cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of summer zoobenthic communities in four habitats of a floodplain impoundment : 1975 and 1990

The diversity, evenness, similarity, standing crop and abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates in Navigation Pool 8 of the upper Mississippi River were compared in 1975 and 1990. Macroinvertebrates were collected in midsummer from four habitats: marsh, bay, open water and side channel. These habitat types accounted for 64% of the total habitat area in the impoundment. The community structure changed in all four habitats; the percentage similarities between 1975 and 1990 were lowest in open water (19%), intermediate in bays (44%) and side channels (50%) and highest in marshes (62%). Macroinvertebrate diversity and evenness were not significantly different between 1975 and 1990. The standing crop decreased in all habitat types. The abundance decreased in all habitats except bays between 1975 and 1990. The greatest changes in standing crop and community composition occurred in bays and open water. Because the bays and open water habitat comprise 55% of the total area, it is possible that these declines may signal degradation of the aquatic habitat in the entire reservoir. Changes in macroinvertebrate community structure and standing crop may have been due to unstable sediment conditions caused by erosion of islands, resuspension of sediments and loss of aquatic macrophytes and depth.
The computation of semiconductor sheet resistance

The effect of a nonuniform impurity concentration on semiconductor sheet resistance is analytically investigated. It is shown that potentially significant modeling errors result from the tacit neglect of concentration nonuniformity.
A Survey of Airborne and Skin Exposures to Chemicals in Footwear and Equipment Factories in Thailand

This research reports on a pilot industrial hygiene study that was performed at four footwear factories and two equipment factories in Thailand. Workers in these factories were exposed through inhalation and dermal contact to a large number of organic vapors from solvents and cements that were hand applied. In addition, these workers were exposed to highly toxic isocyanates primarily through the dermal route. A total of 286 personal air samples were obtained at the four footwear factories using organic vapor monitors; individual job tasks were monitored using a real-time MIRAN Spectrometer. A total of 64 surface, tool, or hand samples were monitored for isocyanates using surface contamination detectors. Real-time measurements were also obtained for organic vapors in two equipment factories. From 8% to 21% of the workers sampled in each footwear factory were overexposed to mixtures of chemicals from solvents and cements. Up to 100% of the workers performing specific job tasks were overexposed to mixtures o...
displayHTS: a R package for displaying data and results from high-throughput screening experiments.

Summary: The R package displayHTS implements recently developed methods and figures for displaying data and hit selection results in high-throughput screening (HTS) experiments. It generates not only certain useful distinctive graphics such as the plate-well series plot, plate image and dual-flashlight plot but also other commonly used figures such as volcano plot and plate correlation plot. These figures are critical for visualizing the data and displaying important features of HTS data and hit selection results. Availability and implementation: The package is freely available from CRAN: http://cran.r-project.org/mirrors.html, being distributed under the GNU General Public License. Contact: xiaohua_zhang@merck.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Coordinate Stimulation of Macrophages by Microparticles and TLR Ligands Induces Foam Cell Formation

Aberrant activation of macrophages in arterial walls by oxidized lipoproteins can lead to atherosclerosis. Oxidized lipoproteins convert macrophages to foam cells through lipid uptake and TLR signaling. To investigate the relative contributions of lipid uptake and TLR signaling in foam cell formation, we established an in vitro assay using liposomes of defined lipid compositions. We found that TLRs signaling through Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adapter inducing IFN-β promoted foam cell formation by inducing both NF-κB signaling and type I IFN production, whereas TLRs that do not induce IFN, like TLR2, did not enhance foam cell formation. Addition of IFN-α to TLR2 activator promoted robust foam cell formation. TLR signaling further required peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, as inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α blocked foam cell formation. We then investigated the ability of endogenous microparticles (MP) to contribute to foam cell formation. We found that lipid-containing MP promoted foam cell formation, which was enhanced by TLR stimulation or IFN-α. These MP also stimulated foam cell formation in a human skin model. However, these MP suppressed TNF-α production and T cell activation, showing that foam cell formation can occur by immunosuppressive MP. Taken together, the data reveal novel signaling requirements for foam cell formation and suggest that uptake of distinct types of MP in the context of activation of multiple distinct TLR can induce foam cell formation.
Effect of Grande Ronde Basalt Groundwater Composition and Temperature on the Corrosion of Low-Carbon Steel in the Presence of Basalt-Bentonite Packing

The Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) is being conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by Rockwell Hanford Operations. The effect of Grande Ronde Basalt groundwater composition and temperature on the corrosion rate of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 1020 steel in basalt-bentonite packing was investigated as part of the Containment Materials Testing Program of the BWIP. The studies were based on a Plackett-Burman statistical screening design, the purpose of which is to identify the important variables affecting a process and to use this information to guide future investigative efforts. For the present studies, four anions (Cl−, F−, SO4−, and CO3−) and temperature were selected as the initial variables affecting corrosion. A minimum and a maximum value was chosen for each variable. The minimum value was 0 mg/L for the anions and 100 °C for the temperature. The maximum values were 780, 76, 576, and 120 mg/L, respectively, for Cl−, F−, SO4−, and CO3−, and 250 °C for the temperature. Analysis of the data revealed that temperature is the only statistically significant variable affecting corrosion of low-carbon steel in basalt groundwater in the composition range of the anions tested. Increasing the temperature from 100 °C to 250 °C decreased the total corrosion by a factor of seven to ∼5O mg/dm2 independent of the water composition. This is attributed to a strongly adherent layer of iron- and silicon-rich clay on the surface of the steel formed by a reaction of the steel surface with the packing material as observed in previous studies.
Sensitive NH3OH and HCl Gas Sensors Using Self-Aligned and Self-Welded Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Self-aligned and self-welded multi-walled carbon nanotubes were grown for the first time using a metal-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition technique between 18 mum-high silicon posts with 2-6 mum gaps with excellent ohmic electrical contacts and mechanical bonding strengths in excess of 0.1 muN/CNT. The electrical conductivity of 5-10 MWCNTs spanning the gap between adjacent silicon posts changed drastically upon exposure to ammonia and hydrochloric gases at room temperature. In devices reported here the electrical contact between both sides of the MWCNTs and the silicon posts are intimately formed during the growth process. Thus, the gas sensitivity of these self-welded MWCNT devices are less affected by the contact barrier changes. Moreover, since the MWCNTs are self- aligned and self-welded during the growth, the only post processing steps that are needed are dicing and wire-bonding to a chip carrier (package), making these devices inherently more reliable and cost effective
Crack healing in concrete using various bio influenced self-healing techniques

Abstract Crack formation and progression under tensile stress is a major weakness of concrete. These cracks also make concrete vulnerable to deleterious environment due to ingress of harmful compounds. Crack healing in concrete can be helpful in mitigation of development and propagation of cracks in concrete. This paper presents the process of crack healing phenomenon in concrete by microbial activity of bacteria, Bacillus subtilis . Bacteria were introduced in concrete by direct incorporation, and thorough various carrier compounds namely light weight aggregate and graphite nano platelets. In all the techniques, calcium lactate was used as an organic precursor. Specimens were made for each mix to quantify crack healing and to compare changes in compressive strength of concrete. Results showed that bacteria immobilized in graphite nano platelets gave better results in specimens pre-cracked at 3 and 7 days while bacteria immobilized in light weight aggregates were more effective in samples pre-cracked at 14 and 28 days. In addition, concrete incorporated with bacteria immobilized in light weight aggregate, also exhibited significant enhancement in compressive strength of concrete.
Predicting diet quality and genetic diversity of a desert-adapted ungulate with NDVI

Abstract Diet quality influences ungulate population dynamics but is difficult to measure at fine temporal or spatial resolution using field-intensive methods such as fecal nitrogen (FN). Increasingly, the remotely sensed vegetation index NDVI is used to represent potential ungulate diet quality, but NDVI's relationship with diet quality has yet to be examined for herbivores in desert environments. We evaluated how strongly NDVI was associated with diet quality of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) in the Mojave Desert using FN data from multiple years and populations. We considered effects of temporal resolution, geographic variability, and NDVI spatial summary statistic on the NDVI-diet quality relationship. NDVI was more reliably associated with diet quality over the entire growing season than with instantaneous diet quality for a population. NDVI was also positively associated with population genetic diversity, a proxy for long-term, population-level effects of diet quality. We conclude that NDVI is a useful diet quality indicator for Mojave Desert bighorn sheep and potentially other desert ungulates. However, it may not reliably track diet quality if NDVI data are too spatially coarse to detect microhabitats providing high-quality forage, or if diet is strongly influenced by forage items that are weakly correlated with landscape greenness.
Strahlentherapie mit Iodine-125 bei Melanomen des Auges

