cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of transit times in the J-shaped and the isoperistaltic lateral ileal reservoir--using isotope technique in rabbits.

• An ileal reservoir appears to reduce stool frequency and urgency in conjunction with endorectal ileal pull-through operations. The optimal type of reservoir construction has not been determined. In a rabbit model, the isotope transit time, measured as a percentage of isotope remaining in a segment of intestine one hour after injection, was 79% for the J-shaped reservoir (JR) and 57% for the lateral isoperistaltic reservoir (LR). Transit times in ileal segments longitudinally incised and closed and control segments were 49% and 63%, respectively. The mean reservoir volume three months after operation was 53 mL for LR, 101 mL for JR, 20 mL for longitudinally incised and closed ileal segments, and 25 mL for control segments. Although reservoir function between the LR and JR may be similar at six to nine months postoperatively, it appears that the JR empties more slowly and becomes more distended during the first three months after construction in the rabbit model studied. ( Arch Surg 1987;122:1124-1127)
A Single Amino Acid Alteration in the Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase Glycoprotein Confers Resistance to the Inhibitory Effects of Zanamivir on Receptor Binding and Neuraminidase Activity

Entry and fusion of human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPF3) requires interaction of the viral hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein with its sialic acid receptor. 4-Guanidino-2,4-dideoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (4-GU-DANA; zanamivir), a sialic acid transition-state analog designed to fit the influenza virus neuraminidase catalytic site, possesses antiviral activity at nanomolar concentrations in vitro. We have shown previously that 4-GU-DANA also inhibits both HN-mediated binding of HPF3 to host cell receptors and HN's neuraminidase activity. In the present study, a 4-GU-DANA-resistant HPF3 virus variant (ZM1) was generated by serial passage in the presence of 4-GU-DANA. ZM1 exhibited a markedly fusogenic plaque morphology and harbored two HN gene mutations resulting in two amino acid alterations, T193I and I567V. Another HPF3 variant studied in parallel, C-0, shared an alteration at T193 and exhibited similar plaque morphology but was not resistant to 4-GU-DANA. Neuraminidase assays revealed a 15-fold reduction in 4-GU-DANA sensitivity for ZM1 relative to the wild type (WT) and C-0. The ability of ZM1 to bind sialic acid receptors was inhibited 10-fold less than for both WT and C-0 in the presence of 1 mM 4-GU-DANA. ZM1 also retained infectivity at 15-fold-higher concentrations of 4-GU-DANA than WT and C-0. A single amino acid alteration at HN residue 567 confers these 4-GU-DANA-resistant properties. An understanding of ZM1 and other escape variants provides insight into the effects of this small molecule on HN function as well as the role of the HN glycoprotein in HPF3 pathogenesis.
Development of the PROMIS nicotine dependence item banks.

Introduction Nicotine dependence is a core construct important for understanding cigarette smoking and smoking cessation behavior. This article describes analyses conducted to develop and evaluate item banks for assessing nicotine dependence among daily and nondaily smokers. Methods Using data from a sample of daily (N = 4,201) and nondaily (N =1,183) smokers, we conducted a series of item factor analyses, item response theory analyses, and differential item functioning analyses (according to gender, age, and race/ethnicity) to arrive at a unidimensional set of nicotine dependence items for daily and nondaily smokers. We also evaluated performance of short forms (SFs) and computer adaptive tests (CATs) to efficiently assess dependence. Results A total of 32 items were included in the Nicotine Dependence item banks; 22 items are common across daily and nondaily smokers, 5 are unique to daily smokers, and 5 are unique to nondaily smokers. For both daily and nondaily smokers, the Nicotine Dependence item banks are strongly unidimensional, highly reliable (reliability = 0.97 and 0.97, respectively), and perform similarly across gender, age, and race/ethnicity groups. SFs common to daily and nondaily smokers consist of 8 and 4 items (reliability = 0.91 and 0.81, respectively). Results from simulated CATs showed that dependence can be assessed with very good precision for most respondents using fewer than 6 items adaptively selected from the item banks. Conclusions Nicotine dependence on cigarettes can be assessed on the basis of these item banks via one of the SFs, by using CATs, or through a tailored set of items selected for a specific research purpose.
Optically tuning a dichroic multilayer stack for a high-fluence laser application

We report on the design and successful fabrication of a dichroic multilayer stack using a procedure that allowed shifting from high reflectance to high transmittance within 89 rim and surviving high laser fluences. A design approach based on quarter-wave thick layers allowed the multilayer stack to be optically tuned in the last layers of the stack. In our case, this necessitated removing the samples from the coating chamber for a transmittance scan prior to depositing the last layers. This procedure is not commonly practiced due to thermal stress-induced failures in an oxide multilayer. However, D.J. Smith and co-workers reported that reactive e-beam evaporated hafnia from a Hf source produced laser-resistant coatings that had less coating stress compared to coatings evaporated from a HfO{sub 2} source. Tuned dichroic coatings were made that had high transmittance at 941 rim and high reflectance at 1030 nm. The coating was exposed for 5 minutes to a 100 kW/cm{sup 2} 1064 nm (180-ns pulsewidth, 10.7 kHz) laser beam and survived without microscopic damage. The same coating survived a 140 kW/cm{sup 2} of laser intensity without catastrophic damage before optical tuning were performed.
Some nematode and acanthocephalan parasites of the longnose leopard lizard, Gambelia wislizenii (Lacertilia : Crotaphytidae), from Arizona, California, and Texas, with a summary of the helminths reported from this host

