cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anticipatory monitoring and control in a process environment

A methodology for the synthesis of engineering Anticipatory Systems is presented. It accounts for both random and fuzzy aspects of uncertainty introduced in process control, and develops mathematical measures of performance. The random, probabilistic component quantifies the uncertainty of occurrence of an event. The fuzzy, possibilistic component quantifies the imprecision in the meaning of an event. Facts about the system are represented as fuzzy information granules of the form: g = (number of carts carrying parts) is (small) is (likely).The performance measures are used as an input to the diagnostic and control functions which are assumed by a Production-Rule System. Using a fuzzified Bayes formula as the link between present and future states, a model-based system estimates at any time t, current performance as well as anticipated performance at time t + Dt. A control action can be taken at time t, based on both current and anticipated performance. Accordingly, the system can change its current state on the basis of both the current and the anticipated future state. The agency for the prediction is a model of the system and/or its environment which is internal to the system.The synthesis of such system is demonstrated using a model of a nuclear reactor. The model of the reactor is constructed using procedural programming methods and is coupled to a symbolic program which assumes the overall control function.
Certainties and mysteries in the within-trial contrast literature: A reply to Zentall (2008)

Contrary to Zentall’s (2008) hypothesis that extensive overtraining is required in order to obtain the work ethic effect in pigeons, we find no evidence of this in two separate paradigms designed to assess preference for stimuli encountered after high effort. In light of these findings, along with our previously published results and those of Arantes and Grace (2008), we maintain that the work ethic effect is not a reliable phenomenon in pigeons. On the other hand, we are uncertain about the reason(s) underlying the different preference profiles for high- versus low-deprivation stimuli as a function of successive versus simultaneous discrimination training (Vasconcelos & Urcuioli, 2008). Nevertheless, we disagree with Zentall that additional analyses of the sort he suggests support the conclusion that both training regimens yield within-trial contrast effects.
The heavy chain of human histocompatibility antigen HLA-B7 contains an immunoglobulin-like region.

The 88-residue fragment (ac-2) containing the second disulphide loop from HLA-B7 heavy chain is shown to have statistically significant homology with Ig constant domains, including both matches at invariant positions and conservative substitutions of structurally important residues. Thus, both the light chain (β2m) and a segment of the heavy chain of HLA antigens may be structurally and evolutionarily related to immunoglobulins.
Synthesis and evaluation of a β-lactam-containing dipeptide analog as a protease inhibitor

Abstract A monocyclic 3-amino-β-lactam analog of the dipeptide Phe-Gly methyl ester has been synthesized as a potential protease inhibitor. This β-lactam is a non-time-dependent inhibitor of α-chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase Y, and cathepsin G.
Structural changes in the photoactive site of proteorhodopsin during the primary photoreaction.

Proteorhodopsin (PR), found in marine γ-proteobacteria, is a newly discovered light-driven proton pump similar to bacteriorhodopsin (BR). Because of the widespread distribution of proteobacteria in the worldwide oceanic waters, this pigment may contribute significantly to the global solar energy input in the biosphere. We examined structural changes that occur during the primary photoreaction (PR → K) of wild-type pigment and two mutants using low-temperature FTIR difference spectroscopy. Several vibrations detected in the 3500−3700 cm-1 region are assigned on the basis of H2O → H218O exchange to the perturbation of one or more internal water molecules. Substitution of the negatively charged Schiff base counterion, Asp97, with the neutral asparagine caused a downshift of the ethylenic (CC) and Schiff base (CN) stretching modes, in agreement with the 27 nm red shift of the visible λmax. However, this replacement did not alter the normal all-trans to 13-cis isomerization of the chromophore or the environmen...
Protecting the public: state medical board licensure policies for active and inactive physicians.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this research was to explore state physician licensing board policies and regulation of active, inactive, and retired licenses. METHODS. We conducted structured telephone interviews from January to March 2007 with representatives of all 64 state allopathic and osteopathic medical licensing boards in the United States. All of the licensing boards participated. RESULTS. Only 34% of state licensing boards query physicians regarding clinical activity at both initial licensure and renewal. The majority of boards allow physicians to hold or renew an unrestricted active license to practice medicine, although they may not have cared for a patient in years. Only 1 board requires a minimum number of patient visits to maintain an active license. Five boards allow physicians with inactive licenses to practice some form of medicine, whereas 7 boards allow physicians with retired licenses to practice. Few states have any mechanism to assess the competency of clinically inactive physicians who return to active practice. CONCLUSIONS. The number of inactive physicians in the United States is growing. Currently, state medical board policies do not address the issue of continuing competence in license renewal. Greater medical safety concerns on the part of the public will likely lead to calls for greater accountability by state licensing authorities.
Organochlorine dynamics in the pelagic food web of lake baikal

