cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Contour Motions

A reliable motion estimation algorithm must function under a wide range of conditions. One regime, which we consider here, is the case of moving objects with contours but no visible texture. Tracking distinctive features such as corners can disambiguate the motion of contours, but spurious features such as T-junctions can be badly misleading. It is difficult to determine the reliability of motion from local measurements, since a full rank covariance matrix can result from both real and spurious features. We propose a novel approach that avoids these points altogether, and derives global motion estimates by utilizing information from three levels of contour analysis: edgelets, boundary fragments and contours. Boundary fragment are chains of orientated edgelets, for which we derive motion estimates from local evidence. The uncertainties of the local estimates are disambiguated after the boundary fragments are properly grouped into contours. The grouping is done by constructing a graphical model and marginalizing it using importance sampling. We propose two equivalent representations in this graphical model, reversible switch variables attached to the ends of fragments and fragment chains, to capture both local and global statistics of boundaries. Our system is successfully applied to both synthetic and real video sequences containing high-contrast boundaries and textureless regions. The system produces good motion estimates along with properly grouped and completed contours.
Idiosyncratic Risk and Creative Destruction in Japan

The dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese equity market provides a unique opportunity to examine market-and firm-specific risks over different market conditions. The price behavior of Japanese equities in the 1990s is found to resemble that of U.S. equities during the Great Depression. Both show increasing market volatility and a prolonged large co-movement in equity prices. What is unique about the Japanese case is the surprising fall in firm-level volatility and turnover in Japanese stocks after its market crash in 1990. This large decrease in firm-level volatility may have impeded Japan’s capital formation process as it has become more difficult over the past decade for both investors and managers to separate high quality from low quality firms. Using data on firm performance fundamentals and corporate bankruptcies, we show that the fall in firmlevel volatility and turnover could be attributed to the sharp increase in earnings homogeneity among Japanese firms and the lack of corporate restructuring.
Modeling pressure and saturation distribution in a CO2 storage project using a Surrogate Reservoir Model (SRM)

Capturing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from large point sources and depositing it in a geological formation is an effi cient way of decreasing CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere. A comprehensive study is required to perform a safe and effi cient CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) project. The study includes different steps, such as selecting proper underground storage and keeping track of CO 2 behavior in the storage environment. Numerical reservoir simulators are the conventional tools used to implement such an analysis. The intricacy of simulating multiphase fl ow, having a large number of time steps required to study injection and post-injection periods of CO 2 sequestration, a highly heterogeneous reservoir, a large number of wells, etc., will lead to a complicated reservoir model. A single realization for such a reser- voir takes hours to run. Additionally, a thorough understanding of the CO 2 sequestration process requires multiple realizations of the reservoir model. Consequently, using a conventional numerical simulator makes the computational cost of the analysis too high to be practical. In this paper, we examine the application of a relatively new technology, the Surrogate Reservoir Model (SRM), as an alternative tool to solve the aforementioned problems. SRM is a replica of full-fi eld reservoir simulation models. It can generate outputs in a very short time with reasonable accuracy. These characteristics make SRM a unique tool in CO 2 sequestration modeling. This paper proposes developing an SRM for a CO 2 sequestration project ongoing in the SACROC unit to model pressure behavior and phase saturation distributions during different time steps of the CO 2 storage process. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd CO
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Dissociable Prototype Learning Systems

BACKGROUND The cognitive neural underpinnings of prototype learning are becoming clear. Evidence points to 2 different neural systems, depending on the learning parameters. A/not-A (AN) prototype learning is mediated by posterior brain regions that are involved in early perceptual learning, whereas A/B (AB) is mediated by frontal and medial temporal lobe regions. STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on AN and AB prototype learning and to use established prototype models to provide insights into the cognitive-processing locus of sleep-deprivation deficits. DESIGN Participants performed an AN and an AB prototype learning task twice, separated by a 24-hour period, with or without sleep between testing sessions. PARTICIPANTS Eighteen West Point cadets participated in the sleep-deprivation group, and 17 West Point cadets participated in a control group. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Sleep deprivation led to an AN, but not an AB, performance deficit. Prototype model analyses indicated that the AN deficit was due to changes in attentional focus and a decrease in confidence that is reflected in an increased bias to respond non-A. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that AN, but not AB, prototype learning is affected by sleep deprivation. Prototype model analyses support the notion that the effect of sleep deprivation on AN is consistent with lapses in attentional focus that are more detrimental to AN than to AB. This finding adds to a growing body of work that suggests that different performance changes associated with sleep deprivation can be attributed to a common mechanism of changes in simple attention and vigilance.
Tis Not, Tis Not – Tis So, Tis So: Rebuttal of Rebuttal by Iacobucci, Posavac, Kardes, Schneider, and Popovich (2015) on the Appropriateness of Median Splits