Abstract Eight adult longnose leopard lizards, Gambelia wislizenii, previously deposited in the Angelo State Natural History Collection (ASNHC) and collected between 1964 and 1969, were examined for helminth parasites. These lizards came from locales in Cochise County, Arizona (n = 1), San Bernardino County, California (n = 2), Mesa County, Colorado (n = 1), and Winkler County, Texas (n = 4). Five of the 8 ASNHC lizards (62.5%) were infected with 1 of 3 species of nematodes or an acanthocephalan, including 1 (12.5%) with larval Porrocaecum sp., 2 (25%) with Cyrtosomum penneri, 1 (12.5%) with Skrjabinoptera phrynosoma, and 1 (12.5%) with oligacanthorynchid acanthocephalan cystacanths. New helminth records for this host are documented for Porrocaecum sp. and the oligacanthorhynchid acanthocephalan cystacanth.
The Effect of Label Content and Placement on Consumers' Understanding of OTC Product Label Information

ABSTRACTA randomized complete block design with repeat measures was used to examine label content (graphic vs. written) and placement effect on consumers' understanding (interpretation) of OTC product label information. Three experimental labels for cold/flu preparations were shown to 72 college students on a completely random basis, and interpretations were recorded on a 5-point bipolar scale. Scores obtained from graphic (picture or symbol from existing OTC products) vs. written information (text on existing OTC products) were compared using the SAS statistical package. The results of repeated measures MANOVA indicated that the subjects could not interpret graphic information but were able to understand the same information when it was presented in written form. Placement of information did not affect interpretation of the graphic or understanding of written information on OTC labels.
MEASURING MODULARITY-BASED MANUFACTURING PRACTICES AND THEIR IMPACT ON MASS CUSTOMIZATION CAPABILITY: A CUSTOMER-DRIVEN PERSPECTIVE

As uncertainty in markets and technology intensifies, more companies are adopting modular product and process architectures to cope with increasing demands for individually customized products. Modularity-based manufacturing is the application of unit standardization or substitution principles to create modular components and processes that can be configured into a wide range of end products to meet specific customer needs. This study defines modularity-based manufacturing practices (MBMP), develops a valid and reliable instrument to measure MBMP, builds a framework that relates customer closeness, MBMP, and mass customization capability, and tests structural relationships within this framework using LISREL. Based on 303 responses from members of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, statistically significant and positive relationships were found among customer closeness, modularity-based manufacturing practices, and mass customization capability. Managerial implications of the empirical findings of this study and future research directions are also discussed.
Unpredictability and uncertainty in anxiety: a new direction for emotional timing research.

Interest in the relationship between emotion and time perception has noticeably increased in the past few years (Buhusi and Meck, 2005; Droit-Volet and Meck, 2007; Craig, 2009; Droit-Volet et al., 2011). Most of this recent work has used emotional stimuli, such as faces (e.g., Droit-Volet et al., 2004; Tipples, 2008), pictures (e.g., Angrilli et al., 1997; Grommet et al., 2011), and sounds (e.g., Noulhaine et al., 2007) to understand how emotion can change the subjective experience of short intervals of time. Efforts have largely focused on determining what these findings reveal about how time can be distorted and identifying the mechanisms responsible for flexibly modulating these distortions. In this issue, Schirmer (2011) reviews various theories that attempt to explain the mechanisms underlying emotional influences on time perception and proposes a hybrid theory to better support findings in the field. Further research will be necessary to support or contradict the proposed mechanistic influences of emotion on timing. While the value of this work is clear, it is equally important to address how timing research can inform affective science and affective disorders, a question that has thus far received little attention within the field. Specifically, a better understanding of how time is perceived in anxiety-provoking contexts could be important in fully appreciating the processes underlying the experience of anxiety.
The Nonvolatile Memory Transformation of Client Storage

The introduction of solid-state drives in mainstream computing systems is reshaping the client storage landscape. PCI Express is supplanting Serial ATA to deliver higher performance, while novel caching solutions are extending the benefits of nonvolatile memory to a wider segment of users at a more affordable price.
Substrate recognition by the EcoRI endonuclease

