cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring and Predicting Speech Privacy in Open-Plan Spaces

The acoustical design of an open-plan office should aim to reduce the intelligibility and disturbance of unwanted speech from nearby workstations. The success of the design can be assessed in terms of signal-to-noise ratio type measures such as the Articulation Index (AI) or its advanced replacement the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII). Various elements for good design and advanced software tools that make quantitative design and assessment more easily achievable have been introduced. The COPE-CaIc software provides accurate estimates of the expected speech privacy between two adjacent rectangular workstations. It uses an image sources approach and includes all significant reflections. The user specifies the dimensions and selects material properties from the programs database and can add new materials to the database. The user also specifies speech levels and ambient/masking noise levels and the program calculates AI and SII values.
Advantages of IEEE P1624 for assessing organizational reliability capability

A direct correlation exists between an organization's capability maturity and an organization's capability to develop mature and reliable products. A mature organization is capable of repeatedly designing and producing mature products. To develop a mature organization with the capability to develop mature reliable products, a reliability capability assessment and improvement process is needed. An organizational reliability capability assessment is used for: • specifying or planning reliability practices throughout an organization • evaluating reliability practices to determine the extent to which an organization is capable of providing a product that meets the reliability requirements • improving reliability practices throughout an organization if the current reliability practices have been evaluated and determined lacking activities to succeed at higher capability levels.
The Role of Mentoring in the Leadership Development of Pre-Service School Librarians

The purpose of this study was to determine how providing pre-service school librarians with mentors during their degree program impacted their level of self-perceived transformational leadership potential. The study consisted of 30 participants enrolled in a school library certification master’s degree program emphasizing leadership. The findings indicated that the use of mentors had a positive impact on the leadership development of the participants. Moreover, the combination of the leadership training and the experience of having a mentor taught the participants the behaviors that are desirable in mentors and encouraged them to apply mentorship as a leadership role in their schools.
Long-term alterations of striatal parvalbumin interneurons in a rat model of early exposure to alcohol

Background Exposure to alcohol in utero is a known cause of mental retardation. Although a certain degree of motor impairment is always associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, little is known about the neurobiological basis of the defective motor control. We have studied the striatal interneurons containing parvalbumin in a rat model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Gaseous Signaling: Nitric Oxide and Carbon Monoxide as Messenger Molecules

The concept of a gaseous molecule as a signaling messenger was unthinkable before 1980s. However, it is now well-recognized that nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule in different organisms. Carbon monoxide coordinates together with NO to modulate signal transduction. First described as endothelium-derived relaxing factor, NO controls a wide range of biological processes. The action of NO is mainly through its reaction with metal or cysteine residues on proteins. For example, the vessel dilation effect of NO is mediated through the activation of guanylate cyclase by the formation of iron nitroysl within the active site of the enzyme. Another more common signaling mechanism is S-nitrosylation through the reaction of NO on cysteine residues of proteins. A number of proteins are modified by S-nitrosylation and it is an important redox signaling mechanism for the control of a broad range of physiologic and cellular functions. The pathophysiological importance of this modification is demonstrated by recent studies showing that the imbalance o nitrosylation is correlated to various human diseases. Thus, the in-depth understanding of how S-nitrosylation can control different physiological and cellular processes will provide valuable information in the development of new therapeutic targets for different diseases in the future. Keywords: nitric oxide; carbon monoxide; redox signaling; neurodegeneration; parkinson's disease; S-nitrosylation; parkin; nitrosothiols; ubiquitin pathway; MPTP; ion channels; gene transcription; vesicular transport; cell survival
A comparison of drug product information in four national compendia

Four widely used compendia of prescribing information have been reviewed to examine the way in which some drug companies recommend uses for several anti-inflammatory products and describe the major dangers in their use. The Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) cites the greatest absolute number of indications for steroids with systemic action, as well as the greatest number of contraindications, warnings and precautions, and adverse effects. The total number of precautions appearing in the PDR is three times the mean for the other compendia, and the number of adverse effects is four times the mean of the others. Together, these other compendia contain 70.5% of the number of words in the PDR. The PDR contains statements that are strongly directive for the physician and that do not appear in the other compendia. Regulatory and social differences may at least partially explain these discrepancies. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1983) 33, 269–277; doi:10.1038/clpt.1983.32
Characterization of cellulolytic activity from digestive fluids of Dissosteira carolina (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

