Transplantation Using Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide and Matched Unrelated Donor Transplantation Using Calcineurin Inhibitors

ABSTRACT We assessed differences in presentation and response to therapy in 394 consecutive patients who developed acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after receiving their first allogeneic transplantation (HSCT) from a 10/10 HLA allele-matched unrelated donor (MUD; n = 179) using calcineurin inhibitors or a T cell-replete haploidentical donor (haplo; n = 215) and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide at our center between 2005 and 2017. The median duration of follow-up for survivors was 52.5 months. The cumulative incidences for grade II-IV and grade III-IV acute GVHD at day 180 post HCT were similar, at 39% and 14%, respectively, for haplo-HSCT compared with 50% and 16% for MUD HSCT (P not significant). Haplo-HSCT recipients had a lower cumulative incidence of moderate to severe chronic GVHD, at 22% (severe, 19%), compared with 31% (severe, 29%) for MUD HSCT recipients (P = .026). The time to onset of moderate to severe chronic GVHD was faster for haplo-HSCT recipients (213 days versus 280 days; P = .011). Among patients with grade II-IV acute GVHD, there was no significant between-group difference in organ involvement, with skin the most affected (75% for haplo-HSCT versus 70% for MUD HSCT), followed by the gastrointestinal tract (71% versus 69%) and liver (14% versus 17% MUD). For chronic GVHD, haplo-HSCT recipients had less involvement of the eyes (46% versus 75% for MUD; P
Adsorption of Benzoic Acid: Structural Organization on the Surfaces of Pristine and Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We present the results of a classical molecular dynamics simulation of the adsorption of neutral benzoic acid on the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with varying amounts of carbox...
Developing microbial communities containing a high abundance of exoelectrogenic microorganisms using activated carbon granules.

Abstract Microorganisms that can transfer electrons outside their cells are useful in a range of wastewater treatment and remediation technologies. Conventional methods of enriching exoelectrogens are cost-prohibitive (e.g., controlled-potential electrodes) or lack specificity (e.g., soluble electron acceptors). In this study a low-cost and simple approach to enrich exoelectrogens from a mixed microbial inoculum was investigated. After the method was validated using the exoelectrogen Geobacter sulfurreducens, microorganisms from a pilot-scale biological activated carbon (BAC) filter were subjected to incubations in which acetate was provided as the electron donor and granular activated carbon (GAC) as the electron acceptor. The BAC-derived community oxidized acetate and reduced GAC at a capacity of 1.0 mmol e− (g GAC)−1. After three transfers to new bottles, acetate oxidation rates increased 4.3-fold, and microbial morphologies and GAC surface coverage became homogenous. Although present at
Single site video assisted thoracoscopic wedge resection for spontaneous pneumothorax in a pediatric patient

Abstract Surgical treatment for pediatric spontaneous pneumothorax has evolved over time from open thoracotomy to multiport Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) and perhaps now towards single site VATS. This is a case of a 16 year-old male with a one-week history of right upper back pain who was found to have a large right-sided spontaneous pneumothorax. Conservative management was attempted, but failed, and he was scheduled for right apical lung blebectomy and mechanical pleurodesis. The decision was made to use a single site approach to minimize sequelae of the surgery. Surgery was successful and the patient was discharged on postoperative day six after a minor air leak subsided. We present this case as evidence for technical feasibility as well as improved postsurgical outcome of single site VATS.
Fourier Transform in Circuit Analysis

The Fourier transform and the Laplace transform are very similar. They both can transform a differential equation to an algebraic equation. The Laplace transform method is effective in studying a circuit with initial conditions. On the other hand, the Fourier transform method is good at steady-state analysis, in which the circuit has been on for a long time.
Pancreatic pseudocysts

Pseudocysts complicate acute pancreatitis in less than 5% of cases and chronic pancreatitis in 20% to 40% of cases. A pseudocyst is a localized collection of pancreatic fluid surrounded by a wall of granulation tissue and collagen. It takes 4 to 6 weeks for a fluid collection to mature and become a true pseudocyst. Unlike other cystic lesions of the pancreas from which they should be differentiated, pseudocysts lack an epithelial layer. Patients with pseudocysts present with a range of symptoms and signs. Pseudocysts are imaged using transabdominal ultrasound, CT, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and MRI. EUS confers an advantage over other imaging modalities in that certain EUS features are suggestive of pseudocysts over other cystic lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of EUS has improved further with the use of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration. Therapeutic options include watchful observation or intervention. In our opinion, if acute pseudocysts are uncomplicated, asymptomatic, and do not appear to be enlarging on serial imaging, it is preferable to withhold intervention because many of these cysts resolve spontaneously. However, one needs to beware of the possibility of complications such as infection in unresolved pseudocysts. Pseudocysts associated with chronic pancreatitis are less likely to resolve spontaneously and are drained by intervention more frequently. Of the three interventional options, namely endoscopic, percutaneous, and surgical drainage, endoscopic drainage should be the treatment of choice if certain criteria are met. Preinterventional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is mandatory to define ductal anatomy. If there is communication between the pseudocyst and the pancreatic duct, a transpapillary approach is preferred. Use of EUS should increase the number of cases in which pseudocysts can be drained endoscopically. Surgery should be reserved for cases in which there is a concern about malignancy or when there is glandular disruption.
Living Through the Generations: Continuity and Change in Navajo Women’s Lives