The EcoRI restriction endonuclease is one of the most widely used tools for recombinant DNA manipulations. Because the EcoRI enzyme has been extremely well characterized biochemically and its structure is known at 3 A resolution as an enzyme-DNA complex, EcoRI also serves as a paradigm for other restriction enzymes and as an important model of DNA-protein interactions. To facilitate a genetic analysis of the EcoRI enzyme, we devised an in vivo DNA scission assay based on our finding that DNA double-strand breaks induce the Escherichia coli SOS response and thereby increase beta-galactosidase expression from SOS::lacZ gene fusions. By site-directed mutagenesis, 50 of 60 possible point mutations were generated at three amino acids (E144, R145, and R200) implicated in substrate recognition by the crystal structure. Although several of these mutant enzymes retain partial endonuclease activity, none are altered in substrate specificity in vivo or in vitro. These findings argue that, in addition to the hydrogen bond interactions revealed by the crystal structure, the EcoRI enzyme must make additional contacts to recognize its substrate.
Resource allocation in environmental projects under uncertain physical and economic conditions

This article advocates the idea for a rationale allocation of resources to reduce the physical and economic uncertainties that dominate the performance of an environmental project through the integration of scientific and economic analyses.Scientific analyses of environmental hazards are hindered by significant uncertainties that arise from poor understanding of the complex interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes that control these hazards and the limited amount of data that, in most cases, are not error free. Moreover, the existing technological solutions are limited in their efficiency, expensive to implement, and can generate by-products that are difficult to control. From a financial perspective, scientific uncertainties and limitations of the technological solutions are only a subset of the total uncertainties. Changing political, financial, and regulatory conditions constitute other unpredictable components in a project's performance and financial return. The objectives of this article are (1) to propose a methodology that will improve our capabilities to identify and prioritize the dominant scientific and economic indicators in environmental projects and (2) to suggest resource allocation for uncertainty reduction that is based on fully integrated environmental risk assessments.
Pilot Study of Speed-Recovery Duration as a Measure of Winter Maintenance Performance

Many state and local governments in the United States are seeking improved methods of providing winter highway maintenance to meet the increasing demands of today's drivers. Winter maintenance activity can improve road conditions for travel in terms of mobility, safety, and economic benefit. The benefits and costs of winter maintenance make it very important that these activities be completed effectively and efficiently. To improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of winter maintenance activities, the performance of the approach taken must be measured. Winter maintenance performance measures were developed on the basis of speed data from automatic traffic recorders (ATRs) and winter storm report data. An attempt was made to combine the ATR speed data and the storm report data to determine both the average vehicle speed reduction during a snow event relative to normal vehicle speeds at a location and the time needed from the minimum value to regain normal or average vehicle speeds. A determination was made related to whether this speed-recovery duration might be an appropriate performance measure for winter maintenance.
Catheter ablation of the atrioventricular junction using radiofrequency energy and a bilateral cardiac approach.

Abstract Radiofrequency current catheter ablation was used successfully to create complete atrioventricular (AV) block in 60 of 61 patients (98%) with drug refractory supraventricular tachyarrhythmias. The remaining patient developed Mobitz I AV block and is clinically improved (clinical efficacy 100%). In 54 patients (89%), complete AV block was achieved using a right-sided approach. Patients aged >60 years needed significantly fewer right-sided radiofrequency applications to produce complete AV block (5.3 ± 5.3 vs 11.1 ± 10.0; p = 0.009). In 6 of 7 patients with unsuccessful right-sided ablation, a left ventricular approach was used. In each case, 1 to 4 additional radiofrequency applications produced complete AV block. Patients with unsuccessful right-sided ablation were generally younger than those with successful ablation (50 ± 16 vs 64 ± 11; p = 0.007). It is concluded that catheter ablation using radiofrequency current is an extremely effective means of producing complete AV block. Older patients appear to be more susceptible to right-sided radiofrequency approaches. Left ventricular ablation easily produces complete AV block in patients refractory to right-sided attempts.
There’s Jealousy…and Then There’s Jealousy: Differential Effects of Jealousy on Testosterone

Jealousy evokes strong psychological responses, but little is known about physiological effects. This study investigated whether actively thinking about a jealousy-provoking situation would result in a testosterone (T) response, and what factors might mediate this effect. We examined T responses to imagining one’s partner engaging in one of three activities: a neutral conversation with a co-worker, a flirtatious conversation with an attractive person, or a passionate kiss with an attractive person. Women in the flirting condition experienced a significantly larger increase in T relative to those in the neutral condition; the kissing condition was intermediate. In men, there were no significant effects of jealousy condition on T. These findings are consistent with the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds, such that the flirting condition elicited a ‘competitive’ T response, and the kissing condition elicited responses consistent with defeat.
The Role of Behavioral Formality and Informality in the Enactment of Bureaucratic Versus Organic Organizations

Modes of social activity in organizations are frequently described using the terms formal and informal. Behavioral and situational informality, in the sense of this article, entails “loose,” spontaneous, more casual social intercourse and comportment. Formality, in contrast, designates “tighter,” more deliberate, impersonal modes of conduct, as well as settings that occasion such conduct. This article outlines a number of specific behavioral and contextual codes of formality and informality and further explores how these categories of social activity may be related to organizational effectiveness. Specifically, the article explores how behavioral informality may be instrumental in the social construction of innovative, organic work organizations and how formality is implicated in the social construction of bureaucratic, impersonal work organizations.
Devising an Instructional Program to Teach Arithmetic Problem-Solving Skills to Students with Learning Disabilities

