cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multidimensional binary search trees used for associative searching

This paper develops the multidimensional binary search tree (or k-d tree, where k is the dimensionality of the search space) as a data structure for storage of information to be retrieved by associative searches. The k-d tree is defined and examples are given. It is shown to be quite efficient in its storage requirements. A significant advantage of this structure is that a single data structure can handle many types of queries very efficiently. Various utility algorithms are developed; their proven average running times in an n record file are: insertion, O(log n); deletion of the root, O(n(k-1)/k); deletion of a random node, O(log n); and optimization (guarantees logarithmic performance of searches), O(n log n). Search algorithms are given for partial match queries with t keys specified [proven maximum running time of O(n(k-t)/k)] and for nearest neighbor queries [empirically observed average running time of O(log n).] These performances far surpass the best currently known algorithms for these tasks. An algorithm is presented to handle any general intersection query. The main focus of this paper is theoretical. It is felt, however, that k-d trees could be quite useful in many applications, and examples of potential uses are given.
The biological basis of language: insight from developmental grammatical impairments

Specific language impairment (SLI), a genetic developmental disorder, offers insights into the neurobiological and computational organization of language. A subtype, Grammatical-SLI (G-SLI), involves greater impairments in ‘extended’ grammatical representations, which are nonlocal, hierarchical, abstract, and composed, than in ‘basic’ ones, which are local, linear, semantic, and holistic. This distinction is seen in syntax, morphology, and phonology, and may be tied to abnormalities in the left hemisphere and basal ganglia, consistent with new models of the neurobiology of language which distinguish dorsal and ventral processing streams. Delineating neurolinguistic phenotypes promises a better understanding of the effects of genes on the brain circuitry underlying normal and impaired language abilities. Developmental disorders as a window into the biology of language Given the lack of animal models for language, and the inability to use invasive procedures with humans except out of medical necessity, our knowledge of the neurobiology of language has long depended upon natural experiments. During the 19th and 20th centuries, studies of patients with acquired brain lesions provided key insights [1–3]. Understanding of language in the 21st century promises to be enriched by data from developmental disorders. SLI, a family of language impairments in otherwise normal children, is highly heritable and has been linked so far to four genes. These discoveries provide a new route to understanding the complex pathways from genes and environment to the neural systems underpinning language. This understanding depends, however, on breaking down the coarse categories of ‘language’ and ‘language impairment’ and examining the way that specific components of language are affected in specific disorders, and how they correlate with brain function and structure. That is, rather than searching for a direct link from genotype to behavior, we suggest linking genetic variants
Roles of the CCL20-CCR6 axis and CXCR3 in CD8 T cell-mediated contact hypersensitivity (CCR5P.211)

Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is a CD8 T cell-mediated response to skin sensitization and challenge with hapten. Hapten-primed CD8 T cell populations producing IFN-g and IL-17 are required to induce hapten-presenting endothelial cells (EC) in the challenged skin to produce CXCL1 and CXCL2 that direct Gr-1+CXCR2+ cell recruitment into the skin challenge site during elicitation of CHS. This study investigated mechanisms directing the localization of the hapten-primed IL-17- and IFN-g producing CD8 T cells to EC in the challenge site. qPCR analyses indicate DNFB hapten application to the skin of sensitized mice or to EC cultures induces TNFa-dependent expression of CCL20 within 1 h. Hapten sensitized mice treated with anti-CCL20 mAb at the time of challenge decreases CXCL1 and IL-17, but not IFN-g, expression in skin challenge site 4 hrs. post-challenge. ELISPOT assay analyses of flow-sorted CD8 T cells from draining lymph nodes of sensitized mice indicate populations of CCR6 + CXCR3 + , CCR6 + CXCR3 - and CCR6 - CXCR3 + cells producing IL-17 in response to hapten-presenting cells. In contrast, IFN-g is produced only by CXCR3 + CCR6 - cells. Hapten sensitization and challenge of CCR6 -/- mice induces CHS responses that are only slightly lower than those in WT controls. These results indicate a role for CCR6 + , CCR6 - and CXCR3 + CD8 T cells in producing the IL-17 and IFN-g required for elicitation of CHS responses.
Political Questions and the Guarantee Clause

This paper argues that in Marbury v. Madison, in introducing the concept of the nonjusticiable "political question," Chief Justice Marshall was referring only to extrajudicial decisionmaking. The paper argues that when a case is otherwise properly before a court it generally should not be held to involve a nonjusticiable political question. Constitutional rights, in particular, are enforceable without regard to such a doctrine, as Marshall was at pains to explain in Marbury. The author comments analytically on the major cases relying on the doctrine in support of this conclusion.
Clinical Presentation of 84 Infantile Cases with Malrotation of Intestine