In July and August 1993, samples were collected from Lake Baikal both to document organochlorine concentrations and to relate the contaminant levels to trophic position and lipid concentration. High-volume water samples and representatives of the major organisms in the food web, including zooplankton, fish, and seals, were collected. Dissolved and particulate water samples were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs; 74 congeners) and hexachlorobenzene. Biota samples were analyzed for PCBs, hexachlorocyclohexanes, chlordane and related compounds, dieldrin, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (plus metabolites), and toxaphene. Specific lipid classes were measured in fish since these were postulated to affect organochlorine concentrations. Stable nitrogen (815N) and carbon (813C) isotopic compositions were determined in all samples except seal blubber as a measure of trophic position. Total PCBs in surface water ranged from 130 pg/L in the lake's northern basin to 1,900 pg/L in the southern basin. Total PCBs in fish ranged from 60 to 710 ng/g (wet weight), with differences mostly attributed to total lipid content rather than to specific lipid classes. The PCB bioaccumulation factor was significantly correlated with log Kow, whereas the PCB bioconcentration factor was not. The transfer of contaminants through the food web was likely at steady state, whereas the uptake of PCBs from the water was not. This indicates recent PCB contamination.
Using atomic data structures for parallel simulation

Synchronizing access to shared data structures is a difficult problem for simulation programs. Frequently, synchronizing operations within and between simulation steps substantially curtails parallelism. The paper presents a general technique for performing this synchronization while sustaining parallelism. The technique combines fine-grained, exclusive locks with futures, a write-once data structure supporting producer-consumer parallelism. The combination allows multiple operations within a simulation step to run in parallel; further, successive simulation steps can overlap without compromising serializability or requiring roll-backs. The cumulative effect of these two sources of parallelism is dramatic: the example presented shows almost 20-fold increase in parallelism over traditional synchronization mechanisms. >
Geografías de la protesta armada: nueva izquierda y latinoamericanismo en el cono sur. El ejemplo de la Junta de Coordinación Revolucionaria

El articulo recorre la trayectoria de militantes argentinos, bolivianos, chilenos y uruguayos que desarrollaron una red regional de organizaciones armadas de izquierda. Los intercambios entre estas organizaciones que demoraran mas de diez anos, comenzaron con las redes de apoyo a la incursion del Che Guevara a Bolivia en 1966 y finalizaron en los tardios setentas cuando el golpe de estado en Argentina cancelo el ultimo refugio en la region. Para entender la evolucion que culmino en el desarrollo de una estrategia continental se examina la confluencia del ERP Argentino, el ELN Boliviano, el uruguayo MLN-Tupamaros y el chileno MIR a traves de eventos criticos que definieron la experiencia de esta red de militantes: el impacto de la guerrilla boliviana del Che, los intercambios politicos y culturales desarrollados entre militantes de estas organizaciones en el Chile de Allende, y la creacion de una organizacion regional llamada la Junta de Coordinacion Revolucionaria. Este articulo usa una perspectiva transnacional para examinar un tema que hasta ahora ha sido examinado mayoritariamente desde una perspectiva nacional o comparativa. El articulo busca mostrar como la region fue un espacio central de experimentacion en la constitucion de identidades politicas. Asimismo, defiende que solo un enfoque transnacional puede ayudar a dar una mas completa explicacion acerca de la emergencia de estos movimientos politicos radicales durante el periodo
Short-Term High Level Zinc Feeding and Tissue Zinc Concentration in Mature Laying Hens

Abstract Two trials were conducted to study the effects of high dietary Zn on tissue Zn accumulation and depletion in laying hens. Hens laying at approximately 60 to 70% were fed a diet containing 20 g Zn as ZnO/kg diet (as fed) for 4 days. For the remaining 18 days, hens were fed the same diet without the 20 g added Zn/kg diet. Ten hens were killed at initiation of the experiment (Day 0), and liver, kidney, and pancreas were obtained for Zn analysis. On Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 16, and 22, similar samples were obtained from 10 hens. Feeding high Zn for 4 days caused a reduction in ovary and oviduct weight by Day 10. Liver, kidney and pancreas Zn concentrations increased approximately 10, 3, and 25-fold, respectively, in birds following 4 days of feeding the high Zn diets. The liver and kidney Zn concentrations returned to pretreatment concentrations within 18 days after the birds were fed the control diets (Day 22). The pancreas maintained higher Zn concentrations in comparison with the other tissues following withdrawal of the high Zn diet.
Using Online Modules to Bridge Research to Practice in Classrooms

