cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the impact of pharmacist health education on the perceptions of the pharmacist’s role among women living in a homeless shelter

Objectives: To determine the impact of pharmacist-provided educational seminars on the participant’s perception of the pharmacist’s role in providing women’s health education. Secondary objectives include the participant’s level of perceived benefit from the information provided during each presentation, as well as determining characteristics of participants who are interested in attending seminars.Methods: This is a prospective study conducted within a homeless women’s shelter in Phoenix, Arizona. Pharmacists and pharmacy students provided 10 monthly educational seminars on topics related to women’s health. Participants completed a pre- and post-seminar survey regarding their perceptions of the presentations and pharmacists.Results: Fifty-six participants attended at least one of 10 seminars from January to November 2014. The average age was 46 years old, taking approximately 3 medications, and 66% completed a high school degree or lower. Prior to the presentations, 30% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would seek advice from a pharmacist on the topic presented, which increased significantly to 82% of participants after the presentation (p<0.001). Similarly, 55% of participants rated themselves as agreeing or strongly agreeing with being knowledgeable on the topic presented prior to the presentation, and this increased significantly to 77% after the presentation (p=0.001). After attending the educational session, 70% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would make changes to their health, and that they would attend an additional session. The participants noted their increased learning about the topic, the clarity of visual aids and presentation, and knowledge of the presenters as the best parts of the presentation.Conclusion: Pharmacist’s participation in providing educational seminars in the homeless women’s population increases the participant’s knowledge and perception of the pharmacist’s role within the population. Future studies can further investigate an evolving role of pharmacists in optimizing healthcare in the homeless population.
Counterparty Exposure Management in the Basel III Era

Financial institutions face many challenges due to recent Basel III-related changes in the area of counterparty exposure measurement and management. In response to these challenges, SAS delivers an integrated risk offering – SAS® Risk Management for Banking – that can meet the immediate requirements banks are looking for while providing a framework to support future business needs. In the wake of the recent credit crisis, with counterparty risk being widely thought of as the center of the credit crisis, it is not surprising that regulators demand a significantly higher market discipline in risk management of counterparty exposure under the heading of Basel III. The credit crisis, seeing the rescue of entities such as Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the non-rescue of Lehman Brothers – led to significant losses in the market. Indeed most banks viewed these institutions as “too big to fail,” and, hence, exposures toward these institutions were viewed as risk-free. After the credit crisis, banks have been more actively focused on measuring, pricing and hedging counterparty risk. The regulators have also called for a new regulation because of the significant losses experienced due to counterparty risk and because of their observance of insufficient bank practices in validating and stress testing counterparty exposure. This paper puts in perspective the counterparty exposure management processes that banks need to implement to address the new Basel III era of counterparty exposure regulation. Its key components are exposure measurement – taking into account netting and collateral, mark to market, hedging and regulatory value-at-risk (VaR) reporting of counterparty risk as well as measurement of wrong-way risk and establishment of the concept of multilateral netting using central clearing of counterparty risk.
The Hydraulic Jump at an Abrupt Drop

Hydraulic jump may form at various locations relative to low abrupt drop in rectangular channel; role of drop in determining form of jump and in stabilizing its position is clarified by analysis and experiment; example illustrates application of results to analysis of stilling basin.
A New Product Development Process: William and Mary’s Experiment in MBA Development

For decades, business schools have advocated product development processes that utilize trans-organizational, cross-function teams.Is it time for business schools to apply this model to our own product: MBA graduates?In this paper, we describe the trans-organizational, team-based approach that has transformed product development in many industries.We then discuss whether a comparable model might be applied to business education, its benefits and costs, and the unique characteristics of academic institutions that could complicate this effort.Finally, we present an effort at trans-organizational, team-based design and development currently underway in the Resident MBA Program at the College of William and Mary.
Equilibrium Statistics of a Surface-Pinned Semiflexible Polymer

Recently, looping probability of short double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) was measured from surface-tethered molecules and was shown to exceed the wormlike chain model prediction. However, it is not clear how the presence of a confining surface affects the structure of the polymer. Here, we investigate the conformational distribution of an isolated, surface-pinned dsDNA in the semiflexible regime. To obtain chain statistics, we randomly sampled chain conformations consistent with Boltzmann statistics and the confining surface. On the basis of comparison of simulated chain statistics to a theoretical wormlike chain model, we show that the effect of pinning can be analogous to a change in effective stiffness. In the semiflexible regime, middle pinning results in a 10-fold increase in looping probability and 100-fold increase in surface contact rate compared to end pinning. Our results highlight nontrivial effects of pinning a wormlike chain that cannot be deduced from the Gaussian chain model.
Plasma cannabinoid concentrations during dronabinol pharmacotherapy for cannabis dependence.

