cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sequential and simultaneous breast pumping: a comparison *

This study compared sequential single-breast pumping with simultaneous double-breast pumping using an interrupted time series design to determine if (a) milk volume differed by pumping regimen; (b) the time needed to pump the breasts differed by pumping regimen; and (c) the milk fat concentrations differed by pumping regimen. In both limited and unlimited pumping sessions, the simultaneous double pumping option obtained higher mean milk volumes, reaching statistical significance in three of the four comparisons. Differences in milk fat concentrations were not statistically significant, when simultaneous breast pumping occurred, as compared with sequential pumping. Mothers' preferences regarding pumping regimen influenced mean milk volumes obtained in the direction of the women's preferences.
Kinase requirements in human cells: III. Altered kinase requirements in VHL−/− cancer cells detected in a pilot synthetic lethal screen

Clear cell renal carcinomas are the most common form of kidney cancer and frequently are linked to biallelic inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene. The VHL gene product, pVHL, has multiple functions including directing the polyubiquitylation of the HIF transcription factor. We screened 100 shRNA vectors, directed against 88 kinases, for their ability to inhibit the viability of VHL-/- renal carcinoma cells preferentially compared with isogenic cells in which pVHL function was restored. shRNAs for "hits" identified in the primary screen were interrogated in secondary screens that included shRNA titration studies. Multiple shRNAs against CDK6, MET, and MAP2K1 (also known as MEK1) preferentially inhibited the viability of 786-O and RCC4 VHL-/- cells compared with their wild-type pVHL-reconstituted counterparts. The sensitivity of pVHL-proficient cells to these shRNAs was not restored upon HIF activation, suggesting that loss of an hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-independent pVHL function formed the basis for selectivity. A small-molecule Cdk4/6 inhibitor displayed enhanced activity against VHL-/- renal carcinoma cells, suggesting that in some cases hits from shRNA screens such as described here might translate into therapeutic targets.
Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, and Job Tenure among Hotel Managers

This study investigates the association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction as well as between emotional intelligence and job tenure (company and hotel industry). Data were collected from supervisory and managerial employees of one hotel company located in the Midwest of the United States. Results show that several emotional intelligence components (Intrapersonal, General Mood, and Stress Management) are predictors of some job satisfaction categories (Nature of Work, Communication, Contingent Rewards, and Coworkers), and that the Interpersonal component of emotional intelligence is a predictor of longevity in the hotel industry but not longevity with the company. Based on study results, implications are provided for practitioners.
A review of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced changes in immunocompetence: 1991 update.

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, more popularly called dioxin or TCDD and referred to in this review as 2,3,7,8-TCDD, is considered the prototype of the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD). The PCDD are true contaminants and are formed primarily as byproducts in the manufacture of materials requiring the use of chlorinated phenols and during the combustion of chlorinated chemical products. From an environmental perspective, the PCDD have been most closely associated with the use of a number of phenolic herbicides, including Agent Orange, which is a 1:1 mixture of the butyl esters of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). 2,3,7,8-TCDD and related PCDD are not produced commercially except in small amounts for research purposes and to date, have no known human benefit. 2,3,7,8-TCDD has been demonstrated to be the most potent and the most biologically active congener among the halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAH), which include polychlorinated and polybrominated biphenyls (PCB and PBB, respectively) and the polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF), in addition to the PCDD. An updated review on the effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD on immunocompetence is timely from a number of perspectives. First, effects on immune function have been demonstrated to be among the earliest and most sensitive indicators of 2,3,7,8-TCDD-induced toxicity. Second, recent evidence indicates that exposure to 2,3,7,8-TCDD causes changes in innate immunity in addition to the changes in acquired immunity (i.e., which include effects on both cell-mediated and humoral immunity) previously shown to be associated with this chemical. Third, effects on immune function are almost universally observed among the animal species in which it has been evaluated, including some non-human primates. Fourth, effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD on specific indicators of immune function have been correlated with changes in host resistance capabilities, which are often considered to be more holistic indicators of immunocompetence. Fifth, there are several reports which describe possible effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and related compounds (i.e., primarily PBB and PCB) on immune function in humans. It is important to emphasize at the onset that these studies have triggered much controversy, both political and scientific. However, it is equally important to speculate that at least part of the controversy associated with man's sensitivity to the immunological effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD may be that the most appropriate approaches have heretofore not been applied. This possibility is discussed further in this review.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Rocket engine control and monitoring expert system

This paper focuses on the application of expert systems technology to the automatic detection, verification and correction of anomalous rocket engine operations through interfacing with an intelligent adaptive control system. The design of a reliable and intelligent propulsion control and monitoring system is outlined which includes the architecture of an Integrated Expert System (IES) serving as the core component. The IES functions include automatic knowledge acquisition, integrated knowledge base, and fault diagnosis and prediction methodology. The results of fault analysis and diagnostic techniques are presented for an example fault in the SSME main combustion chamber injectors.
Extending injury- and disease-resistant CNS phenotypes by repetitive epigenetic conditioning.