Das strahlenaktive Iodine-125 hat eine Halbwertzeit von 60 Tagen, eine durchschnittliche Energie von 27 keV und eine durchschnittliche Tiefendosis von 18,0 mm (halbe Wasserdicke). Diese physikalischen Charakteristika sind fur eine radioaktive Quelle fur interstitielle Strahlentherapie geeignet. Wir haben einen neuen Trager fur die Iodine-125-Bestrahlung von Augentumoren entwickelt. Der Trager wurde so konstruiert, das normales Augengewebe und Orbitastrukturen von schadigenden Strahlen geschutzt werden, wahrend die Bestrahlung des Tumors gewahrleistet ist. Die ersten Trager waren aus Blei, danach aus rostfreiem Stahl, das eine nahezu vollstandige Absorption der Iodine-125-Strahlung ermoglicht. Ein Millimeter rostfreien Stahls absorbiert mehr als 97% der lodine-125-Strahlen, wahrend die Halbwertschicht von Cobalt-60 aus 12 mm Blei besteht. Der Trager erlaubt durch seine offene Vorderflache eine ungehinderte, ungeschwachte Iodine-125-Strahlung zum Tumor. Das Melanom wurde in den suprachorioidalen Raum transplantiert und dient als Modell. Die Tumoren werden mit Iodine-125-Tragern bestrahlt. Die Strahlenwirkungen auf das Auge werden durch histopathologische Untersuchungen bestimmt. Klinische Studien mit Iodine-125 mit Goldtragern sind im Gange. Diese Trager sind leicht herzustellen und ermoglichen eine gute Bestrahlung des Aderhautmelanoms, wahrend die vitalen Augenstrukturen geschutzt werden.
Long-term clinical outcomes following 3- and 4-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to report the long-term clinical outcomes following 3- and 4-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS A retrospective review of all adult neurosurgical patients undergoing elective ACDF for degenerative disease at a single institution between 1996 and 2013 was performed. Patients who underwent first-time 3- or 4-level ACDF were included; patients with previous cervical spine surgery, those undergoing anterior/posterior approaches, and those with corpectomy were excluded. Outcome measures included perioperative complication rates, fusion rates, need for revision surgery, Nurick Scores, Odom's criteria, symptom resolution, neck visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, and persistent narcotics usage. RESULTS Seventy-one patients who underwent 3-level ACDF and 26 patients who underwent 4-level ACDF were identified and followed for an average of 7.6 ± 4.2 years. There was 1 case (3.9%) of deep wound infection in the 4-level group and 1 case in the 3-level group (1.4%; p = 0.454). Postoperatively, 31% of patients in the 4-level group complained of dysphagia, compared with 12.7% in the 3-level group (p = 0.038). The fusion rate was 84.6% after 4-level ACDF and 94.4% after 3-level ACDF (p = 0.122). At last follow-up, a significantly higher proportion of patients in the 4-level group continued to have axial neck pain (53.8%) than in the 3-level group (31%; p = 0.039); the daily oral morphine equivalent dose was significantly higher in the 4-level group (143 ± 97 mg/day) than in the 3-level group (25 ± 10 mg/day; p = 0.030). Outcomes based on Odom's criteria were also different between cohorts (p = 0.044), with a significantly lower proportion of patients in the 4-level ACDF group experiencing an excellent/good outcome. CONCLUSIONS In this study, patients who underwent 4-level ACDF had significantly higher rates of dysphagia, postoperative neck pain, and postoperative narcotic usage when compared with patients who underwent 3-level ACDF. Pseudarthrosis and deep wound infection rates were also higher in the 4-level group, although this did not reach statistical significance. Additionally, a smaller proportion of patients achieved a good/excellent outcome in the 4-level group than in the 3-level group. These findings suggest a significant increase of perioperative morbidity and worsened outcomes for patients who undergo 4- versus 3-level ACDF.
Providing Culturally Appropriate Care to American Muslims With Cancer

Worldwide, Islam is the second most populous religion and, in many countries in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa, it is the predominant religion. The population of Muslims in the United States is projected to dramatically increase in the next few decades. Understanding the role of Islam for people who believe in and follow Islam-Muslims-will provide nurses with important perspectives that affect health behaviors, cancer screening, treatment decision-making, and end-of-life care. .
A multicentered prospective analysis of diagnosis, risk factors, and outcomes associated with pediatric ventilator-associated pneumonia

Objective:To assess risk factors and outcomes associated with pediatric ventilator-associated pneumonia.Design:Multicentered prospective observational cohort.Setting:Children’s hospitals in the United States.Patients:Mechanically ventilated patients less than 18 years old.Measurements and Main Resul
A seven hole pressure probe measurement system and calibration method utilizing error tables

A calibration method for seven hole pressure probes has been developed which allows simple realtime data processing and provides accuracies better than those associated with Zilliac's calibration method. The significance of the interpolation process, which is integral to Zilliac's method, has been reduced. This leaves the inherent uncertainty in the pressure transducers as the most significant factor influencing overall uncertainty in measurements. The effects of various flow conditions on the accuracy of measurements are examined. Differences in Reynolds number between a calibration and subsequent measurements are found to have an effect on accuracy. However, this effect as well as influences due to velocity gradients and turbulence intensity, are small enough that the probe can be reliably used in turbulent flows.
On Efficient Cooperative Strategies between UAVs and Humans in a Dynamic Environment

In this paper, we consider an automation support system aiming at facilitating ecient cooperation between unmanned vehicles (UAVs) and remotely located human operators, in a dynamically-changing environment. In particular, we consider the following problem. A number of UAVs must visit and service (e.g., classify) targets that are generated according to a spatio-temporal Poisson process, uniformly in a convex, compact region of the plane. The vehicles can plan their motion autonomously. However, once a vehicle is in the proximity of a target location, it requires assistance from a human to nish the service at that location. The system objective is to minimize the expected waiting time between the appearance of a target, and the time of completion of its service. We model the performance of the human operators to vary with its utilization factor and propose several coordination strategies for joint target assignments for the humans and the UAVs.
Flight Dynamics and Structural Load Distribution for a Damaged Aircraft