Background:Recently, high-dose oral synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was shown to alleviate cannabis withdrawal symptoms. The present data describe cannabinoid pharmacokinetics in chronic, daily cannabis smokers who received high-dose oral THC pharmacotherapy and later a smoked cannabis
CFD Heat Transfer Predictions for a High-Pressure Turbine Stage

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to predict the turbine airfoil heat transfer for the high-pressure vane and high-pressure blade of a modern, one and one half stage turbine at its correct scale. Airfoil pressure and heat transfer measurements were recently obtained for the turbine in a transient shock tunnel facility, which allows for the replication of the actual engine turbine’s design corrected speed, pressure ratio, and gas-to-metal temperature ratio. A 3-D, compressible, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes CFD solver with k-ω turbulence modeling was used for the CFD predictions. The turbulence model’s implementation into the numerical procedure was modified slightly, in order to better capture the model’s intended near-wall behavior and resolve the heat transfer prediction. Both the high-pressure vane and high-pressure blade were computed as steady-state flows and for two different turbine Reynolds number settings. Overall, the predictions compare very favorably with the measurement for both pressure and heat transfer at the mid-span location. A discussion of the features of the airfoil heat transfer distribution is included.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Use of an Inorganic Aqueous Solution to Prevent Non-Condensable Gas Formation in Aluminum Heat Pipes

Heat pipes are used in many applications as an effective means for transferring heat from a source to a sink. The basic heat pipe typically consists of a solid metal casing within which a working fluid is sealed inside at a given pressure. The latent heat transfer via the heat pipe’s working fluid allows it to carry a larger amount of heat energy than would normally be possible with an identically dimensioned solid metal rod. Water is often used as a working fluid due to its high heat of vaporization and suitable operating range for electronics cooling. For many applications, especially space, aluminum is desired as a casing material for its high thermal conductivity, low weight, and low cost. However, water is incompatible for use with aluminum heat pipes because it forms a non-condensable gas (NCG), hydrogen, when they contact. In this work, an inorganic aqueous solution (IAS), which has thermophysical properties similar to water, has been used as the working fluid with an aluminum alloy 5052-H2 casing. The prepared thermosiphon underwent long-term lifetime testing and the results indicate no tube failure or significant NCG formation for the duration of the 9 week study. Furthermore, the data indicate that the IAS fluid not only inhibited NCG production but also led to a reduction in heat pipe thermal resistance over time. It is believed that the chemicals in IAS react with the aluminum surface to create a compact oxide layer and electrochemical reaction which prevents hydrogen generation. A secondary, hydrophilic surface coating is also generated by the fluid on top of the first oxide (passivation) layer. This hydrophilic layer is believed to be responsible for the heat transfer enhancement which was observed during testing and the reduction in ΔT (defined as Tevap−Tcond) over time. Aluminum heat pipes used currently in practice utilize ammonia, or other non-water based working fluids, which have inferior latent heats of vaporization compared to water or an aqueous-based fluid such as IAS. The use of aluminum heat pipe casings in combination with a water-based fluid such as IAS has the potential to provide a significant increase in heat transport capability per device unit mass over traditional ammonia charged aluminum heat pipes.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Broken Ladders: Managerial Careers in the New Economy

The article reviews the book “Broken Ladders: Managerial Careers in the New Economy,” edited by Paul Osterman.
Ultrathin-section morphological identification of H5N1 virus adsorbed on chicken red blood cells

To identify the H5N1 virus isolated in embryonated hens' eggs by electron microscopic morphological observation. The virus was inactivated respectively by methanal or glutaraldehyde at different concentrations. The virus concentrated by ultra-centrifuged was detected by electron microscopy with negative staining and the chicken red blood cells-adsorbed virus was used for ultrathin-section observation. Results revealed that treated with 1‰ methanal, the H5N1 virus in multiple shape morphology were observed by negative staining, and the ultrathin-section observation showed that most of the virus on the cell surface was in elliptic shaped, enveloped particles of many spikes projected from viral surface with a diameter of 80-120nm. It suggests that the chicken red blood cells can substitute for other cell lines used in ultrathin-section morphological identification of H5N1 virus, and the technique is convenient and safe for laboratory operation.To identify H5N1 virus isolated from embryonated hens’ eggs by electron microscopic morphological observation. The virus was inactivated by methanal or glutaraldehyde at variant final concentrations. After concentration, the virus was visualized by electron microscopy with negative staining method; and the chicken red blood cells-adsorbed virus was used for ultrathin- section observation. Treated with 1‰ methanal, the virus in multiple shape morphology were observed by negative staining, ultrathin- section visualization showed that most of the virus on the red blood cell surface was in egg-shaped, enveloped, with a diameter of 80-120nm, and many spikes projected from viral surface. It suggested that the chicken red blood cells could substitute other cell lines used in ultrathin-section morphological identification of H5N1 virus, and the technique is easy for operation and safe.
Analysis of 41 adverse drug reactions