Navajo women's lives reflect the numerous historical changes that have transformed the Navajo way.? At the same time, in their behavior, beliefs, and values, women preserve the legacy of Navajo culture passed down through the generations. By comparing and contrasting three generations of Navajo womengrandmothers, mid-life mothers, and young mothers'similarities and differences emerge in patterns of education, work, family life, and childbearing. Women's roles as mothers and grandmothers are central to their respected position in Navajo society. Mothers bestow membership in matrilineal clans at birth and follow the example of the beloved deity Changing Woman. As guardians of cultural traditions, grandmothers actively plan and participate in ceremonies such as the Kinaalda, the puberty ceremony, for their granddaughters.Drawing on ethnographic interviews with 77 women in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and surrounding chapters in the Eastern Navajo Agency, Joanne McCloskey examines the cultural traditions evident in Navajo women's lives. Navajo women balance the demands of Western society with the desire to preserve Navajo culture for themselves and their families.
Toward on-demand production of diverse PET tracers: Repeatable, multi-step synthesis of [18F]FDG on a compact, electronically-actuated droplet-based microfluidic platform

1444 Objectives Currently, PET tracers are produced in centralized radiopharmacies due to the high cost of infrastructure, equipment and specialized personnel. Decentralized production of 18F-labeled tracers could enhance the diversity of tracers available to researchers and clinicians and increase flexibility of production [1] but requires new technology. Methods We have developed a compact microfluidic platform based on electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) [2] that can perform multi-step reactions in droplets. The EWOD microdevice is electronically controlled to perform basic unit operations such as dispensing, transporting, heating and evaporation of organic droplets.[3] Additionally, the hydrophobic layer used in EWOD is also stable against a wide range of temperatures and solvents, making EWOD more suitable for diverse syntheses than other microfluidic platforms. Results Based on our previous proof-of-concept demonstration [4], [5], we have optimized the synthetic methodology to produce doses of [18F]FDG sufficient for multiple pre-clinical mouse imaging studies. The first modification was to perform the fluorination reaction in dimethyl sulfoxide, which has low vapor pressure and maintains complete solvation of the reaction mixtures. This critical modification enabled systematic screening of an optimal microdroplet reaction conditions on EWOD to achieve high and reliable yield. Additionally, a controlled nitrogen flow was integrated onto the EWOD chip to effectively remove residual water vapor and thus activate the [18F]F-/K+/K222 complex for the fluorination reaction. Conclusions Based on the optimized synthetic approach, a high and reliable fluorination efficiency was attained (84 ± 6%; n = 7) on the EWOD chip
The Role of ncRNA in Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus represents a multifactorial, heterogeneous collection of disorders, characterized by a deficiency or failure to maintain normal glucose homeostasis. In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the most common type of diabetes mellitus, elevated glucose levels arise from multiorgan insulin resistance and/or inadequate insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. The etiology of T2D is complex, and genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors are known to contribute to defects of glucose homeostasis, primarily in the pancreatic β-cells, liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. A role for small and long noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of T2D is also beginning to emerge, and there is already strong evidence of their involvement in the development of many of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the disease. This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge of specific ncRNAs, particularly miRNAs, involved in the control of β-cell function and regulation of insulin sensitivity and/or action in peripheral organs. Although much less is known about lncRNAs in T2D, we provide an overview of the current literature in this field. Finally, we discuss the potential value of ncRNAs to serve as biomarkers for T2D development and clinical management of the disease.
Investing in an Emerging Mortgage Backed Securities Market: The Case of Korea Housing Finance Corporation

