cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Verification of Multiple-Receiver Doppler Ultrasound for Velocity Estimation Improvement

The coherent scattering effect, which introduces noise in Doppler-derived velocity estimates, is caused by constructive and destructive interference of sound waves scattered from multiple particles. Because the phase relationship between signals scattered from different particles depends on the orientation of the receiver, the error in a given velocity estimate depends on the receiver location. To examine this dependence, the velocity of a steady uniform flow was measured simultaneously with a transceiver and three receivers, and the cross-correlation coefficients between velocity estimates for pairs of crystals were calculated. The velocity estimates were nearly independent, with cross-correlation coefficients of approximately 0.2. This result agrees with our previously published numerical simulation studies which demonstrated that the coherent scattering noise in receivers separated by 5 degrees or more was nearly uncorrelated. Consequently, the contribution of coherent scattering noise can be reduced by averaging out noise in signals obtained from multiple receivers.
Flow divergence and density flows above and below a deciduous forest: Part II. Below-canopy thermotopographic flows

Downslope thermotopographic flows (drainage flows) and the resulting horizontal flow divergence and advection have been suggested to cause systematic underestimates to nighttime ecosystem‐atmosphere exchange measurements of CO2 and other scalars above tall vegetation in hilly terrain. Flux correction methods have been proposed using simple models which link measured vertical flow convergence above canopy to horizontal divergence. In Part I (Froelich, N.J., Schmid, H.P., Grimmond, C.S.B., Su, H.B.,Oliphant,A.J.,2005.Flowdivergenceand densityflowsaboveandbelowadeciduousforest.Part1:non-zeromeanverticalwind above canopy. Agric. For. Meteorol. 133, 140‐152.), we examined vertical velocities above canopy at a flux tower in MorganMonroe State Forest (MMSF), Indiana, USA, and found evidence of vertical flow convergence and horizontal divergence. Here, we examinewhether sub-canopyflow through a small gully in thevicinity of the flux tower was thermotopographically driven, and was linked to the flow divergence found above canopy. While flow in the gully was frequently aligned with the mean wind aloft, indicating dynamic coupling, there were periods when the wind in the gully appeared to be decoupled from the flow aloft and was consistent with thermotopographic flow forcings (including geometry, temperature gradient, and net radiation). During the leaf-off season, these episodes exhibited a classic thermotopographic pattern, with down-gully nighttime flow and up-gully daytime flow. However, during the leaf-on season, the pattern was reversed: during the daytime, flow was down-gully consistent with inversion conditions occurring below the dense leaf canopy; at night, flow was up-gully, consistent with below-canopy lapse conditions. The thermotopographic flow during the leaf-on season suggests horizontal flow convergence at night and divergence during the day, and is shown to be decoupled from the flow aloft. While this research focuses only on flow patterns and not explicitly on CO2 gradients or fluxes, these findings suggest that inferences about drainage flow/advection and corrections to flux measurements based on above-canopy conditions alone may be inappropriate. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bee venom stirs up buzz in antigen presentation

![Figure][1] Insight from Luc Van Kaer While most T cells recognize peptide antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II molecules, some T cells react with lipid antigens presented by MHC-related CD1 proteins. In this issue, [Bourgeois et al.][2]
Dispersion Analysis of the Pulseline Accelerator

We analyze the sheath helix model of the pulseline accelerator [1]. We find the dispersion relation for a shielded helix with a dielectric material between the shield and the helix and compare it against the results from 3-D electromagnetic simulations. Expressions for the fields near the beam axis are obtained. A scheme to taper the properties of the helix to maintain synchronism with the accelerated ions is described. An approximate circuit model of the system that includes beam loading is derived.
Digestible and metabolizable energy content of crude glycerin originating from different sources in nursery pigs.