Objective:To investigate the characteristics and the regular patterns of adverse drug reaction (ADR) in our hospital and provide necessary information for reasonable clinical administration of medicines.Methods:41 ADB cases reported in our hospital from May 2005 to April 2006 were analyzed in terms of reporters,drug categories,routes of administration,clinical manifestation,etc.Results:Most ADR cases were reported by physicians (78.05%) and nurses (19.51%).In 41 ADR cases,17 cases related to antibiotics accounted for 41.46%;12 cases related to traditional Chinese medicine injections accounted for 29.27%.In all 41 ADR cases,33 cases (80.49%) were applied intravenously. The most common symptom of ADR were the lesion of skin and appendants.Conclusions:More attention should be paid to antibiotics and traditional Chinese medicine injections,especially by intravenous injection.When signs of ADR emerged,a prompt treatment should be carried out to avoid severe ADR.
The Unpublished, Non-Precedential Decision: An Uncomfortable Legality?

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in 2000 that its rule prohibiting the citation of unpublished opinions was unconstitutional. The decision was ultimately vacated en banc. The legality of this prohibition merits consideration by the United States Supreme Court.
Abstract 4678: Inhibition of CDK4 sensitizes multidrug resistant ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel by increasing apoptosis

Purpose: Overexpression of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 has been shown in a variety of cancers and contributes to tumor cell growth and proliferation. However, the effect of inhibition of CDK4 in ovarian cancer is unknown. Here we investigated the therapeutic effect of CDK4 inhibitor, palbociclib, in combination with paclitaxel in ovarian cancer cells. Experimental Design: Cell viability was determined by MTT assay after incubating with different dosages of palbociclib and/or paclitaxel. Western blot, immunofluorescence, and Calcein AM assays were conducted to determine the potential effects and mechanisms of palbociclib in combination with paclitaxel. CDK4 siRNA was used to validate the outcome of targeting CDK4 in ovarian cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the clinical relevance of CDK4 expression in an ovarian cancer tissue microarray. Results: The combination of palbociclib and paclitaxel significantly enhanced drug sensitivity in both Rb positive (Rb+) and Rb negative (Rb-) ovarian cancer cells. Palbociclib suppressed the phosphorylation of pRb (Ser 807-811, Ser 795, and Ser 780) in multidrug resistant SKOV3TR (Rb+) cells. When combined with paclitaxel, palbociclib induced significant apoptosis in both SKOV3TR (Rb+) and OVCAR8TR (Rb-) cells. Palbociclib also inhibited the activity of P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Additionally, transfection of CDK4 siRNA showed effective knockdown of CDK4 expression and sensitized multidrug resistant SKOV3TR and OVCAR8TR cells to paclitaxel. Furthermore, primary ovarian cancer patients with high expression of CDK4 tended to have unfavorable clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Inhibition of CDK4 either by palbociclib or by specific siRNA can increase the in vitro paclitaxel sensitivity in either Rb+ or Rb- multidrug resistant ovarian cancer cells through increased apoptosis. Therefore, CDK4 may be a promising target in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Citation Format: YAN GAO, Jacson Shen, Rosemary Foster, Francis J. Hornicek, Zhenfeng Duan. Inhibition of CDK4 sensitizes multidrug resistant ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel by increasing apoptosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4678.
Statistical Considerations in Infectious Disease Randomized Controlled Trials

Randomized controlled trials (RCT) provide the highest standard of evidence available for assessing treatment efficacy. Causal inferences are enabled and effects may be directly attributed to a treatment. The nature of infectious disease presents challenges to the design, conduct, and analysis of a trial for a new drug or therapy. Many of these challenges are statistical in nature and can be addressed with modern methods for planning and analyzing RCT data. In this chapter, some of these challenges are described and reviewed. Modern statistical modeling methods for analysis of correlated data are covered. Some challenges with sample size determination are outlined and updated methods for data monitoring, interim, and subgroup analyses detailed. Also, discernment is made between multisite and cluster randomized trials. Recommendations for best practices are included.
Conducting and interpreting high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are powerful tools for summarizing existing literature and combining evidence from multiple studies. These methods employ complex searches, statistical techniques, and presentation techniques with which the clinical audience may not be very familiar. This review article aims to familiarize the clinical audience with the various techniques employed to conduct a high-quality systematic review and meta-analysis.
Impinging nonpremixed coflow methane–air flames with unity Lewis number