Iacobucci, Posovac, Kardes, Schneider, and Popavich (2015a) published a defense of median splits. We (McClelland, Lynch, Irwin, Spiller, and Fitzsimons 2015) and Rucker, McShane, and Preacher (2015) published criticism of each of the key conclusions from Iacobucci et al. Iacobucci et al. (2015b) then prepared a rebuttal. Iacobucci et al. believe that we have misunderstood their points, and we believe that they have misunderstood ours. Iacobucci et al. were given the last word in the pages of Journal of Consumer Psychology. We will use this SSRN outlet to say why the claims in their rejoinder are either incorrect or miss the point of our criticisms. First when only significant results are published, the fraction of published findings that are type 1 errors are a direct function of power divided by type 1 error rate. Second, Iacobucci et al. stress that their simulations were intended to apply to the case of zero multicollinearity; but in the real world with random assignment of subjects to conditions, the correlation between the median split variable and the treatment dummy can be substantial, particularly with small sample sizes. Third, they are incorrect to assert that in a moderated regression model with predictors X, Z, and X*Z it is not possible to get an effect of X or X*Z that is significant using median splits but not significant using continuous X. Finally, they ignore our point that the median split will bias the parameter estimate of the interaction in cases where it is in fact non-zero. We stand by every point in our original critique.
On the Method of Complementary Energy

The method of complementary energy is a general method of structural mechanics. The basic law was stated by F. Engesser in a paper in 1889. He extended Castigliano’s law of least work to apply beyo...
Reassessing "Uncle Shylock": The United States and the French War Debt, 1917-1929

A MERICA'S effort to collect war debts after World War I was undoubtedly one of the least successful and most criticized foreign policies of the United States during the interwar era. Not only was the majority of the debt consigned to an economic graveyard by the defaults of 1932-1934 but also the United States was widely stereotyped abroad as a sinister creditor -"Uncle Shylock." The French were especially critical of America's collection policy. They bitterly resisted attempts by the Wilson, Harding, and Coolidge administrations to fund the war and postwar loans made to France and, at the same time, worked assiduously for cancellation of international debts. Historians have cited in devastating detail the more glaring misconceptions of the official debt collection policy: America's failure to perceive the consequences of its abrupt shift from a debtor to a creditor nation, the erection of tariff barriers which hindered payment in goods, and the stubborn refusal to recognize the relationship between war debts and reparations. But, in assessing the animosities arising from the war debt controversy, they have taken little account of the extreme attitude of intransigence displayed by such debtors as France or the efforts of American diplomacy to find a middle ground.' Judged by the standards of the 1920s, the United States
Analysis of enamel surface damage after selective laser ablation of composite from tooth surfaces.

Objective Resin-based composites are used for many applications in dentistry. They are difficult to remove without damage to the underlying enamel since they adhere strongly and are color matched to the tooth. The objective of this study was to determine if an automated laser scanning system with spectral feedback could be used for selective removal of residual orthodontic composite from tooth surfaces with minimal damage to the underlying enamel. Materials and methods A CO2 laser operating at a wavelength of 9.3 μm with a pulse duration of 10-15 μs and a pulse repetition rate of ~200 Hz was used to selectively remove composite from the buccal surfaces of extracted teeth. A spectral feedback system utilizing a miniature spectrometer was used to control the laser scanning system. Pulpal temperature measurements were performed during composite removal to determine if there was excessive heat accumulation. Conventional and digital microscopes were used to assess the amount of enamel lost during removal. Results The amount of enamel lost averaged between 20 and 25 μm for irradiation intensities from 3.8 to 4.2 J/cm2, respectively. An average maximum temperature rise of 1.9±1.5°C was recorded, with no teeth approaching the critical value of 5.5°C. The average time for composite removal from an area of 5 mm2 was 19.3±4.1 s, fast enough for clinical feasibility. Conclusion Residual composite can be rapidly removed from tooth surfaces using a CO2 laser with spectral feedback, with minimal temperature rise within the pulp and with minimal loss of sound enamel.
Effect of Divinyl Oxide on Intestinal Activity in vivo.

The knowledge of the effect of the newer inhalation anesthetic agents on intestinal contraction is far from adequate. In a previous report1 it was indicated that during the first two planes of surgical anesthesia the effect of cyclopropane on intestinal activity in the intact animal consists of an increase of both intestinal contractions and tone followed by inhibition if narcosis is further deepened. These results agree with the in vitro effects observed by Peoples and Phatak2 on isolated intestinal muscle. Divinyl oxide, another of the newer anesthetic agents, was shown by the same authors3 likewise to increase the tonicity of the isolated intestinal segment. The present study is concerned with the effect of divinyl oxide on intestinal activity in vivo.Six dogs were prepared with Thiry-Vella loops of the upper jejunum. When healing had occurred, tracings of the intestinal movements were recorded after inserting a balloon, connected to a water manometer, into the lumen of the proximal end of the Thiry-Ve...
Applying Contract and Real Property Law to the Purchase of a Farm