Significant reductions in the extent of acute injury in the CNS can be achieved by exposure to different preconditioning stimuli, but the duration of the induced protective phenotype is typically short-lasting, and thus is deemed as limiting its clinical applicability. Extending the period over which such adaptive epigenetic changes persist – in effect, expanding conditioning’s “therapeutic window” – would significantly broaden the potential applications of such a treatment approach in patients. The frequency of the conditioning stimulus may hold the key. While transient (1-3 days) protection against CNS ischemic injury is well established preclinically following a single preconditioning stimulus, repetitively presenting preconditioning stimuli extends the duration of ischemic tolerance by many weeks. Moreover, repetitive intermittent postconditioning enhances postischemic recovery metrics and improves long-term survival. Intermittent conditioning is also efficacious for preventing or delaying injury in preclinical models of chronic neurodegenerative disease, and for promoting long-lasting functional improvements in a number of other pathologies as well. Although the detailed mechanisms underlying these protracted kinds of neuroplasticity remain largely unstudied, accumulating empirical evidence supports the contention that all of these adaptive phenotypes are epigenetically mediated. Going forward, additional preclinical demonstrations of the ability to induce sustained beneficial phenotypes that reduce the burden of acute and chronic neurodegeneration, and experimental interrogations of the regulatory constructs responsible for these epigenetic responses, will accelerate the identification of not only efficacious, but practical, adaptive epigenetics-based treatments for individuals with neurological disease.
Simple calculation of the pair distribution function for a moderately dense hard-sphere fluid

Abstract The pair distribution function and equation of state of a hard-sphere fluid are calculated for several modifications of the Percus-Yevick (PY) theory by means of a perturbation calculation in which the zeroth-order term is the PY result. Even in first order, this technique provides a very simple way of examining modifications of the PY theory and yields accurate results for low and moderately dense (ρσ 3 ⩽ 0.8) hard-sphere fluids.
Transport phenomena in solids with bidispersed pores

Existing analyses for transport phenomena in bidisperse porous media assume that the microparticles act as uniformly distributed point sinks. This article provides an analysis which determines under what conditions the point sink approximation is valid. For random packing, the concentration field inside a pellet is described by its ensemble average, i.e., the average over all possible ways in which the microparticles can be packed into the pellet. For these averaged quantities, we formulate the transport equations for a solid with bidisperse pores which provide the criteria of validity of the point sink approximation.
Incorporating multiple criteria into the design of conservation area networks : a minireview with recommendations

We provide a review of multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods that may potentially be used during systematic conservation planning for the design of conservation area networks (CANs). We review 26 methods and present the core ideas of 19 of them. We suggest that the computation of the non-dominated set (NDS) be the first stage of any such analysis. This process requires only that alternatives be qualitatively ordered by each criterion. If the criteria can also be similarly ordered, at the next stage, Regime is the most appropriate method to refine the NDS. If the alternatives can also be given quantitative values by the criteria, Goal Programming will prove useful in many contexts. If both the alternatives and the criteria can be quantitatively evaluated, and the criteria are independent of each other but may be compounded, then multi-attribute value theory (MAVT) should be used (with preferences conveniently elicited by a modified Analytic Hierarchy Process (mAHP) provided that the number of criteria is not large).
The politics of autonomous space

This paper offers a further exploration of 'flat ontology', an account of the world that takes the immanence of localized, material process to be fundamentally different from and ontologically prior to transcendent, structured, and formal treatments of space. Our previous work in this area aimed at developing the concept of the site - via site ontology - as an 'event-space' that describes the differential contours and pressures of aggregating and dispersing bodies. This paper's contribution lies in considering how politics and political potentials are specified by such event-spaces. In geography and other fields, politics has nearly always been thoughttoproceedfromandtoexistforsubjects,regardlessofhowtheygettheorized.Hereweexplorehow the site might initiate politics that neither presuppose nor undergird individual subject positionalities or mass identitarian categories. We argue that subjectivity - widely understood to be the motive force in organizing politics - is often 'suspended' where bodies encounter or get enlisted in the unanticipated connections and relations that site ontology describes. Thus, our account understands the site as autonomous with respect to the subject in two crucial ways. The site is: (1) organizationally autonomous: its rules emerge from its specific, localized relations and this material immanence makes the site the legislator of its own assembly; and (2)polit- ically autonomous: that is, not conditioned by the political schemata of subjectivity per se, even though sites diversely and differently enlist and reshuffle bodies that often attend to, direct, participate in, and inhabit subjective politics.
Role of the vein of Marshall in atrial fibrillation recurrences after catheter ablation: therapeutic effect of ethanol infusion.