When an aircraft is damaged, it can lead to asymmetries in the aerodynamics and inertia of the aircraft. These asymmetries complicate the modeling, ight simulation, and control of the aircraft. The aerodynamics is further complicated by the introduction of nonlinearities and coupling between longitudinal and lateral aerodynamic forces. Aerodynamic coe cients are calculated that account for these non-linearities and couplings. The method is able to utilize numerical or experimental data. In addition, the changes in the mass distribution, the center of gravity, and the inertia matrix are taken into account. The ight dynamics model is used to analyze the non-linear response, the linear stability and the ight loads for an aircraft.
Evaluation of internet intervention effect on high risky behaviors of MSM

Objective To explore the feasibility of internet intervention on high risky sexual behaviors of men who have sex with men(MSM). Methods Online questionnaire survey was conducted among MSM using gay network before and after online intervention,which included basic information as age,education,marital status,sexual orientation as well as high risky sexual behaviors in Huzhou. Results A total of 834 qualified questionnaires were collected,and 77.58%(647/834)were 20 to 29years old.The differences of condom use during the most recent anal sexual intercourse as well as sexual intercourses happened in last six months before and after the intervention were statistically significant(P0.05)among MSM who received online intervention,while among those who did not and served as controls,the differences were not significant. Conclusions Online intervention is a practical and effective way to educate MSM for safer sexual behavior in order to reduce the risk of HIV infection.
Pathological damage and ultrastructure changes in female rat ovary induced by di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pathological damage and ultrastructure changes in female rat ovary when rats were treated with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate(DEHP),to assess the toxicity of DEHP in female reproduction. METHODS:40 female SD rats were randomly divided into control group(corn oil),DEHP low dose group(100 mg/kg),DEHP medium dose group(500 mg/kg),DEHP high dose group(1 500 mg/kg). The rats were treated with DEHP by gavage for 6 weeks. Rat body weight and ovary wet weight and ovary coefficients were calculated,the ovarian pathology was studied after HE staining,the ultrastructure changes in granulose cells were examined through electron microscopy. RESULTS:The ovarian weight and ovary coefficients were increased in DEHP high dose group. Pathological changes showed ovarian follicle damage,loose granular cell structure, follicular atresia after DEHP treatment. We also found mitochondria swollen, mitochondrial cristae decreased, cytoplasmic vacuolation, nuclear chromatin condensation,apoptotic bodies present,cell degeneration and necrosis in DEHP treated groups. CONCLUSION:DEHP could affect follicular development,induce granulose cell apoptosis in female rats,and subsequently causing reproductive toxicity.
Automatic Generation of Thread Communication Graphs from SystemC Source Code

In an ideal top-down system design flow, graphical diagrams are designed before an executable specification in a System Level Description Language (SLDL) is derived. Such initial charts typically also serve as visual documentation of the textual specification and aid in maintaining the model. In the absence of graphical charts, e.g. in case of legacy or 3rd party code, a textual SLDL model is hard to comprehend for any unfamiliar designer. Here, we propose to automatically extract graphical charts from given SystemC code to ease the understanding of the source code with a visual representation. Specifically, we extract the communication flow between the threads from the design model by use of an automatic SystemC compiler infrastructure that statically analyzes the code and generates custom Thread Communication Graphs (TCG) similar to message sequence charts. Our experimental results on embedded applications demonstrate that our novel static analysis can quickly extract accurate TCG that are highly useful for designers in becoming familiar with new source code.
A laboratory classroom exercise: cell migration in cutaneous wound healing and pigmentary pattern formation in the red- spotted newt

The black-ringed red spots of the red-spotted newt, Notophfha/mus v. viridescens, consist of a three-cell-type epidermaldermal chromatophore pattern composed of epidermal erythrophores underlaid with dermal iridophores which are surrounded by a ring of dermal melanophores. Throughout the skin of the dorsum there are scattered epidermal melanophores and scattered dermal iridophores and melanophores (Forbes et a/., 1973). In this open-ended laboratory exercise, students create fullthickness skin wounds on the dorsum of adult newts and follow early (24 h), and perhaps later(weeks to months), healing of the wounds. An interesting aspect of this system for short term observation is that the leading edge of the wound-healing epithelium, as well as epidermal melanophores, can be visualized with a dissecting microscope. The melanophores in the migrating epithelium serve as naturally marked cells. Students can observe clearly the complete re-epithelialization of a one-by-two mm rectangularwound in less than twenty-four hours. Furthermore, jf the wound is made near one of the black-bordered red spots or between two closely spaced spots, the (epidermal) erythrophores of the spot(s) are carried into the wound epithelium allowing one to follow individual large bright red cells as wound epithelialization occurs (Zaccaria, unpub. obs.) (Figs. 1 and 2). In long term observation, such migrated erythrophores attract (dermal) iridophores which can be seen individually to migrate into the wound area (Fig. 2), and to come to reside in the dermis directly beneath the erythrophores. This takes a few weeks and is a striking in vivo demonstration of directed cell migration. Under even longer term observation, about two months, dermal melanophores migrate into the area of the wound and cluster around this epidermal-dermal erythrophore-iridophore association, thus creating a three-cell-type chromatophore pattern which
Lessons from a Recovering Academic