The energy value of crude glycerin from different biodiesel production facilities was determined in nursery pigs (initial BW of 10.4 kg) to predict ap- parent DE and ME based on the composition of crude glycerin. Dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet, or diets containing crude glycerin from various biodie- sel production facilities supplemented in the diet at ap- proximately 9.1%. Because of bulk density differences, 2 glycerin products were supplemented at either 7.7 or 6.9%. In addition, soybean oil and lard were included at 6.7% as 2 dietary treatments to serve as positive con- trols. Each diet was fed twice daily to pigs in individual metabolism crates. After a 6-d adjustment period, a 4-d balance experiment was conducted. During the col- lection period, feces and urine were collected daily and stored at 0°C until analysis. The GE of each test ingre- dient and diet and of urine and fecal samples from each pig were determined by isoperibol bomb calorimetry. The DE and ME values of crude glycerol were estimated by difference, whereby the DE and ME content of the basal diet was subtracted from the complete diet con- taining the test ingredient. Gross energy, DE, and ME of US Pharmacopeia grade glycerin were determined to be 4,325, 4,457, and 3,682 kcal/kg, respectively. In contrast, GE of the crude glycerin samples ranged from 3,173 to 6,021 kcal/kg, DE ranged from 3,022 to 5,228 kcal/kg, and ME ranged from 2,535 to 5,206 kcal/kg, reflecting the content of glycerol, methanol, and FFA in the crude glycerin. The GE, DE, and ME of soybean oil and lard were determined to be 9,443, 8,567, and 8,469 kcal/kg, and 9,456, 8,524, and 8,639 kcal/kg, respec- tively. The stepwise regression prediction of the ME in crude glycerin exhibited R 2 of only 0.41 (ME, kcal/kg (as-is basis) = (37.09 × % of glycerin) + (97.15 × % of fatty acids)), whereas prediction of GE achieved an R 2 of 0.99 (GE, kcal/kg (as-is basis) = −236 + (46.08 × % of glycerin) + (61.78 × % of methanol) + (103.62 × % of fatty acids)). On average, the ME of crude glycerin was 85.4% of its GE (SE 5.3) and did not differ by glyc- erin source. The data provided in these experiments indicate that crude glycerin is a valuable energy source, with its GE concentration dependent on the concentra- tion of glycerin, methanol, and fatty acids, and with ME as a percentage of GE averaging 85.4%.
Renegotiation and the Choice of Covenants in Debt Contracts

I investigate whether and how expected future contract renegotiation considerations affect the type of covenants used in ex-ante debt contracts. Using an instrumental variables methodology, I find that when future contract renegotiation costs are expected to be high, debt contracts are less likely to include covenants that restrict the borrower’s financial flexibility. This finding suggests that, when renegotiation costs are high, borrowers and lenders avoid the use of covenants that are more likely to hold up the borrower and force her/him to bypass value-enhancing corporate policies (e.g., investments or the rebalancing of the firm’s capital structure). Consistent with this interpretation, the negative relationship between renegotiation costs and the presence of flexibility-reducing covenants becomes stronger when the borrower has fewer outside options and financial flexibility becomes more valuable. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how (1) renegotiation considerations affect the design of debt contracts and (2) covenants are chosen to mitigate renegotiation frictions.
The potential value of DNA-based tests for host bovine respiratory disease resistance to the beef cattle industry

Recent developments in molecular genetics and genotyping platforms offer a unique opportunity to use modern genomic tools to manage the future health of beef cattle. Reducing the considerable animal morbidity, mortality, and economic losses associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) will require the simultaneous development of DNA tests to enable the selection of resistant animals, and the incorporation of this trait into breeding objectives of relevance to US beef production systems. This study focused on determining the relative weighting that should be given to selection for BRD resistance in a multi-trait selection index for Angus terminal sires. All herd-level economic statistics were modeled for a 1000 cow-calf enterprise, and retained ownership through the feedlot was assumed. All progeny of terminal sires were harvested, and so no economic value was associated with maternal traits. Reducing BRD incidence was the trait that was associated with the highest relative economic value. To maximize profit ability for the operation, it was determined that reducing BRD incidence should be weighted approximately seven times more heavily in a terminal sire selection index than weaning weight, postweaning average daily gain and feed intake, and that these traits should receive two to three times more emphasis than marbling score and yield grade. To incentivize the inclusion of genomic BRD susceptibility criteria in breeding decisions, and to offset the concomitant decreased selection pressure on growth traits that return value directly to producers who do not retain ownership (i.e. sell on a weight basis prior to feeding), there would need to be some mechanism analogous to a backgrounding premium to transfer the savings from improved feedlot health back up the supply chain to producers and breeders.
Milk quality and mastitis tests

A variety of diagnostic tests are routinely used to evaluate milk quality on dairy farms. Tests such as bulk milk bacterial counts, bulk tank somatic cell count and tests for adulterants such as water, sediment or antibiotics are routinely used by regulatory agencies. Other tests such as individual cow somatic cell count values, Staphylococcus aureus milk antibody tests, the California Mastitis Test, milk conductivity and milk microbiology are often used diagnostically to investigate milk quality problems. Veterinarians also use various types of antibiotic susceptibility tests to help guide mastitis treatment decisions. The successful use of milk quality and mastitis tests requires knowledge of the methodology and diagnostic capabilities of each test. This paper reviews practical applications and supporting research of tests that are commonly used to investigate and solve milk quality and mastitis problems on dairy farms.
Emergent Experience and the Connected Consumer in the Smart Home Assemblage and the Internet of Things

