cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Tumor with Unusual Thyroid Follicular-Like Morphologic Characteristics

We describe a primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor of a 57-year-old Thai woman who presented in 2004 with a suspicious mass in the left hepatic lobe. She underwent left hepatectomy for the 10.5-cm mass, called intermediate grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of unknown origin, likely metastatic. The tumor recurred in 2007, then called recurrent primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor (PHNET), and the patient underwent liver transplant. Because of similarity between the neuroendocrine tumor and a thyroid tumor—specifically, follicular-like characteristics—immunohistochemical stains for thyroglobulin, TTF1, and calcitonin were performed. However, all were negative. All imaging studies revealed no evidence of a primary lesion other than the liver mass. In 2008, the patient’s liver transplant failed because of ischemic cholangiopathy, and she underwent a second liver transplant. Seven years later, in 2015, she presented with metastatic neuroendocrine tumor of intermediate grade to the lung, consistent with metastatic PHNET. She underwent left upper-lobe wedge resection to remove the tumor. The patient is alive with no evidence of disease at 13 years after initial diagnosis. This rare variant of PHNET had thyroid-like morphologic characteristics but there is no evidence of primary thyroid tumor or thyroid markers in the primary and recurrent hepatic tumors and lung metastasis.
Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices for Low Frequency Measurements

Quantum interference effects between two Josephson tunnel junctions [1] incorporated in a superconducting ring were first observed by Jaklevic et al. [2] in 1964. These workers showed that the critical current of the double junction was an oscillatory function of the magnetic flux threading the ring, the period being the flux quantum, Φo. The implications of this result for instrumentation were quickly realized, and a variety of dc SQUIDS* (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) were developed and used. These devices included several designs involving machined pieces of niobium connected with point contact junctions [3–5],and the SLUG [6] (Superconducting Low-Inductance Undulatory Galvanometer), which consisted of a bead of solder frozen onto a niobium wire. In the late 1960’s, the rf SQUID [7–9] appeared. The rf SQUID consists of a single Josephson junction on a superconducting ring, and, presumably because only a single junction is required, has become much more widely used than the dc SQUID. Several commercial versions [10–13] of the rf SQUID, complete with sophisticated readout electronics, are available. Close attention has been paid to the optimum coupling of the rf SQUID to the room temperature electronics. As a result of this research, the present rf SQUIDs have a higher sensitivity than the first generation of dc SQUIDs.
Does a CEO’s hedging ability affect the firm’s capital structure?

I examine whether a CEO’s composition of firm stockholdings between restricted and unrestricted shares impacts the amount of leverage carried by the firm. I document a negative and statistically significant relationship between leverage and the proportion of CEO total shareholdings that are unrestricted, and this negative relationship holds for alternative measures of leverage. This result supports the notion that the composition of a CEO’s portfolio of firm stock between restricted and unrestricted shares is a significant determinant of leverage ratios.
A Question & Answer with Helen S. Cohen, Filmmaker of States of Grace

This article provides a brief discussion with the filmmaker Helen S. Cohen about her process creating States of Grace , a documentary that, over the course of four years, documents the rehabilitation of a physician critically injured in a car crash. The article including what Cohen has learned about disability in the process, the remarkable reactions she has received from others who have seen the film, and how this film fits in the larger trajectory of her practice as a filmmaker.
Using high-fidelity simulation to teach fundamental principles of cardiac catheterisation to pharmacy students

Background Pharmacy students often find the pathophysiology and treatment of comorbid heart conditions challenging to understand. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a cardiac catheterisation lab simulation on pharmacy students’ knowledge related to cardiology and critical care pharmacotherapy. Methods Third-year pharmacy students at the University of South Florida completed a high-fidelity cardiac catheterisation simulation. Specific aspects within the activity involved review of clinical parameters and images during catheterisation, identification of access points for catheter insertion, review of the types of stents available and associated pharmacotherapeutic considerations, and discussion of protective measures to prevent radiation exposure. Students completed knowledge-based presimulation and postsimulation assessments regarding these aspects of cardiac catheterisation. Results All students (n=111, 100%) completed the presimulation and postsimulation assessments. There was an increase in knowledge after the simulation, which was statistically significant in five out of nine questions, P Conclusions Participation in the simulation improved students’ knowledge related to cardiology pharmacotherapy and associated acute procedures.
Early Use of Systemic Corticosteroids in Patients with Advanced NSCLC Treated with Nivolumab.