Vein of Marshall Ethanol in Recurrent AF. Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter can recur after pulmonary vein (PV) antral isolation (PVAI). The vein of Marshall (VOM) has been linked to the genesis of AF. We hypothesized that the VOM may play a role in AF recurrences and that VOM ethanol infusion may have therapeutic value in this setting. Methods and Results: Sixty-one patients with recurrent AF or flutter after PVAI were studied. The VOM was successfully cannulated in 54; VOM and PV electrograms were recorded, and differential PV-VOM pacing was performed. VOM signals were present in all patients; however, VOM triggers of AF could not be demonstrated. VOM tachycardia was present in 1 patient. Left inferior (LIPV) and left superior (LSPV) reconnection was present in 32 and 30 patients, respectively. Differential pacing in VOM and LIPV showed VOM-mediated LIPV reconnection in 5/32 patients. In others, VOM and PV connected indirectly via left atrial tissues. Up to four 1 cc infusions of 98% ethanol were delivered in the VOM. Regardless of the reconnection pattern, ethanol infusion eliminated LIPV and LSPV reconnection in 23/32 and 13/30 patients, respectively. Ethanol terminated VOM and LIPV tachycardias in 2 patients. There were no acute procedural complications. Conclusions: VOM signals are consistently present in recurrent AF. VOM may rarely play a role in PV reconnection. However, VOM ethanol infusion can be useful in patients with recurrent AF after PVAI, assisting in achieving redisconnection of reconnected left PVs. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 583–591, June 2012)
Displaced scaphoid fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation with a cannulated screw.

Background: This study was performed to determine if the accuracy of screw placement was improved with use of the Herbert-Whipple cannulated screw compared with use of the AO/ASIF cannulated screw and also to evaluate the functional results in patients with an acute displaced fracture of the waist of the scaphoid treated with open reduction and internal fixation with a cannulated screw. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the results for thirty-five patients in whom an acute displaced fracture of the waist of the scaphoid had been treated with internal fixation with use of a cannulated screw. The patients were divided into two groups; Group 1 consisted of nineteen patients managed with a 3.5-millimeter cannulated AO/ASIF screw from 1990 through 1997, and Group 2 consisted of sixteen patients managed with a Herbert-Whipple screw from 1993 through 1997. Results: There were no clinical or radiographic differences between the two groups. The average time to union (and standard deviation), confirmed with tomography, was 4.2 ± 1.2 months for Group 1 and 4.0 ± 1.2 months for Group 2. Both screws significantly improved the alignment of the scaphoid and decreased carpal collapse (p < 0.01). Importantly, the use of either cannulated screw improved the height-to-length ratio and the lateral intrascaphoid angle, which were correlated with an increase in the range of motion of the wrist (r = 0.584 and 0.625). In addition, both screws allowed for accurate placement in the central portion of the proximal pole. Regardless of the type of screw used, the time to union increased with increasing age of the patient (r = 0.665) and with increasing initial displacement of the fracture (r = 0.541). Within both groups, the time to union was longer for the patients who smoked (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Within both groups, cannulated screw fixation maintained the corrected fracture alignment and promoted healing and return of function. Our study shows cannulated screws to be a safe and effective method of treatment.
Determinants of the center of mass trajectory in human walking and running.

Walking is often modeled as an inverted pendulum system in which the center of mass vaults over the rigid stance limb. Running is modeled as a simple spring-mass system in which the center of mass bounces along on the compliant stance limb. In these models, differences in stance-limb behavior lead to nearly opposite patterns of vertical movements of the center of mass in the two gaits. Our goal was to quantify the importance of stance-limb behavior and other factors in determining the trajectory of the center of mass during walking and running. We collected kinematic and force platform data during human walking and running. Virtual stance-limb compression (i.e. reduction in the distance between the point of foot-ground contact and the center of mass during the first half of the stance phase) was only 26% lower for walking (0.091 m) than for running (0.123 m) at speeds near the gait transition speed. In spite of this relatively small difference, the center of mass moved upwards by 0.031 m during the first half of the stance phase during walking and moved downwards by 0.073 m during the first half of the stance phase during running. The most important reason for this difference was that the stance limb swept through a larger angle during walking (30.4 degrees) than during running (19.2 degrees). We conclude that stance-limb touchdown angle and virtual stance-limb compression both play important roles in determining the trajectory of the center of mass and whether a gait is a walk or a run.
Component design of retargetable program analysis tools that reuse intermediate representations