This article details a process to develop and test an instructional program designed to teach students with learning disabilities to solve four kinds of arithmetic story problems. The program was developed in response to the recognition that some students who have adequate reading and computation skills lack the procedural, process, and task-specific knowledge necessary to solve these problems. In the course of developing the unit, the literature on information processing, mathematics education, and instructional theory provided important guidelines for content and teaching approaches. Both single subject and group research designs were employed to test the effectiveness of the problem-solving unit.
Arsenic Speciation Using Capillary Zone Electrophoresis with Indirect Ultraviolet Detection

The toxicological or biological importance of many trace elements in biological and environmental samples depends to a great extent on their quantities as well as their oxidation states and chemical forms. In this work, arsenic species (arsenate, arsenite, dimethylarsinate [DMA], and monomethylarsonate [MMA]) are determined using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with indirect ultraviolet absorption detection. Sodium chromate is used as an electrolyte solution and to provide the chromophore. The effect of the pH of the solution on the separation of species of interest is discussed. The absolute detection limits are 5.2, 3.5, 15.6, and 15.6 pg for arsenate, arsenite, monomethylarsonate, and dimethylarsinate, respectively. A solution extracted from coal fly ash is analyzed using this method. The arsenate concentration is determined to be 5 micrograms/g. Arsenite, monomethylarsonate, and dimethylarsinate are not found. The advantages of using CZE as an efficient and sensitive separation method are discussed.
Cidofovir incorporation into human keratinocytes with episomal HPV 16 results in nonselective cytotoxicity.

Objectives:Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment; however, medical therapy including cidofovir, a cytosine analog, has been investigated. Human papillomavirus does not encode a viral DNA polymerase, which is the known target of cidofovir in cytomegalovirus infections.Methods:In an effort to better understand the usefulness of cidofovir in the treatment of HPV-related disease, we tested cidofovir's ability to inhibit growth, alter gene expression, and inhibit genome replication.Results:With the use of carbon 14-labeled cidofovir in episomal HPV 16-containing keratinocytes, there was a minimal increase in cidofovir incorporation into episomal DNA versus genomic DNA. Cidofovir decreased the copies of episomal HPV 16 in keratinocytes; however, the copies per cell returned to baseline levels once cidofovir was removed. Expression of a viral oncogene (HPV 16 E6) in transformed keratinocytes with episomal HPV 16 was not ...
Which Tetrahedra Fill Space

Filling space by fitting congruent polyhedra together without any gaps is one of the oldest and most difficult of geometric problems, and has a fascinating history. It arose first in ancient times in relation to Plato's theory of matter; during the subsequent 2300 years of its development, it has continued to receive its principal stimulus from physicists and others interested in the structure of the solid state. In its most intuitive form, the problem is that of determining the shapes of building blocks- the building blocks of architecture, of inorganic and organic matter, of space itself. Its origin can be traced to Plato's atomic theory: the hypothesis that all matter is the result of combinations and permutations of a few basic polyhedral units. The mathematical question is: what shape must such a unit have if it is possible to fill space without gaps by figures congruent to that single unit? This simply stated geometric problem is still unsolved, despite considerable efforts devoted to it over the ages. That rectangular solids or, more generally, parallelopipeds can be fitted together to fill space was known to the earliest bricklayers, but that any other polyhedra have this property is less obvious. Plato, as we shall see, assumed the existence of such polyhedra, but Aristotle was the first to get down to details. In the process he made a mistake that generated a controversy lasting nearly 2,000 years.
Velocity Measurements behind a Flexible Fence

The unsteady flowfield behind three flexible fence models due to crosswind loads has been investigated experimentally. The fences were made from 0.051mm, 0.102mm, and 0.127mm thick low carbon steel shimstock. In addition, rigid models of the mean shape of the 0.051mm fence at two velocities were tested and the flow fields compared to the flexible fence. Velocity profiles at x/h=2 downstream of the fence, where h is the nominal fence height, were measured using a hotwire. For low velocities, the fence bent and stayed stationary. At higher velocities, which depend on the fence thickness, the fence started to oscillate. Once oscillations occurred, the shear layer thickness increased significantly. Shear layer scaling was used to analyze the resulting velocity profiles and was found to collapse the velocity profiles for both non-oscillating and oscillating fences.
Nanostructured Biomaterials from Electrospun Demineralized Bone Matrix: A Survey of Processing and Crosslinking Strategies