Objective To investigate clinical presentation,diagnosis,management and prognosis of malrotation of intestine.Methods From Jan.1993 to Dec.2010,84 patients were treated for malrotation of intestine in Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics.There were 69 newborns and 15 infants less than 3 months old,among which 76 cases presented with intermittent or recurrent vomiting(90.5%),69 cases(82.1%) with intermittent bilious vomiting,11 cases(13.1%) presented with bloody stools.Radiographic upper gastrointestinal contrast studies and barium enema were done in 51 patients and were with malrotation of the intestine.Ultrasound examination discovered 76.2%(48/63 cases) infants with malrotation.Eighty-two patients underwent Ladd′s operation.Results Of the 82 patients,52 cases(63.4%) had volvulus,22 patients had associated abnormalities of intestine;and 10 patients presented with intestinal gangrene.Of the 82 patients,76 patients experienced resolution of symptoms after surgery,6 patients had critical intestinal gangrene and 2 patients died,while 4 cases abandoned treatment.Bloody stools,abdominal distention were often found in infants with intestinal gangrene.Conclusions Intermittent bilious vomiting is the most common clinical presentation of malrotation of intestine.Bloody stool is the sign of volvulus and intestinal gangrene and operation must be performed immediately.Ultrasound is the method to diagnose malrotation of intestine.Upper gastrointestinal series and barium enema are very useful to diagnose malrotation of intestine and volvulus.Infants with complications such as intestinal gangrene and intestinal perforation have worse prognosis.Early diagnosis and appropriate operative therapy are the key to improve the prognosis.
G527(P) The incidence of paediatric cystic fibrosis admissions in Irish public hospitals; 2009–2013 – An analysis of admission diagnoses and mortality

Aims Cystic Fibrosis is the most commonly occuring life limiting inherited disease in Ireland with an incidence of 1 in 1461. We sought to evaluate trends in paediatric and adult hospital admissions for patients with any listed diagnosis of CF using the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry system data. Methods The HIPE system was evaluated from 57 hospitals from 2009–2013 for patients with any listed diagnosis of CF. Data recorded included diagnosis, age, gender, and length of stay. Trends were examined by logistic regression analysis. Results There were 11,182 hospital admissions with any listed diagnosis of CF from 2009 to 2013, 36% of which were in the 14 years (n = 7419). The number of patients aged 0–14 years significantly increased annually from 659 in 2009 to 809 in 2013 (r 2 =0.8, p = 0.04). The number of admissions in the >14 year group increased numerically from 1363 in 2009 to 2184 in 2013 but this was not statistically significant (r 2 =0.6, p = 0.15). There was a significant difference between age groups requiring admission for CF with a bimodal age distribution, increasing from 10–14 year age group and again in the 20–24 year age group prior to rapidly dropping (p= 2 =0.9, p = 0.02). The ratio of male to female CF admissions varied by age with a bimodal distribution peaking at 10–14 years and at 25–29 (p = 0.03). CF was most frequent diagnosis 14 (8 v 15, p= Conclusion There has been a significant annual increase in admissions among CF patients 14 years. The need for admission varies significantly with age and gender. The ALOS is significantly shorter in those 14 years. Inpatient CF age of death has not significantly improved from 2009–2012.
Oxygen-Purged Microfluidic Device to Enhance Cell Viability in Photopolymerized PEG Hydrogel Microparticles

Encapsulating cells within biocompatible materials is a widely used strategy for cell delivery and tissue engineering. While cells are commonly suspended within bulk hydrogel-forming solutions during gelation, substantial interest in the microfluidic fabrication of miniaturized cell encapsulation vehicles has more recently emerged. Here, we utilize multiphase microfluidics to encapsulate cells within photopolymerized picoliter-volume water-in-oil droplets at high production rates. The photoinitiated polymerization of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) is used to continuously produce solid particles from aqueous liquid drops containing cells and hydrogel forming solution. It is well understood that this photoinitiated addition reaction is inhibited by oxygen. In contrast to bulk polymerization in which ambient oxygen is rapidly and harmlessly consumed, allowing the polymerization reaction to proceed, photopolymerization within air permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices allows oxygen...
Principles of photobiology and photochemistry

The relationship between light exposure and UV induced skin diseases is presented. The basic law is: "No photobiology--no photochemistry". Photoaging, phototoxic and photoallergic reactions, porphyria, UV-carcinogenesis, and alterations of immune functions are discussed.
SU-F-T-507: Modeling Cerenkov Emissions From Medical Linear Accelerators: A Monte Carlo Study