We now relate the fundamentals of contract and real property law discussed in the two previous chapters to the purchase of a farm. You will remember that in Chapter 4, the steps in a farm purchase transaction were listed as follows: 1. Negotiating the deal. 2. Binding the deal by written contract. 3. Examination of title. 4. Opinion on title and clearing up title defects. 5. Closing, which may involve: a. A deed for cash, no borrowing by purchaser. b. A deed for cash, part of which is borrowed by purchaser on mortgage from a third person. c. A deed for some cash together with the assumption of an existing mortgage on the place. d. A deed for some cash with a mortgage back to the seller to secure the balance. e. An installment contract, that the buyer will pay the balance to the seller and when he does the deed will be delivered.
Volumetric self-sampling of cervicovaginal fluid: a new approach to ovulation timing *

Cervicovaginal fluid that accumulates in the upper vagina and posterior fornix can be quantitatively correlated with the presumably fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. With a newly developed Volumetric Vaginal Aspirator that women self-administer, cervicovaginal fluid can be sampled on a daily basis and the sample volume or sample weight recorded. In a total of 18 cycles from 7 different subjects there was a striking 3- to 30-fold increase in sample volume or sample weight above early follicular phase levels that preceded the shift in basal body temperature (BBT) at midcycle. The maximum of sample volume or sample weight near midcycle was defined as "Volume Peak" or "Weight Peak" The magnitude of the Volume Peak or Weight Peak varied in the individual subjects and was between 400 and 1500 μ l or mg. The Volume Peak or Weight Peak generally occurred 1 to 2 days before or on the day of presumptive ovulation. With the BBT shift to luteal phase levels, the sample volume or sample weight sharply declined to early follicular phase levels. The results suggest that changes in sample volume or sample weight of cervicovaginal fluid measured with the self-applicable Volumetric Vaginal Aspirator can be used as an objective basis for approaches to natural family planning and for the assessment of optimal conditions for conception.
Cell-Surface Differentiation in the Mouse

Differentiation is the process whereby indifferent cells give rise to specialized tissues and cellular subpopulations with distinctive characteristics. This involves the coordinated control of many different genes, some of which affect the expression of molecules at the cell surface. Those molecules that can be identified with antibodies and are expressed on some but not all tissues are called differentiation antigens (Boyse and Old, 1969). Both qualitative and quantitative variations occur in the expression of differentiation antigens.
The New Economy Business Model and Sustainable Prosperity

With its startup firms, vertical specialists, venture capital, and highly mobile labor, the New Economy business model (NEBM) is one that remains dominant in the United States, and it is one that many national policy-makers and corporate executives around the world seek to emulate. At the same time, within the United States, it is a business model that has been associated with volatile stock markets, unequal incomes, and unstable employment, including the insecurity associated with the offshoring of high-skill ICT jobs. Gone is the collective security that the corporatist Old Economy business model once offered its employees. In its place is a far more individualized relation between employer and employee. The employment and incomes of even the most highly educated members of the US labor force are now much more susceptible to the pressures and vagaries of “market forces” than they were a few decades ago. In particular, global labor markets and national financial markets now exert preponderant influences on the conditions of high-tech employment in the United States. If we define “sustainable prosperity” as a state of economic affairs in which growth results in stable employment and an equitable distribution of income, then the prosperity of the US economy would appear to be unsustainable. There is a need to understand the organizational and industrial dynamics of NEBM if only to determine how the tapping of its innovative capability might be rendered compatible with more socially desirable outcomes.
DDT: An Insecticide

The early ‘60s ushered in an era revolutionary thinking—civil rights took the forefront, rock-n-roll seized the stage, and folks like John Coltrane and Andy Warhol reinterpreted everything from jazz to soup cans. In literature, Maurice Sendak described where the wild things were, Harper Lee encouraged us not to kill them, and Rachel Carson revealed how it was too late; we already were. For millions of maturing baby boomers, Carson turned cautionary eyes to another post-war product that was similarly coming of age—the organochlorine pesticide DDT.
Fluxless bonding of Si chips to Ag-copper using electroplated indium and silver structures

In this study, we present fluxless bonding process between silicon and Ag-copper dual-layer substrate using electroplated In/Ag solder. We first study nucleation mechanism of electroplated In over Ag substrate. It is interesting to find that electroplated In reacts with underlying Ag to from AgIn 2 IMC layer during electroplating. A novel laminating technique is developed on Cu substrate as cladding layer. The Ag cladding on the copper substrate is a buffer to deal with the large mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between semiconductors such as Si (3ppm/°C) and Cu (17ppm/°C). To bond Si chips to the Ag layer on copper substrates, In-based alloy (InAg) is used. A fluxless bonding process is designed and developed between Si/Cr/Au/Ag and Cu/Ag/In/Ag. The bonding process is performed in 50-militorr vacuum atmosphere without any flux. The resulting joints consist of three distinct layers, i.e., Ag, Ag 2 In intermetallic compound and Ag layer. Microstructure and composition of the joints are studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Annealing on the bonding samples is under way to change the three layer joint into two layers of (Ag) and Ag, which would have high re-melting temperature above 700°C. This technique presents our success in overcoming the very large mismatch in thermal expansion between silicon and copper. It can be applied to mounting numerous high power silicon devices to Cu substrate for various industry applications.
Flavopiridol Decreases Mcl-1 and Initiates Early Mitochondrial Damage in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Cells.