In the design of scaffolds for tissue engineering biochemical function and nanoscale features are of particular interest. Natural polymers provide a wealth of biochemical function, but do not have the processability of synthetic polymers, limiting their ability to mimic the hierarchy of structures in the natural extracellular matrix. Thus, they are often combined with synthetic carrier polymers to enable processing. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM), a natural polymer, is allograft bone with inorganic material removed. DBM contains the protein components of bone, which includes adhesion ligands and osteoinductive signals, such as important growth factors. Herein we describe a novel method for tuning the nanostructure of DBM through electrospinning without the use of a carrier polymer. This work surveys solvents and solvent blends for electrospinning DBM. Blends of hexafluoroisopropanol and trifluoroacetic acid are studied in detail. The effects of DBM concentration and dissolution time on solution viscosity...
Appendix 3: The Events Surrounding the Seizure of the Schooner Mary

As explained in the Introduction, the popular view of the Spanish Expedition derives mainly from Carlyle’s novelistic rendering of events in The Life of John Sterling (1851). Carlyle didn’t actually meet Sterling until years later, however, and since Sterling was said never to talk about the episode, we must assume that the colorful, cinematic account Carlyle created was woven out of the stories he heard from Sterling’s family, especially from his father Edward and brother Anthony. John’s second cousin Robert Boyd joined him in the campaign and became its most prominent British victim at Malaga. Carlyle seems not to have studied the Parliamentary papers from the summer of 1834 when legal action was contemplated against Robert Boyd’s “assassin,” then resident in Britain. There and in dozens of newspaper tributes, we see a very different character than the rash, impulsive, almost self-destructive “Robert Boyd” Carlyle gives us. Carlyle’s caricature of Robert Boyd parodies the stock Irishman, and Antonio Gisbert’s El fusilamiento de Torrips y sus compaheros en laplaya de Malaga (1887- 1888) in the Prado, perpetuates that stereotype, even representing Boyd with red hair (in fact it was light brown).1 Carlyle tells a story of Boyd throwing away his commission in the Indian Army over an affront and returning to Ireland with an inheritance to spend and a craving for action. Carlyle would have us believe that Boyd discovers “in a certain neighbouring creek of the Irish coast, a worn-out royal gun-brig condemned to sale, to be had dog-cheap” which he plans to fit out and become a privateer.
Recurrent Pancreatitis Caused by Vegetable Matter Obstruction

A case of recurrent acute pancreatitis caused by blockage of the ampulla of Vater with a piece of vegetable matter is recorded. After endoscopic removal of the foreign body, the patient experienced no further episodes of pancreatitis.
Cardiac MRI-confirmed mesalamine-induced myocarditis

A 38-year-old Caucasian man with a medical history significant for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and mesalamine use presented to the emergency department with stabbing, pleuritic, substernal chest pain over the previous 2 days. Findings of leucocytosis, elevated cardiac enzymes and inflammatory markers, T-wave or ST-segment abnormalities and left ventricular systolic dysfunction suggested mesalamine-induced myocarditis. However, a cardiac MRI confirmed the diagnosis. Signs and symptoms improved within days of withdrawal of mesalamine, and initiation of corticosteroids and follow-up studies within the next year were unremarkable. Importantly, the diagnosis of mesalamine-induced myocarditis confirmed via cardiac MRI is a step rarely performed in published cases.
A Suggestion for Formal Language Development in Marketing Education

The author takes a lighthearted look at one aspect of marketing theory that has been confused by the transfer of language habits from conversational usage to theoretical exposition. A suggested clarification is offered which the author feels might help ameliorate the negative societal image of marketing efforts, or, at least, reduce the incidence of the charge that "marketers make people want things they don’t need."
RNA and DNA Microarrays

The development of microarray technology has revolutionized RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) research. In contrast with traditional biological assays, microarrays allow the simultaneous measurement of tens of thousands of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts for gene expression or of genomic DNA fragments for copy number variation analysis. Over the past decade, genome-wide RNA or DNA microarray analysis has become an essential component of biology and biomedical research. The successful use of microarrays requires attention to unique issues of experimental design and execution. This chapter provides an overview of the methodology and applications of RNA and DNA microarrays in various areas of biological research.
On the merits of extrapolation-based stiff ODE solvers for combustion CFD

Abstract In applications including compression-ignition engines, there is a need to accommodate more realistic chemistry in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Here, we consider approaches where a chemical mechanism is implemented in an application CFD code, an operator-splitting strategy is used to isolate the chemical source terms, and a stiff ordinary differential equation (ODE) solver is used to compute the changes in composition due to chemical reactions for each computational element. Chemical source terms often dominate the computational effort, and reducing the high computational cost associated with realistic chemistry has been the subject of extensive research. This includes work on improved stiff ODE solvers, which in most cases has centered on backward differentiation formula (BDF) methods. Here a different class of solvers is considered, based on extrapolation methods. Key elements of stiff ODE solvers are reviewed briefly, focusing on differences between BDF methods and extrapolation methods. Issues related to using a stiff ODE solver with operator splitting in a CFD code (where the solver is repeatedly stopped and restarted) are emphasized. Homogeneous-reactor results are presented first. There the relationship between user-specified error tolerances and solution accuracy is explored, tradeoffs between accuracy and CPU time are shown, and close-to-linear increase in CPU time with increasing chemical mechanism size is demonstrated. Engine results are presented next, including both homogeneous-charge compression-ignition engines, and direct-injection (nonhomogeneous) compression-ignition engines. There some results are presented where the stiff ODE solver is combined with a dynamic adaptive chemistry scheme. In all cases, it is found that the extrapolation solver offers significant advantages in accuracy and computational efficiency compared to the BDF solver. While the results presented are for one BDF solver (CVODE) and one extrapolation solver (SEULEX), it is anticipated that the insight into how stiff ODE solvers behave in combustion CFD will be broadly applicable to other solvers in these general classes.
Implementing Ergonomic Principles in a Biometric System: A Look at the Human Biometric Sensor Interaction (HBSI)