Purpose: Cerenkov emissions are a natural byproduct of MV radiotherapy but are typically ignored as inconsequential. However, Cerenkov photons may be useful for activation of drugs such as psoralen. Here, we investigate Cerenkov radiation from common radiotherapy beams using Monte Carlo simulations. Methods: GAMOS, a GEANT4-based framework for Monte Carlo simulations, was used to model 6 and 18MV photon beams from a Varian medical linac. Simulations were run to track Cerenkov production from these beams when irradiating a 50cm radius sphere of water. Electron contamination was neglected. 2 million primary photon histories were run for each energy, and values scored included integral dose and total track length of Cerenkov photons between 100 and 400 nm wavelength. By lowering process energy thresholds, simulations included low energy Bremsstrahlung photons to ensure comprehensive evaluation of UV production in the medium. Results: For the same number of primary photons, UV Cerenkov production for 18MV was greater than 6MV by a factor of 3.72 as determined by total track length. The total integral dose was a factor of 2.31 greater for the 18MV beam. Bremsstrahlung photons were a negligibly small component of photons in the wavelength range of interest, comprising 0.02% of such photons. Conclusion: Cerenkov emissions in water are 1.6x greater for 18MV than 6MV for the same integral dose. Future work will expand the analysis to include optical properties of tissues, and to investigate strategies to maximize Cerenkov emission per unit dose for MV radiotherapy.
Should the Formerly Socialist Economies Look East or West for a Model

This is a time and place of great moment. I do not come here pretending to know as much about the Russian economic reforms as many others in this room. Nor am I certain that what I am about to suggest is the right course for Russia, nor for any other nation. Nonetheless, there is something about this time and place that lures the mind into big-think. So I will succumb to temptation and indulge in some speculations about where the formerly socialist economies of Europe should be going — and why.
Brachial Plexus Palsy

The neonatal and follow-up records of 52 children with neonatal acquired brachial plexus palsy (BPP), born in 1981-89 in a mixed urban-rural county of Skaraborg, Sweden, were analyzed retrospectively at 4-14 years after birth and motor handicaps were evaluated at the Department of Child Habilitation, Central Hospital, Skovde, Sweden.
Cogging torque minimization with rotor tooth shaping in axial flux-switching permanent magnet machine

This paper proposes a rotor tooth shaping method to reduce the cogging torque of an axial flux-switching permanent magnet machine. The rotor tooth is shaped in different configurations, including constant, trapezoidal, asymmetrical, extended, and square shapes. 3-D finite element analysis is performed to compare the proposed shapes of rotor tooth. Peak-to-peak cogging torque, fundamental flux linkage, loaded torque, and the total weight of teeth are compared using various rotor tooth angles. The simulation results show that overall minimum cogging torque is achieved by the extended shape of rotor tooth.
Learning noise

In this paper we propose a genetic programming approach to learning stochastic models with unsymmetrical noise distributions. Most learning algorithms try to learn from noisy data by modeling the maximum likelihood output or least squared error, assuming that noise effects average out. While this process works well for data with symmetrical noise distributions (such as Gaussian observation noise), many real-life sources of noise are not symmetrically distributed, thus this approach does not hold. We suggest improved learning can be obtained by including noise sources explicitly in the model as a stochastic element. A stochastic element is a random sub-process or latent variable of a hidden system that can propagate nonlinear noise to the observable outputs. Stochastic elements can skew and distort output features making regression of analytical models particularly difficult and error minimizing approaches inhibiting. We introduce a new method to infer the analytical model of a system by decomposing non-uniform noise observed at the outputs into uniform stochastic elements appearing symbolically inside the system. Results demonstrate the ability to regress exact analytical models where stochastic elements are embedded inside nonlinear and polynomial hidden systems.
Technical Note: Evaluation of pre-reconstruction interpolation methods for iterative reconstruction of radial k-space data

Purpose To evaluate the use of three different pre-reconstruction interpolation methods to convert non-Cartesian k-space data to Cartesian samples such that iterative reconstructions can be performed more simply and more rapidly. Methods Phantom as well as cardiac perfusion radial datasets were reconstructed by four different methods. Three of the methods used pre-reconstruction interpolation once followed by a fast Fourier transform (FFT) at each iteration. The methods were: bilinear interpolation of nearest-neighbor points (BINN), 3-point interpolation, and a multi-coil interpolator called GRAPPA Operator Gridding (GROG). The fourth method performed a full non-Uniform FFT (NUFFT) at each iteration. An iterative reconstruction with spatiotemporal total variation constraints was used with each method. Differences in the images were quantified and compared. Results The GROG multi-coil interpolation, the 3-point interpolation, and the NUFFT-at-each-iteration approaches produced high quality images compared to BINN, with the GROG-derived images having the fewest streaks among the three pre-interpolation approaches. However, all reconstruction methods produced approximately equal results when applied to perfusion quantitation tasks. Pre-reconstruction interpolation gave approximately an 83% reduction in reconstruction time. Conclusion Image quality suffers little from using a pre-reconstruction interpolation approach compared to the more accurate NUFFT-based approach. GROG-based pre-reconstruction interpolation appears to offer the best compromise by using multi-coil information to perform the interpolation to Cartesian sample points prior to image reconstruction. Speed gains depend on the implementation and relatively standard optimizations on a MATLAB platform result in pre-interpolation speedups of ~6 compared to using NUFFT at every iteration, reducing the reconstruction time from around 42 minutes to 7 minutes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
MicroRNA Induced Cardiac Reprogramming In Vivo Evidence for Mature Cardiac Myocytes and Improved Cardiac Function