The conversion of basic biology into new therapeutics requires scientific activities in both academia and industry. Successful drug discovery projects span disciplines, sectors, and institutions and tightly couple laboratory and clinical experiments. Here, Ehlers describes conceptions and misconceptions about how science is conducted in industry versus academia.
Relational Anxiety and Sexting.

Individuals in pursuit of, or currently in, a romantic relationship typically communicate via technology, extending to sexting with one another. Sexting is commonly understood as the sending and receiving of sexually suggestive or sexually explicit photos, video, or text via cell phone or other technologies. The characteristics that fuel whether one engages in sexting are not well understood. In this study, 459 unmarried, heterosexual undergraduate students (female = 328; male = 131), aged 18 to 25 years, from three universities completed an online questionnaire about their behaviors with technology and romantic relationships. In general, low attachment avoidance and high fear of negative evaluation from the dating partner predicted sending a sexually suggestive photo or video, sending a photo or video in one’s underwear or lingerie, and sending a sexually suggestive text. High fear of negative evaluation predicted sending a nude photo or video as well as sending a text message propositioning sex. Low att...
Real-time 3D scene layout from a single image using Convolutional Neural Networks

We consider the problem of understanding the 3D layout of indoor corridor scenes from a single image in real time. Identifying obstacles such as walls is essential for robot navigation, but also challenging due to the diversity in structure, appearance and illumination of real-world corridor scenes. Many current single-image methods make Manhattan-world assumptions, and break down in environments that do not meet this mold. They also may require complicated hand-designed features for image segmentation or clear boundaries to form certain building models. In addition, most cannot run in real time.
Jonson and London Life

Jonson’s letter dedicating Volpone to ‘The Two Famous Universities’ is signed ‘From my house in the Blackfriars this 11 of February 1607’.1 His style no doubt reflects his pride in acquiring a residence in this fashionable London enclave. Blackfriars was located along the western wall of the old city, close to Baynard Castle (the London address of the Earl of Pembroke) and convenient to the Inns of Court and the great noble mansions and genteel residences spreading westward along the Strand. His move to Blackfriars may be seen as one step in his campaign to reclaim the social status that he felt was his by right of his natural father. Though his critics might still taunt him with his old trade of bricklaying, he had begun to call himself a gentleman and to associate himself publicly with gentleman-scholars and wits.2 His participation in the lively intellectual and social life of this genteel urban milieu, whose growth in the early seventeenth century is a noticeable feature of London’s development, is reflected in his Epigrams and in his comedy Epicoene (1609/10), while Blackfriars itself is the setting for The Alchemist (1610).
Transmit Beamforming and Detection Design for Uplink Multiuser MIMO Systems

We consider the transceiver design for uplink multiuser multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communications, where multiple transmitters adopt beamforming to simultaneously access the linear spatial equalizer at the receivers. In this paper, we investigated the crucial, yet not well discussed issue to jointly design beamforming weights for all transmitters, subject to total transmission power constraints, under the assumption that all users' channel state information (CSI) is available at each of the users. We proposed a class of orthogonal joint beamforming design schemes with matched filter receiver, and an eigen-beamforming (Eig-BF) scheme with ordered successive interference cancellation minimum mean square error receiver (OSIC-MMSE). By comparing these schemes with the optimal joint transceiver design with optimality in terms of overall mean square error (MSE), we show that Eig-BF OSIC-MMSE scheme achieves near-optimum performance at much lower complexity and with much simpler transmitter design, since it only requires each transmitter to know its own CSI and thus can be implemented in a decentralized way. This indicates that marginal performance improvement can be benefited from making all transmitters share their CSI. The orthogonal beamforming schemes, on the other hand, accomplish the simplest receiver structure at the cost of more complicated cooperative transmitters, and thus they may find applications in such systems as satellite communications or ad-hoc networks, where it is better to distribute computational loads among multiple transmitters than to impose it on a single receiver.
Color Saturation Increases Perceived Product Size

This research demonstrates a visual phenomenon with broad implications for consumers: the perceived size of products depends on the saturation of their color. Results from six experiments, employing objects and products with various shapes and hues, show that increasing color saturation increases size perceptions. This influence is explained by the tendency for saturated color to capture attention, which, in turn, is explained by the arousal that saturated color stimulates. This research also demonstrates several downstream outcomes of the effect of saturation on size perceptions: Evaluations are more favorable—and willingness to pay is higher—for products with high (low) saturation when usage goals call for large (small) size. Additionally, participants choose more of a product to fill a container with higher saturation. Further, the saturation of an object’s color affects the perceived size of its surroundings, such that when a product with high (vs. low) saturation is used as a benchmark, the environment is perceived to be comparatively smaller (vs. larger). Implications for aesthetics, design, sensory marketing, and related topics are discussed. Lastly, to aid future color research, an appendix outlines general challenges and recommendations in connection with the conceptualization, manipulation, and measurement of color.
Rabbi: exploring the inner world through stories