Since the commercialization of the Internet began over twenty years ago, we have been fascinated with the opportunities that computer-mediated environments present for human interaction. As a result, we have spent the last few decades researching the marketing and consumer behavior impact of consumers’ interactions in digital environments.Now, as the consumer Internet of Things emerges, we find ourselves with renewed excitement as we consider the opportunities for consumer interaction in physical environments with objects that have brought the Internet with them into the real world. Just as the Internet was revolutionary because it enabled many-to-many communication through connected digital networks at unprecedented scale, the IoT is a revolutionary advance that brings the digital into the physical realm. Now, interaction is distributed not just virtually “on the Internet,” but also everywhere in the real world where people actually live, work and play.What awaits us as we are able to interact with smart objects in our everyday lives, and these objects are able to interact with each other, often autonomously? What are the implications for human interaction and for consumer experience? Will new marketing approaches be required? In the course of thinking about these kinds of questions over the past few years, we realized we needed a new framework to help our thinking jell. We found that framework in assemblage theory. The smart home assemblage serves as the context for our theorizing, but we believe our approach generalizes to any consumer IoT assemblage.In the monograph linked above, we present an assemblage-theory based conceptual framework and its implications for consumer experience in the smart home. In 8 sections, we discuss the evolution of the Internet and the emergence of the consumer IoT, offer a lay version of assemblage theory, develop our framework and discuss the implications of our framework for research in UX, consumer experience, and marketing strategy. The last two sections offer some early practical insights derived from our theory and some perspective on where things might be going.
Funding Innovation in Young Firms: The Case of Minimally Invasive Surgical Devices

I compare a variety of investor types and their impact on new firm invention and innovation. I develop and test hypotheses linking different investor types to new firm outcomes using a novel longitudinal dataset of 198 minimally invasive surgical device firms between 1986 and 2007. I find that technology-focused investors promote invention while commercially-focused investors are more beneficial to innovation. I also find that although some investors (VCs) help innovation, other investors (the government’s SBIR program) hurt it. My findings suggest that new firms should be cautious: obtaining resources from some investors may prevent new firms from accomplishing their goals.
Book Review: Human Killing Machines -- Systematic Indoctrination in Iran, Nazi Germany, Al Qaeda, and Abu Ghraib

Adam Lankford, an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama published this provocatively interesting book to describe how ordinary members of society can become conditioned and indoctrinated to commit acts of violence without moral reflection or hesitation. Lankford posits a recurrent six-component strategy of such conditioning and indoctrination in the clinical and real-life settings through recruitment, training, authorization, bureaucracy, isolation, and dehumanization. While his comparisons and contrasts of the infamous Milgram and Zimbardo experiments to the real world brutality in Nazi Germany, Al Qaeda, modern Iran and Abu Ghraib are not an exhaustive chronicling of conditioned "violence on command," his templated theory on licit (and illicit) abuse and killing carries through each of the nine chapters in a comparatively concise and engaging one hundred and eighty-seven pages.
House Fly and Lesser Fly Control Utilizing the Black Soldier Fly in Manure Management Systems for Caged Laying Hens

Four manure treatments were utilized in an experimental caged layer house. One excluded soldier flies, Hermetia illucens (L.), and other dipterous larvae chemically; one was a check; one initially favored the soldier fly with a single addition of 2.5 cm water; and one allowed periodic development of house fly, Musca domestica L., and lesser house fly, Fannia canicularis (L.), larvae by monthly removal of all manure and soldier fly larvae. Soldier fly larvae were demonstrated to cause significant reductions in house fly and lesser house fly populations and manure moisture. Manure accumulation was also reduced.
Mechanical response of the porcine temporomandibular joint disc to an impact event and repeated tensile loading

AIMS To test for orthotropy in the stress-strain behavior of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc under repeated physiologic loading before and after an impact event. METHODS Two groups, each consisting of 10 discs, were subjected to repeated tensile cycling in the dorsoventral (group 1) and mediolateral (group 3) direction. Two additional groups, each consisting of 10 discs, had preconditioning in the form of a 1.18 N.s impulsive load before tensile cycling in either the dorsoventral (group 2) or mediolateral (group 4) direction. Physiologic loads of 1 to 3 N were cycled at 0.1 Hz, and stress-strain responses were recorded every cycle between 1 to 10 cycles, and then periodically at 50, 100, 500, 750, and 1,000 cycles. The properties of elastic modulus, residual strain upon unloading, and area contained within the hysteresis loop were measured. RESULTS Dorsoventral loading produced 5-fold higher elastic modulus, 5-fold lower residual strain, and 5-fold lower hysteresis compared to mediolateral tensile loading (P < or = .001). Repeated loading effectively reduced the viscous response for all discs, as the elastic modulus increased while residual strain and hysteresis decreased. Impulsive loading caused elastic modulus to increase for dorsoventrally cycled discs, whereas hysteresis decreased for mediolaterally cycled discs (P < or = .05). CONCLUSION The findings suggest that damage from the impact load may have increased the porosity of the extracellular matrix, which ultimately resulted in additional stress transfer to the collagen fibers during loading. Impulsive loads may be an important preconditioning factor in the fatigue failure of the TMJ disc in vivo.
The Bus to Mansfield

The author provides a description of a day in jail, beginning just after midnight in early December and ending about 20 hours later. The day involved many interactions with cell mates, especially eight of whom would eventually take the bus to the Mansfield prison. Among other functions, the prison serves as the designated holding place for those charged to post bail. The author’s metaphorical journey from one arrested to one identified as The Professor among his cohort of fellow prisoners leads into a literal journey on the bus to Mansfield. The prisoners imagined the bus, early on, as a horrific representation of their incarceration. Eventually, however, the bus became a symbol of change from the stagnation of place.
Cartilage to bone--angiogenesis leads the way.