This paper discusses the implementation of ergonomic principles in a biometric system. Historically, the biometrics community has performed limited work in the area of ergonomics and usability. This research discusses an experiment involving a swipe fingerprint sensor which examined the human interaction with the biometric device called the human biometric sensor interaction (HBSI). The purpose of this study was to examine issues related to fingerprint acquisition of all ten digits. The results revealed that there are fingerprints that have higher failure to acquire (FTA) rates than others, indicating others factors apart from image quality, such as how the user interacts with the device may be at play. Thus, more research is needed in the area of biometric usability and ergonomics, namely understanding how the human interacts with the biometric sensor
Access to Guideline-Recommended Pharmacogenomic Tests for Cancer Treatments: Experience of Providers and Patients

Genomic tests are the fastest growing sector in medicine and medical science, yet there remains a dearth of research on access to pharmacogenomic tests and medications. The objective of this study is to explore providers’ and patients’ experiences and views on test access as well as strategies used for gaining access. We interviewed clinicians who prescribed medications that should be guided by pharmacogenomic testing and patients who received those prescriptions. We organized the themes into the four dimensions suggested by the World Health Organization framework on access to medications and health technologies. Guideline-recommended pharmacogenomic tests for cancer care are generally available, although the timeliness of return of test results is sometimes suboptimal. Accessibility of pharmacogenomic tests is made challenging by the process of ordering pharmacogenomic tests, which is time-consuming. Affordability is a barrier to some patients as expressed by both providers and patients, who noted that the cost of pharmacogenomic tests and medications is high. Acceptability of the tests is high as both providers and patients view the tests positively. Understanding challenges to accessing pharmacogenomic tests will allow policymakers to develop policies that streamline access to genomics-based technologies to improve population health.
Dynamic Oligomeric Properties

This chapter provides a foundation for further research into the relationship between dynamic oligomeric properties and functional diversity. The structural basis that underlies the conformational sub-states of the GAPDH oligomer is discussed. The issue of protein stability is given a thorough analysis, since it is well-established that the primary strategy for protein oligomerization is to stabilize conformation. Several factors that affect oligomerization are described, including chemical modification by synthetic reagents. The effects of native substrates and coenzymes are also discussed. The curious feature of chloride ions having a de-stabilizing effect on native GAPDH structure is described. Additionally, the role of adenine dinucleotides in tetramer-dimer equilibrium dynamics is suggested to be a major part of the physiological regulation of GAPDH structure and function. This chapter also contends that a vast amount of useful information can come from comparative analyses of diverse species, particularly regarding protein stability and subunit-subunit interaction. Lastly, the concept of domain exchange is introduced as a means of understanding the stabilization of dynamic oligomers, suggesting that inter-subunit contacts may also be a way of masking docking sites to other proteins.
A risk-informed decision making framework accounting for early-phase conceptual design of complex systems

A gap exists in the methods used in industry and available in academia that prevents customers and engineers from having a voice when considering engineering risk appetite in the dynamic shaping of early-phase conceptual design trade study outcomes. Current methods used in Collaborative Design Centers either collect risk information after a conceptual design has been created, treat risk as an afterthought during the trade study process, or do not consider risk at all during the creation of conceptual designs. This dissertation proposes a risk-informed decision making framework that offers a new way to account for risk and make decisions based upon risk information within conceptual complex system design trade studies. A meaningful integration of the consideration of risk in trade studies is achieved in this framework thus elevating risk to the same level as other important system-level design parameters. Trade-offs based upon risk appetites of individuals are explicitly allowed under the framework, enabled by an engineering-specific psychometric risk survey that provides aspirational information to use in utility functions. This dissertation provides a novel framework and supporting methodologies for risk-informed design decisions and trades to be made that are based upon engineering risk appetites in conceptual design trade studies.
Enantioselective Ruthenium-Catalyzed Benzocyclobutenone–Ketol Cycloaddition: Merging C–C Bond Activation and Transfer Hydrogenative Coupling for Type II Polyketide Construction

The first enantioselective intermolecular metal-catalyzed cycloadditions of benzocyclobutenones via C–C bond oxidative addition are described. In the presence of a ruthenium(0) complex modified by (R)-DM-SEGPHOS, tetralone-derived ketols and benzocyclobutenones combine to form cycloadducts with complete regio- and diastereoselectivity and high enantioselectivity. Using this method, the “bay region” substructure of the angucycline natural product arenimycin was prepared.
Managing the wheel–rail interface: the Canadian experience