We have noted impressive activity of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol in advanced-stage CLL patients, including those with a deletion of chromosome 17p13. Using a novel, effective schedule of flavopiridol, substantial and sometimes dramatic evidence of tumor cell death is observed as early as 4–6 hours. This is accompanied by hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, and dramatic elevation in LDH consistent with acute tumor lysis syndrome. Studies by several groups including our own have demonstrated that Mcl-1 protein and mRNA is down-regulated with flavopiridol. Mcl-1 is an important protein that contributes to mitochondrial membrane stability. We have therefore sought to determine the role of mitochondria disruption in the mechanism of action of flavopiridol. By flow cytometry using the voltage-sensitive dye JC-1, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was detected in flavopiridol-treated whole blood as early as five hours, prior to the onset of annexin-V or propidium iodide staining. This is in contrast to in vitro studies using human serum, in which mitochondrial depolarization and annexin-V staining occurred simultaneously. In isolated CLL cells treated with flavopiridol in vitro, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was not affected by inhibitors of caspases 8 or 9 or by the broad caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk, although apoptosis was effectively blocked by Z-VAD-fmk and caspase-8 inhibitor, and to a lesser extent, caspase-9 inhibitor. Flavopiridol was also able to effectively induce apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane depolarization in Jurkat cell lines deficient in caspase-8 or its adapter protein FADD. Additionally, lymphoid cells overexpressing Bcl-2 are resistant to flavopiridol-mediated apoptosis relative to the vector control. This suggests there is not direct binding of flavopiridol or its metabolites to APAF-1 (cytosolic adapter protein) and apoptosome assembly, as this process is insensitive to Bcl-2 family proteins. Further mechanistic studies were undertaken using isolated liver mitochondria. While the electron transport system was not uncoupled in this system, potential mechanisms of mitochondrial injury in leukemic cells from CLL patients are currently under exploration. Taken together, these observations suggest that mitochondrial perturbation contributes significantly to the death process induced by flavopiridol. Further studies to identify the mechanism of mitochondrial perturbation will be essential to understanding flavopiridol’s mechanism of action and for predicting patients at risk for acute tumor lysis syndrome. (Support for this work was provided by the Samuel Waxman Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.)
Right Hemicolectomy is not Routinely Indicated in Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is primarily the result of a ruptured mucinous appendix neoplasm (MAN). Often MAN is lumped with but biologically distinct from intestinal appendiceal adenocarcinoma. Nodal and systemic dissemination are rare with the peritoneal cavity being the primary site of recurrence. Routine performance of right hemicolectomy (RHC) for PMP/MAN has been extensively debated without consensus. Our objective was to ascertain whether RHC has a survival advantage over appendectomy. We hypothesize if RHC is mandatory, then increased tumor recurrence and mortality should be observed in appendectomy only. Retrospective chart review was carried out in patients with tumors that met the Ronnett classification for PMP/MAN. Demographics, tumor grade, extent, recurrence, and progression were recorded. We report the rate of nodal involvement/recurrence in patients treated with RHC versus appendectomy as well as the rate of systemic and peritoneal recurrence and survival. Multivariate logistic regression was done to identify factors that impact survival. Of 120 patients, 48 had appendectomy and 72 had RHC. Seven per cent of patients undergoing RHC had positive lymph nodes and no nodal failures (0%) in patients undergoing appendectomy. Appendectomy versus RHC recurrence rates (21 vs. 28%, P 5 0.12) and death resulting from disease (8 vs. 22%, P 5 0.27) were similar. Logistic regression revealed that the type of surgery had no impact on recurrence and mortality, only optimal resection score and performance status. There was no difference in tumor recurrence or survival based on treatment by appendectomy or RHC. Performance status and complete cytoreduction are the only factors associated with survival. Lymph node involvement is rare and selective RHC is safe in PMP/MAN.
Impact of wafer-bonding defects on Monolithic 3D integrated circuits

Monolithic three-dimensional (M3D) integration has the potential to achieve significantly higher device density compared to 3D integration based on through-silicon vias. We analyze defects that arise due to voids created during the wafer-bonding step in M3D integration. We quantify the impact of these defects on the threshold voltage of a top-layer transistor in an M3D integrated circuit. We also show that wafer-bonding defects can lead to a change in the resistance of inter-layer vias (ILVs), and in some cases, lead to an open in an ILV or a short between two ILVs. We then analyze the impact of these defects on path delays. Our results show that the timing characteristics of an M3D IC can be significantly altered due to the presence of wafer-bonding defects.
Indigenous Garments and Accessories of the G’addang in Barangay Ngileb: Documentation on Production