Rationale: A major goal for the treatment of heart tissue damaged by cardiac injury is to develop strategies for restoring healthy heart muscle through the regeneration and repair of damaged myocardium. We recently demonstrated that administration of a specific combination of microRNAs (miR combo) into the infarcted myocardium leads to direct in vivo reprogramming of noncardiac myocytes to cardiac myocytes. However, the biological and functional consequences of such reprogramming are not yet known. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether noncardiac myocytes directly reprogrammed using miRNAs in vivo develop into mature functional cardiac myocytes in situ, and whether reprogramming leads to improvement of cardiac function. Methods and Results: We subjected fibroblast-specific protein 1-Cre mice/tandem dimer Tomato (tdTomato) mice to cardiac injury by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and injected lentiviruses encoding miR combo or a control nontargeting miRNA. miR combo significantly increased the number of reprogramming events in vivo. Five to 6 weeks after injury, morphological and physiological properties of tdTomato − and tdTomato + cardiac myocyte–like cells were analyzed ex vivo. tdTomato + cells expressed cardiac myocyte markers, sarcomeric organization, excitation–contraction coupling, and action potentials characteristic of mature ventricular cardiac myocytes (tdTomato − cells). Reprogramming was associated with improvement of cardiac function, as analyzed by serial echocardiography. There was a time delayed and progressive improvement in fractional shortening and other measures of ventricular function, indicating that miR combo promotes functional recovery of damaged myocardium. Conclusions: The findings from this study further validate the potential use of miRNA-mediated reprogramming as a therapeutic approach to promote cardiac regeneration after myocardial injury.
Subtalar coalition resection utilizing live navigation: a technique tip.

Abstract Purpose Describe the surgical technique of talocalcaneal coalition resection using live CT navigation. Methods A ten-year-old female with left talocalcaneal coalition hindfoot pain refractory to conservative management underwent surgical coalition resection using live CT navigation. The procedure and discussion of this technique is described in detail. Results With minimal radiation exposure to the patient, CT navigation for this complex talocalcaneal coalition was both helpful and potentially timesaving by allowing immediate localization and guided resection of the coalition. Conclusion In the case of a complex subtalar coalition resection, CT navigation poses minimal patient radiation exposure and allows immediate localization and guided resection of the coalition. Level of Evidence Level V
The Political Life of Metrics

This chapter extends the analysis of the previous chapter to the role of metrics in political practice, using the U.S. standard graduation rate metric as a case. I argue that information is best understood as a process of communication in which observation is encoded into data through the translation regime and then decoded into metrics which are then institutionalized in political processes. In both processes, political factors are prominent, making metrics a political outcome at the least. I go further, however, showing that metrics play important distributive roles in politics, allocating material and moral goods as well as the conditions of political power. Metrics also exercise political control directly, working much like administrative procedures to select favored outcomes without direct legislative intervention and building the capacity of the state to exercise control over policy areas.
“You Look Fine!”: Ableist Experiences by People With Invisible Disabilities

Much existing research on ableism focuses on individuals whose disabilities are more apparent to others. Using a phenomenological approach, this study interviewed 14 participants, exploring how peo...
The Inheritance of Niches

The study of genetics overshadows that of exogenetics for three reasons. First, no single unit of exogenetic inheritance exists. Even the most central feature of exogenetic inheritance, the concept of something “outside” the genes, lacks clarity. That something is the environment, but how do we define the environment? To some, the term stands for the complex of biotic elements that surrounds all organisms. To others, the term refers to a particular species’ or population’s habitat.
Introduction to Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Frequently and Less Frequently Monitored Drugs

Therapeutic drug monitoring is useful for individual dosage adjustment and avoiding drug toxicity for certain drugs with a narrow therapeutic window. However, only relatively few drugs require therapeutic drug monitoring and most of these drugs are used for treating a chronic condition. The exceptions are vancomycin and aminoglycosides, which are used for a relatively short time for treating a life-threatening infection. These drugs require therapeutic drug monitoring due to their high threshold of toxicity. In general approximately 26 drugs are routinely monitored in clinical laboratories, and for most of these drugs there are readily available immunoassays which can be adopted on automated analyzers. These drugs include cardioactive drugs, anticonvulsants, anti-asthmatics, tricyclic antidepressants, immunosuppressants, certain antibiotics and certain anticancer drugs – most commonly, methotrexate. There are approximately 25–30 drugs that are monitored less frequently, and for most of these drugs immunoassays are not commercially available. Therefore, chromatographic methods are usually employed for their determination in serum, plasma or whole blood. These drugs include certain newer anticonvulsants (such as lamotrigine and gabapentin), certain cardioactive drugs (for example, flecainide, tocainide, etc.), several anticancer drugs, and few antidepressants of the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) class (for example, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline).
Role of large scale flow features on cycle-to-cycle variations of spark-ignited flame-initiation and its transition to turbulent combustion