Although research identifies a plethora of evidence-based instructional practices, classroom teachers find research difficult to access and often of little relevance to classroom practice; therefore, they do not implement these practices. Bridging the gap between research and practice requires continued and mediated support as teachers translate and contextualize research through their lenses of prior knowledge, understandings, and impact on student results within their classrooms. This developmental process is both time consuming and unique. To address the need for contextualized support during the implementation process of evidenced-based instructional practices by teachers to determine impact of instruction, online modules have been developed, implemented, and researched using a beta testing process. The authors of this article describe the content of the online modules and mediated support, outline the specific research framework of beta testing procedures and instrumentation, describe the content and...
The design of low noise amplifiers in deep submicron CMOS processes: a convex optimization approach

With continued process scaling, CMOS has become a viable technology for the design of high-performance low noise amplifiers (LNAs) in the radio frequency (RF) regime. This paper describes the design of RF LNAs using a geometric programming (GP) optimization method. An important challenge for RF LNAs designed at nanometer scale geometries is the excess thermal noise observed in the MOSFETs. An extensive survey of analytical models and experimental results reported in the literature is carried out to quantify the issue of excessive thermal noise for short-channel MOSFETs. Short channel effects such as channel-length modulation and velocity saturation effects are also accounted for in our optimization process. The GP approach is able to efficiently calculate the globally optimum solution. The approximations required to setup the equations and constraints to allow convex optimization are detailed. The method is applied to the design of inductive source degenerated common source amplifiers at the 90 nm and 180 nm technology nodes. The optimization results are validated through comparison with numerical simulations using Agilent's Advanced Design Systems (ADS) software.
Contorting a heavy and naturally curved elastic rod

We investigate how the configurations obtained from the writhing of a heavy elastic rod are influenced by its intrinsic natural curvature. To this end, we perform a combination of numerics and precision model experiments on the compression or twisting of a thin rod. The ‘softness’ of these single elastic filaments stems from their slenderness (high aspect ratio), which allow for geometrically nonlinear compliant modes that can accommodate large deformations. We uncover the original mechanism that the presence of a body force (gravity in our case) delays the effect of natural curvature, which results from the complex interplay between geometrical constraints, elasticity and weight. We rationalize our experimental results by coupling the predictive power of a numerical method of our own, with classic theory for elastic rods under large deformations. This preponderance of geometry is relevant in systems over a wide range of length scales where curvature and body-forces often co-exist; from engineered rod-like structures such as wires, cables, and pipelines, to natural macromolecules, flagella, fibers and tendrils.
RBMulticast: Receiver Based Multicast for Wireless Sensor Networks

Multicast routing protocols typically rely on the apriori creation of a multicast tree (or mesh), which requires the individual nodes to maintain state information. In sensor networks where traffic is bursty, with long periods of silence between the bursts of data, this multicast state maintenance adds a large amount of overhead for no benefit to the application. Thus, we have developed a stateless receiver-based multicast protocol that simply uses a list of the multicast members (e.g., sinks), embedded in packet headers, to enable receivers to decide the best way to forward the multicast traffic. This protocol, called RBMulticast (Receiver-Based Multicast), exploits the knowledge of the geographic locations of the nodes to remove the need for costly state maintenance (e.g., tree/mesh/neighbor table maintenance), making it ideally suited for sensor network multicast applications. RBMulticast was implemented in TinyOS and tested using a sensor network implementation as well as TOSSIM simulations. Both simulation and experimental results confirm that RBMulticast provides high success rates without the burden of state maintenance.
Two distant upstream regions containing cis-acting signals regulating splicing facilitate 3'-end processing of avian sarcoma virus RNA.

Retroviruses, pararetroviruses, and related retrotransposons generate terminally redundant RNAs by transcription of a template flanked by long terminal repeats in which initiation occurs within the 5' long terminal repeat sequences and 3'-end processing occurs within the 3' long terminal repeat sequences. Processing of avian sarcoma virus RNA is relatively inefficient; approximately 15% of the viral RNA transcripts are read-through products; i.e., they are not processed at the viral poly(A) addition site but at sites in the cellular sequence further downstream. In this report, we show that the efficiency of processing at the viral site is further reduced by deletion of two distant upstream sequences: (i) a 606-nucleotide sequence in the gag gene containing a cis-acting negative regulator of splicing and (ii) a 136-nucleotide sequence spanning the env 3' splice site. The deletion of either or both upstream regions increases the levels of read-through products of both unspliced and spliced viral RNA. In contrast, deletion of the src 3' splice site does not affect the efficiency of processing at the viral poly(A) addition site. The effects on 3'-end processing are not correlated either with distance from the promoter to the poly(A) addition site or with the overall level of viral RNA splicing. Substitution of the avian sarcoma virus poly(A) signal with the simian virus 40 early or late poly(A) signal relieves the requirement for the distant upstream sequences. We propose that cellular factors, which may correspond to splicing factors, bound to the upstream viral sequences may interact with factors bound at the avian sarcoma virus poly(A) signal to stabilize the polyadenylation-cleavage complex and allow for more efficient 3'-end processing.
Design Aspects of Software as a Service to Enable E-Business through Cloud Platform