Abstract: Canada is home to a large number of railroads, including the heaviest freight systems and the lightest transit applications and, as such, has encountered a large number and variety of wheel–rail interface problems. Canadian experience with, and solutions for, wheel shelling, rail fatigue, wheel–rail wear, bogie hunting, friction management, rail grinding and wheel- rail profiles are discussed through several case studies.
Origins of Epipalaeolithic obsidian artifacts from Garrod's excavations at Zarzi cave in the Zagros foothills of Iraq

Abstract Ninety years ago in the Zagros foothills of Iraq, Dorothy Garrod and her team excavated Zarzi cave, the type site of the Epipalaeolithic “Zarzian” lithic industry. Garrod reported the existence of “two small fragments of obsidian” in the principally chert-based microlithic assemblage. One of the two artifacts from Zarzi was analyzed by Renfrew and colleagues in a pioneering application of obsidian sourcing to the Near East, which elucidated links between Neolithic villages. It was, unfortunately, ambiguously assigned to their “Group 4c” obsidian, which occurs at two different sources, ∼120 km apart, in eastern Turkey. New interpretive methods — agent-based models, least-cost path analysis, and others — have been applied to the datasets of Renfrew and colleagues, furthering work on the mechanisms of Neolithicization. With respect to the Epipalaeolithic, though, all of these studies rely entirely on this single Zarzi artifact with an inconclusive attribution. Fortunately, the second Zarzi obsidian “fragment” — a burin spall — was “rediscovered” at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard. Our study establishes that both artifacts came from Nemrut Dag volcano, 400 km linearly and ≳650 km on foot. To do so, multivariate analyses were applied to the original spectroscopic data of Renfrew and colleagues, while state-of-the-art portable XRF was used to source the burin spall at Harvard's Peabody Museum. Comparison to two Epipalaeolithic sites in the Caucasus begins to reveal a patchwork of interaction spheres that highlight not only the potential of obsidian sourcing but also the considerable amount of work yet to be done.
Gravity Fluid Flow More Accurately Reflects Joint Fluid Pressure Compared With Commercial Peristaltic Pump Systems in a Cadaveric Model.

Purpose To evaluate intra-articular fluid pressures and joint compliance generated by fluid management systems on cadaveric shoulders and knees under simulated arthroscopic conditions, and to compare joint compliance between knee and shoulder specimens. Methods Intra-articular pressures of 5 cadaver shoulders and 5 knees were recorded for 4 arthroscopic pumps (Stryker FloControl, Stryker CrossFlow, Arthrex DualWave, DePuy Mitek FMS Duo) and a gravity feed system. Each specimen was tested 6 times with a pressure transducer for 2 minutes at 0, 25%, and 50% suction. The average pressures were analyzed with 1-way analysis of variance and Tukey's honestly significant difference tests (P Results At all suction levels, all pumps exhibited significantly greater pressure than gravity feed (P = .001 to P Conclusions Gravity feed is an accurate, reliable delivery method for arthroscopic fluid with minimal overshoot and lower intra-articular pressure ranges than commercial pump systems. There was no evidence of plastic deformation of the joint capsule, because capsular compliance increased linearly in both knee and shoulder specimens throughout testing within the established safe range of intra-articular pressures. Clinical Relevance Arthroscopic flow management systems produce maximal and overshoot pressures that are not seen with gravity flow. Surgeons should understand intra-articular pressure and fluid delivery behavior during shoulder and knee arthroscopy to adapt to the variability and higher maximal pressures when using pump systems. Maintaining appropriate pressure could prevent fluid extravasation and possible neuromuscular dysfunction.
Home-Based Care for CKD for High-Risk Populations.

CKD disproportionately affects minority populations, but many interventions fail to address the cultural barriers that arise when working to improve the health of a population. Rural minority communities often struggle to meet the needs of patients, because access may not be available, patients must
Validation of early drain removal after pancreatoduodenectomy based on modified fistula risk score stratification: a population-based assessment

Abstract Background Recent studies on postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) prevention following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) have proposed omission of perioperative drains for negligible/low-risk patients and early drain removal (≤POD3) for intermediate/high-risk patients with POD1 drain amylase levels of ≤5000 U/L, though this has not been validated using a nationwide cohort. Methods The ACS-NSQIP targeted pancreatectomy database from 2014 to 2016 was queried to identify patients who underwent PD. Patients with POD1 drain amylase levels of ≤5000 U/L were initially stratified as negligible/low- or intermediate/high-risk based on a previously validated modified fistula risk score (mFRS). Differences in relevant postoperative outcomes were then compared among patients who underwent early (≤POD3) vs. late (≥POD4) drain removal. Results Among 1825 patients who underwent PD, 1540 (84%) had POD1 drain amylase of ≤5000 U/L: 719 (47%) high-risk and 821 (53%) low-risk. Among high-risk patients, early drain removal (n = 205, 29%) was associated with lower rates of POPF (3% vs. 18%, p Conclusions Among patients with POD1 drain amylase ≤5000 U/L following PD, early drain removal (≤POD3) is associated with improved postoperative outcomes among both high- and low-risk patients. Early drain removal based on POD1 drain amylase is indicated regardless of mFRS.
No effect of hypergravity on adult rat ventral horn neuron size or SDH activity.