Abstract The present work extends earlier theoretical models in order to analyze nonpremixed flames stabilized between an axisymmetric coflow burner and a downstream plate that produces a stagnating flow field. This unusual configuration (i.e., it is not a coflow nor a counterflow flame but an impinging nonpremixed flame) is analyzed with two approaches previously developed as extensions to the Burke–Schumann theory: the Extended Roper Model and the Stream Function as a Coordinate Model. The flow field is obtained through the solution of a stagnation point viscous flow for incompressible fluids between stationary porous plates. In order to simplify the analysis, unity Lewis number is considered. Infinitely fast conversion of the reactants into products is assumed together with the Shvab–Zel’dovich coupling function approach, which allows the solution of a reduced number of conservation equations free of source terms. The influence of the distance between the impinging plate and the burner tip on a methane–air flame is analyzed and the semi-analytical results are compared with experimental data for several vertical positions of the stagnation plate with respect to the burner port. The model is able to effectively capture general aspects of the flame such as its shape, standoff distance, and separation distance at which flame tip opening is observed.
A high-voltage compliant, electrode-invariant neural stimulator front-end in 65nm bulk-CMOS

A high-voltage compliant, 65nm bulk-CMOS neural stimulator front-end is presented which can interface with a wide range of electrode impedances. With bulk-CMOS compatibility, the presented design can be easily integrated on the same silicon chip with other blocks needed for implantable bidirectional neural interfaces (e.g. high-density neural recording, DSP, memory, wireless interfaces). Measurements show voltage compliance exceeding +/−10V (with 1V and 2.5V devices) when driving 50µA to 2mA biphasic stimulus through resistive and capacitive electrode models. In vivo measurement results are provided (anesthetized rat) which demonstrate the efficacy of the integrated stimulator in bidirectional neural interface applications. The stimulator front-end active die area is 2mm2. While delivering 2mA, 200µs pulse-width biphasic stimulus at 300Hz the chip consumes 9.33mW; stand-by power consumption is approximately 300µW.
Solubility of Trace Gases in the Atmosphere

This chapter presents tabular information on the standard air saturation concentrations (moist air at 1 atm) for hydrogen, methane, and nitrous oxide gas in terms of μmol/kg, mg/L, and Bunsen coefficients (L real gas/(L atm)) for 0–40°C and marine conditions (0–40 g/kg). Using the equations presented in Chapter 1, air saturation concentrations (at local barometric pressure) and solubility of arbitrary gas composition mixtures can be computed. Sample problems are included for representative examples.
The Future of Health Care Reform - Section 1332 Waivers and State-Led Reform.

Given the difficulty of repealing and replacing the whole Affordable Care Act, some provisions will probably remain intact — possibly including state innovation waivers, which could be used to strengthen state-led reforms or to further undercut the remnants of the ACA.
Johann Gottfried Herder, Journal meiner Reise im Jahre 1769. Edited by A. Gillies: Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1947. 7s. 6d.

(1948). Johann Gottfried Herder, Journal meiner Reise im Jahre 1769. Edited by A. Gillies. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 223-225.
Interactive Effects of Vegetation Type and Topographic Position on Nitrogen Availability and Loss in a Temperate Montane Ecosystem

Determining the fate of deposited nitrogen (N) in natural ecosystems remains a challenge. Heterogeneity of vegetation types and resulting plant–soil feedbacks interact with topo-hydrologic gradients to mediate spatial patterns of N availability and loss, yet net effects of variation in these two factors together across complex terrain remain unclear. Here we measured a suite of N-cycle pools and fluxes in sites that differed factorially in vegetation type (mixed forest vs. herbaceous) and topographic position (upslope vs. downslope) in a protected montane watershed near Salt Lake City, UT. Vegetation type was associated with large variation in N availability—herbaceous sites had larger NO3 − pools, higher NO3 −:NH4 + ratios, higher nitrification potentials, lower soil C:N values, enriched δ15N values, and lower microbial biomass compared to forests, especially those upslope. Downslope sites tended to exhibit higher N availability and indicators of N-cycle openness, but patterns were moderated by vegetation type. In downslope forest, soil NO3 − depth profiles and higher foliar N content suggested trees were accessing deep soil N and transferring it to the surface via litterfall, while more deep soil NO3 − but no change in surface or foliar N suggested herbaceous cover was not N limited or deeper N pools were not accessible. Soil NO3 − leaching from below the rooting zone closely tracked N availability, revealing a link between N status and hydrologic loss as well as an important role for roots in N retention. NO3 − isotopes did not reveal a similar link for gaseous losses (that is, denitrification), instead reflecting nitrification and/or transport dynamics. Together, these results suggest a coupled ecological, topo-hydrologic perspective can help assess the fate of N in complex landscapes.
Effects of mechanism of injury and patient age on outcomes in geriatric rib fracture patients