article i nfo Previous screening of head-derived and gut fluid extracts of Carolina grasshoppers, Dissosteira carolina (L.) revealed relatively high activity against cellulase substrates when compared to other insect groups. In this work we report on the characterization and identification of enzymes involved in cellulolytic activity in digestive fluids of D. carolina. In zymograms using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as substrate, we detected four distinct cellulolytic protein bands in D. carolina gut fluids, common to all developmental stages. These cellulolytic enzymes were localized to foregut and midgut regions of the D. carolina digestive tract. Cellulases were purified from D. carolina head and gut fluid extracts by liquid chromatography to obtain N-terminal amino acid sequence tags. Database searches with sequence tags from head fluids indicated high similarity with invertebrate, bacterial and plant β1,4-endoglucanases, while no homologues were identified for the gut-derived protein. Our data demonstrate the presence of cellulolytic activity in the digestive system of D. carolina and suggest that cellulases of endogenous origin are present in this organism. Considering that this grasshopper species is a pest of grasses, including switchgrass that has been suggested bioethanol feedstock, characterization of insect cellulolytic systems may aid in developing applications for plant biomass biodegradation for biofuel production.
Association of Radiographic Morphology with Early Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Satiety Control after Sleeve Gastrectomy

Background Variable gastric morphology has been identified on routine upper gastrointestinal series after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. This test might give us useful information beyond the presence of leak and obstruction. The aim of this study is to standardize a morphologic classification of gastric sleeve based on water-soluble contrast upper gastrointestinal series, and to determine possible clinical implications. Study Design One hundred morbidly obese patients underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and had routine upper gastrointestinal on postoperative day 1 or 2. Images were reviewed by 4 radiologists who were blinded to outcomes, and sleeve shape was classified as upper pouch, lower pouch, tubular, or dumbbell. Inter-observer agreement was calculated. Clinical outcomes including weight loss, satiety control, and reflux symptoms were recorded. Comparisons were determined by 1-way ANOVA and t -test. Results Mean age was 46 ± 12 years and mean BMI was 45.1 ± 6 kg/m 2 . Overall inter-observer agreement level for the sleeve shape classification was 76.3%. Sleeve shapes were tubular in 37%, dumbbell in 32%, lower pouch in 22%, and upper pouch in 8%. Mean excess body weight loss at 1, 3, and 6 months was 16.8%, 29.9%, and 39.1%, respectively. Excess body weight loss was not associated with sleeve shape. Mean hunger score was 213 ± 97, and patients with dumbbell shape had higher hunger scores (p = 0.003). Mean reflux score was 5.7 ± 8. Upper pouch shape was associated with greater severity of reflux symptoms (p = 0.02). Conclusions This study suggests a standardized radiographic classification of gastric sleeve morphology. Although sleeve shape is not correlated with weight loss, gastric sleeves with retained fundus result in lower satiety control and higher severity of reflux symptoms. An adequate resection of the gastric fundus might avoid this potential complication.
The Anarchist Movement and the T Group: Some Possible Lessons for Organizational Development:

Spanish anarchism was an extremely cohesive but ineffective movement espousing many of the ideals similar to those advanced in laboratory training. This paper argues that there may be some parallels between the history of Spanish anarchism and the contributions of T-Group training to organization development, if insufficient attention is paid to the organizational learning that must take place along with the personal and interpersonal learning of the T-Group experience. Eight approaches are described for increasing organizational learning in the context of laboratory training and follow-up.
Debate: Can Handguns Be Effectively Regulated?

The FBI has recently reported that violent crime has increased for the second straight year across the nation. In particular, the FBI's report demonstrates that in major metropolitan areas, such as Philadelphia, homicides have increased by 6.7%. In the midst of this upsurge in violent crime, Professors James B. Jacobs, of New York University, and David Kairys, of Temple University, reengage with America's long-running debate over the effectiveness of gun (specifically handgun) control regulation. Professor Jacobs initiates the debate by asking whether it is realistic to pursue a strategy of enhanced regulation of firearms in a country in which there are 300 million firearms in civilian hands, and the large majority of firearms used in crime... are either stolen or purchased on the black market. After providing a number of critiques of what he believes to be a shifting target set by pro-gun-control advocates, Professor Jacobs concludes that gun control offers no magic bullet for reducing crime, suicide, or accidental deaths and injuries. In contrast, Professor Kairys does not consider the current amount of handgun regulation to be nearly enough to satisfy what common sense should tell us is necessary to adequately ensure that handguns are not easily available to criminals and youth. He specifically notes that any emphasis on the black market in handguns overshadows the disturbing reality that any person without a record can buy large quantities of cheap, easily concealed handguns and sell them to others indiscriminately, often without violating any law. At a deeper level, both Professor Jacobs and Professor Kairys agree that the debate on handgun control at its core is [related to] a personal, cultural, and political identification of guns with personal selfworth..., freedom, liberty, and... God and country. Whereas Professor Jacobs accepts this as a political reality and uses it as an anchor from which to engage in this discussion, Professor Kairys steadfastly disagrees: The best hope for emerging from our disgraceful state of denial is to respectfully engage and challenge the cultural and political identification of guns with our nation's highest ideals and the deadly legacy of that identification as it is currently conceived.
Exacting Requirements for Development of the Egg