BACKGROUND: Spaceflights of short duration (approximately 2 wk) result in adaptations in the size and/or metabolic properties of a select population of motoneurons located in the lumbosacral region of the rat spinal cord. A decrease in succinate dehydrogenase (SDH, an oxidative marker enzyme) activity of moderately sized (500-800 microm2) motoneurons in the retrodorsolateral region of the spinal cord (L6) has been observed after a 14-d flight. HYPOTHESIS: Our hypothesis was that exposure to short-term hypergravity would result in adaptations in the opposite direction, reflecting a continuum of morphological and biochemical responses in the spinal motoneurons from zero gravity to hypergravity. METHODS: Young, male rats were centrifuged at either 1.5 or 2.0 G for 2 wk. The size and SDH activity of a population of motoneurons in the retrodorsolateral region of the spinal cord (L5) were determined and compared with age-matched rats maintained at 1.0 G. The absolute and relative (to body weight) masses of the soleus, gastrocnemius, adductor longus and tibialis anterior muscles were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: There were no effects of either hypergravity intervention on the motoneuron properties. Rats maintained under hypergravity conditions gained less body mass than rats kept at 1.0 G. For the 1.5 and 2.0 G groups, the muscle absolute mass was smaller and relative mass similar to that observed in the 1.0 G rats, except for the adductor longus. The adductor longus absolute mass was similar to and the relative mass larger in both hypergravity groups than in the 1.0 G group. CONCLUSIONS: Our hypothesis was rejected. The findings suggest that rat motoneurons are more responsive to short-term chronic exposure to spaceflight than to hypergravity conditions.
Andô dilations and inequalities on non-commutative domains

We obtain intertwining dilation theorems for non-commutative regular domains 𝒟 f and non-commutative varieties 𝒱 J in B ( 𝓗 ) n , which generalize Sarason and Szőkefalvi-Nagy and Foias's commutant lifting theorem for commuting contractions. We present several applications including a new proof for the commutant lifting theorem for pure elements in the domain 𝒟 f (respectively, variety 𝒱 J ) as well as a Schur-type representation for the unit ball of the Hardy algebra associated with the variety 𝒱 J . We provide Ando-type dilations and inequalities for bi-domains 𝒟 f × c 𝒟 g consisting of all pairs ( X , Y ) of tuples X := ( X 1 ,…, X n 1 ) ∊ 𝒟 f and Y := ( Y 1 ,…, Y n 2 ) ∊ 𝒟 g that commute, i.e. each entry of X commutes with each entry of Y . The results are new, even when n 1 = n 2 = 1. In this particular case, we obtain extensions of Ando's results and Agler and McCarthy's inequality for commuting contractions to larger classes of commuting operators. All the results are extended to bi-varieties 𝒱 J 1 ×c 𝒱 J 2 , where 𝒱 J 1 and 𝒱 J 2 are non-commutative varieties generated by weak-operator-topology-closed two-sided ideals in non-commutative Hardy algebras. The commutative case and the matrix case when n 1 = n 2 = 1 are also discussed.
Perioperative stroke associated in-hospital morbidity and in-hospital mortality in common non-vascular non-neurological surgery.

Abstract Perioperative stroke in non-vascular, non-neurological surgery is a potential cause of high levels of in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Although, perioperative stroke following non-vascular and non-neurological surgery is a relatively infrequent event; high surgical volume results in thousands of patients experiencing neurological deficits. We aim to determine if perioperative stroke is an independent risk factor for 30-day in-hospital morbidity and mortality following common non-vascular non-neurological surgery. This is a retrospective analysis of 4,264,963 surgical procedures identified in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the years 2000 through 2011. The exposure of interest was stroke within 30 days of total knee arthroscopy, total hip arthroscopy, lung segmentation and resection, appendectomy, hemicolectomy, cholecystectomy, and lysis of peritoneal adhesions. Study outcomes were in-hospital mortality and in-hospital morbidity. Our study found an in-hospital morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and perioperative stroke rate of 5.5%, 0.8%, and 0.2%, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed perioperative stroke to be a significant independent predictor (p
Regime-switching Volatility of Stock Returns and Exchange Rates in Latin America

A SWARCH model was applied to the stock returns and exchange rates of Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Two volatility states are present and the high volatility periods were identified and dated. The length of the high volatility period was greater for stock returns during the financial crises of the nineties whereas during the global financial crisis exchange rates experienced a longer period of high volatility. The European sovereign debt crisis and the end of the Fed’s QE program caused high volatility on the exchange rates only. The degree of concordance between the high volatility regimes of stock returns and exchange rates is low in the three countries and only Brazil reported a significant positive correlation between the states.