Background Patients older than 65 years have 2–5 times higher mortality if they sustain ≥2 rib fractures compared to younger adults. As a result, our level I trauma center guidelines suggest that older adults with rib fractures be admitted to the intensive care unit for the first 24 hours. In this study, we evaluated the outcomes associated with these guidelines. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients aged ≥65 years in our Trauma Registry who sustained rib fractures from January 2008 to March 2015. Data included demographics, comorbidities, injuries, length of intensive care and hospital stay (LOS), ventilator days, analgesic used, morbidity, mortality, and disposition. Results 97 patients aged ≥65 years with at least one rib fracture and an Abbreviated Injury Score of ≤2 for other regions were admitted. Falls caused 58% of the injuries, while motor vehicle collisions (MVC) accounted for 33%. Overall mortality was 4%. Patients who fell had a median hospital LOS that was 0.5 to 1 day longer than in those who suffered other mechanisms of injury or were involved in an MVC respectively. Patients aged ≥70 years had a median LOS of 4 days, twice that of those aged 65 to 69 years. Of the 87 patients with more than one rib fracture, 59 (68%) were not admitted directly to the intensive care unit (ICU) from the emergency department as recommended by our guidelines. 6 of these 59 patients (9%) were later transferred to the ICU and 2 of these patients expired. Conclusions Although overall compliance with the geriatric rib fracture guideline was low, both mortality and hospital LOS were low in this group. This suggests that the guideline could be modified to reduce ICU resource usage without compromising patient outcomes. Level of evidence Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Twelve-month contraceptive continuation among women initiating short- and long-acting reversible contraceptives in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Context Despite the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in the minimum standards of health care in humanitarian settings, access to SRH services, and especially to contraception, is often compromised in war. Very little is known about continuation and switching of contraceptive methods in these settings. An evaluation of a contraceptive services program in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was conducted to measure 12-month contraceptive continuation by type of contraceptive method (short-acting or long-acting). Methods A stratified systematic sample of women who initiated a contraceptive method 12–18 months prior to data collection was selected retrospectively from facility registers. A total of 548 women was interviewed about their contraceptive use: 304 who began a short-acting method (pills, injectables) and 244 who began a long-acting method (intra-uterine devices, implants). Key characteristics of short-acting method versus long-acting method acceptors were compared using chi-square statistics for categorical data and t-tests for continuous data. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios were estimated to assess factors associated with discontinuation. Results At 12 months, 81.6% women reported using their baseline contraceptive method continuously, with more long-acting than short-acting contraceptive acceptors (86.1% versus 78.0%, p = .02) continuing contraceptive use. Use of a short-acting method (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.74 [95%CI 1.13–2.67]) and desiring a child within two years (HR 2.58 [95%CI 1.45–4.54]) were associated with discontinuation within the first 12 months of use. The vast majority (88.3%) of women reported no prior contraceptive use. Conclusion This is the first study of contraceptive continuation in a humanitarian setting. The high percentages of women continuing contraceptive use found here demonstrates that women will choose to initiate and continue use of their desired contraceptive method, even in a difficult, unstable and low contraceptive prevalence setting like North Kivu.
Application of the Misclassification Simulation Extrapolation Procedure to Log-Logistic Accelerated Failure Time Models in Survival Analysis

Misclassification of binary covariates is pervasive in survival data, leading to inaccurate parameter estimates. Despite extensive research of misclassification error in Cox proportional hazards models, it has not been adequately researched in the context of accelerated failure time models. The log-logistic distribution plays an important role in evaluating non-monotonic hazards. However, the performance of misclassification correction methods has not been explored in such scenarios. We aim to fill this gap in the literature by investigating a method involving the simulation and extrapolation algorithm, to correct for misclassification error in log-logistic AFT models and later apply this method in real survival data.
Elastic Green’s Function in Anisotropic Bimaterials Considering Interfacial Elasticity

The two-dimensional elastic Green’s function is calculated for a general anisotropic elastic bimaterial containing a line dislocation and a concentrated force while accounting for the interfacial structure by means of a generalized interfacial elasticity paradigm. The introduction of the interface elasticity model gives rise to boundary conditions that are effectively equivalent to those of a weakly bounded interface. The equations of elastic equilibrium are solved by complex variable techniques and the method of analytical continuation. The solution is decomposed into the sum of the Green’s function corresponding to the perfectly bonded interface and a perturbation term corresponding to the complex coupling nature between the interface structure and a line dislocation/concentrated force. Such construct can be implemented into the boundary integral equations and the boundary element method for analysis of nano-layered structures and epitaxial systems where the interface structure plays an important role.
Hepatitis C virus viremic rate in the Middle East and North Africa: Systematic synthesis, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions

Objectives To estimate hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremic rate, defined as the proportion of HCV chronically infected individuals out of all ever infected individuals, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Methods Sources of data were systematically-gathered and standardized databases of the MENA HCV Epidemiology Synthesis Project. Meta-analyses were conducted using DerSimonian-Laird random-effects models to determine pooled HCV viremic rate by risk population or subpopulation, country/subregion, sex, and study sampling method. Random-effects meta-regressions were conducted to identify predictors of higher viremic rate. Results Analyses were conducted on 178 measures for HCV viremic rate among 19,593 HCV antibody positive individuals. In the MENA region, the overall pooled mean viremic rate was 67.6% (95% CI: 64.9-70.3%). Across risk populations, the pooled mean rate ranged between 57.4% (95% CI: 49.4-65.2%) in people who inject drugs, and 75.5% (95% CI: 61.0-87.6%) in populations with liver-related conditions. Across countries/subregions, the pooled mean rate ranged between 62.1% (95% CI: 50.0-72.7%) and 70.4% (95% CI: 65.5-75.1%). Similar pooled estimates were further observed by risk subpopulation, sex, and sampling method. None of the hypothesized population-level predictors of higher viremic rate were statistically significant. Conclusions Two-thirds of HCV antibody positive individuals in MENA are chronically infected. Though there is extensive variation in study-specific measures of HCV viremic rate, pooled mean estimates are similar regardless of risk population or subpopulation, country/subregion, HCV antibody prevalence in the background population, or sex. HCV viremic rate is a useful indicator to track the progress in (and coverage of) HCV treatment programs towards the set target of HCV elimination by 2030.
Influence of Solvent Coordination on Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Perovskite Formation

Solution-processed hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) from organoammonium halide and lead halide precursors form efficacious active layers for photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and flexible electronics. Though solvent–solute coordination plays a critical role in HOIP crystallization, the influence of solvent choice on such interactions is poorly understood. We demonstrate Gutmann’s donor number, DN, as a parameter that indicates the coordinating ability of the processing solvent with the Pb2+ center of the lead halide precursor. Low DN solvents interact weakly with the Pb2+ center, favoring instead complexation between Pb2+ and iodide and subsequent crystallization of perovskite. High DN solvents coordinate more strongly with the Pb2+ center, which in turn inhibits iodide coordination and stalls perovskite crystallization. Varying the concentration of high-DN additives in precursor solutions tunes the strength of lead–solvent interactions, allowing finer control over the crystallization and ...
Measurement of Intracellular Calcium Activities

Accurate measurement of intracellular calcium activities has become possible with the development of the neutral lipophilic carrier molecule N,N′-di(11-ethoxycarbonyl)undecyl N,N′ 4,5 tetramethyl-3,6-dioxaoctane diacid diamide designed and synthetized by Simon (Simon et al., 1978). We have developed a liquid ion-exchanger microelectrode using this neutral carrier as the calcium selective component to measure intracellular Ca++ activities in rat soleus muscle fibers and adipose tissue. The advantage of using liquid ion-exchangers as the sensing element is the degree of miniaturization that can be obtained, making possible electrophysiological measurements of intracellular ionic activities. The microelectrodes used in our experiments had tip diameters of approximately 0.4 μm. In order for these carrier molecules to behave as liquid ion-exchangers, the carrier and the ion complexed carrier must be soluble in the membrane phase, have adequate mobility, and the uncomplexed carrier must be present in excess to get a cation response. 10% (w/v) of the above neutral carrier molecule dissolved in 3-nitro-o-xylene satisfied all of these conditions. It formed a liquid ion-exchange membrane which was permeable only to calcium. In order that the ion-exchange kinetics be compaible with a sufficiently fast microelectrode response, the lipophilic salt calcium 3,5 dibromosalicylate (1 percent, w/v) was incorporated into the system. This addition to the liquid membrane provided a charged “site” ion of opposite sign and dramatically improved the response time of these electrodes. The apparent response time was of the order of one second. Since the response of liquid ion-exchanger microelectrodes is affected by internal capacitances in the recording systems, the intrinsic response time of the microelectrode is probably much less than one second.
Cardiac and gait rhythms in healthy younger and older adults during treadmill walking tasks.

Aging and pathology result in changes in the dynamics of several physiological subsystems. Often, these changes are concurrent, altering the dynamics between subsystems. Cardiac and gait rhythms are one example in which patterns change during physical activity. The purpose of this research is to simultaneously monitor changes in cardiac and gait rhythms when participants complete various treadmill walking tasks—normal speed, fast speed, and while synchronizing steps with a blinking metronome. The cardiac and gait rhythms of younger and older healthy adults were examined in this study during treadmill walking tasks. Pre-test and post-test walking at a preferred walking speed were compared to fast walking and walking with a gait synchronization test. Cardiac and gait rhythms were observed to calculate the mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, detrended fluctuation analysis scaling exponent alpha (DFA α), and sample entropy from each 15-min trial. Separate MANOVAs were used to examine the two experimental conditions for cardiac and gait rhythm variability. During the gait synchronization experiment, main effects for phase were exhibited for all gait variables, but none were shown during the fast walking task. Meanwhile, the cardiac rhythms demonstrated decreased mean and increased DFA α only during the synchronization condition. Participants, regardless of age, exhibited similar patterns of change in their cardiac and locomotor rhythms during the treadmill walking tasks. Cardiac rhythms were only altered during the gait synchronization task, suggesting it may be possible to simultaneously influence the variability and structure of cardiac and gait rhythms.
On a class of locally symmetric sequences: the right infinite word Λ θ