Abstract This study investigates the influence of large-scale flow features, including flow structure and velocity magnitude, on the early-burn period variability in a homogenous-charge spark-ignited engine fueled with premixed propane-air mixture. Particle image velocimetry and in-cylinder pressure measurement data from a previous study - were processed to enable simultaneous flow characterization and flame-front tracking as well as apparent heat-release analysis. By combining probability analysis of flame development with conditional sampling of fast and slow early-burn cycles using 10% fuel mass fraction burned, it is shown that an undesirable flow structure produces an asymmetric flame development at the initial flame growth period. This asymmetric flame structure persists through the whole initial-to-turbulent transition period until the flame becomes fully turbulent. The undesirable flow condition is characterized by large-scale convective flows near spark plug rather than flows that lead to increased flame spread in multiple directions. The simultaneous flow and flame characterization enables the quantifications of flame-front propagation speed, unburned fuel-air mixture velocity ahead of flame front and local burning velocity at flame surface. Here the local burning velocity is referred to as laminar or turbulent flame speed. A simplified approach is introduced to derive integrated values for these quantities per crank-angle-degree, enabling the quantitative comparison of the trend-wise difference in these integrated metrics between fast and slow early-burn cycles. It is revealed that for the transition period, the CCV in the velocity magnitude of unburned fuel-air mixture ahead of the flame front accounts for nearly 50% to the variability of flame propagation speed. The burning velocity provides the remaining source of the flame propagation variability in this period. The flame propagation variations in the initial flame growth and fully turbulent periods are smaller than those in the transition period and are primarily dependent on the variability of large-scale flow features.
Brief Report: Pediatrician Perspectives Regarding Genetic Evaluations of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Despite current guidelines, few children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive genetic evaluations. We surveyed Utah pediatricians to characterize the knowledge, beliefs, current practices and perceived barriers of pediatricians regarding genetic evaluation of children with ASD. We found over half lacked knowledge of current guidelines and many held beliefs about genetic evaluation that did not align with guidelines. Barriers were lack of insurance coverage for genetic evaluation/testing and long wait times to see geneticists. Pediatricians with beliefs aligned with guidelines and those aware of the role of genetic counselors were more likely to adhere to guidelines. Efforts to educate pediatricians are needed along with system level solutions regarding availability of geneticists and reimbursement for genetic testing.
Antibody-mediated rejection implies a poor prognosis in kidney transplantation: Results from a single center.

Two major barriers to achieving long-term graft survival include patient nonadherence in taking the prescribed immunosuppression and antibody-mediated rejection(AMR). We were therefore interested in determining the prognostic impact of developing an AMR component to rejection in a prospective randomized trial of 200 kidney transplant recipients who received dual induction therapy (rATG combined with either daclizumab or alemtuzumab) and planned early corticosteroid withdrawal. With a median follow-up of 96 months post-transplant, 40/200 developed a first BPAR; 9/200 developed a second BPAR. An AMR component to rejection was observed in 70% (28/40) of cases. Percentages having C4d deposition, histopathologic evidence of acute AMR, and presence of DSAs/non-DSAs at the time of first developing the AMR component were 64.3% (18/28), 60.7% (17/28), and 53.6% (15/28), respectively. Development of an AMR component was associated with a significantly higher death-censored graft failure rate following rejection in comparison with the patient state of experiencing BPAR but without developing an AMR component (estimated hazard ratio: 4.52, P = 0.01). The observed percentage developing graft failure following development of an AMR component was 53.6% (15/28) vs only 20.0%(3/15) if it was not observed. Actuarial death-censored graft survival at 60 months following development of an AMR component was 28.3 ± 11.9%. In summary, it appears that more effective AMR prevention/treatment strategies are warranted.
Ultra-wide optical coherence tomography angiography in diabetic retinopathy.

Background To implement an ultra-wide optical coherence tomography angiography imaging (UW-OCTA) modality in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) with the aim of quantifying the burden of microvascular disease at baseline and subsequent clinic visits. Methods UW-OCTA was implemented on a 1,060 nm swept source (SS) OCTA engine running at 100 kHz A-line rate with a motion tracking mechanism. A montage scanning protocol was used to capture a 100-degree field of view (FOV) using a 4×4 grid of sixteen total individual 6×6 mm2 scans. Typical OCTA images with a FOV of 3×3, 6×6 and 12×12 mm2 were obtained for comparison. DR patients were scanned at baseline and follow-up. They were treated at the clinician's discretion. Vessel density and non-perfusion area maps were calculated based on the UW-OCTA images. Results Three proliferative DR patients were included in the study. UW-OCTA images provided more detailed visualization of vascular networks compared to 50-degree fluorescein angiography (FA) and showed higher burden of pathology in the retinal periphery that was not captured by typical OCTA. Neovascularization complexes were clearly detected in the two patients with active PDR. Vessel density and non-perfusion maps were used to measure progressive capillary non-perfusion and regression of neovascularization between visits. Conclusions UW-OCTA provides approximately 100-degree OCTA images of the fundus comparable to that of wide-angle fundus photography, and may be more applicable in conditions such as DR which affect the peripheral retina in contrast to standard OCTA.
The Effect of Multi-Channel and Omni-Channel Retailing on Physical Stores