The hallmark of successful human reproduction is the fusion between a haploid spermatozoon and a metaphase II oocyte. The generation of such an oocyte involves a series of steps whereby germinal-vesicle oocytes (in which the nuclei are intact) at prophase I are stimulated to resume meiosis and mature to metaphase II, a sequence of events that prepares the oocyte for fertilization. Meiosis in mammalian females entails two reductive divisions of DNA to produce ovulated oocytes that can be fertilized in the oviduct (Figure 1). In the first meiotic division, replicated chromosomes condense and attach to kinetochores through their centromeres to . . .
What happens when health practitioners report domestic violence injuries to the police? A study of the law enforcement response to injury reports.

This study was undertaken to learn whether law enforcement agencies in California ("agencies") have standard policies and procedures in place for responding to reports of domestic violence injuries from health practitioners ("HP reports"), and to describe the variation in policies and procedures across agencies. Using a structured interviewing tool with closed- and open-ended questions, a survey was taken of domestic violence experts from 39 agencies throughout California. Forty-one agencies were asked to participate in the study. Interviews were completed with 39. Almost all agencies reported that they have standard procedures in place for responding to HP reports when the reports are made by telephone. Agencies handle written HP reports differently than telephone HP reports. HP reports constitute a very small proportion of agencies' overall domestic violence caseloads. Emergency departments are the usual source of HP reports. Although the law requires both an immediate telephone report and a written report, fewer than one quarter of sampled agencies always received both types of HP reports. Most agencies use standard response protocols when reports of domestic violence incidents are made by telephone, whether the reporting party is a health practitioner or someone else. Written HP reports do not fit into the agencies' usual response protocol for domestic violence situations. Because agencies' protocols are best suited to situations requiring prompt dispatch of an investigating officer, only reports made by telephone have the opportunity to promote an effective law enforcement response. Language: en
Effects of Systemic Insecticides Aplied to Cotton on Adults of an Ichneumonid Parasite, Campoletis perdistinctus

The toxicity of monocrotophos, aldicarb, and disulfoton administered topically and orally to adult Campoletis perdistinctus (Viereck) and the toxicity to the parasite or cotton plants treated with the same compounds were studied. Monocrotophos was more toxic than adicarb or disulfoton when administered topically or orally. Likewise, when caged on entire greenhouse-grown plants treated on the stem, with Monocrotophos, adults were killed for at least 14 days after application; adults fed nectar collected from similar plants were killed for 6 weeks. In similar studies parasite adults caged on cotton plants treated on the stem with aldicarb were killed at 3 and 14 days after treatment when caged on entire plants. However, adults fed nectar from these plants were killed only at 3 days after treatment. Adults of C. perdistintus caged on entire plants in the greenhouse after soil treatment with aldicarb were killed 3 days after treatment, but adults caged on leaf surfaces and nectar from these plants were killed up to 7 days after treatment. Disul foton treated plants did not appear to be toxic in any or the studies. Adult parasites were not killed by fumigant action of any of the 3 systemic insecticides. Stem applications of monocrotophos and soil applications of aldicarb to cotton in the field did not appear to harm adult C. perditinctus , though nectar collected from treated plants killed some parasites.
Identification and Quantification of DNA Repair Proteins by Liquid Chromatography/Isotope-Dilution Tandem Mass Spectrometry Using Their Fully 15N-Labeled Analogues as Internal Standards

Oxidatively induced DNA damage is implicated in disease, unless it is repaired by DNA repair. Defects in DNA repair capacity may be a risk factor for various disease processes. Thus, DNA repair pro...
LapMentor metrics possess limited construct validity.