Korea Housing Finance Corporation (KHFC) is poised to change the structure of the Korean housing finance industry. KHFC is proposing innovative fixed rate long-term loans, which will fulfill an unmet demand among Korean homebuyers, and plans to offer long term Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) in the bond market. This article provides information on the emerging Korean mortgage market, a framework for establishment of this new Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) and characteristics of the KHFC MBS product. First, it presents current conditions of the secondary mortgage market in Korea. Second, it discusses the process and rationale for the establishment of KHFC. And finally, it introduces the KHFC home mortgage loan and the KHFC MBS.
Development and applications of single-cycle infectious influenza A virus (sciIAV)

The diverse host range, high transmissibility, and rapid evolution of influenza A viruses justify the importance of containing pathogenic viruses studied in the laboratory. Other than physically or mechanically changing influenza A virus containment procedures, modifying the virus to only replicate for a single round of infection similarly ensures safety and consequently decreases the level of biosafety containment required to study highly pathogenic members in the virus family. This biological containment is more ideal because it is less apt to computer, machine, or human error. With many necessary proteins that can be deleted, generation of single-cycle infectious influenza A viruses (sciIAV) can be achieved using a variety of approaches. Here, we review the recent burst in sciIAV generation and summarize the applications and findings on this important human pathogen using biocontained viral mimics.
Background and Description of the Study

The first part of this chapter depicts the medical setting in which the infants in our study were treated. We describe the physical environment of the NICU and the roles of the physicians, nurses, and parents. The second part reviews the literature on the development of infants who are typically treated on NICUs. In the last part, we summarize the methods and procedures of our study.
Carboxy-silanes and -germanes

Abstract β-Triorganosilyl derivatives of silane- and germane-carboxylic acids are reported for the first time. Studies are reported on their spectral properties (IR, UV, PMR), acidity and thermolysis. No evidence has been found in support of extended d -orbital participation, (π → d → d )π bonding, in the ground state of the polysilanecarboxylic acids and their conjugate base forms. ( d → d )π bonding may be an important factor in lowering the activation energy for the thermal decarbonylation of pentaphenyldisilanecarboxylic acid.
Place in therapy of rituximab in the treatment of granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis are small vessel vasculitides characterized by circulating antineutrophil circulating antibodies. Standard treatment for active severe disease has consisted of cyclophosphamide with glucocorticoids with or without plasmapheresis, which achieves approximately 75% sustained remission, but carries significant adverse effects such as malignancy, infertility, leukopenia, and infections. The role of B cells in the pathogenesis of anti-neutrophil circulating antibodies-associated vasculitis has been established, and as such, rituximab, a monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, has been studied in treatment of active granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis (induction) and in maintaining remission. Rituximab has been shown to be effective in inducing remission in several retrospective studies in patients with refractory disease or cyclophosphamide intolerance. The RAVE and RITUXVAS trials demonstrated rituximab is a noninferior alternative to standard cyclophosphamide-based therapy; however, its role in elderly patients and patients with severe renal disease warrants further investigation. Rituximab has been compared with azathioprine for maintaining remission in the MAINRITSAN trial and may be more efficacious in maintaining remission in patients treated with cyclophosphamide induction. Rituximab is not without risks and carries a similar adverse event risk rate as cyclophosphamide in randomized control trials. However, its use can be considered over cyclophosphamide in patients who have relapsing or refractory disease or in young patients seeking to preserve fertility.
How Modeling Can Go Wrong

Modeling and simulation clearly have an upside. My discussion here will deal with the inevitable downside of modeling — the sort of things that can go wrong. It will set out a taxonomy for the pathology of models — a catalogue of the various ways in which model contrivance can go awry. In the course of that discussion, I also call on some of my past experience with models and their vulnerabilities.
Distinct circuit-dependent functions of presynaptic neurexin-3 at GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses

α- and β-neurexins are presynaptic cell-adhesion molecules whose general importance for synaptic transmission is well documented. The specific functions of neurexins, however, remain largely unknown because no conditional neurexin knockouts are available and targeting all α- and β-neurexins produced by a particular gene is challenging. Using newly generated constitutive and conditional knockout mice that target all neurexin-3α and neurexin-3β isoforms, we found that neurexin-3 was differentially required for distinct synaptic functions in different brain regions. Specifically, we found that, in cultured neurons and acute slices of the hippocampus, extracellular sequences of presynaptic neurexin-3 mediated trans-synaptic regulation of postsynaptic AMPA receptors. In cultured neurons and acute slices of the olfactory bulb, however, intracellular sequences of presynaptic neurexin-3 were selectively required for GABA release. Thus, our data indicate that neurexin-3 performs distinct essential pre- or postsynaptic functions in different brain regions by distinct mechanisms.