Interactive program analysis tools are often tailored to one particular representation of programs, making adaptation to a new language costly. One way to ease adaptability is to introduce an intermediate abstraction—an adaptation layer—between an existing language representation and the program analysis tool. This adaptation layer translates the tool's queries into queries on the particular representation.Our experiments with this approach on the StarTool program analysis tool resulted in low-cost retargets for C, Tcl/Tk, and Ada. Required adjustments to the approach, however, led to insights for improving a client's retargetability. First, retargeting was eased by having our tool import a tool-centric (i.e., client-centric) interface rather than a general-purpose, language-neutral representation interface. Second, our adaptation layer exports two interfaces, a representation interface supporting queries on the represented program and a language interface that the client queries to configure itself suitably for the given language. Straightforward object-oriented extensions enhance reuse and ease the development of multi-language tools.
Magnetic induction fields (2-30 cpd) on Hawaii Island and their implications regarding electrical conductivity in the oceanic mantle

*Summary. Geomagnetic time-variations observed at several sites on the island of Hawaii are analysed for the effects of island bathymetry as well as for the inductive response of the deeper mantle. The data are generally consistent with the deep conductivity profile derived using lower frequency, electromagnetic data from the Island of Oahu. Hawaii data fit better if that model is modified to give the upper 200 km of the mantle a lower conductivity of 0.02 S/m compared to 0.1 S/m for Oahu. The data are represented by a complex, frequencydependent function of location, Tu, relating the vertical variation Z to a component U of the horizontal variation (T, = Z/U). The direction of U is nearly frequency independent at each site but is different for each site. Below a frequency of about 30 cycles per day, the functions, T,, at any two sites are found to be related by a real constant. This suggests that the deeper conductivity structure is the same beneath each site. This result is consistent with quasi-static induction in a non-uniformly conducting thin sheet above a stratified conductivity structure. The response of such a model can be written as Tu =Aq, where 4 is a quasi-uniform, complex, frequency-response function characterizing the effect of the deep conductivity and A is a spatially dependent parameter parameterizing the effect of variable conductivity in the thin sheet. The parameter A may be estimated by fitting observational estimates of T, to models of deep conductivity structure.
Hepatitis C virus nucleotide inhibitors PSI-352938 and PSI-353661 exhibit a novel mechanism of resistance requiring multiple mutations within replicon RNA

PSI-352938, a cyclic phosphate nucleotide, and PSI-353661, a phosphoramidate nucleotide, are prodrugs of β-d-2′-deoxy-2′-α-fluoro-2′-β-C-methylguanosine-5′-monophosphate. Both compounds are metabolized to the same active 5′-triphosphate, PSI-352666, which serves as an alternative substrate inhibitor of the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase during HCV replication. PSI-352938 and PSI-353661 retained full activity against replicons containing the S282T substitution, which confers resistance to certain 2′-substituted nucleoside/nucleotide analogs. PSI-352666 was also similarly active against both wild-type and S282T NS5B polymerases. In order to identify mutations that confer resistance to these compounds, in vitro selection studies were performed using HCV replicon cells. While no resistant genotype 1a or 1b replicons could be selected, cells containing genotype 2a JFH-1 replicons cultured in the presence of PSI-352938 or PSI-353661 developed resistance to both compounds. Sequencing of the NS5B region identified a number of amino acid changes, including S15G, R222Q, C223Y/H, L320I, and V321I. Phenotypic evaluation of these mutations indicated that single amino acid changes were not sufficient to significantly reduce the activity of PSI-352938 and PSI-353661. Instead, a combination of three amino acid changes, S15G/C223H/V321I, was required to confer a high level of resistance. No cross-resistance exists between the 2′-F-2′-C-methylguanosine prodrugs and other classes of HCV inhibitors, including 2′-modified nucleoside/-tide analogs such as PSI-6130, PSI-7977, INX-08189, and IDX-184. Finally, we determined that in genotype 1b replicons, the C223Y/H mutation failed to support replication, and although the A15G/C223H/V321I triple mutation did confer resistance to PSI-352938 and PSI-353661, this mutant replicated at only about 10% efficiency compared to the wild type.
Higgs cohomology, p -curvature, and the Cartier isomorphism

Let X/S be a smooth morphism of schemes in characteristic p and let is the constant connection.
Joint Loading Effect on Kinematics of the Natural Knee During a Range of Simulated Walking Profiles