The Nicomachus Triangle, a two-dimensional representation of powers of 2 and 3, provides a starting point for the development of an infinite class of right infinite Lambda words, Λθ. The word is formed by encoding differences in the sequence {Mθ}i = {a + bθ}i, a, b ∈ N. Although the word is on an infinite alphabet, it is traversable via environments containing no more than three letters. When θ = ∂ = log2 3, the word encodes all well-formed scales and regions generated by the intervals octave and perfect twelfth. The study sheds additional light on the role of palindromes in musical tone structures. Regions are palindromes on two letters, and form the largest palindromes in the Lambda word, as it develops. The regions have a significant dual representation, connecting them to the palindromic prefixes of a characteristic Sturmian word. The Lambda word is rich in palindromes beyond regions. In particular, a palindrome is formed between any two successive appearances of the same letter. Although Λ∂ is of particular importance musically, Lambda words are interesting in their own right as word theoretic objects. The paper ends with a brief look at the Fibonacci Lambda word, Λφ.
Selection for fresh weight in Arabidopsis thaliana under two mating systems

Four races of Arabidopsis thaliana were used to produce two F 2 populations and these constituted the base populations of an artifical selection study. All plants were grown under aseptic culture conditions in a controlled environment and the character studied was fresh weight after 15 days' growth. For one section of the study, two selection intensities were applied to each F 2 population and the selected parents were randomly mated. In addition to the high selections a group of random selections were maintained as a control. In the second section of the study the procedure differed only in that mating was by self-fertilization. For one population the selection response was as expected for a character of low heritability. A regular response was also observed for the other population when mating was at random, but the results for selection with self-fertilization indicated the presence of dominance effects. The overall conclusion was that selection with random mating and selection with self-fertilization produced approximately equal genetic gains.
Effective Deep Learning for Semantic Segmentation Based Bleeding Zone Detection in Capsule Endoscopy Images

Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a non-invasive way to detect small intestinal abnormalities such as bleeding. It provides a direct vision of the patients entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, a manual inspection of the huge number of images produced thereby is tedious and lengthy, and thus prone to human errors. This makes automated computer assisted decision-making appealing in this context. This paper introduces a novel deep-learning based semantic segmentation approach for bleeding zone detection in CE images. A bleeding image features three regions labeled as bleeding, non-bleeding, and background. Thus, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is trained using SegNet layers with three classes. A given CE image is segmented using our training network and the detected bleeding zones are marked. The proposed network architecture is tested on different color planes and best performance is achieved using the hue saturation and value (HSV) color space. Experimental performance evaluation is carried out on a publicly available clinical dataset, on which our framework achieves 94.42 % global accuracy and 90.69 % weighted intersection over union (IoU), two state-of-the-art classification metrics. Performance gains are demonstrated over several recent state-of-art competiting methods in terms of all performance measures we examined, including mean accuracy, mean IoU, global accuracy and weighted IoU.
Crises: Yesterday and Today—1

By November 2013, more than five years had elapsed since the world economy experienced its deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Yet, the return to normalcy was nowhere in sight. Although growth gradually picked up in the United States, labor markets remained fragile. In the eurozone, low inflation and anemic growth threatened the fiscal consolidation efforts of many countries. Japan embarked on a bold quantitative easing program to jumpstart its economy but had setbacks. Many emerging market economies experienced slowdowns while showing extreme nervousness at the prospect of an end to the period of massive liquidity injections by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
G-Dash: A Genome Dashboard Integrating Modeling and Informatics

ABSTRACT Genomics is a sequence based informatics science and a structure based molecular material science. There are few tools available that unite these approaches in a scientifically robust manner. Here we describe G-Dash, a web based prototype of a genomics dashboard, specifically designed to integrate informatics and 3D material studies of chromatin. G-Dash unites our Interactive Chromatin Modeling(ICM) tools with the Biodalliance genome browser and the JSMol molecular viewer to rapidly fold any DNA sequence into atomic or coarse-grained models of DNA, nucleosomes or chromatin. As a chromatin modeling tool, G-Dash enables users to specify nucleosome positions from various experimental or theoretical sources, interactively manipulate nucleosomes, and assign different conformational states to each nucleosome. As an informatics tool, data associated with 3D structures are displayed as tracks in a genome browser. The exchange of data between informatics and structure is bi-directional so any informatics track can inform a molecular structure (e.g. color by function) and structure features can be displayed as informatics tracks in a genome browser(e.g. Roll, Slide, or Twist). As a sample application, models of the CHA1 promoter based on experimentally determined nucleosome positions are explored with G-Dash. Steric clashes and DNA knotting are observed but can be resolved with G-Dash’s minimal coarse-grained model without significant variation in structure. Results raise questions about the interpretation of nucleosome positioning data and promoter structures. In this regard, G-Dash is a novel tool for investigating structure-function relationships for regions of the genome ranging from base pairs to chromosomes and for generating, validating and testing mechanistic hypotheses. http://dna.engr.latech.edu/∼gdash/GDash-landing-page
Impact of cannula size and line length on venous line pressure in pediatric VA-/VV-ECLS circuits.