Vascular endothelial growth factor plays an important part in longitudinal bone growth by stimulating angiogenesis into the epiphyseal growth plate (pages 623–628).
“Messengers of a new design”: marriage, family, and sexuality

In her first novel, So Long a Letter , Senegalese writer Mariama Bȃ describes the dilemmas that confronted educated women in the decades following her country's independence. Written as a series of letters from recently widowed Ramatoulaye to her longtime friend Aissatou, the book contrasts the choices each of them made in her effort to reconcile local cultural and religious practices with those of her French-influenced formal education. These exceptional girls were products of an elite school that drew competitively from all of former French West Africa. Their education was designed to lift them “out of the bog of tradition, superstition and custom” and to make them “appreciate a multitude of civilizations” without renouncing their own. Referring back to their idealistic youth, Ramatoulaye recalls: “It was the privilege of our generation to be the link between two periods in our history, one of domination, the other of independence. We remained young and efficient, for we were the messengers of a new design.” “We all agreed,” she writes, “that much dismantling was needed to introduce modernity within our traditions. Torn between the past and the present … We were full of nostalgia but were resolutely progressive.” Despite their common idealism, the two women made contrasting decisions when confronted with the painful choices that reflected their country's complex blend of old and new realities. Aissatou married a doctor, whose mother, of royal origin, disapproved of his marriage to a goldsmith's daughter. While Aissatou took a job as a teacher and enjoyed life with her husband Mawdo, attending parties and picnics, and walking on the beach, her mother-in-law plotted revenge by taking Nabou, a young girl, under her wing, having her educated as a midwife, and preparing her to become a docile second wife to her son. To save his mother from shame, Mawdo agreed to the marriage, but assured Aissatou that he loved her and would see his new wife only every other night. Unconvinced by a combination of threats and promises and refusing to accept her demotion to co-wife, Aissatou left to forge a new life. In a letter to Mawdo, she explained, “I am stripping myself of your love, your name. Clothed in my dignity, the only worthy garment, I go my way.”
Heuristic algorithms for designing minimum cost FSO networks

This paper presents six heuristic algorithms for designing minimum cost Free Spaces Optics (FSO) networks. The criterion used for minimizing cost is the same as minimizing the total number of links in the network or, equivalently, minimizing the number of transceiver pairs.
Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) for complex molecular surfaces and interfaces: Spectral lineshape measurement and analysis plus some controversial issues

Abstract Sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) was first developed in the 1980s and it has been proven a uniquely sensitive and surface/interface selective spectroscopic probe for characterization of the structure, conformation and dynamics of molecular surfaces and interfaces. In recent years, there have been many progresses in the development of methodology and instrumentation in the SFG-VS toolbox that have significantly broadened the application to complex molecular surfaces and interfaces. In this review, after presenting a unified view on the theory and methodology focusing on the SFG-VS spectral lineshape, as well as the new opportunities in SFG-VS applications with such developments, some of the controversial issues that have been puzzling the community are discussed. The aim of this review is to present to the researchers and students interested in molecular surfaces and interfacial sciences up-to-date perspectives complementary to the existing textbooks and reviews on SFG-VS.
Consumers’ Insights About Spirituality in Advertising

ABSTRACTWhile the study of spirituality in advertising is an emerging area of scholarship, previous research tends to focus more on the spiritual message rather than on the consumer. Although some studies report on the meanings consumers derive from spiritual advertising messages, the definitions of spirituality as religion in these studies are not in alignment with the holistic approach applied here. In this article, we interview consumers and ask what meanings may emerge from their responses to spiritually dense commercials. (By spiritually dense we mean commercial messages rich with spiritual core ideas, as described in the Spirituality in Advertising Framework). Four themes have emerged from the data: authenticity, the journey, inspiration, and nature. We analyze these findings in light of both theory and practice. Consideration of ethical issues and the positive dimension of spirituality in advertising are also discussed.
Separate worlds: The influence of seating location on student engagement, classroom experience, and performance in the large university lecture hall