In the light of this interest, I designed "Rabbi", a conversational storytelling system that simulates a rabbi with a repertoire of Hasidic stories to offer as indirect counsel. It approaches narrative through a psycho-social theory of discourse which looks not only at the linguistic structures of the text but also at the socio-cultural context in which the contract between teller and listener occurs. "Rabbi" uses rich interaction instead of complex matching and indexing techniques (Schank et al. 1981; Domeshek, 1992) to provide a meaningful experience for the user.
A Fast MBO Scheme for Multiclass Data Classification

We describe a new variant of the MBO scheme for solving the semi-supervised data classification problem on a weighted graph. The scheme is based on the minimization of the graph heat content energy. The resulting algorithms guarantee dissipation of the graph heat content energy for an extremely wide class of weight matrices. As a result, our method is both flexible and unconditionally stable. Experimental results on benchmark machine learning datasets show that our approach matches or exceeds the performance of current state-of-the-art variational methods while being considerably faster.
Neurological Complications in Scheuermann9s Disease

A sixteen-year-old boy with Scheuermann9s disease and a spastic paraplegia secondary to a herniated thoracic disc at the apex of the kyphosis is presented. Removal of the disc resulted in complete cure. Neurological complications associated with Scheuermann9s disease are discussed.
Disparities in location of death of adolescents and young adults with cancer: A longitudinal, population study in California.

BACKGROUND Patients with a terminal illness should have access to their chosen location of death. Cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death among adolescents and young adults (AYAs; those aged 15-39 years). Although surveys have suggested that a majority of these patients prefer a home death, to the authors' knowledge, little is known regarding their barriers to accessing their preferred location of death. As a first step, the authors sought to determine, across a large population, 20-year trends in the location of death among AYA patients with cancer. METHODS Using the Vital Statistics Death Certificate Database of the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the authors performed a retrospective, population-based analysis of California patients with cancer aged 15 to 39 years who died between 1989 and 2011. Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with hospital death were examined using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS Of 30,573 AYA oncology decedents, 57% died in a hospital, 33% died at home, and 10% died in other locations (eg, hospice facility or nursing facility). Between 1989 and 1994, hospital death rates decreased from 68.3% to 53.6% and at-home death rates increased from 16.8% to 35.5%. Between 1995 and 2011, these rates were stable. Those individuals who were more likely to die in a hospital were those aged <30 years, of minority race, of Hispanic ethnicity, who lived ≤10 miles from a specialty center, and who had a diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the majority of AYA cancer deaths occurred in a hospital, with a 5-year shift to more in-home deaths that abated after 1995. In-hospital deaths were more common among younger patients, patients of minority race/ethnicities, and those with a leukemia or lymphoma diagnosis. Further study is needed to determine whether these rates and disparities are consistent with patient preferences. Cancer 2017;123:4178-4184. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
The Modernism of Shashi Deshpande

This essay studies the modernist feature of metafiction in Shashi Deshpande's novels to show how it allows Deshpande to discover an agency which, while conceived in personal and idiosyncratic terms...
Transcriptome response of human skeletal muscle to divergent exercise stimuli

Whole transcriptome RNA sequencing was used to determine the early postexercise transcriptome response of skeletal muscle to acute aerobic (AE) and resistance exercise (RE) in untrained individuals...
Dimensionality Reduction in Extremal Problems for Moments of Linear Combinations of Vectors with Random Coefficients

It is shown that $$\sup \left\{ {E\varphi \left( {{{{\left\| {\sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^{n} {{{\xi }_{i}}{{x}_{i}}} } \right\|}}^{2}}} \right):{{x}_{i}} \in H, \sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^{n} {\parallel {{x}_{i}}{{\parallel }^{2}} = {{B}^{2}}} } \right\}$$ does not depend on dim H ≥ 1, where \((H,\parallel \cdot \parallel )\) is a Hilbert space, φ is any convex function, and ξ 1, …, ξ n are any (real-valued) random variables. An immediate corollary is the following vector extension of the Whittle—Haagerup inequality: let e 1, …, e n be independent Rademacher random variables, and let x 1, …, x n be vectors in H; then $$\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {E{{{\left\| {\sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^{n} {{{\varepsilon }_{i}}{{x}_{i}}} } \right\|}}^{p}} \leqslant E|\nu {{|}^{p}}{{{\left( {\sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^{n} {\parallel {{x}_{i}}{{\parallel }^{2}}} } \right)}}^{{p/2}}}} & {\forall p \geqslant 2,} \\ \end{array}$$ where v ~ N(0, 1). Dimensionality reduction in the case when all the lengths \(\parallel {{x}_{i}}\parallel\) are fixed is also considered. Open problems are stated.
Comment on "IS-LM-BP in the Pampas"