As a typical form of Cloud service, Software as a Service(SaaS) has been leading the adoption of Cloud to enable e-Business by the industries. There are growing number of SaaS services which could provide different aspects of capability enabling business to leverage Cloud platform to run and manage business processes, such as customer relationship management, supply chain management, finance and accounting. However the design aspects of building effective SaaS services and corresponding platform to enable e-Business have not been studied before to guide research and development activities from both business and technical perspectives. This paper studies the reference models, architecture and related technical implications of SaaS value chain and operation models, etc. Sample applications and related technical solutions are summarized to demonstrate how these patterns could be instantiated in real business environment.
Straightforward synthesis of sulfur bridged oligopyrrolic macrocycles

Di- and trisulfide linked oligopyrrolic macrocycles are obtained when appropriate α,α′-free pyrrolic precursors are reacted with sulfur dichloride; these systems represent the first examples of what might be a general new class of porphyrin analogues.
Productivity and Labor Discipline in the Montgolfier Paper Mill, 1780–1805

The daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms of production in the Montgolfier paper mill, one of the largest in eighteenth-century France, are examined here. Based on the comments of pioneer manufacturers, historians have been led to believe that early industrial work was irregular and unpredictable. The Montgolfiers as well complained of undependable workers. Yet their own output registers reveal a pattern of regular productivity unaided by advanced machinery or steam power.
Influence of floral resource plants on control of an armored scale pest by the parasitoid Encarsia citrina (Craw.) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

We tested the hypothesis that control of an herbivorous pest would be improved by providing Xoral resources for adult natural enemies. The herbivore was euonymus scale, Unaspis euonymi (Comstock) (Homoptera: Diaspididae), a serious pest of woody ornamental plants. The experimental landscape consisted of 3 £ 3 m plots, each containing a central bed of Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) that was infested with the scale. Floral resource plants were cultivars of four species that overlapped in bloom periods to provide a continuous supply of Xoral resources during summer: Trifolium repens L., Euphorbia epithymoides L., Coreopsis verticillata L. var. ‘Moonbeam,’ and Solidago canadensis L. var. ‘Golden Baby.’ Plots contained either low or high densities of all four species, or no resource plants. Densities of euonymus scale were typically lower in plots containing resource plants than in plots without them. Parasitism by Encarsia citrina (Craw.) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was rarely inXuenced by the experimental treatments, Xower biomass, whole-plant biomass, or scale density, but in some cases was inversely correlated with density of scales within a generation and in the subsequent generation. Parasitism occasionally reduced densities of scales in plots containing resource plants, but this eVect apparently was related to vegetative, not Xoral qualities of plants. A steady increase in parasitism rate over the three-year course of the experiment across the entire landscape was associated with decreasing density of scales, suggesting a numerical response by the parasitoid population. These Wndings suggest that the parasitoid is capable of eVectively controlling euonymus scale in ornamental landscapes where environmental conditions are favorable.
Binomial sequential sampling plan for hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) sistens infesting individual eastern hemlock trees.

The hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), is an exotic insect pest that is killing eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere, and Carolina hemlock, Tsuga caroliniana Engelmann, in the eastern United States. We used the sequential interval procedure to develop a binomial sequential sampling plan for A. tsugae sistens on individual eastern hemlock trees that uses nondestructive sampling of new shoots. The actual a (type I) and beta (type II) error rates were essentially 5 and 10%, respectively. Tallies of new shoots infested by at least one A. tsugae sistens were compared with stop values for thresholds of 10 and 30% of new hemlock shoots infested. Twenty to 80 new shoots had to be examined per tree to render a low, high, or indeterminate classification, which took < 2 min per tree regardless of the threshold used. This plan should be an efficient and cost-effective tool in the management of A. tsugae infestations on individual, high-value eastern hemlock trees.
The Role of Psychophysics in Understanding Speech Perception

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the psychophysics of speech perception. The program includes a variety of topics that presumably fall under this heading and that demonstrate that the psychophysics of speech perception is alive and well. Yet it is not really obvious what the psychophysics of speech perception is, what its goals and limitations are, and whether it is indeed a circumscribed area of investigation. It seems useful, therefore, to pose these basic questions explicitly and to include them in our discussions along with the many specific issues addressed by our research. The purpose of my paper is to stimulate such discussion by presenting a particular, possibly controversial, view of speech perception, psychophysics, and the relation between the two.
Internal Relaxation in Short Chains Bearing Terminal Polar Groups