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of students' seating location in a large, lecture-style university course on student engagement, attention, classroom learning experience, and course performance. Participants (N = 407) were students in two cohorts of an undergraduate financial accounting course at a large university in the United States. They participated in the Experience Sampling Method measuring their self-reported seating location, engagement, attention, and other experiential dimensions throughout the one-semester course. Results showed that students reported lower engagement, attention, and quality of classroom experience when sitting in the back of the classroom than when sitting in the middle or front. Those sitting in the back of the classroom most of the time also received lower course grades. Engagement, attention, and other experiential factors mediated the influence of seating location on course grade. Multilevel models revealed both within-student and between-student effects of seating on classroom experience.
Computer model for determining localized changes in ventricle wall thickness as a function of changing wall stress determined by Laplace's law

The ventricular myocardium remodels in an attempt to normalize local wall stress (σ) created by physical forces and optimize cardiac function. This σ is considered a major driving determinant of growth or regression of myocardial cells that in turn change the local ventricular myocardial wall thickness (h) and area stress. A computer model was developed that describes the magnitude and time course of changes in h in response to variations in physical factors (pressure, geometry). The model algorithm describes the driving changes in myocardial protein synthesis and h based on a stimulus of wall stress (Δ s ) outside of the normal range (σο). Changes in the segmental wall thickness (dh/dt) are considered directly related to the differential in σ integrated over time. As h changes, the actual wall stress (σα) also changes as defined by Laplace's Law. The iteratively determined σ drives the growth/atrophy of the ventricle wall until an equilibrium is reached and = 0. Model performance was compared to values from the literature that examine changes in σ a during a clinical perturbation and was found to closely map changes in σ a with an exponential approach to a maximum loss of about 35% of total h at 60 days with a k value of 0.0006. This model can serve as a driving algorithm for defining myocardial plasticity in a FEM of the heart and used to study cardiac remodeling.
Degradable thermosets based on labile bonds or linkages: A review

Abstract Compared with thermoplastic polymers, thermoset polymers are difficult to recycle because they can not be remolded once cured and often do not decompose under mild conditions. Thermosets designed to be degradable afford a useful route to obtain thermoset recyclability and enable the recycling of valuable components that may be encapsulated in thermoset materials. In this review, the need for degradable thermosets as well as a summary of research progress is presented. Degradable thermosets are divided into different categories based on the different labile bonds or linkages studied such as esters, sulfur containing linkages (disulfide, sulfonate, 5-membered cyclic dithiocarbonate, trithiocarbonate, sulfite), nitrogen containing structures (acylhydrazone, alkoxyamine, azlactones, Schiff base, hindered ureas, aminal, carbamate), orthoester structures, carbonates, acetals, hemiacetals, olefinic bonds, D-A addition structures, vicinal tricarbonyl structures, peroxide bonds, phosphorus containing structures, tertiary ether bonds, and so on. The synthetic route, recycling methods, degradation mechanisms and progress in research of each approach to degradable thermosets is described. The efforts of the applicability of some degradable thermosets are also summarized. Finally, conclusions and trends of future work are highlighted.
Soil compaction loosener

A relationship between tire sinkage depth and compaction depth was developed from the literature describing previous research. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to verify that relationship. For the laboratory experiment a universal testing machine was used with the aid of dimensional analysis and modeling theory to physically simulate compaction by a tractor tire. A metal plate of 100-mm width and 122-mm length was used to apply stresses of 25, 50, 100, 150 kPa to containers filled with soil at a range of soil water content. For the field verification a tractor with different tire inflation pressures and different loads was used to traffic the plots to create different sinkage depths. Bulk density difference was used as the measure of how deep the applied stress caused significant soil compaction in both the laboratory and field experiments. Based on previous research, laboratory findings, and the field experiment, compaction depth, Y, was found to be related to sinkage depth, X, by the empirical equation, Y-bX° where b and m are constants.
GECO: gene expression correlation analysis after genetic algorithm-driven deconvolution.

Motivation Large-scale gene expression analysis is a valuable asset for data-driven hypothesis generation. However, the convoluted nature of large expression datasets often hinders extraction of meaningful biological information. Results To this end, we developed GECO, a gene expression correlation analysis software that uses a genetic algorithm-driven approach to deconvolute complex expression datasets into two subpopulations that display positive and negative correlations between a pair of queried genes. GECO's mutational enrichment and pairwise drug sensitivity analyses functions that follow the deconvolution step may help to identify the mutational factors that drive the gene expression correlation in the generated subpopulations and their differential drug vulnerabilities. Finally, GECO's drug sensitivity screen function can be used to identify drugs that differentially affect the subpopulations. Availability and implementation http://www.proteinguru.com/geco/ and http://www.proteinguru.com/geco/codes/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Influence of apheresis collection device and container on the storage properties of platelets in 90% PAS-5/10% plasma.