The objective of this study was to do an in vitro evaluation of venous line pressure using different venous line lengths and venous cannula sizes in pediatric venoarterial extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS) and venovenous ECLS (VV-ECLS) circuits. The pediatric VA-ECLS circuit consisted of a Xenios i-cor diagonal pump, a Maquet Quadrox-i pediatric oxygenator, a Medtronic Biomedicus arterial cannula, a Biomedicus venous cannula, and 1/4″ ID arterial and venous tubing. The pediatric VV-ECLS circuit was similar, except it included a Maquet Avalon ELITE bi-caval dual lumen cannula. Circuits were primed with lactated Ringer's solution and packed red blood cells (hematocrit 40%). Trials were conducted at various flow rates (VA-ECLS: 250-1250 mL/min, VV-ECLS: 250-2000 mL/min) using different venous tubing lengths (2, 4, and 6 feet) and cannula sizes (VA-ECLS: A8Fr/V10Fr, A10Fr/V12Fr and A12Fr/V14Fr, VV-ECLS: 13Fr, 16Fr, 19Fr, 20Fr and 23Fr) at 36°C. Real-time pressure and flow data were recorded for analysis. The use of a small-caliber venous cannula significantly increased the venous line pressure in the 2 pediatric circuits (P < 0.01). Shorter venous tubing lengths significantly reduced the venous line pressure at high flow rates (P < 0.01). The VV-ECLS circuit had larger negative pre-pump pressure drops (7.2 to -102.2 mm Hg) when compared to the VA-ECLS circuit (0.7 to -60.7 mm Hg). Selecting an appropriate venous cannula and a shorter venous tubing when feasible may significantly reduce the pressure drop of the venous line in pediatric VA-ECLS and VV-ECLS circuits and improve venous drainage.
10-K Disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility and Firms’ Competitive Advantages

In this paper, we offer evidence that disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the 10-K provides information about firms’ competitive advantages. We create a textual measure of CSR di...
Friction and Texture Retention of Concrete Pavements

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), U.S., noticed a decline in skid trailer numbers on concrete pavements shortly after grinding operations. The eng...
Support for the use of deception within the work environment: A comparison of Israel and United States employees

As businesses become more global, the opportunities for employees to work with individuals from different cultures increase. Research in cross-cultural interactions has increased in response to such changes. This research study considers employee attitudes and perceived organizational support for the use of deception within the work environment. In this study, two types of deception have been considered; deception for personal gain and deception for the organization's benefit. The reported likelihood for committing these two types of deception for United States and Israeli employees was gathered. The results indicate that United States employees are more likely to deceive others for personal gain than the Israeli employees. In addition, the results indicate that United States employees were more likely to perceive organizational support for the use of deception for personal gain than were the Israeli employees. No differences between the two samples were found for personal or organizational support for deception for the organization's benefit. Differences are explained using Hofstede's (1991) theory of international cultures.
Selected Applications in Classifier Design

In this final chapter we consider several fuzzy algorithms that effect partitions of feature space ℝ p , enabling classification of unlabeled (future) observations, based on the decision functions which characterize the classifier. S25 describes the general problem in terms of a canonical classifier, and briefly discusses Bayesian statistical decision theory. In S26 estimation of the parameters of a mixed multivariate normal distribution via statistical (maximum likelihood) and fuzzy (c-means) methods is illustrated. Both methods generate very similar estimates of the optimal Bayesian classifier. S27 considers the utilization of the prototypical means generated by (A11.1) for characterization of a (single) nearest prototype classifier, and compares its empirical performance to the well-known k-nearest-neighbor family of deterministic classifiers. In S28, an implicit classifier design based on Ruspini’s algorithm is discussed and exemplified.
Facilitating laser ignition and combustion of boron with a mixture of graphene oxide and graphite fluoride

Abstract Boron (B), with high energy density and low cost, is regarded as a promising fuel for energetic applications such as propellants. However, achieving efficient combustion of B is challenging due to its delayed ignition and slow combustion. Additives are needed to promote the ignition and combustion of B particles by providing heat, gases, and/or fluorine-containing species. In this study, we demonstrated that a mixture of graphene oxide (GO) and graphite fluoride (GtF) is a new and effective additive for B particles. We compared the energetic performance of B/GO/GtF mixtures with B/GO, B/GtF, and B/PTFE in a laser ignition experiment. B/GO/GtF has the shortest ignition delay time, longest burning duration, and strongest BO2 emission among all four samples. This enhancement is caused by the synergistic properties of GO and GtF, which releases heat, gases, and fluorocarbon radicals to facilitate B ignition and combustion. Our study suggests that the mixture of functionalized graphene and graphite materials can be a new class of promising additive for metal combustion and other energetic materials.