Most retailers today sell products through an online channel in addition to traditional physical stores. We investigate how such a multi-channel or omni-channel retailer should decide the number and size of physical stores. We show that a higher return rate for online purchases can incentivize the retailer to have fewer physical stores that are larger in size. As online shopping becomes more convenient, a retailer may prefer to have more physical stores that are smaller in size. We also study the effect of three popular omni-channel strategies that involve changes of the physical stores' functions: i) \emph{showrooms} only display products for customers to inspect before they purchase online, removing fulfillment from physical stores; ii) \emph{return flexibility} expands functionality of physical stores by allowing customers to return online orders at them; and iii) \emph{fulfillment flexibility} expands functionality by allowing customers to pick up products purchased online at them. We show that, contrary to expectations, when the physical stores are given fewer (more) functions as with the showroom (return or fulfillment flexibility) strategy, the omni-channel retailer may find it optimal to increase (reduce) the number and/or size of the physical stores.
From enchantment to agencement: Archaeological engagements with pilgrimage:

This commentary springs from insights gleaned from two sources. The first involves my archaeological research into the ancient pilgrimage center of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico; the second includes les...
Educational intervention improves fruit and vegetable intake in young adults with metabolic syndrome components.

Abstract The FRUVEDomics study investigates the effect of a diet intervention focused on increasing fruit and vegetable intake on the gut microbiome and cardiovascular health of young adults with/at risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS). It was hypothesized that the recommended diet would result in metabolic and gut microbiome changes. The 9-week dietary intervention adhered to the US Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans and focused on increasing fruit and vegetable intake to equal half of the diet. Seventeen eligible young adults with/or at high risk of MetS consented and completed preintervention and postintervention measurements, including anthropometric, body composition, cardiovascular, complete blood lipid panel, and collection of stool sample for microbial analysis. Participants attended weekly consultations to assess food logs, food receipts, and adherence to the diet. Following intention-to-treat guidelines, all 17 individuals were included in the dietary, clinical, and anthropometric analysis. Fruit and vegetable intake increased from 1.6 to 3.4 cups of fruits and vegetables (P
Higher frequencies in stall flutter moment development

Abstract An experimental study of stall flutter kinematic, moment, and fluid dynamic development is presented. This study focuses upon understanding the higher frequency content observed in stall flutter limit cycle oscillations and how that content relates to specific fluid dynamic structures and states. This is accomplished using angular position, pitching moment, and particle image velocimetry measurements of a cyber–physically mounted, NACA 0018 rigid finite span wing undergoing stable limit cycle oscillations. The wing model is mounted with a single degree of freedom in pitch. A conceptual argument is introduced to predict the model’s stall flutter susceptibility from the static moment response using two static equilibrium conditions. These conditions lead to a bound on the range of stiffnesses and reduced frequencies where stall flutter is expected to occur. These bounds, which are related to the attached and separated flow states, account for the fundamental frequency of oscillation. It is then shown that stable limit cycle oscillations contain multiple harmonic frequencies and it is argued that these higher harmonics represent important physics. In particular, it is found that the fifth harmonic is correlated with the dynamic stall vortex shedding frequency. Finally it is noted that pitching moment overshoot linearly scales with normalized pitch rate with a correlation coefficient R = 0 . 85 .
Strategic Ignorance in Sequential Procurement

Should a buyer approach sellers of complementary goods informed or uninformed of her private valuations, and if informed, in which sequence? In this paper, we show that an informed buyer would start with the high-value seller to minimize future holdup. Informed (or careful) sequencing may, however, hurt the buyer as sellers "read" into it. The buyer may, therefore, commit to ignorance, perhaps, by overloading herself with unrelated tasks, delegating the sequencing decision, or letting sellers self-schedule. Absent such commitment, we show that ignorance is not time-consistent for the buyer, but it increases trade. Evidence on land assembly supports our findings.
Preoperative Factors Associated With Subsequent Distal Clavicle Resection After Rotator Cuff Repair

Background:Acromioclavicular osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tears are commonly coincident.Purpose:To determine the rate of subsequent distal clavicle excision (DCE) when rotator cuff repair (RCR) ...
Diagnosis of Waldenström macroglobulinemia

AbstractWaldenstrom macroglobulinemia is a rare disorder affecting about 1400 people annually in the United States. This case report reviews from a primary care provider’s perspective the initial p...
Parents' Self-efficacy for Tobacco Exposure Protection and Smoking Abstinence Mediate Treatment Effects on Child Cotinine at 12-Month Follow-up: Mediation Results from the Kids Safe and Smokefree Trial.