BACKGROUND Many surgical training programs are introducing virtual-reality laparoscopic simulators into their curriculum. If a surgical simulator will be used to determine when a trainee has reached an "expert" level of performance, its evaluation metrics must accurately reflect varying levels of skill. The ability of a metric to differentiate novice from expert performance is referred to as construct validity. The present study was undertaken to determine whether the LapMentor's metrics demonstrate construct validity. METHODS Medical students, residents and faculty laparoscopic surgeons (n = 5-14 per group) performed 5 consecutive repetitions of 6 laparoscopic skills tasks: 30 degrees Camera Manipulation, Eye-Hand Coordination, Clipping/Grasping, Cutting, Electrocautery, and Translocation of Objects. The LapMentor measured performance in 4 to 12 parameters per task. Mean performance for each parameter was compared between subject groups for the first and fifth repetitions. Pairwise comparisons among the 3 groups were made by post hoc t-tests with Bonferroni technique. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS Of the 6 tasks evaluated, only the Eye-Hand Coordination task (3/12 parameters) and the Clipping and Grasping (1/7 parameters) had expert-level discrimination when performance was compared after completion of 1 repetition. Comparison of the fifth repetition performance (representing the plateau of the learning curves), demonstrated that the parameters Time and Score had expert level discrimination on the Eye-Hand Coordination task, and Time on the Cutting task. The remaining LapMentor tasks evaluated did not exhibit the ability to differentiate level of expertise based on the built-in metrics on either repetition 1 or 5. CONCLUSIONS The majority of the LapMentor tasks' metrics were unable to differentiate between laparoscopic experts and less skilled subjects. Therefore, performance on those tasks may not accurately reflect a subject's true level of ability. Feedback to the manufacturer about these findings may encourage the development of evaluation parameters with greater sensitivity.
Twospotted Spider Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) and Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Greenhouse Roses: Spatial Distribution and Predator Efficacy

Interaction between twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, and the predatory mite, Phtytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, on roses was studied in a greenhouse at Cornell University. In the absence of predators, the spider mite population showed typical S-shaped growth and averaged ≈4-fold increases in decline in 3 wk. In the presence of predators, spider mites showed an initially slow (<50%) increase followed by a decline concurrent with a rapid increase of predators. Spider mites were nearly eliminated within 5 wk of the introduction of the predators. Most spider mites were found on the lower canopy when their overall density was low but more mites were found on the lower canopy when their density increased, especially in the absence of predators. Both spider mites and predators were strongly aggregated. The dispersion of spider mites was similar in the upper and lower canopy and was not affected by the presence of predators. Regressions of predator density on prey density revealed 44% positive density-dependent aggregation. The strength of aggregation increased with predator density and was positively associated with the suppression of prey population. The spicier mite population growth rate Vas negatively related to both predator and spider mite density; the effect of predator density on the growth rate was 35 times greater than that of spider mite density. Potential for control of T urticae on roses through pest population monitoring and the integration of chemical and biological control is discussed.
A Leprosy-like Disease in the Lungs of a Mexican Parrot

Sections showed that these tubercles were largely peribronchial (Fig. 1). They were composed of epithelioid cells with vesicular nuclei (Fig. 2). Some cells contained two nuclei. In the sections stained with hematoxylin and erythrosin the new growths appeared to be purely epithelial of epithelioid proliferations without any changes in the surrounding tissues and without leukocytic infiltration; nor did they show any connective tissue stroma or capsule. However, the surrounding tissues were greatly congested and in places there was extensive hemorrhage. In sections stained with carbol fuchsin, decolorized with 2^c hydrochloric acid in 95 fc alcohol, and then stained with Unna' s polychrome methylene blue, the epithelioid cells were seen to be filled with acidfast bacilli lying at all angles. Now the picture was very much like that of human or rat leprosy (Figs. 3 and 4). Many, but not all, of the growths contained so many black, amorphous particles, like carbon, that the cellular structure and the bacilli could be seen with difficulty. Some of the unpigmented, as well as the pigmented tumors were near a bronchus. Before the tissue was cut it was thought that the lesions were those of avian tuberculosis. Cultures on rabbit-blood agar and glycerol potato were kept under aerobic, partial tension and anaerobic conditions at 37 C. and 24 C. for six months. There was no growth.
Interrogating participation across disciplinary boundaries: Lessons from political philosophy, cultural studies, art, and education

In view of the prominence of online media and their role in enabling new patterns of activity and engagement, the concept of participation has become an increasingly ubiquitous buzzword across a wide variety of disciplines. However, the specifics of its scope and applications are insufficiently interrogated. This article traces the use of the term, participation, across four domains—political philosophy, cultural studies, art, and education—discussing core assumptions about what constitutes meaningful participation in each instance. In particular, for each of these fields of inquiry, attention will be paid to (a) the definition and key debates around participation, (b) the degrees of meaningful participation, and (c) the strengths of each of these perspectives, particularly in terms of opportunities for productive cross-pollination among these disciplines.
Abstract IA08: Biomarkers of response and resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy

Despite the significant progress made in the development of molecularly targeted therapies for cancer vasculature, no validated biological markers (or biomarkers) currently exist for appropriately selecting patients with cancer for antiangiogenic therapy. Nor are there biomarkers identifying escape pathways that should be targeted after tumors develop resistance to a given antiangiogenic agent. A number of potential systemic, circulating, tissue and imaging biomarkers have emerged from recent clinical studies. Some of these are measured at baseline, others are measured during treatment, and all are mechanistically based. Some of these biomarkers might be pharmacodynamic while others have potential for predicting clinical benefit or identifying the escape pathways. All biomarkers need to be validated prospectively. I will discuss the current challenges in establishing biomarkers of antiangiogenic therapy, and comment on the future opportunities for validating biomarkers for individualized antiangiogenic therapy. I will offer specific examples of potential biomarkers of antiangiogenic therapy in GI cancers, lung cancers and brain tumors. Citation Format: Dan G. Duda. Biomarkers of response and resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Angiogenesis and Vascular Normalization: Bench to Bedside to Biomarkers; Mar 5-8, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl):Abstract nr IA08.
Conformers of Gaseous Serine.

The myriad conformers of the neutral form of natural amino acid serine (Ser) have been investigated by systematic computations with reliable electronic wave function methods. A total of 85 unique conformers were located using the MP2/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The 12 lowest-energy conformers of serine fall within a 8 kJ mol–1 window, and for these species, geometric structures, precise relative energies, equilibrium and vibrationally averaged rotational constants, anharmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, quartic and sextic centrifugal distortion constants, dipole moments, and 14N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants were computed. The relative energies were refined through composite focal-point analyses employing basis sets as large as aug-cc-pV5Z and correlation treatments through CCSD(T). The rotational constants for seven conformers measured by Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy are in good agreement with the vibrationally averaged rotational constants computed in this study. Our ...
Buying Center Identification for the Purchase of An Industrial Service

The recent emphasis in describing buyer behavior has dealt almost exclusively with the consumer sector while its counterpart, industrial purchasing behavior, has received much less attention. The limited research published in the marketing literature on the industrial purchasing process is partially explained by the difficulties associated with identifying, obtaining access to, and gaining the cooperation of those individuals involved in the industrial purchasing process. This comparative paucity of published research in the industrial buying area, and the fact that the dollar volume involved in industrial purchases far exceeds that of the consumer market, seem to suggest the need for descriptive studies leading to a better understanding of industrial buyer behavior.
The Role of Psychosocial Processes in the Development and Maintenance of Chronic Pain.

Abstract The recently proposed Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION)-American Pain Society (APS) Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) provides an evidence-based, multidimensional, chronic pain classification system. Psychosocial factors play a crucial role within several dimensions of the taxonomy. In this article, we discuss the evaluation of psychosocial factors that influence the diagnosis and trajectory of chronic pain disorders. We review studies in individuals with a variety of persistent pain conditions, and describe evidence that psychosocial variables play key roles in conferring risk for the development of pain, in shaping long-term pain-related adjustment, and in modulating pain treatment outcomes. We consider “general” psychosocial variables such as negative affect, childhood trauma, and social support, as well as “pain-specific” psychosocial variables that include pain-related catastrophizing, self-efficacy for managing pain, and pain-related coping. Collectively, the complexity and profound variability in chronic pain highlights the need to better understand the multidimensional array of interacting forces that determine the trajectory of chronic pain conditions. Perspective The AAPT is an evidence-based chronic pain classification system in which psychosocial concepts and processes are essential in understanding the development of chronic pain and its effects. In this article we review psychosocial processes that influence the onset, exacerbation, and maintenance of chronic pain disorders.
Firearm injuries in a pediatric population: African-American adolescents continue to carry the heavy burden

Abstract Background Firearm injuries have the highest case-fatality rate among pediatric trauma related deaths. We sought to determine whether demographics, mechanism of injury, and outcomes were age specific. Methods We performed a 5 year retrospective analysis of patients 0–19 years old with firearm related injuries. Children were divided into two cohorts based on age. Mann-Whitney and Pearson's X 2 were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Significance was established at p Data Compared to their younger counterparts, children >15 years old were more likely to be male (82% vs. 90%, p = 0.02), African-American (71% vs 89%, p 15 was 3.9 times the national average (12.4% vs. 3.2%). Conclusion Firearm injuries continue to be a prevalent public health concern greatly affecting African-American adolescent males. Prevention strategies and trauma related healthcare resource utilization should target this group in order to reduce the risk of injury and improve outcomes and case-fatality in our population.
Mitochondrial uncoupling in cancer cells: Liabilities and opportunities ☆