This study was undertaken to document the production of indigenous garments and accessories of the Gaddang in Barangay Ngileb in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao to help preserve the culture in making such products. Using qualitative research, it explored the different product-making procedures by using the method of focus group discussion (FGD) or interview with photo-video documentation and actual observation to analyze information from five female respondents. With the results of the study, the following were gathered: main processes involved are weaving, cutting, sewing and bead designing. Tools they use are traditional and it is operated manually. It depends on what product and availability of the raw materials on how long it takes to finish. Gaddangs produce other products like cellphone cases, pen holder and bags. With the use of other resources like carabao horns, wild pig fangs, chicken feathers and kugon grass are also utilized, but other resources like fabric, beads and cotton threads are bought outside their community. They still have their beliefs, and colors they use are dominantly red inorder for them to be distinguished among others. They use quality threads inorder to maintain the best quality they have. And with just a little profit they gain, it is use to supplement their needs like foods, and other school finances for their children. And preserving this culture through this way, it will be of great benefit for the Gaddangs.
Put the Phone Down: Testing a Complement-Interfere Model of Computer-Mediated Communication in the Context of Face-to-Face Interactions

If there ever was a key to happiness, this key would open a door that leads straight to a rich social life. And in the era of smartphones, this key to social connection is in our pockets anytime an...
Basement control of alkalic flood rhyolite magmatism of the Davis Mountains volcanic field, Trans-Pecos Texas, U.S.A.

Abstract Voluminous silicic lava flows, erupted ~ 37.4 Ma from widespread centers within the Davis Mountains Volcanic Field (DMVF), covered approximately 10,000 km 2 with an initial volume as great as 1000 km 3 . Lava flows form three major stratigraphic units: the Star Mountain Rhyolite (minimum 220 km 3 ) of the eastern Davis Mountains and adjacent Barilla Mountains, the Crossen Formation (~ 75 km 3 ) of the southern Davis Mountains, and the Bracks Rhyolite (~ 75 km 3 ) of the Rim Rock region west of the Davis Mountains proper. Similar extensive rhyolite lava also occurs in slightly younger units (Adobe Canyon Rhyolite, ~ 125 km 3 , 37.1 Ma), Sheep Pasture Formation (~ 125 km 3 , ~ 36 Ma) and, less voluminously, in the Paisano central volcano (~ 36.9 Ma) and younger units in the Davis Mountains. Individual lava flows from these units formed fields as extensive as 55 km and 300-m-thick. Flood rhyolite lavas of the Davis Mountains are marginally peralkaline quartz trachyte to low-silica rhyolite. Phenocrysts include alkali feldspar, clinopyroxene, FeTi oxides, and apatite, and, rarely, fayalite, as well as zircon in less peralkaline units. Many Star Mountain flows may be assigned to one of four geochemical groupings. Temperatures were moderately high, ranging from ~ 911 to 860 °C in quartz trachyte and low silica rhyolite. We suggest that flood rhyolite magma evolved from trachyte magma by filter pressing processes, and trachyte from mafic magma in deeper seated plutons. The Davis Mountains segment of Trans-Pecos Texas overlies Grenville basement and is separated from the older Southern Granite and Rhyolite Province to the north by the Grenville Front, and from the younger Coahuila terrane to the south by the Ouachita Front. We suggest that basement structure strongly influenced the timing and nature of Trans-Pecos magmatism, probably in varying degrees of impeding the ascent of mantle-derived mafic magmas, which were produced by upwelling of asthenospheric mantle above the foundered Farallon slab. Basalt was able to penetrate Coahuila crust in the Big Bend region. Thicker Grenville crust under the Davis Mountains retarded ascent of mafic magmas, allowing mafic plutons to differentiate into silicic magma that was eventually erupted as flood lava. North of the Grenville Front, magmatism was further delayed and thicker, older crust there may have helped concentrate magmatism under the Davis Mountain region. Only after the onset of Basin and Range faulting was true basalt erupted over much of the Trans Pecos.
Deviation Management: Key Management Subsystem Driver of Knowledge-Based Continuous Improvement in the Henry Ford Production System.