Dielectric relaxation can be described in terms of correlations between an initial dipole vector, µ(0), and its value at later times, µ(t). Here, this dipolar correlation function is averaged over all short chain configurations with a rotational isomeric state model. The time dependent behavior of molecular configurations is developed from rates for passing over internal rotational energy barriers. Configurational perturbations caused by electric fields are treated; such effects are determined to be usually small. The theory developed is applied to calculate the high frequency dielectric dispersion for members of the family of α,ω-dibromo-n-alkanes, Br-(CH2)n-1-Br for n = 4 to 6. Distributions of internal relaxation times are reported. For the longer chains these distributions lead to depressed and slightly skewed Cole-Cole dielectric constant diagrams.
Abdominal pain and faeculent vomiting in a 64-year-old woman.

A 64-year-old woman with a previous right colectomy presented with severe epigastric abdominal pain and nausea of several weeks’ duration, which then escalated to projectile faeculent emesis. During her clinical course, she remained afebrile with normal vital signs. Physical examination revealed abdominal distension, moderate tenderness in the bilateral upper quadrants and provoked voluntary abdominal wall guarding. Haematology and laboratory chemistries were only notable for a mild (14.6 K/μL) leucocytosis. Acute abdominal plain radiological series revealed dilated small bowel loops and possible pneumoperitoneum. Abdominal CT demonstrated a mechanical small bowel obstruction and no extraluminal air. An exploratory laparotomy was performed, revealing an obstructing enterolith related to actively inflamed jejunal diverticulitis (complicated JD). This case report aims to describe the non-specific presentation of a poorly understood disease entity that presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the medical community.
CGE applications in development economics

This paper begins with an informal history of developing country CGE models, going on to specification and closure, and finally describes a few models with financial extensions. Sectoral detail is central to CGE analysis, but after an initial sketch of an n-sector system most of the discussion focuses on the models’ “closures” or patterns of macroeconomic causality, because they strongly influence their sectoral results. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which international trade and fiscal linkages fit into applied models.
Atomic Configuration of Coherent and Semicoherent Si/Ge Interface

Atomic positions near interfaces and defects are required to assess their physical properties. Their electronic properties can be calculated only after fixing the positions of atoms. The determination of atomic positions consists of three parts: (1) Theoretical calculations of atomic positions with appropriate interatomic potentials, (2) simulation of positions of atoms in the electron microscope, and (3) comparison of experimental results with the calculations. We have performed these three operations to determine atomic structures of coherent and semicoherent interfaces in Si/Ge systems. A coherent Si/Ge interface is simulated using a computer program. An edge dislocation is introduced at this interface with the help of elasticity theory. Energy minimization calculations are then carried out using interatomic potentials for germanium and silicon. The positions of atoms at the interface are thus determined. Critical phenomena in coherent and semicoherent interfaces are examined in relation to the strain energy of the system. For semicoherent interface containing dislocations, we can determine the critical thickness at which dislocations are generated. Energy minimization computations are found to play a major role in establishing critical phenomena. A model is also developed for the distribution of boron atoms near this dislocation. Isotropic elasticity theory is used for boron-dislocation interaction with correction factors inside the core to avoid singularities. Occupation probabilities of the atomic sites in the computational cell are calculated using the Fermi-Dirac distribution function. Interaction between boron atoms is neglected in the present analysis. Two configurations: 1. Si/Ge interface with a impurity free dislocation, and 2. the dislocation with boron impurities are then used to simulate high resolution images using the SHRLI computer program.
Design and Application of Platform for Health Emergency Logistics Support System Based on Shelter Technology

Objective To introduce the design scheme and realization methods of the platform for health emergency logistics support system based on shelter technology.Methods On the foundation of confirming the design need,main technology performance indices and the main elements,internal and external design projects for the shelter were introduced,and the key technology and realization route of the shelter were analyzed.Results With integration of multiple use in logistics support,the platform could be used for quick cooking,taking a bath,washing clothes and water supply at the different types of temperature and environment condition.Conclusion The health emergency logistics support shelter can meet the needs of logistics support in health emergency field,and thus can be applied to mobile support for mission of health emergency services.
Multiple Barriers to Economic Opportunity for the "Truly" Disadvantaged and Vulnerable

This article answers several questions: Which subgroups of the U.S. population—designated by race, ethnicity, family structure, educational status, income, wealth, consumption, or other characteristics—appear to be particularly vulnerable to a lack of economic opportunity based on household characteristics of the family and its children? To what degree does poor access to economic advancement appear to reflect low income or wealth, or do additional barriers contribute substantially to some subgroups’ limited opportunities? Similarly, what advantages accrue to high-income and other privileged groups, such as those born into a well-established married family? What does current research tell us about the mechanisms through which barriers operate and policies that might be effective in reducing them?
Optimization of Solar Building Appearance and Surface Photovoltaic Component Laying