The physiological ratio of compression to anterior-posterior (A-P) knee joint loads has substantial effects on the loading of soft tissue structures, patellofemoral loads, and knee kinematics [1, 2]. There is also a direct relationship between resultant kinematics and joint forces. D’lima et al. was also able to compute A-P kinematics at a given flexion angle with minimal error using measured A-P and compressive load acquired from the instrumented tibia [3]. The direction of A-P load measured at the tibia is associated with the direction of translations of the femur relative to the tibia.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Pulmonary function testing system for home-based rehabilitation

In-home pulmonary function testing and evaluation of pulmonary mechanics can be an effective tool for assessing the longitudinal progression of disease or effectiveness of treatment protocols. A low-cost spirometry system has been developed for use in the home. Preliminary tests used the proposed system to evaluate changes in lung volumes (i.e. vital capacity, inspiratory capacity, expiratory reserve volume, and tidal volume) in both sitting and supine postures.
Quantum physics: Quantum sound waves stick together.

A sensitive cold-ion experiment probes sound at the level of phonons, the fundamental quantum units of vibration. It shows that phonons mix in such a way that they can be classified as 'bosonic' particles, like photons. See Letter p.74 The Hong-Ou-Mandel effect is a quantum phenomenon that involves the interference of bosonic particles and demonstrates their indistinguishability. The effect has been demonstrated for photons and neutral atoms. Kenji Toyoda and colleagues now demonstrate Hong-Ou-Mandel interference for phonons, which are quasiparticles associated with quantized vibrational modes in a system. The demonstration is performed in a system of trapped ions, which are promising building blocks for quantum computers. In addition, the authors attempt to create an entangled state with the phonons. While phonons have previously only played a supporting role in quantum-computing experiments with trapped ions, this result opens new perspectives for establishing phonons as quantum information carriers in their own right.
Durability of Materials in a Stress-Response Framework: Acrylic Materials for Photovoltaic Systems

In the development of novel materials for enhanced photovoltaic (PV) performance, it is critical to have quantitative knowledge of the initial performance, as well as the performance of these materials over the required 25-year lifetime of the PV system. Lifetime and degradation science (L&DS) allows for the development of new metrology and metrics, coupled to degradation mechanisms and rates. Induced absorbance to dose (IAD), a new metric being developed for solar radiation durability studies of solar and environmentally exposed photovoltaic materials, is defined as the rate of photodarkening or photobleaching of a material as a function of total absorbed solar radiation dose. In a reliability engineering framework, these quantitative degradation rates can be determined at various solar irradiances making possible real time and accelerated testing. The potential to predict power losses in a photovoltaic system over time caused by the accumulation of this kind of degradation can be calculated for real time applications or extrapolated for accelerated exposure conditions. Three formulations of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) used for mirror augmented PV systems were analyzed for the changes in IAD after accelerated testing.
Lipoprotein(a), Ethnicity, and Cardiovascular Risk: Erasing a Paradox and Filling a Clinical Gap

For >20 years, textbooks of medicine and guidelines for cardiovascular risk screening have suggested that elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] are a risk marker for coronary heart disease in white populations, but not among blacks. This observation, included in the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines in 2002,1 has long been puzzling, because blacks have both higher Lp(a) levels and higher absolute cardiovascular event rates than age- and sex-matched whites. Many explanations for this assumed ethnicity-based Lp(a) paradox have been described in the cardiovascular literature, including effect modification on the basis of diverse environmental and social influences, as well as genetic differences related to variation in kringle IV type 2 copy number. In retrospect, however, this embedded piece of preventive cardiology wisdom may prove to be a faux clinical pearl that entered the literature because of little more than poor statistical power. Article see p 241 In this issue of Circulation , Virani and colleagues use data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–funded Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study to perform an updated prospective evaluation of Lp(a) and subsequent vascular risk in a biracial cohort that included 3467 blacks and 9851 whites.2 As anticipated, and consistent with prior data, Lp(a) levels in ARIC were significantly higher among the black group than the white group, and in both populations, increasing Lp(a) levels tended to correlate positively with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and negatively with triglycerides. However, in apparent contradiction to almost all earlier work (including prior data from ARIC itself3), increasing quintiles of Lp(a) in this updated …
Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to reduce tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Abstract Overview: This report presents the results of systematic reviews of effectiveness, applicability, other effects, economic evaluations, and barriers to use of selected population-based interventions intended to reduce tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. The related systematic reviews are linked by a common conceptual approach. These reviews form the basis of recommendations by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (TFCPS) regarding the use of these selected interventions. The TFCPS recommendations are presented on page 67 of this supplement.
The EU in the Negotiation of the UN Disability Convention