Objectives To develop a business subsystem fulfilling International Organization for Standardization 15189 nonconformance management regulatory standard, facilitating employee engagement in problem identification and resolution to effect quality improvement and risk mitigation. Methods From 2012 to 2016, the integrated laboratories of the Henry Ford Health System used a quality technical team to develop and improve a management subsystem designed to identify, track, trend, and summarize nonconformances based on frequency, risk, and root cause for elimination at the level of the work. Results Programmatic improvements and training resulted in markedly increased documentation culminating in 71,641 deviations in 2016 classified by a taxonomy of 281 defect types into preanalytic (74.8%), analytic (23.6%), and postanalytic (1.6%) testing phases. The top 10 deviations accounted for 55,843 (78%) of the total. Conclusions Deviation management is a key subsystem of managers' standard work whereby knowledge of nonconformities assists in directing corrective actions and continuous improvements that promote consistent execution and higher levels of performance.
Biological Effects of H2S Inhalation and Its Therapeutic Potential

Hydrogen sulfide has been known as a toxic gas for many years. Following a discovery that inhaling low concentrations of H2S induces “suspended animation” in rodents, a number of studies have been done in the hope to exploiting beneficial effects of this toxic gas. Although many intriguing results have been reported, typically, these early studies were conducted in rodents with one concentration of inhaled H2S. Therapeutic potential of H2S inhalation remains to be examined using large animal models.
Do Some Things Change Faster than Others? The Dynamics of Behavioral Change in Computer-Supported Groups

We would expect that as participants in group activities interact and gain experience with each other and computer support technologies, their perceptions toward social processes and media properties are likely to change. What we don't know is whether these perceptions evolve similarly or differently. This paper examines a large number of computer-supported work groups from two different studies, working over a series of sessions on a collaborative writing task. Results indicate that perceptions about social issues tend to exhibit different timing and rates of change than perceptions about media-related issues. Specifically behavioral perceptions begin to change before media perceptions, and they also exhibit more change overall than media ones. Moreover, perceptions about media with different attributes change differently relative to social perceptions.
52-P: CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION OF HIGHLY SENSITIZED PATIENTS ACROSS C1Q NEGATIVE HLA ANTIBODIES

Aim To test a new approach for decreasing the risk of crossing HLA antibodies barrier in highly sensitized cardiac transplant candidates. Methods Our approach utilizes the epitope analysis ClustlW2 multiple sequence alignment program for proteins (EMBL-EBI) and the C1q assay to analyze the antibodies pattern and cytotoxic properties in cardiac transplant candidates. Results The presence of high level HLA antibodies can impact the access of highly sensitized heart transplant candidate to transplantation. In patients with high PRA and in imminent need for an allograft, the transplantation across positive donor specific antibodies might be the only option. Some transplant programs choose the unacceptable antigens that they will transplant across based on the antibodies levels detected semi-quantitively by Luminex platform expressed in MFI. However, it is well know that the majority of HLA antibodies are directed against shared epitopes and consequently, the MFI values might not accurately reflect the DSA levels. Another potential factor is that the normal Luminex platform cannot differentiate between the complement fixing and the non-complement fixing HLA antibodies. The new C1q testing addition is recently utilized to detect complement fixing antibodies. Conclusions Epiotope analysis that can provide an actual estimate of the HLA antibodies strength in combination with C1q can be used to decrease the risk for transplanting highly sensitized heart candidates.
Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? President Donald Trump’s Personality Profile as Perceived from Different Political Viewpoints

The present research used an empirical, crowdsourced trait profiling approach to describe the personality of President Donald Trump (hereafter Trump) that accounts for political views. We recruited participants who voted for Hillary Clinton (N = 120; hereafter Clinton) and Trump (N = 118), and asked them to rate Trump’s personality on the 30 facets of the Five Factor Model. Participants also provided perceived helpfulness and harmfulness ratings of the facets before and after the election. We treated these facet level ratings as trait profiles, which were transformed into estimates of personality disorders (PDs) and complex trait-based constructs based on expert profiles. Results suggest only modest agreement between Clinton and Trump voters on Trump’s personality. Clinton voters perceived much greater antagonism, lower conscientiousness, and higher levels of impairment in Trump’s personality than did Trump voters who primarily perceived high levels of extraversion and emotional stability (i.e., low neuroticism). At the level of PDs and complex traits, there was some convergence with both groups seeing Trump as high in narcissism and psychopathy.
Challenges and opportunities for edge cloud architectures