INTRODUCTION Compared with the general smoking population, low-income smokers face elevated challenges to success in evidence-based smoking cessation treatment. Moreover, their children bear increased disease burden. Understanding behavioral mechanisms related to successful reduction of child tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) could inform future smoking interventions in vulnerable, underserved populations. METHODS Smoking parents were recruited from pediatric clinics in low-income communities and randomized into a multilevel intervention including a pediatric clinic intervention framed in best clinical practice guidelines ("Ask, Advise, Refer" [AAR]) plus individualized telephone counseling (AAR + counseling), or AAR + control. Mediation analysis included treatment condition (independent variable), 12-month child cotinine (TSE biomarker, criterion), and four mediators: 3-month end-of-treatment self-efficacy to protect children from TSE and smoking urge coping skills, and 12-month perceived program (intra-treatment) support and bioverified smoking abstinence. Analyses controlled for baseline nicotine dependence, depressive symptoms, child age, and presence of other residential smokers. RESULTS Participants (n = 327) included 83% women and 83% African Americans. Multilevel AAR + counseling was associated with significantly higher levels of all four mediators (ps < .05). Baseline nicotine dependence (p < .05), 3-month self-efficacy (p < .05) and 12-month bioverified smoking abstinence (p < .001) related significantly to 12-month child cotinine outcome. The indirect effects of AAR + counseling intervention on cotinine via self-efficacy for child TSE protection and smoking abstinence (ps < .05) suggested mediation through these pathways. CONCLUSIONS Compared with AAR + control, multilevel AAR + counseling improved all putative mediators. Findings suggest that fostering TSE protection self-efficacy during intervention and encouraging parental smoking abstinence may be key to promoting long-term child TSE-reduction in populations of smokers with elevated challenges to quitting smoking. IMPLICATIONS Pediatric harm reduction interventions to protect children of smokers from tobacco smoke have emerged to address tobacco-related health disparities in underserved populations. Low-income smokers experience greater tobacco-related disease burden and more difficulty with smoking behavior change in standard evidence-based interventions than the general population of smokers. Therefore, improving knowledge about putative behavioral mechanisms of smoking behavior change that results in lower child exposure risk could inform future intervention improvements.
Druggable Genome siRNA-Screening Identifies Glybenclamide as a Radioprotector against Total Body Irradiation

New drugs to protect or mitigate total body irradiation (TBI) damage are urgently required. To determine whether existing pharmacologic agents have this second function, we used siRNA to screen 5,520 druggable targets in the Silencer Druggable Genome siRNA library (Version 1.1, Ambion, Austin, TX). We sought to identify genes which if silenced protected against or mitigated radiation damage. T98G human glioblastoma cells were transfected with each target in the siRNA library in triplicate at a final concentration of 20nM/target in a one-gene, one-well format using DharmaFECT2 transfection reagent and 48 hours later were irradiated to 25 Gy. Viability was measured 72 hours later using the CellTiter-Blue cell viability assay. The siRNA screen was performed three times and a hit was scored as a gene, which when silenced, protected T98G cells by at least 15% in each of the triplicate screens. We identified 117 candidate protective genes. These were further analyzed using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis to identify potential radiation inhibitor signaling pathways and drug candidates. One pharmacologically attractive candidate was glybenclamide. Glybenclamide is a sulfonylurea currently used to treat diabetes that inhibits the ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A (ABC1) and selectively blocks ATP sensitive potassium channels. Glybenclamide (10 μM) was added to 32D cl 3 murine hematopoietic progenitor cells one hour before irradiation, or immediately following irradiation. Cells were then irradiated to doses ranging from 0 to 8 Gy, plated in methylcellulose, and incubated for seven days at 37° C in a humidified CO 2 incubator at which time colonies of greater than 50 cells were counted. The data were analyzed using linear quadratic or single-hit, multi-target models. Glybenclamide pre-irradiation treated cells were protected from irradiation as demonstrated by an increased shoulder on the survival curve with a n of 34.9 ± 0.5 compared to untreated 32D cl 3 cells or cells treated with glybenclamide after irradiation with a n of 3.1 ± 1.3 or 2.5 ± 0.9 (p = 0.0018 or
Effects of Ethyl Alcohol on the Performance of Selected Gross Motor Tests