Acquisition of the endosymbiotic ancestor of mitochondria was a critical event in eukaryote evolution. Mitochondria offered an unparalleled source of metabolic energy through oxidative phosphorylation and allowed the development of multicellular life. However, as molecular oxygen had become the terminal electron acceptor in most eukaryotic cells, the electron transport chain proved to be the largest intracellular source of superoxide, contributing to macromolecular injury, aging, and cancer. Hence, the 'contract of endosymbiosis' represents a compromise between the possibilities and perils of multicellular life. Uncoupling proteins (UCPs), a group of the solute carrier family of transporters, may remove some of the physiologic constraints that link mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis by mediating inducible proton leak and limiting oxidative cell injury. This important property makes UCPs an ancient partner in the metabolic adaptation of cancer cells. Efforts are underway to explore the therapeutic opportunities stemming from the intriguing relationship of UCPs and cancer. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Mitochondria in Cancer, edited by Giuseppe Gasparre, Rodrigue Rossignol and Pierre Sonveaux.
On the Complexity of Event Ordering for Shared-Memory Parallel Program Executions

This paper presents results on the complexity of computing event orderings for sharedmemory parallel program executions. Given a program execution, we formally define the problem of computing orderings that the execution must have exhibited or could have exhibited, and prove that computing such orderings is an intractable problem. We present a formal model of a shared-memory parallel program execution on a sequentially consistent processor, and discuss event orderings in terms of this model. Programs are considered that use fork/join and either counting semaphores or event style synchronization. We define a feasible program execution to be an execution of the program that performs the same events as an observed execution, but which may exhibit different orderings among those events. Any program execution exhibiting the same data dependences among the shared data as the observed execution is feasible. We define several relations that capture the orderings present in all (or some) of these feasible program executions. The happened-before, concurrent-with, and ordered-with relations are defined to show events that execute in a certain order, that execute concurrently, or that execute in either order but not concurrently. Each of these ordering relations is defined in two ways. In the must-have sense they show the orderings that are guaranteed to be present in all feasible program executions, and in the could-have sense they show the orderings that could potentially occur in at least one feasible program execution due to timing variations. We prove that computing any of the must-have ordering relations is a co-NP-hard problem and that computing any of the could-have ordering relations is an NP-hard problem.
Competition and Innovation: The Tango of the Market and Technology in the Competitive Landscape

Technology innovation can be a double-edged sword in helping a firm to address competitive pressures. We explore the relationships among market competition, technology competition, and firms' advancement to a higher generation of production technology. Though market competition drives technology advancement as firms attempt to escape competition and technology competition also drives technology advancement as firms try to stay in the technology race, concurrent high market and technology competition lead a firm to defer advancement. We find supportive evidence with data on global flat panel display makers. Our findings shed light on how competition interacts with a firm's technology advancement decision and, in general, a firm's technology strategy.
Surgery Goes Social: The Extent and Patterns of Social Media Utilization by Major Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery Societies.

Context and Aims: The evolving influence of social media in trauma, acute, and critical care surgery (TACCS) cannot be ignored. We sought to investigate the extent and patterns of use of social networks by major regional, national and international TACCS societies. Materials and Methods: The two leading social networking sites, Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TW), were thoroughly examined for the presence of official accounts for each of the major TACCS societies. An official FB or TW account was defined as one which has a blue verified badge and/or is linked the society's official website. For societies with confirmed official accounts, the extent and patterns of use of the two platforms were systematically examined over a 2-week period through: (1) manual inspection of the societies' FB and TW pages, (2) the SQLite database containing downloaded samples of posts, and (3) the TW analytics database, symplur.com. Standardized social media metrics were calculated for each society. Posted content was categorized as being: (1) society news updates, (2) event announcements, or (3) general medical information. Results: From a total of 64 TACCS societies, only 27 (42%) had FB and/or TW accounts. Ten out of the 12 American societies had accounts compared to 13/39 of European, 2/9 of Australasian, and 0/2 of international societies. For the societies with social media presence, the mean numbers of monthly tweets and FB posts per society were 22 and 8, respectively. We summarize the FB and TW activity of the studied TACCS societies. Most tweets/posts were society news updates and event announcements intended to the society's constituents not the general public. A text cloud was constructed to summarize the major featured topics. Conclusion: Less than half of the TACCS societies are currently using social media; those that do are arguably underutilizing its potential. Non-American societies in particular lag behind in their use of social networking.
The Nuclear Lamina and Genome Organization

The nuclear lamina is an essential component of metazoan cells. Not only does the nuclear lamina provide structural support and integrity to the nucleus, it is also involved in most nuclear activities, providing an integrated interface between the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. The nuclear lamina has roles in nuclear integrity, mitosis, mechano-sensation, DNA replication, signaling, regulation of transcription, and genome organization. In this chapter, we discuss the nuclear lamins and their dynamic interactions with both cytoskeletal and nuclear components and focus on the emerging role of the nuclear lamina as a key regulator of genome organization.
Geospatial Associations Between Tobacco Retail Outlets and Current Use of Cigarettes and e-Cigarettes among Youths in Texas.