Background The storage properties of apheresis platelets suspended in the experimental additive solution PAS-5 and 10% plasma may be affected by the collection instrument or storage container. Methods and experimental design The same consenting 12 donors provided A or T platelets with concurrent plasma on four occasions in 100% plasma. Following collection and resting, the platelets were centrifuged, and plasma was expressed and resuspended in PAS-5 to yield units with 10% plasma. Platelets were either maintained in the original storage container or transferred to another of the manufacturer's storage containers. On days 1, 5 and 7, units were assayed for an array of in vitro tests. Results Average unit volume, yield and percent plasma was 291±11 mL, 3.7±0.4×1011, and 10.3±0.7%, respectively, and were comparable between collections with either of the apheresis instruments and stored with either of the manufacturer's containers. Day 1 platelet activation (CD62P+) was 40±22% and was similar in either of the collection instruments or containers. Except for pH (days 1, 5), CO2 (days 1, 5, 7), and extent of shape change (day 5), every other in vitro parameter was similar between apheresis platforms or the manufacturer's container. pH values of all units on all days of storage were ≥6.8, except one unit that was collected on T and stored in an A container, which had pH values of 6.8 and 5.7 on days 5 and 7, respectively. Discussion Storage of platelets suspended in PAS-5 with 10% plasma is feasible in the original manufacturer's container for seven days. Based on CO2 levels, T containers have greater gas exchange than A containers.
The Introduction of State Regulation and Auditor Retendering in School Districts: Local Audit Market Structure, Audit Pricing, and Internal Controls Reporting

Scandals discovered in New York school districts resulted in two legislative acts designed to improve internal control systems and independent audit quality within the State's school district audit...
The mortality burden attributable to nontrauma fracture for privately insured adults with epilepsy

Objective Individuals with epilepsy have poor bone development and preservation throughout the lifespan and are vulnerable to nontrauma fracture (NTFx) and post-NTFx complications. However, no studies have examined the contribution of NTFx to mortality among adults with epilepsy. The objective was to determine whether NTFx is a risk factor for mortality among adults with epilepsy. Methods Data from 2011 to 2016 were obtained from Optum Clinformatics Data Mart, a nationwide claims database from a single private payer in the United States. Diagnosis codes were used to identify adults (≥18 years old) with epilepsy, NTFx, and covariates (demographics and pre-NTFx cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer). Crude mortality rate per 100 person-years was estimated. Cox regression estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined for mortality, comparing epilepsy and NTFx (EP + NTFx; n = 11 471), epilepsy without NTFx (EP without NTFx; n = 50 384), without epilepsy and with NTFx (without EP + NTFx; n = 423 041), and without epilepsy and without NTFx (without EP without NTFx; n = 6.8 million) after adjusting for covariates. Results The 3-, 6-, and 12-month crude mortality rates were highest among EP + NTFx (12-month mortality rate = 8.79), followed by without EP + NTFx (12-month mortality rate = 4.80), EP without NTFx (12-month mortality rate = 3.06), and without EP without NTFx (12-month mortality rate = 0.47). After adjustments, the mortality rate was elevated for EP + NTFx for all time points compared to EP without NTFx (eg, 12-month HR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.58-1.85), without EP + NTFx (eg, 12-month HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.32-1.51), and without EP without NTFx (eg, 12-month HR = 5.23, 95% CI = 4.88-5.60). Stratified analyses showed higher adjusted HRs of 12-month mortality for EP + NTFx for all NTFx sites (ie, vertebral column, hip, extremities), all age categories (young, middle-aged, older), and for both women and men. Significance Among adults with epilepsy and compared to adults without epilepsy, NTFx is associated with a higher 12-month mortality rate. Findings suggest that NTFx may be a robust risk factor for mortality among adults with epilepsy.
Individualizing Instruction with Homemade Filmstrips and Audiotapes.

FOR many years teachers have found filmstrips useful in their classrooms. Now, through the commercial availability of "U" Film, the teacher can design and prepare his own filmstrips ; he is no longer limited to catalog listings. Accompanied by an audiotape, a homemade filmstrip can enhance both group presentations and individualized instruction ; it offers endless opportunities for enriching learning. Filmstrips provide one way to indi vidualize instruction in any class. Some classrooms have a listening center where a single student or a small group of students can use both the filmstrip and the tape without disturbing others. If a listening center is not available, one student or a group of students can assemble in a corner of the classroom and use the recorder and projector (with the volume set at "low"), while other activities continue to take place undisturbed. To design and prepare a filmstrip is very simple. First, lay out a series of frames on paper. To confirm that the series is clear, you may wish to seek editorial help from another teacher. If your filmstrip is to be accompanied by an audiotape, the script too should be de signed and edited on paper. When you are ready to prepare the filmstrip, consult the instruction booklet available in a "U" Film Kit (this kit is the product of Hud son Photographic Industries, 2 S. Buckhout St., Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y. 10533). To prepare the accompanying audiotape, it is best to use a cassette tape and re corder. Students are less likely to damage the tape when using the cassette recorder. A small bell will serve well to indicate the time for changing from one frame to the next. Experience in using these two media simultaneously will enable a teacher to program instruction for individualization. By posing questions and presenting prob lems in the frames, the teacher can evalu ate learning. The audiotape allows time for the student's reply or instructs the stu dent to stop the recorder until he has com pleted the problem. An example of just such a coordinated filmstrip and audiotape is included here. "Introduction to Logic" contains a se quence of 32 frames and a script. The article "Some Elementary Concepts of Logic/'1 appearing in a Houghton Mifflin newsletter, provided the basis from which the following filmstrip and audiotape evolved.2
Exploring FPGA Optimizations in OpenCL for Breadth-First Search on Sparse Graph Datasets