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a novel and ambitious human rights treaty which entered into force in 2008. Amongst its many interesting features are two of particular relevance to the European Union. The first is its strikingly ‘experimentalist’ architecture, to use the term coined by Charles Sabel and Jonathan Zeitlin in describing EU governance, and the second is the fact that this was the first occasion on which the European Community, as it then was, participated in the drafting and signing of an international human rights treaty. This article examines the role played by the EC in the process of negotiating the CRPD and considers whether or not the EU significantly influenced the experimentalist character of the Convention. It concludes that while the EU was, on the whole, an active and supportive participant in the drafting process, the Convention’s experimentalist character was driven by other factors, in particular by the central role of NGOs and other non-state actors in the negotiation process. The EU, on the other hand, strove mainly to promote the adoption of its own internal model of disability discrimination at the international level.
Subparaneurial ganglion cysts of the fibular and tibial nerves: a new variant of intraneural ganglion cysts

Over the last decade, the mechanism of formation of intraneural ganglion cysts has been established through a meticulous review of clinical findings and correlation with patterns produced on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pathognomonic imaging patterns distinguish these rare lesions from the more common extraneural variants in almost all cases. In this report, we present a new pattern of cyst occurrence in the subparaneurial compartment of the nerve and provide potential anatomic explanations for its pathogenesis. Using an anatomic framework of connective tissue compartments of the nerve, we reviewed 63 (56 fibular and seven tibial) intraneural ganglion cysts in the knee region evaluated at our institution and all reports with MRI in the world's literature for evidence of cyst occurrence in the subparaneurial compartment. We identified six cases (five in the common fibular nerve and one in the tibial nerve) at our institution that had MR evidence of cyst in the subparaneurial compartment with a new complex lobulated pattern. All cases had articular branch connections to the superior tibiofibular joint, which at operation were resected along with the joints. Follow-up revealed complete recovery in all instances and no clinical or radiological signs of recurrence. Three cases out of 80 in the literature exhibited the new complex lobulated MRI pattern. We present a new pattern of intraneural ganglion cyst occurrence in a potential space that surrounds peripheral nerves--the subparaneurial compartment. We believe that the unifying articular theory applies to the pathogenesis and management of these rare variants.
Feedback Control for Dynamic Traffic Routing in Lumped Parameter Setting

The aim of this chapter is to solve the point diversion problem between two nodes using feedback control where the dynamics of the system are written in the lumped parameter form, i.e., in terms of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE). Chapter presents the system dynamics model for the routing problem as a space discretized version of the LWR traffic model. This model is also a direct consequence of the conservation law in the space discretized setting. The nonlinear control method of feedback linearization is presented and it is shown how that can be utilized to develop feedback traffic routing controllers. Two routes with one section each, followed by multiple sections, as well as multiple routes each with multiple sections are studied for the routing control design, and simulations are performed to show the results of the controller. Sliding mode control is used for the model with uncertainties.
Self-reported HIV and AIDS experience, practices, and knowledge of Pennsylvania family physicians.

Background: Patients with disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), while still more commonly treated in urban settings, are being seen in nonurban areas in numbers rapidly outstripping the local availability of specialists with expertise in HIV or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Methods: A questionnaire designed to measure self-assessed experience, practices, and knowledge regarding basic aspects of HIV was mailed in 1989 to the 2177 members of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians. Results: The response rate was 72 percent. Approximately 95 percent of physicians surveyed had been asked questions by patients about AIDS, 30 percent had a patient with a confirmed positive blood test, and 27 percent had a patient with symptomatic HIV disease in their practice. Conclusions: Although most family physicians indicated that they were comfortable in recognizing persons at risk, counseling, and using tests to diagnose HIV and AIDS, more than one-half reported practice patterns at variance with published guidelines. Respondents were most uncomfortable with their knowledge and skills regarding legal issues, state and community resources, and caring for patients with AIDS. Continuing medical education courses at local hospitals and written materials were the two methods of AIDS education most likely to be used by respondents.
The Odds in Some Odd-Even Games

(1975). The Odds in Some Odd-Even Games. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 82, No. 6, pp. 646-648.
Optimum Sample Size and Comments on Some Published Formulae

Estimation of field population parameters is an indispensable part of many ecological and various pest management projects. Obviously, the greater the sample size, the more reliable the estimates are. However, the cost per unit sampled is often substantial, which makes the collection of unnecessarily large samples unwise. Thus, we must determine in advance the smallest sample size that would assure us the desired reliability of the estimate. This is called the optimum sample size. The formula giving it depends on the way we choose to define “reliability.“.
A novel hybrid mechanistic-data-driven model identification framework using NSGA-II