International macroeconomics has been profoundly affected by the emerging market crises of the 1990's and the early part of this century. The crises have led economists to question conventional wisdom in many areas. For instance, the last few years have seen considerable revisionist thinking on the benefits of capital inflows, the primacy of fiscal imbalances in exchange rate crises, and the role of exchange rate adjustment in responding to external shocks. Unfortunately, relatively little of this new literature has yet been absorbed into the language of policymaking. It is this deficit that the current paper attempts to correct. The authors have previously written a number of more technical papers exploring the effects of the "credit channel" in the macroeconomics of emerging market economies. This paper provides an exposition of the main messages of their papers in terms of a simple IS-LM-BP analysis, appealing to the universally known Mundell-Fleming apparatus. Unlike the Mundell-Fleming model, however, the present model does not lack microfoundations. But all the hard work is done in a lengthy appendix. The body of the paper is made extremely userfriendly, allowing readers to quickly absorb the main features of the model and then go on to do their own mental experiments within the framework. In terms of setting out an intuitive and elegant framework of analysis, the authors have been very successful. While the main aim of the paper is to provide a textbook-friendly treatment of an open economy model with balance sheet constraints, a secondary aim is to evaluate if and how these constraints should alter our thinking about the benefits of exchange rate adjustment in emerging market economies.
Extradural petrous bone and petroclival neoplasms.

Extradural petroclival tumours are composed of a spectrum of histological and anatomical configurations dictating a variety of surgical approaches. The experience with 68 such tumours operated at the University of Pittsburgh is presented, emphasizing the basal subfrontal and lateral approches. 85% of these tumours are benign or low-grade malignaneies, with 62% of these totally resected, resulting in a 5.4% recurrence rate. The operative mortality was 1.5% and major morbidity 3%. Well-planed surgery based on precise anatomical knowledge and imaging is the basis of treatment for petroclival tumours.
Early Experience With Nonporous Polyethylene Barrier Sheet in Orbital Fracture Repair

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the nonporous polyethylene barrier sheet as an alternative for nylon foil (SupraFOIL) implants in repair of orbital fractures. METHODS This is a prospective, case series using the Stryker 0.4-mm-thick nonporous polyethylene barrier sheet in all patients over the age of 18 years presenting with orbital fractures from December 2014 to June 2015. Patient's age, location of fracture, etiology of injury, presence of preoperative restriction and diplopia, and postoperative diplopia and/or enophthalmos was recorded. Institutional review board approval was received, and consent was obtained from all participants. Patients were followed for at least 6 months when possible. Scanning electron microscopy was used to compare the thickness, surface characteristics, and porosity of the nonporous polyethylene barrier and nylon foil implants. Beam deflection testing was also performed to compare the biomechanical properties of each implant. RESULTS Forty-six patients who underwent repair of orbital fractures with the nonporous polyethylene barrier sheet were included in this series. Average age was 43.3 years (range: 18-84 years). Twenty-six of 46 patients (56.5%) were males, and 20 (43.4%) were females. The most common causes of injuries were assault (38.3%), falls (25.5%), motor vehicle accident (14.9%), and sports related (10.5%). Twenty of 46 patients (43.4%) had isolated orbital floor, and 2 patients (4.3%) had isolated medial wall fractures. Fifteen patients (32.6%) had combined floor and medial wall fractures involving the inferomedial orbital strut, and 9 (19.6%) had floor fractures associated with zygomaticomaxillary complex or lateral wall fractures. Twenty-eight patients (60.9%) had preoperative diplopia. Timing of surgery was between 3 and 55 days, with the median of 11.5 days. Five of 46 patients (10.8%) had residual diplopia at their 1-week postoperative visit, 4 of those patients' diplopia had resolved at 2 months postoperatively. One patient had residual diplopia at 6-month follow up. Electron microscopy showed that the 0.4-mm nonporous polyethylene barrier implant was thinner (0.33 mm) than expected and thinner than 0.4-mm SupraFOIL (0.38 mm). Scanning electron microscopy exhibited that the surface of the nonporous polyethylene barrier was smooth and nonporous. Beam deflection testing showed that for small forces (<100 mN), the 2 materials behaved nearly identically, but at higher forces, the nonporous polyethylene implant exhibited less stiffness. CONCLUSIONS The use of nonporous polyethylene barrier sheet implant for orbital fracture repair is a safe and effective alternative to nonporous nylon foil implants. There were no complications and one case of residual diplopia (2.1%) in this case series.
178) Psychosocial Predictors and Pain in Vascularized Composite Allotransplanation (VCA)