Breath-first search (BFS) is a fundamental building block in many graph-based applications. It is challenging to optimize due to its irregular memory-access pattern. Prior work, based on hardware description languages (HDLs) and high-level synthesis (HLS), address the memory-access bottleneck by using techniques such as edge-centric traversal, data alignment, and compute-unit (CU) replication. While these optimizations work well for dense graph datasets, optimizing BFS on sparse graphs remains a significant challenge due to the kernel launch overhead and poor workload distribution across processing elements. As a complement to the prior work, we present and evaluate optimizations in OpenCL for BFS on sparse graphs. Specifically, we explore application-specific and architecture-aware optimizations aimed at mitigating the irregular global-memory access bottleneck in sparse graphs. In our kernel design, we consider factors such as choice of data structure between queue and array, number of memory banks, and kernel launch configuration. We evaluate the impact of proposed optimizations on a diverse set of sparse graphs. In comparison with the state-of-the-art OpenCL implementation for FPGA, we achieve 5.7X-22.3X speedup on Stratix 10 SX 2800 FPGA for the graphs that are most sensitive to our optimization scheme.
On the importance of selectivity and support layer compaction in pressure retarded osmosis

Abstract In this work, we use a modified thin film composite RO membrane to examine the impacts of selectivity and compaction on the performance of pressure retarded osmosis. RO membranes are promising platforms to study PRO because they are tolerant to typical PRO pressures and are well characterized for permeance and selectivity. Their availability across a range of selectivity (from nanofiltration to seawater RO) also allows us to systematically investigate the impact of selectivity on PRO power density under real PRO conditions. Parallel modeling efforts found that experimentally measured power densities for these membranes were less than 50% of predicted ideal values due to compaction. Interestingly, the highest selectivity membranes, which corresponded to the least permeable, exhibited the highest power densities.
Association of Hypertension According to New American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Blood Pressure Guidelines With Incident Dementia in the ARIC Study Cohort

Background The impact of the new 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) hypertension guideline on dementia risk at the population level has not been evaluated. Met...
Coronary Flow Reserve: A Non-Invasive Calculation of Blood Flow to Obtain Information on Myocardial Function

2718 Objectives The field of nuclear cardiology generally concentrates on myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) through single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Positron emission tomography (PET) offers another calculation to successfully quantify blood flow through coronary arteries. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) is a numerical representation of blood flow through the coronary arteries. Traditionally, physicians calculate CFR however, technologist awareness of CFR will increase understanding of myocardial physiology and reduce technologist error during image acquisition. Methods Three PET imaging case studies were reviewed during research. The PET imaging standard protocol using rubidium-82 was altered from Fakhri et al and Di Carli et al by substituting N-13 ammonia in place of rubidium-82. Myocardial tissue was imaged using N-13 ammonia with a superimposed non-diagnostic computerized tomography (CT) scan. Patient blood pressure and heart rate are factored into the CFR calculation (Image 1). Results Normal, abnormal and inconclusive CFR calculations were examined. Normal results depict a standard time activity curve of N-13 ammonia extraction fraction and CFR was calculated at 2.36 ml/min/g. Abnormal results portray a time activity curve of N-13 ammonia with calculated CFR at 0.86 ml/min/g. Case study three is inconclusive due to technologist error. No extraction fraction peak in the stress time activity curve is visible and CFR data is 12.33 ml/min/g. Conclusions Technologists become knowledgeable by thoroughly understanding anatomy and physiologic processes observed during imaging. Comprehensive knowledge of CFR data explains why crucial steps in imaging acquisition protocol must be performed. Following proper protocol leads to conclusive normal or abnormal results. Research found that late acquisition start time after stress agent and isotope injection yields inconclusive CFR values because N-13 extraction fraction is not recorded. Going forward, technologists should be informed of the importance of following exact protocol because CFR data is crucial in determining myocardial function.
Resurrecting Health Care Rate Regulation