Distributed "edge" clouds provide the performance and security attributes to fill the cloud gap. The talk will cover the challenges and opportunities in bringing cloud to the comms infrastructure. "Edge Cloud" architectures are emerging as an area of increased interest and development. Unlike the binary choices of private cloud and hyperscale cloud of today, these distributed cloud and data center architectures enable new use cases that have impact now and set the stage for forthcoming technologies such as 5G, AR/VR and AI. Edge deployments bring compute and storage closer to the customer, allowing: (1) execution of low latency workloads (i.e: storage gateway, IoT or AR) while also increasing the throughput thanks to the compute distribution; (2) enhanced TCO thanks to the ability to reduce long haul traffic to more remote data centers (i.e: CDN); and (3) the ability to retain data in local or regional basis-an area of increasing regulatory importance.Communication Service Providers (CommSPs) are advantaged in that they possess hundreds or thousands of local Points of Presence and other infrastructure that is close to millions of businesses. They also possess well-honed expertise in delivering essential business communications services to nearly every business on Earth. The challenge for the CommSP is to cloud-enable their infrastructure and deliver the next generation of workloads that are under-served by the clouds of today due to performance limitations or security/regulatory concerns.In the presentation several aspects will be discussed on key challenges for the definition of Edge Cloud architectures towards 2021 and beyond for the different networking levels: from processor and platform interconnect to Network of the operators. Different aspects will be covered: (1) use cases; (2) where and what edges exist; (3) challenges and chances from networking perspective; (4) potential architectural ingredients.As with any cloud, but especially for public clouds, security and quality is one of the main challenges to be addressed in order to implement an end-to-end secure architecture. With that respect, data must be securely managed, stored and isolated between different entities running in the edge as well as guaranteeing that they are protected as well from the infrastructure owners. Specific challenges that need to be addressed in these new architectures are: (1) End to end security (from compute to disaggregated devices); (2) Two levels of complete isolation (between different the CSPs renting the infrastructure and between tenants executing inside the CSP); (3) guaranteed CSPs and tenant isolation with respect to the CSPs; (4) Physical security requirements (i.e: protect the architecture from potential physical sniffing).The talk will provide the views of leading systems and CommSP as they share learnings from the cloudification of the communications infrastructure to deploy localized services. The talk will address the main use cases, challenges, opportunities and gaps of this end to end, multi-cloud, multi-tenant architecture.
The impact of supply chain responsiveness and strategic supply chain collaboration on innovation performance

This study investigates the impact of supply chain responsiveness and strategic supply chain collaboration on innovation performance. Additionally, it examines the influence of strategic collaboration as a mediating construct between supply chain responsiveness and innovation performance. A web-based questionnaire survey was used in this study. Structural equation modelling was applied to test proposed hypotheses on the associations between the three variables. A key finding of the study is that while both supply chain responsiveness and supply chain collaboration directly and positively impact innovation performance, the mediation model in which supply chain collaboration acts as a mediator results in a higher impact on innovation performance.
The Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann legacy in mathematical relativity II. Quantum laws of motion

We report on recent developments towards a relativistic quantum mechanical theory of motion for a fixed, finite number of electrons, photons, and their anti-particles, as well as its possible generalizations to other particles and interactions.
Kepler and Wiles: Models of Perseverance.

Kepler overcame 2000 years of mistaken belie , pseudo science, and downright superstition i f you have seen the videotape The Proof or read the companion book by Simon Singh (1997) called Fermat's Enigma, you know that the story of Andrew Wiles's journey toward the proof of Fermat's last theorem is a remarkable tale of hope, dis appointment, persistence, and ultimate triumph. Discovered by Pierre Fermat around 1637, the theorem is simple to state: "The conjecture that jt* + yn = zn, where n > 2, has no solution with x, y, and z positive integers" (James and James 1992, p. 163). Yet the proof of this well-known theorem eluded generations of mathematicians. Wiles spent nearly a decade attempting to prove the theorem before he finally succeeded in 1994. The videotape and the book each offer an all-too-rare glimpse into the private struggles that preceded the more formal presentation of a finished product. When reading Singh's book, my thoughts turned toward other figures in the history of mathematics who displayed the same kind of persistence, even perhaps battling their own beliefs about the way things work, finally succeeding and thereby trans forming mathematics. Among them, Johannes Kepler, of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, stands out because he left a detailed account of his attempts to understand the nature of the universe. In the process, he developed mathe matical methods that led directly to the invention of the calculus. In many ways, the paths taken by Kepler and Wiles mirror each other and offer fasci nating insights into the creative process of mathe maticians. However, Kepler was up against a chal lenge even greater than the one that Wiles faced in solving his 350-year-old mystery: Kepler had to overcome two thousand years of mistaken beliefs, pseudoscience, and downright superstition to derive his three laws of planetary motion. Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion were published in 1609; the third, ten years later. See figure 1. His best-known publication was the Mys terium Cosmographicum. Originally published in 1596, it was the only one of Kepler's works that was issued in a second edition during his life. The sec ond edition, published in 1621, contained extensive notes that reflected the ways in which Kepler's thinking changed over twenty-five years, the period during which he developed his laws of motion. first lam: Ww planets moot about the sun tn elliptical orbits mitti the sun at one focus. Second lam: WK radius nector joining a planet to the sun suieeps oner equal areas in equal intentais of time. third lam: Wat square of the time of one complete reoolution of a planet about its orbit is proportional to the cube of the orbit's semimajor axis.
Abstract 396: Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Proliferation by the Hippo Pathway and Dystrophin Complex

Regeneration in mammalian hearts is limited due to the extremely low renewal rate of cardiomyocytes and their inability to reenter the cell cycle. In rodent hearts, endogenous regenerative capacity...
From mini-brains to neural networks

Cells dissociated from cerebral organoids self-organize into two-dimensional neuronal networks with relatively advanced functionality.
Promutagenicity of 8-Chloroguanine, A Major Inflammation-Induced Halogenated DNA Lesion.