Introduction: To identify the geospatial association between the presence of retail tobacco outlets (RTO) around school's neighborhoods, and current use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes among adolescents in four counties in Texas.Methods: Students in grades 6, 8 and 10th were surveyed in their schools in 2014-2015. The schools’ addresses was geocoded to determine the presence of at least one RTO within half a mile of the school. Two outcomes were considered: past 30-day use of (a) cigarettes and (b) e-cigarettes. Bayesian structured additive regression models and Kriging methods were used to estimate the geospatial associations between the presence of RTO and use in three counties: Dallas/Tarrant, Harris, and Travis.Results: We observed a geospatial association between the presence of RTO around the schools and current use of cigarettes in the eastern area of Dallas County and in the southeastern area of Harris County. Also, a geospatial association between the presence of RTO around the schools and current use of e-cigarettes was observed in the entire Tarrant County and in the northeastern area of Harris County.Conclusions: There were geospatial associations between the presence of RTO around some schools and cigarette/e-cigarette use among students, but this association was not consistent across all the counties. More research is needed to determine why some areas are at higher risk for this association.
Vertical maintenance of dengue-1 virus in sequential generations of Aedes albopictus.

Vertical transmission of dengue-1 virus was demonstrated over 3 consecutive generations of Aedes albopictus by tracing descendants of individual, vertically infected females. This study is the first to examine efficiency of vertical transmission of a flavivirus by vertically infected mosquitoes. Vertically infected Ae. albopictus females were more efficient vertical transmitters than females infected by inoculation (i.e., horizontally). Three of 4 vertically infected females examined transmitted virus to their offspring, whereas less than or equal to 0.7% of females infected by inoculation were capable of vertical transmission.
Enteral Guanfacine to Treat Severe Anxiety and Agitation Complicating Critical Care After Cardiac Surgery

This article is the first reported case describing the off-label use of enteral immediate-release guanfacine, a long-acting α-2 adrenergic agonist most commonly used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, for sedation in a patient with severe anxiety and agitation limiting mechanical ventilation weaning several days after cardiac surgery. In this case, after several days of unsuccessful attempts to control his agitation and anxiety with conventional therapies, guanfacine therapy was initiated, and the patient was rapidly weaned from all other sedatives and mechanical ventilation shortly thereafter. The patient was weaned from guanfacine therapy without evidence of bradycardia, hypotension, or rebound syndrome. Enteral guanfacine therapy should be further studied as a potentially useful and cost-effective sedative therapy for patients with severe anxiety and/or agitation in the intensive care unit following cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures.
AORTIC DISSECTION PRESENTING AS SEIZURE

The most common presentation for aortic dissection (AD) is chest pain and back pain. However, patients may present atypically with focal neurologic manifestations, causing a delay in initiation of management of this time sensitive diagnosis. We describe a case of a male with Stanford Type A AD
Diversity’s Discontents: In Search of an Archive of the Oppressed

Australian and US-based archivists have recently begun to confront their complicity in a documentary landscape that excludes and erases the voices and views of minority, oppressed and poor communit...
Amputations versus Salvage: Reconciling the Differences

Background There are many factors to consider when choosing between amputations versus salvage in lower extremity reconstructive surgery. Postoperative functionality and survival benefit are critical factors when deciding between limb salvage and amputation. Methods In this review, we present the evidence and the risks and benefits between these two options in the setting of the acute, trauma population and the chronic, diabetes population. Results The trauma population is on average young without significant comorbidities and with robust vasculature and core strength for recovery. Therefore, these patients can often recover significant function with anamputation and prosthesis. Amputation can therefore be the more desirable in this patient population, especially in the case of complete traumatic disruption, unstable patients, high risk of extensive infection, and significant nerve injury. However, traumatic lower extremity reconstruction is also a viable option, especially in the case of young patients and those with intact plantar sensation and sufficient available tissue coverage. The diabetic population with lower extremity insult has on average a higher comorbidity profile and often lower core strength. These patients therefore often benefit most from reconstruction to preserve limb length and improve survival. However, amputation may be favored for diabetics that have no blood flow to the lower extremity, recalcitrant infection, high-risk comorbidities that preclude multiple operations, and those with end stage renal disease. Conclusion Many patient-specific factors should be considered when deciding between amputation vs. salvage in the lower extremity reconstruction population.
Coronary artery plaque growth: A two‐way coupled shear stress–driven model