This paper describes a novel evolutionary data-driven model (DDM) identification framework using the NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm. The central concept of this paper is the employment of evolutionary computation to search for model structures among a catalog of models, while honoring the physical principles and the constitutive theories commonly used to represent the system/processes being modeled. The presented framework provides high computational efficiency through connecting a series of NSGA-II runs which share results. Furthermore, the employment of a multi-objective optimization algorithm enables a unique way of incorporating different aspects of model goodness in the model selection process, and also, at the end of the search procedure, provides a number of potential optimal model structures, making it possible for the modeler to make a choice based on the goal of the modeling. As an illustration, the framework is used for modeling wash-off and build-up of suspended solids (TSS) in highway runoff. The performance of the discovered model confirms the potential of the proposed evolutionary DDM framework for modeling environmental processes.
Technique to Measure Adhesive Forces Between Electrospun Nanofibers

Due to the difficulty in handling nanofibers, little is reported and understood on the dry adhesion between electrospun nanofibers. In this study, we develop a technique to measure the dry adhesive forces between electrospun nanofibers. Of critical importance is the ability to mimic naturally occurring dry adhesion such as that between gecko’s and spider’s foot hairs and untreated surfaces. The adhesion test was performed on two poly(e-caprolactone) electrospun ultrafine fibers using a nanoforce tensile tester. It was found that the adhesive force per unit area increased with decreasing fiber diameter. The degree of crystallinity, order parameters of macromolecules in the amorphous region and crystallite orientation of the spun fibers were determined by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The high measured adhesion between single PCL fibers in comparison to other reported values was attributed to crystal orientation due to electrospinning and the increase of adhesive force per unit area with decreasing fiber diameter.
Epidemiological study on hand injury and its prevention and control.

Hand is an important human organ with which we can carry out normal life and implement productive labor activities.Compared with other organs,hand is much more likely to be exposed to risk factors,and meanwhile is much more likely to be wounded.Diagnosis and treatment of hand injury is an important task in the hospital emergency department,and hand injury accounts for 15.0%-28.6% in case number.A literature review was made to trace the advance of the epidemiological study on hand injury and to analyze its relative risk factors.It was clear that hand injury control and preventive measures posed an important aspect among the injury control and prevention.After analysis on the"Haddon model"and"3-tier prevention strategies",the article brought forward the key and critical points,and recommend 10 strategies on hand injury prevention.The professional institutions,such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from different levels,should play an important role in the control and prevention of hand injury.The working area should involve the hand injury surveillance,risk factors identification,action plan establishment and intervention effects evaluation.
Chronic Opioid Users Are More Difficult to Sedate than Alcoholics and Controls

Objectives Diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy is performed using conscious sedation. Excessive alcohol users, chronic benzodiazepine and opioid users, and polysubstance users are commonly cited as difficult to sedate. Few studies have compared and analyzed medication dosages to achieve sedation in these groups. Methods The endoscopic database was searched for patients who underwent colonoscopy. A retrospective chart review was performed to determine whether each patient was an abuser/chronic user of opioids, benzodiazepines, marijuana, alcohol, or a combination of the above. The mean dose of fentanyl and versed administered in each group was compared. Results A total of 239 patients were enrolled. Compared with the alcohol and control groups, the opioid group used a statistically higher mean medication dosage to achieve sedation. The mean dose of fentanyl in the opioid group was 124 μg, the mean dose in the alcohol group was 101 μg, and the mean dose in the control group was 101 μg. The mean dose of midazolam in the opioid group was 4.1 mg, the mean dose in the alcohol group was 3.3 mg, and the mean dose in the control group was 3.3 mg. Conclusions Identifying patients who are difficult to sedate before colonoscopy is important because adequate sedation is associated with better adenoma detection, a better procedural completion rate, and patient satisfaction. In patients using daily opioids, it is important to anticipate the need for higher doses of medication to achieve adequate sedation.
Homogeneous semantics preserving deployments of heterogeneous networks of embedded systems

Tagged systems provide a denotational semantics for embedded systems. A heterogeneous network of embedded systems can be modeled mathematically by a network of tagged systems. Taking the heterogeneous composition of this network results in a single, homogeneous, tagged system. The question this paper addresses is: when is semantics (behavior) preserved by composition? To answer this question, we use the framework of category theory to reason about heterogeneous system composition and derive results that are as general as possible. In particular, we define the category of tagged systems, demonstrate that a network of tagged systems corresponds to a diagram in this category and prove that taking the composition of a network of tagged systems is equivalent to taking the limit of this diagram-thus composition is endowed with a universal property. Using this universality, we are able to derive verifiable necessary and sufficient conditions on when composition preserves semantics.
On hyperbolic Coxeter n-cubes