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of ethyl alcohol in various concentrations on the performance of a selected battery of physical performance test items. Tests were administered three days each week: (a) the day before consuming alcohol, (b) at the peak of the blood concentration, and (c) the day following the drinking. Residual effects were not found to be significant in 24 hours, whereas drinking alcohol on the day of performance did significantly affect performance. The speed and reaction skill indicated the least decrease in efficiency, followed by the bicycle ergometer, which primarily measures endurance. Highly co-ordinated skills and strength type performance seemed to decrease most in efficiency.
Blockchain-Authenticated Sharing of Genomic and Clinical Outcomes Data of Patients With Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Efficiently sharing health data produced during standard care could dramatically accelerate progress in cancer treatments, but various barriers make this difficult. Not sharing these data to ensure patient privacy is at the cost of little to no learning from real-world data produced during cancer care. Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated a willingness of patients with cancer to share their treatment experiences to fuel research, despite potential risks to privacy. Objective: The objective of this study was to design, pilot, and release a decentralized, scalable, efficient, economical, and secure strategy for the dissemination of deidentified clinical and genomic data with a focus on late-stage cancer. Methods: We created and piloted a blockchain-authenticated system to enable secure sharing of deidentified patient data derived from standard of care imaging, genomic testing, and electronic health records (EHRs), called the Cancer Gene Trust (CGT). We prospectively consented and collected data for a pilot cohort (N=18), which we uploaded to the CGT. EHR data were extracted from both a hospital cancer registry and a common data model (CDM) format to identify optimal data extraction and dissemination practices. Specifically, we scored and compared the level of completeness between two EHR data extraction formats against the gold standard source documentation for patients with available data (n=17). Results: Although the total completeness scores were greater for the registry reports than those for the CDM, this difference was not statistically significant. We did find that some specific data fields, such as histology site, were better captured using the registry reports, which can be used to improve the continually adapting CDM. In terms of the overall pilot study, we found that CGT enables rapid integration of real-world data of patients with cancer in a more clinically useful time frame. We also developed an open-source Web application to allow users to seamlessly search, browse, explore, and download CGT data. Conclusions: Our pilot demonstrates the willingness of patients with cancer to participate in data sharing and how blockchain-enabled structures can maintain relationships between individual data elements while preserving patient privacy, empowering findings by third-party researchers and clinicians. We demonstrate the feasibility of CGT as a framework to share health data trapped in silos to further cancer research. Further studies to optimize data representation, stream, and integrity are required.
Sport and the child with a learning disability

Die kind met leergestremdheid, uiteenlopend van aard, vind deelname aan sport dikwels moeilik. Dit kan egter sy lewenservaring verbreed mits dit binne sy persoonsmoontlikhede geskied. Finaliteit oor die besonderhede van deelname moet nog bereik word.
Dynamic validation of a strain-based 3D shape sensing system

Shape sensing of gives insight into the structural health and operating conditions of flexible engineered structures in challenging environments. This work describes the dynamic validation of a low-cost and robust tool for near-real-time shape sensing using strain measurements along a cantilevered rectangular spar paired with a kinematic reconstruction algorithm. The spar was loaded with several mass distributions and subjected to an impulsive hammer strike. Measurements from the shape sensor was compared to measurements from several conventional accelerometers in the time domain and frequency domain. Accelerations inferred from the shape sensing spar exhibited an average RMS error of 2.23% when compared to accelerations from accelerometers. Measured natural frequencies and damping ratios exhibited errors of .13% and 1.83% respectively. Operating deflection shapes were in good qualitative agreement with calculated and simulated mode shapes. These results show the shape sensor to be a useful tool for dynamic measurements of compliant structures.
Spine Fixation Hardware: An Update

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the imaging of spine fixation hardware. CONCLUSION. As the prevalence of neck and back pain continues to increase, so does the number of surgical procedures used to treat such pain. Accordingly, new techniques and hardware designs are used, and the hardware will be seen on postoperative imaging. It is critical that radiologists understand the appropriate imaging modalities for the assessment of spine fixation hardware, recognize the normal imaging appearance of such hardware, and be able to detect hardware-related complications.
Atomic Layer Deposited Al 2 O 3 Encapsulation for the Silicon Interconnect Fabric

In this paper, we have investigated the effectiveness of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al 2 O 3 as a passivation for wafer scale integration on the silicon interconnect fabric (Si-IF). Due to high conformality and quality of ALD thin films, this deposition technique is gaining more applications in microelectronics fabrication. Humidity testing was utilized to evaluate barrier properties of Al 2 O 3 for different thicknesses (10 to 17 nm). XRD analysis was used to identify oxide formation in blanket copper samples passivated with Al 2 O 3 . We have concluded that thin films with thicknesses above 10 nm can efficiently protect Cu from oxidation under standard humidity exposure conditions. To study the conformality of the film on bonded samples, focused ion beam (FIB) and SEM imaging were performed. Thickness of the film remained constant from the top surface of the bonded die all the way down to the interface of the die and substrate. To further analyze the robustness of Al 2 O 3 films in protecting Cu interconnects from oxidation, bonded and passivated samples were exposed to humidity testing for 216 hours and the variation in electrical resistance of the samples before and after the testing was less than 5%.Finite element analysis was utilized to study residual thermal stresses in samples with and without passivation as well as the effect of the passivation material on residual stresses. Adding passivation layer increases compressive residual stresses within Cu pillar. However, in case of the bilayer passivation (Parylene C/SiN x ); high tensile residual stress at the interface of the two thin films may adversely affect the barrier properties.