This paper focuses on the design of the solar building appearance and the optimization of the photovoltaic array laying scheme. First,by establishing a model to achieve the maximum radiation of the five outer surface of the building and using a simulated annealing method,the appearance design is presented with the consideration of the building design requirements. Second,according to the superior order and the constraints of the battery performance,the battery laying scheme of the building appearance is proposed by using a greedy algorithm. Finally,the investment payback period and the economic benefits in the lifetime are given.
Laparoscopic gastric bypass for morbid obesity

BACKGROUND: Morbid obesity in the United States has reached epic proportions, with more than 60% of the adult population currently either overweight or obese. Since medical treatment options such as low-calorie diets, exercise programs, behavior modification, and pharmacotherapy often fail, numerous surgical options have been developed which have proved to be effective in achieving long-term maintenance of weight loss. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of patients undergoing bariatric surgery in recent years. METHODS: A review of the English language literature from Medline on laparoscopic gastric bypass for morbid obesity was undertaken. RESULTS: The minimally invasive approach yields significantly decreased perioperative morbidity, principally due to lower postoperative pain, lower rates of wound-related and cardiopulmonary complications, and quicker return to normal activities. Although the rate of small bowel obstruction appears to be higher following Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP) than following open surgery, the vast majority of these patients can be managed laparoscopically. Additionally, although anastomotic stricture rates are higher following laparoscopic surgery, most of these can be managed endoscopically and do not require further operative procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is quickly becoming the gold standard for surgical treatment of morbid obesity in the United States. The laparoscopic approach has been demonstrated to be as effective as open laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
Refractory Gunning of Basic Oxygen Furnaces

Our spray program is far from reaching its optimal stage at this time. For example, we are not sure that we have the best technique to spray tar-impregnated brick; and if the dolomitic variety of refractories requires a different spraying approach than the magnesite variety. In addition, we are attempting to make the spraying practice more uniform by examining the feasibility of incorporating an automatic spray machine in the shop.
Cuba's Impact in Southern Africa*

This Article Assesses the impact of the Cuban military on strategic, diplomatic and political relationships in southern Africa. It does not deal with why Cuba and its Soviet benefactor have interested themselves in the region, nor does it discuss Soviet influence on Cuban foreign policy. The aspects covered here include: (1) how Cuba and Angola fit into the complex pattern of regional relations in southern Africa; (2) an outline of the region's main territorial actors and guerrilla movements, along with a brief history of Cuban involvement in the area; (3) the response of South Africa to this foreign spoiler of its regional hegemony, (4) regional cooperation in southern Africa insofar as it is a response to South Africa's militancy in the face of international communism as represented in the region by Cuba; and (5) Cuba's effect upon the economy and polity of Angola and Mozambique.
Response to Comment on Li et al. Time Trends of Dietary and Lifestyle Factors and Their Potential Impact on Diabetes Burden in China. Diabetes Care 2017;40:1685–1694

We thank Mattioli et al. (1) for their positive comments on our article (2) that described the time trends of dietary and lifestyle factors and their potential impact on diabetes burden in China. In the letter, they reported …
Small-scale race events in natural areas: Participants’ attitudes, beliefs, and global perceptions of leave no trace ethics

Abstract Small-scale race events are a popular form of recreation in natural areas with the potential for social and environmental impacts. Leave No Trace-based communication and education strategies are the most prevalent form of mitigating recreation impacts on public lands. To understand competitive race participants’ perceptions of Leave No Trace, this exploratory study compared race event participants’ attitudes, evaluative beliefs, and global perceptions of Leave No Trace by event type: gravel road running, trail running, mountain biking, and motorcycle trail racing. Data were collected using online post-event surveys. Participants were sampled from five competitive race events on public land held during fall 2015 to summer 2016. Significant differences between event types were found for all constructs examined. Motorcycle racers were the least likely to agree that Leave No Trace is an effective method for protecting the environment, least likely to believe that humans have the potential to cause social or environmental impacts, and were the least willing to change their behavior if they found out it was damaging the environment. Runners’ attitudes toward specific Leave No Trace behaviors were the least in line with Leave No Trace recommendations, while mountain bikers were the most in-line. Management implications When issuing permits and managing events on public natural areas, managers should approach each affair differently, realizing that the type of event may influence the level of social and ecological impact. Managers should contact event organizers as early as possible to raise awareness of possible impacts, provide tailor-made messaging to participants, and develop management plans specific to the event and location that monitor and adaptively manage impacts to preserve social experiences and ecological resources. This will help managers remain flexible in their event management.
Large Animal Models in Cardiac and Vascular Biomaterials Research and Assessment