Atherosclerosis in coronary arteries can lead to plaque growth, stenosis formation, and blockage of the blood flow supplying the heart tissue. Several studies have shown that hemodynamics play an important role in the growth of coronary artery plaques. Specifically, low wall shear stress (WSS) appears to be the leading hemodynamic parameter promoting atherosclerotic plaque growth, which in turn influences the blood flow and WSS distribution. Therefore, a two-way coupled interaction exists between WSS and atherosclerosis growth. In this work, a computational framework was developed to study the coupling between WSS and plaque growth in coronary arteries. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to quantify WSS distribution. Surface mesh nodes were moved in the inward normal direction according to a growth model based on WSS. After each growth stage, the geometry was updated and the CFD simulation repeated to find updated WSS values for the next growth stage. One hundred twenty growth stages were simulated in an idealized tube and an image-based left anterior descending artery. An automated framework was developed using open-source software to couple CFD simulations with growth. Changes in plaque morphology and hemodynamic patterns during different growth stages are presented. The results show larger plaque growth towards the downstream segment of the plaque, agreeing with the reported clinical observations. The developed framework could be used to establish hemodynamic-driven growth models and study the interaction between these processes.
Mechanical Thrombectomy for Patients with In-Hospital Ischemic Stroke: A Case-Control Study

Background and Aim: Patients with in-hospital acute ischemic stroke (AIS) have, in general, worse outcomes compared to those presenting from the community, partly attributed to the numerous contraindications to intravenous thrombolysis. We aimed to identify and analyze a group of patients with in-hospital AIS who remain suitable candidates for acute endovascular therapies. Methods: A retrospective 6-year data analysis was conducted in patients evaluated through the in-hospital stroke alert protocol in a single tertiary care university hospital to identify those with in-hospital AIS due to acute intracranial large vessel occlusion (ILVO). Feasibility and safety of mechanical thrombectomy for in-hospital AIS was assessed in a case-control study comparing inpatients to those presenting from the community. Results: From 1460 in-hospital stroke alert activations, 11% had a final diagnosis of AIS (n = 167). One hundred and two patients with in-hospital AIS had emergent intracranial vessel imaging and were included in our cohort. Acute ILVO was identified in 27 patients within this cohort. Patients were younger in the ILVO group and had more severe neurologic deficit on presentation. Compared to a matched (1:2) control group of patients presenting from the community, inpatients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy achieved equivalent technical success, safety, and clinical outcomes. Conclusions: The incidence of acute ILVO in patients with in-hospital AIS who underwent emergent vessel imaging is similar to the reported incidence of ILVO in patients presenting with community-onset AIS. Among patients with in-hospital AIS secondary to ILVO, mechanical thrombectomy is a feasible and safe therapy associated with favorable outcomes.
Comparison of water and salt transport properties of ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and nanofiltration membranes for desalination and energy applications

Abstract Reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), and ion exchange (IX) membranes are becoming increasingly important in water treatment, waste recovery, industrial product purification, renewable energy generation, and energy storage. While all three types of membranes are charged, dense polymers, each has historically been characterized using different methods relevant to their respective applications. This bifurcated characterization approach has obscured similarities among dense membranes that could potentially be exploited to advance membrane development. For example, we recently showed that the water and salt transport properties of commercial IX membranes, which are not frequently reported, are generally on the same order of magnitude as those of other desalination polymers. These findings beg the question whether IX membrane polymers might offer any advantages over RO/NF membranes for pressure-driven desalination, and invite further comparisons among the two different classes of membrane polymers (e.g., IX and RO/NF membranes). In this study, we used the solution-diffusion model as a common framework to compare the permeability, partition and diffusion coefficients, water permeance, and salt rejection of twenty commercial IX membranes with those of the active layers of commercial RO/NF membranes and other membrane polymers. Our analysis shows that the characteristics of all membranes fall within similar ranges, despite differences in intended use (e.g. pressure-driven vs. electric field-driven separations). Thus, the low water permeance of IX membranes compared to RO/NF membranes can be explained primarily by differences in thickness rather than permeability. We also show that IX membranes have excellent water/salt partitioning selectivity, while RO/NF active layers have superior diffusion selectivity, and discuss the implications of this comparison for ongoing membrane research.