The capacity to successfully transplant organs has expanded steadily over recent decades. Despite abundant successes, many biopsychosocial challenges abound in the field of transplantation, including management of post-operative pain. We are conducting a mixed-methods study of patients and experts involved in upper extremity transplants; in general, the selection of upper extremity transplant recipients is currently a subjective process, typically using past experiences of routine surgical procedures or transplants from surgeons to determine if a person is a good candidate, without considering a patient's psychological resilience and capacity to self-manage and tolerate pain. The project seeks to identify critical areas for assessment and selection when considering whether to initiate the transplantation process in a particular patient. In this study, patients and experts were selected to undergo a series of 8-10 focus groups to gather qualitative data pertaining to the experience and contributing factors of pain in hand transplantation outcomes. Reponses from the interviews were analyzed qualitatively into a subset of important themes using multimodal content analysis methods. Patients and healthcare providers reported a variety of themes including: The importance of pre-transplant pain, pharmacological management of pain and balancing analgesia with side effects, the complicating influence of post-operative neuropathic pain on rehabilitative processes and outcomes, and the importance of learning coping and self-management approaches for daily pain management, especially during PT and OT. Collectively, these findings shed light on the under-studied issues of post-transplantation pain, and will form the basis for larger, multi-site quantitative studies.
Leisure studies in the 21st century: Challenges and opportunities in our collective identity

The year 2018 marked a milestone for leisure research, as the World Leisure Journal, the Journal of Leisure Research, and Leisure Sciences will celebratet their 60th, 50th, and 40th years in public...
A coordinate system invariant formulation for space-charge limited current in vacuum

While space-charge limited emission current density Jcr is calculated exactly for one-dimensional (1D) planar geometry, 1D cylindrical and spherical geometries require approximations such as the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) equations or nonphysical assumptions. Using variational calculus (VC), we derive a differential equation from first principles to calculate Jcr for any geometry. This yields exact, closed-form analytical solutions for 1D coaxial cylindrical and concentric spherical geometries that approach LB for sufficiently close cathode (Rc) and anode (Ra) radii. VC agrees better with simulations in cylindrical geometry than LB at Rc/Ra = 0.5. The analytical VC solutions also demonstrate the asymptotic behavior for Jcr. For cylindrical geometry, Jcr ∝ 1/ R c 2 as Rc/Ra approaches zero or infinity. For spherical geometry, Jcr ∝ 1/ R c 2 as Rc/Ra → 0 and Jcr ∝ R a 2/ R c 4 as Rc/Ra → ∞.
Improved Survival Rates Among Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients 65 to 74 Years: Population-Based Estimates Over Three Decades,

Abstract 3591 Background: AML is the common acute leukemia in adults, accounting for approximately 90% of all acute leukemias in those over the age of 18 years. Overall survival remains poor, with Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Chapter 11 – Transplantation and immunogenetics

Publisher Summary One of the characteristics of modern science is the willingness of the practitioner to cross disciplinary boundaries. This trend has surely accelerated in the biomedical sciences since the 1960s, and immunology has been one of the more important catalysts of this change. The molecular biologist studies the immunoglobulin gene superfamily; the oncologist studies T and B cell subsets; the internist and neurologist study autoimmune diseases and HLA predispositions; and everyone uses monoclonal antibodies and immunoassays. One of the advantages of recent ecumenism is the rapid exchange of information among disciplines, so one of the disadvantages of early isolationism was the lack of recognition of significant conceptual advances in other disciplines. This chapter briefly discusses the transplantation and immunogenetics; transplantation studies were once a contributor to the stimulus for phase-shift in immunologic interests, and one of the beneficiaries of the new movement.
A hybrid simulation approach to evaluate stimulation micro-seismic events and production potential of fractured geothermal reservoirs

Abstract This study presents an integrated approach to simulate fluid flow and to predict the micro seismic events during stimulation and circulation of cold water over a longer term in geothermal reservoirs. The integrated approach based on new three dimensional fully coupled thermo-poroelastic numerical model for evaluation of energy recoverable. In the presented approach, the fracture aperture due to fracture slippage is calculated by shear and dilation. The shear slippage is controlled by the concept of shear failure using linear Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The numerical model is validated against an analytical Oda’s model for permeability tensor calculation and against an analytical solution for thermo-poroelastic model. The heat transfer between the rock and fluid is modelled by using the conductive heat transfer within the reservoir rock and convective heat transfer in discrete fractures. The thermal stress changes are included in the model to be studied by using roughness induced shear displacement principle in a poro-thermo-elastic environment. The fracture aperture changes are estimated by using an analytical model based on the distributed dislocation technique. The roughness of fracture surfaces is used in the calculation of residual fracture aperture. The presented approach is used to study the potential of permeability enhancement for Habanero geothermal reservoir at a depth of 3600 m. The result show that the increasing in tensile effective stress tend to increase the fracture aperture within the zone of cooling. This increasing in fracture aperture led to significant changes in pressure distribution (decrease in impedance) and hence, increase in the flow rate.