The purpose of using animal models in preclinical evaluation of biomaterials is to provide a preliminary assessment of human safety and efficacy relative to the manufacturer claims and comparable technology that can be used as an appropriate control standard. The development of new technologies, including in vitro methods and computer modeling, that has occurred in the last few decades has enhanced the approach to the study of physiology. However, the use of in vivo models still remains a necessity in investigations into certain physiologic phenomena, especially those related to the pathophysiologic mechanisms of disease, as in vitro studies are limited to the assessment of durability of the test material and hemodynamic performance. In this chapter, we will focus on three commonly used animal models for in vivo biomaterials research and testing in cardiac and vascular surgery: pigs; cows; and sheep. The chapter begins with current recommendations for in vivo preclinical evaluation of cardiac and vascular devices and continues with a short discussion on responsible use of animals in the assessment of biomaterials and biomedical devices, followed by specific considerations and examples of existing animal models for each species. Finally, we discuss conventionally-placed devices and percutaneously-placed devices, as well as potential future directions.
Isolation of Peirce's disease bacteria from grapevines in Europe

Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce's disease (PD) of grape, was isolated from diseased grapevines grown in Kosova, Yugoslavia. The Kosova isolate was a rod-shaped bacterium which showed a typically rippled cell wall under electron microscopy. ELISA comparisons indicated that the Kosova isolate was closely related to the U.S. PD strains and to several other strains of X. fastidiosa. When DNA extracted from diseased grapevines collected from Kosova was used as template in PCR with primer sets specific for X. fastidiosa, a band of about 730 bp diagnostic for PD bacteria was detected. DNA from the isolated Kosova bacteria and the type strain of PD yielded the same length of DNA fragment in PCR assay. The Kosova isolate was inoculated into young healthy grapevines through the roots with negative pressure applied to the shoots. Typical scald and scorch symptoms appeared on the leaves of the inoculated grapevines 40–80 days after inoculation. The same bacteria were reisolated from these inoculated diseased plants and used to reinoculate young grapevines. The reinoculated grapevines produced the same symptoms, thereby fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first confirmation that PD of grapes occurs in Europe.
37 – Gender Differences in Esophageal Function

This chapter discusses gender-specific differences in esophageal health and disease states, focusing on epidemiology, prevalence, clinical presentations, therapeutic responses, and (patho) physiologic differences. Major differences in esophageal function and diseases include hormonal effects on esophageal smooth muscle best demonstrated by the prevalence of heartburn during pregnancy; alteration in esophageal sensory perception in females resulting in lower pain thresholds; and striking differences in Barrett's esophagus and adenocarcinoma resulting in male predominance of these conditions. Based on epidemiologic surveys of esophageal diseases, women tend to have higher prevalence of esophagitis while men have more complicated disease, including strictures, esophageal ulcers, and adenocarcinomas. Historically, men had more gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) but studies suggest that prevalence of GER and related entities are rising in women. Current literature suggests that lower esophageal pressures (LESP) decrease during pregnancy, which may account for increased reflux and complaints of heartburn by pregnant women. This tends to reverse within 4 weeks of delivery, suggesting a hormonal etiology. Women have higher upper esophageal sphincter (UES) resting pressure and faster pharyngeal peak contraction rate compared with men. Limited evidence points to an increased incidence of Plummer-Vinson syndrome, nutcracker esophagus, and hypertensive LES in women.
Asian Research: The Role of Universities

This chapter considers the rapidly evolving role of universities in Asia. In so doing, we present an argument that rather than becoming “flat” as is now commonly conceptualized the Earth is in fact “tilting to Asia” for a variety of reasons. Asia could soon easily surpass the USA in S&T, and Asian universities will play an important role in this transformation.
Using Animation to Enrich Learning Experience in Sketch-Based Physics Tutoring Systems

This work describes the design of a prototype sketch-based physics tutoring system that provides animation support for a range of kinematics problems including spring systems, pulley systems, motion in 1-dimension, free-fall motion, projectile motion, kinetic and potential energy problems, and limited cases of equilibrium problems. Our key idea is to construct animations using a student’s written answer to a physics problem, providing visual feedback in the given context, thus enriching the learning experience for the user. The recognition of written physics solutions and constructing animations from them are challenging research problems. We discuss design goals for providing animation support, based on analysis of 50 kinematics problems chosen from a physics textbook. We describe the high-level design of our system and discuss how animations can be generated for several classes of kinematics problems. We present the results of an informal usability test with five expert users and conclude with a discussion of the limitations and capabilities of our system.
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma with superimposed lung abscess: potential role for intracavitary fibrinolytic therapy through a percutaneous drain to facilitate lung abscess drainage.