Our excess health care spending in the United States is driven largely by our high health care prices. Our prices are so high because they are undisciplined by market forces, in a health care system rife with market failures, which include information asymmetries, noncompetitive levels of provider market concentration, moral hazard created by health insurance, multiple principal-agent relationships with misaligned incentives, and externalities from unwarranted price variation and discrimination. These health care market failures invite a regulatory solution. An array of legal and policy solutions are typically advanced to control our health care prices and spending, including: (1) market solutions that focus on transparency and consumerism to discipline health care prices; (2) antitrust enforcement to promote competition in the provider market; (3) consumer protections that protect individual uninsured or underinsured patients from unfair prices; (4) health care payment and delivery reforms that alter financial incentives of health care providers to reduce overutilization and improve efficiency; and (5) regulation of provider payment rates. The literature on these health care policy approaches reflects the fragmentation of the U.S. health care system, typically considering each approach in isolation, and it is difficult to make sense of an a la carte menu of approaches. This Article sets forth an analytic framework to simultaneously and comprehensively evaluate all the policy solutions to discipline health care prices by measuring each solution for its ability to address the health care market failures. Applying this policy-against-marketfailure analysis leads to the following conclusion: only one solution—rate regulation—is capable of addressing the widespread and growing provider monopoly problem. More politically popular market approaches such as price transparency and payment and delivery reforms can correct the market failures from information asymmetries and principal-agent problems, but because they do not address the market power of providers, they will be ineffective to control health care prices and spending without accompanying rate regulation. It is time to resurrect rate regulation and place it squarely in the center of any policy strategy to control health care prices and spending.
Effect of Age and Embryo Morphology on Live Birth Rate After Transfer of Unbiopsied Blastocysts.

Objective To determine the rate of live birth per blastocyst based on morphology and oocyte age using data from a single center. Methods This is a mathematical analysis and model building study of autologous blastocyst stage embryo transfers at a University-affiliated center. A total of 448 blastocyst stage embryos were transferred in 244 fresh and frozen embryo transfers from May 2015 through April 2018. Blastocyst morphology was divided into good, fair, and poor overall morphology grades. Each embryo transfer was modeled as an equation equating the sum of the unknown live birth rates of the transferred embryos to the number of live births that resulted. The least squares solution to the system of embryo transfer equations was determined using linear algebra. Results Trophectoderm morphology was a better predictor of live birth rate than inner cell mass morphology. Embryos graded AA/AB/BA (good) had the highest live birth rates followed by BB/CB (fair), and BC/CC (poor). In our youngest age group (25-32 years) live birth rates per embryo were 51% for good, 39% for fair, and 25% for poor quality embryos. In our oldest age group (40-44 years) the live birth rates per embryo were 22% for good, 14% for fair, and 8% for poor quality embryos. Conclusions These techniques can help analyze small datasets such as those from individual clinics to aid in determining the ideal number of embryos to transfer to achieve live birth while limiting the risk of multiple gestations.
Trajectory reconstruction identifies dysregulation of perinatal maturation programs in pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

ABSTRACT A primary limitation in the clinical application of pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs) is the failure of these cells to achieve full functional maturity. In vivo, cardiomyocytes undergo numerous adaptive changes during perinatal maturation. By contrast, PSC-CMs fail to fully undergo these developmental processes, instead remaining arrested at an embryonic stage of maturation. To date, however, the precise mechanisms by which directed differentiation differs from endogenous development, leading to consequent PSC-CM maturation arrest, are unknown. The advent of single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has offered great opportunities for studying CM maturation at single cell resolution. However, perinatal cardiac scRNA-seq has been limited owing to technical difficulties in the isolation of single CMs. Here, we used our previously developed large particle fluorescence-activated cell sorting approach to generate an scRNA-seq reference of mouse in vivo CM maturation with extensive sampling of perinatal time periods. We subsequently generated isogenic embryonic stem cells and created an in vitro scRNA-seq reference of PSC-CM directed differentiation. Through trajectory reconstruction methods, we identified a perinatal maturation program in endogenous CMs that is poorly recapitulated in vitro. By comparison of our trajectories with previously published human datasets, we identified a network of nine transcription factors (TFs) whose targets are consistently dysregulated in PSC-CMs across species. Notably, we demonstrated that these TFs are only partially activated in common ex vivo approaches to engineer PSC-CM maturation. Our study represents the first direct comparison of CM maturation in vivo and in vitro at the single cell level, and can be leveraged towards improving the clinical viability of PSC-CMs. Significance Statement There is a significant clinical need to generate mature cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells. However, to date, most differentiation protocols yield phenotypically immature cardiomyocytes. The mechanisms underlying this poor maturation state are unknown. Here, we used single cell RNA-sequencing to compare cardiomyocyte maturation pathways in endogenous and pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. We found that in vitro, cardiomyocytes fail to undergo critical perinatal gene expression changes necessary for complete maturation. We found that key transcription factors regulating these changes are poorly expressed in vitro. Our study provides a better understanding of cardiomyocyte maturation both in vivo and in vitro, and may lead to improved approaches for engineering mature cardiomyocytes from stem cells.