Abstract Besides simplices, n -cubes form an important class of simple polyhedra. Unlike hyperbolic Coxeter simplices, hyperbolic Coxeter n -cubes are not classified. In this work, we first show that there are no Coxeter n -cubes in H n for n ≥ 10 . Then, we show that the ideal ones exist only for n = 2 and 3 , and provide a classification. The methods used are of combinatorial and algebraic nature, using properties of a Coxeter graph, its Schlafli matrix, and the Gram matrix of a polyhedron.
Distinct stages in stress granule assembly and disassembly

Stress granules are non-membrane bound RNA-protein (RNP) assemblies that form when translation initiation is limited and contain a biphasic structure with stable core structures surrounded by a less concentrated shell. The order of assembly and disassembly of these two structures remains unknown. Time course analysis of granule assembly suggests that core formation is an early event in granule assembly. Stress granule disassembly is also a stepwise process with shell dissipation followed by core clearance. Perturbations that alter liquid-liquid phase separations (LLPS) driven by intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDR) of RNA binding proteins in vitro have the opposite effect on stress granule assembly in vivo. Taken together, these observations argue that stress granules assemble through a multistep process initiated by stable assembly of untranslated mRNPs into core structures, which could provide sufficient high local concentrations to allow for a localized LLPS driven by IDRs on RNA binding proteins.
Bayesian model selection with BAMM: effects of the model prior on the inferred number of diversification shifts

Summary Understanding variation in rates of speciation and extinction – both among lineages and through time – is critical to the testing of many hypotheses about macroevolutionary processes. Bayesian Analysis of Macroevolutionary Mixtures (BAMM) is a flexible Bayesian framework for inferring the number and location of shifts in macroevolutionary rate across phylogenetic trees and has been widely used in empirical studies. BAMM requires that researchers specify a prior probability distribution on the number of diversification rate shifts before conducting an analysis. The consequences of this ‘model prior’ for inference are poorly known but could potentially influence both the probability of accepting models that are more (high error rate) or less (low power) complex than the generating model. The hierarchical Poisson process prior in BAMM reduces to a simple geometric distribution on number of rate shifts, and we use this property to increase the efficiency of model selection with Bayes factors. Using BAMM v2.5, we analysed phylogenies simulated with and without diversification heterogeneity across a broad range of prior parameterizations. We also assessed the impact of the model prior on MCMC convergence times and on diversification rate estimates. For all simulation scenarios, model evidence (Bayes factor support) for the number of shifts is not sensitive to the choice of model prior over the wide range examined here. The best-supported model found using BAMM rarely includes spurious shifts (<2% of all runs) when diversification models are selected using Bayes factors. BAMM was reliably able to infer the true number of diversification rate shifts across prior expectations that varied by three orders of magnitude. However, we find a strong effect of model prior on MCMC convergence properties: a flatter prior distribution (larger expected number of shifts) can dramatically increase the efficiency of the MCMC simulation. Our results support the use of a liberal model prior in BAMM, as it reduces computation time without distorting the evidence for rate heterogeneity.
Renewable energy and carbon capture and sequestration for a reduced carbon energy plan: An optimization model

Abstract Built on a framework that combines geographic analysis and a multi-objective optimization model used to analyze costs and benefits of renewable energy sources (wind farms, solar farms, biomass co-fire, rooftop solar), this research introduces the potential for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in the model as a tool for carbon emissions reduction. The carbon capture process is available for retrofit at existing coal plants and the sequestration of carbon is allowed in underground saline aquifers. The aim of this research is to provide a model that can compare renewable energy and CCS to determine the optimal combination of these resources. Over the course of 47 model iterations, CCS is implemented five times, with a maximum of 1.71% of a required 30% decrease in carbon emissions. Renewable energy options were more cost-effective means of achieving environmental goals. With respect to public policy and planning, expanding the potential role of rooftop solar generation is more cost-effective than implementing CCS. Finally, the introduction of a $30/ton carbon tax was not always sufficient to encourage investment in CCS, and through the use of tax incentives for renewable energy combined with a carbon tax, the greatest reduction in emissions were found.
Manipulating the gut microbiome to decrease uremic toxins

The uremic solute indoxyl sulfate has been associated with increased mortality and other adverse outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease. In a recent study published in Cell Host & Microbe, Devlin et al. describe a novel approach to alter the production of indoxyl sulfate through manipulation of the gut microbiota. Although this approach is far from clinical application, it may allow investigators to determine the contribution of uremic solutes to disease pathogenesis.