Chronic inflammation is closely associated with cancer development. One possible mechanism for inflammation-induced carcinogenesis is DNA damage caused by reactive halogen species, such as hypochlorous acid, which is released by myeloperoxidase to kill pathogens. Hypochlorous acid can attack genomic DNA to produce 8-chloro-2′-deoxyguanosine (ClG) as a major lesion. It has been postulated that ClG promotes mutagenic replication using its syn conformer; yet, the structural basis for ClG-induced mutagenesis is unknown. We obtained crystal structures and kinetics data for nucleotide incorporation past a templating ClG using human DNA polymerase β (polβ) as a model enzyme for high-fidelity DNA polymerases. The structures showed that ClG formed base pairs with incoming dCTP and dGTP using its anti and syn conformers, respectively. Kinetic studies showed that polβ incorporated dGTP only 15-fold less efficiently than dCTP, suggesting that replication across ClG is promutagenic. Two hydrogen bonds between syn-ClG and anti-dGTP and a water-mediated hydrogen bond appeared to facilitate mutagenic replication opposite the major halogenated guanine lesion. These results suggest that ClG in DNA promotes G to C transversion mutations by forming Hoogsteen base pairing between syn-ClG and anti-G during DNA synthesis.
Girls and Violence

It is a timeworn assumption that males and females differ radically in their delinquency. Indeed, “real” delinquency was once thought to be an exclusively male preserve. Albert Cohen, in his widely cited work, Delinquent Boys, provides one of the clearest academic articulations of this position. Because “boys collect stamps and girls collect boys,” Cohen felt it followed that the “problems of adjustment of men and women, of boys and girls, arise out of quite different circumstances and press for quite different solutions.” The delinquent, he concluded, was essentially “a rogue male” (Cohen, 1955, p. 140).
A preclinical hybrid curriculum and its impact on dental student learning outcomes.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to measure how the implementation of an online, preclinical hybrid curriculum impacts dental student clinic readiness, the outcomes of grades, critical thinking skills, and student and faculty perceptions respectively. Methods This longitudinal comparative and descriptive study used objective data and subjective (survey) data for 4 dental class cohorts. Groups A and B experienced a traditional lecture-based curriculum, while Groups C and D experienced a hybrid curriculum that was lecture-free and implemented active learning. The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT), an objective assessment, was used to measure students' critical thinking skills. Results Dental student outcomes have either remained steady or improved with the transition to a new hybrid curriculum. According to the student and faculty survey results, the hybrid curriculum promoted student learning, independence, critical thinking, initiative and self-motivation, and clinic practice readiness. Group C (N = 68) Total Online Platform mean scores demonstrated a significant and moderately strong correlation with the preclinical course mean grades (r = 0.68, P = 0.00). Group D HSRT (n = 63) for Attempt 1 (end of year 1) and Attempt 2 (end of Year 2) paired T test resulted in HSRT Overall (mean difference = -2.27, SD = 7.21, t = -2.5, P = 0.02) for the second preclinical year. Conclusion The hybrid curricular approach afforded many benefits. Faculty took an active role in imparting knowledge when compared to the lecture hall. Having students immersed in continual assessment through an online adaptive platform and active learning promoted self-motivation, deeper learning, applied knowledge, and discouraged superficial memorization.
The deepest border: the Strait of Gibraltar and the making of the modern Hispano-African borderland

Sasha D. Pack’s The Deepest Border: The Strait of Gibraltar and the Making of the Modern Hispano-African Borderland is an innovative, engaging, and thoroughly researched history of the complex “reg...
In vitro age-related differences in rats to organophosphates.

Abstract The mechanism of toxic action for organophosphates (OPs) is the persistent inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) resulting in accumulation of acetylcholine and subsequent hyperstimulation of the nervous system. Organophosphates display a wide range of acute toxicities. Differences in the OP's chemistries results in differences in the compound's metabolism and toxicity. Acute toxicities of OPs appear to be principally dependent on compound specific efficiencies of detoxication, and less dependent upon efficiencies of bioactivation and sensitivity of AChE. Serine esterases, such as carboxylesterase (CaE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), play a prominent role in OP detoxication. Organophosphates can stoichiometrically inhibit these enzymes, removing OPs from circulation thus providing protection for the target enzyme, AChE. This in vitro study investigated age-related sensitivity of AChE, BChE and CaE to twelve structurally different OPs in rat tissues. Sensitivity of esterases to these OPs was assessed by inhibitory concentration 50s (IC50s). The OPs displayed a wide range of inhibitory potency toward AChE with IC50s in the low nM-μM range with no differences among ages; however, the CaE IC50s generally increased with age reflecting greater protection in adults. These results suggest age-related differences in acute toxicities of OPs in mammals are primarily a result of their detoxication capacities.