This is a case of primary pulmonary lymphoma presenting concurrently with superimposed lung abscess, managed with the assistance of intracavitary fibrinolytic therapy. A 28-year-old man presented with 2 months of persistent cough. He had a large lung abscess involving almost the entire right upper lobe. The mass continued to progress in spite of appropriate antibiotic administration. Given the extent of involvement, he was not a surgical candidate. A bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsies demonstrated diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Initial cultures were positive for Group G Streptococci. A CT-guided percutaneous drain was placed with initial purulent drainage that grew Prevotella and Streptococcus mitis; however, drainage quickly abated without adequate evacuation of the abscess cavity. To further optimise drainage in anticipation of chemotherapy administration, intracavitary fibrinolytic therapy including tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease was attempted to better evacuate the infected space.
Carnoy's solution fixation with compression significantly increases the number of lymph nodes yielded from colorectal cancer specimens.

Background and objectives Carnoy's fixation and compression represents a novel technique to enhance lymph node evaluation and accuracy of staging after colorectal cancer resection. Methods This study was performed in all adults undergoing colorectal cancer operations by Kaiser Permanente surgeons at two separate facilities. Patients were assigned to either location based upon surgeon and patient availability. One group of patients had their lymph nodes examined with current standard manual technique (MT). The other group had their specimens fixed with Carnoy's solution and then compressed (CT) to assess for lymph nodes. Results A total of 157 patients were enrolled. Seventy-eight patient specimens underwent MT and 79 patient specimens underwent the new compression technique (CT). CT resulted in a significant increase in total lymph node yield per specimen (37.6 ± 18.5 nodes with CT vs 18.9 ± 8.8 nodes with MT; P 12 nodes) in all 79 patients in the group compared with 13 of 78 patients (17%) with an insufficient lymph node evaluation in the MT group ( P = 0.0002). Conclusion This study demonstrated that Carnoy's fixation with compression can significantly increase lymph node yields in colorectal cancer specimens and allow for a higher rate of adequate lymph node sampling.
Multimodal Imaging of Adult onset Coats Disease

The majority of Coats’ disease cases are diagnosed in the first decade of life, though cases with symptom onset and first diagnosis in adulthood are well documented. While the cases diagnosed in childhood and adulthood share many of the characteristic features that define Coats’ disease, adult cases have been shown to present with less severe disease manifestations and an increased incidence of macroaneurysms with perianeurysmal hemorrhage. We present two cases of Coats’ disease diagnosed in adulthood that demonstrate prominent arteriolar macroaneurysms with perianeurysmal hemorrhages and contribute to an understanding of the adult Coats’ phenotype.
Kirkman Systems that Attain the Upper Bound on the Minimum Block Sum, for Access Balancing in Distributed Storage

We study a class of combinatorial designs called Kirkman systems, and we show that infinitely many Kirkman systems are well-distributed in a precise sense. Steiner triple systems of order $n$ can achieve a minimum block sum of $n$. Kirkman triple systems form parallel classes from the blocks of Steiner triple systems. We prove that there are an infinite number of Kirkman triple systems that have a minimum block sum of $n$. We expand this to quadruple systems. These concepts can then be applied to distributed storage to spread data across the servers, and servers across locations, using Kirkman triple systems, while having data well distributed by popularity, measured by the minimum block sum.
Insights into the sources of irradiation hardening in a neutron irradiated 304L stainless steel following post-irradiation annealing

Abstract The 304L SS was irradiated in Barseback 1 BWR reactor to 5.9 dpa followed by post-irradiation annealing at 500 °C and 550 °C up to 20 h. Correlations of irradiation hardening with the main hardening features of dislocation loops and Ni/Si-rich clusters were made using the least squares regression. The dispersed-barrier hardening model tended to overestimate the contribution of Ni/Si-rich clusters in the as-irradiated condition. Contribution of Ni/Si-rich clusters to irradiation hardening appeared to be more appropriately accounted for by the short-range order strengthening mechanism and was dependent on the Ni and Si concentrations in the clusters. Irradiation hardening in the as-irradiated condition was predominantly from dislocation loops with minor contribution from the Ni/Si-rich clusters. This is consistent with recent molecular dynamics simulations which showed that Ni/Si-rich clusters were weak obstacles to dislocation glide. As dislocation loops were annihilated at a faster pace than the Ni/Si-rich solute clusters, the Ni/Si-rich clusters played a more important role in the remaining hardening after thermal annealing. Contribution of Ni/Si-rich clusters to remaining hardening outweighed that of dislocation loops after thermal annealing at 550 °C for 5 h and became predominant after annealing for 20 h.
Delegitimizing Large Carnivore Conservation through Discourse

The legitimacy of large carnivore institutions to exercise truth-making power is assumed by constituents and other audiences. This study examines the power of language in shaping resistance to hege...