Abstract Introduction Checkpoint inhibitors augment the immune system's natural surveillance mechanisms and have increasing applications in NSCLC. Immunosuppressive corticosteroids are also frequently used in this population to treat unwanted inflammation. In view of this mechanistic opposition, we investigated the interaction between nivolumab and corticosteroids in patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods A retrospective review of the charts of 210 patients with NSCLC who were treated with nivolumab at the Cleveland Clinic was performed. Use of systemic corticosteroids (equivalent to >10 mg of prednisone/d) during nivolumab therapy was associated with the objective outcomes number of nivolumab cycles and overall survival. Results In all, 66 patients (31%) received concurrent systemic corticosteroids during nivolumab therapy. The most common indications included sequelae from active or treated brain metastases (27%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other respiratory disease (21%). For patients with early exposure to steroids (within the first 30 days of nivolumab therapy) (12% [n=25]), the median number of nivolumab cycles was 2, compared with five cycles in patients who were not exposed to corticosteroids (p = 0.002). The median overall survival time for patients who received steroids during the first 30 days was 4.3 months, compared with 11 months for patients who did not receive steroids (hazard ratio for death = 2.30, 95% confidence interval: CI 1.27–4.16, p = 0.006 in multivariate analysis). Conclusion Nearly one-third of patients with NSCLC treated with nivolumab were prescribed concurrent corticosteroids during the course of nivolumab therapy. Patients exposed to corticosteroids during the first cycle of nivolumab received fewer total cycles of nivolumab, suggesting decreased clinical benefit, and they had shorter overall survival.
Shifting Fortunes in a Changing Economy

Income losses resulting from marital disruption have traditionally contributed to high rates of poverty for single women. This paper explores trends in the economic consequences of divorce using data from the 1980–2001 Current Population Survey March Demographic Supplement. Divorce still adversely affects women’s incomes, but divorcees have achieved noticeable economic gains over the last twenty years. Newly developed econometric techniques reveal progress at all points of the income distribution; middle- and upper-class economic gains cannot be attributed to polarization within divorced women’s incomes. Multivariate analyses show that progress can largely be attributed to divorcees’ progress in the workforce and changing demographic attributes, rather than economic dependence on men, relatives, or income transfers. Finally, we explore the implications of these results for understanding stratification in contemporary America.
Sinecatechins: Effects on HPV-Induced Enzymes Involved in Inflammatory Mediator Generation

Background: Based on published studies, the biological properties of green tea catechins are antiviral, antioxidative, anticarcinogenic, antiangiogenic, and immunostimulatory. The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved a topical ointment formulation of sinecatechins, derived from green tea catechins and other tea components, for the treatment of external genital and perianal warts. The exact mechanism of action of sinecatechins in eradication of human papillomavirus-induced external genital and perianal warts is unknown, but may be due to one or more of the mechanisms mentioned. Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of sinecatechins on proteases, inflammatory enzymes, and kinases contributing to human papillomavirus expression and growth. Design: Using commercially available in-vitro biochemical assays, sinecatechins were tested for their activity against matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9); enzymes involved in oxidative stress (lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases [COX-1, COX-2]); several growth factors (epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and transforming growth factor-β); and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2. The ability of sinecatechins to inhibit ligand binding of growth factors was also studied. Results: Sinecatechins showed specific inhibition against a variety of enzymes at concentrations in the micromolar range. With the exception of matrix metalloproteinase-1, all proteases tested were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Pronounced inhibition of certain lipoxygenases was observed. Cyclooxygenases were also inhibited, with slight selectivity of greater inhibition against cyclooxygenases-2, the inducible form of cyclooxygenases. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (involved in human papillomavirus tumor cell growth) were also inhibited by sinecatechins at high concentrations, while epidermal growth factor receptor was inhibited at surprisingly low concentrations. In contrast, no inhibition of binding of various growth factors to their corresponding receptors was seen, highlighting the specificity of sinecatechins inhibitory activity. Results demonstrated that sinecatechins specifically inhibit multiple human papillomavirus-induced pathways and molecules, likely contributing to external genital and perianal warts clearance via direct antiviral activity. Conclusion: As expected, sinecatechins inhibited a broad range of enzymes and kinases involved in the generation of inflammatory mediators: proteases, oxygenases, and protein kinases were all inhibited by sinecatechins in the micromolar range.
Optimal Trajectory Planning and Feedback Control of Lateral Undulation in Snake-Like Robots

Although the lateral undulation gait has received much attention in the field of biologically-inspired snake robotics, tools that support its practical use as a locomotive method remain scarce. Using a recently developed dynamic model for lateral undulation, this paper describes an optimal control trajectory synthesis strategy and a closed-loop feedback control approach to trajectory tracking. Enabling the two is an empirical control-to-action mapping whose input is a gait parameter vector and whose output is the averaged steady-behavior body velocity of the system, approximating lateral undulation with a kinematic model. Direct collocation-based trajectory optimization with the kinematic model along with $L_{p}$ -norm representations of the robot body and obstacles for collision avoidance, produce optimal, dynamically-feasible paths for navigating to a goal position. During path tracking, the feedback control corrections are mapped back to appropriate gait parameter commands using the generated map. Application of the trajectory planning and feedback controlled path following strategy in simulation demonstrates successful traversal of various obstacle arrangements, even in the presence of modeling approximation errors and unmodeled gait transition dynamics.
3D Anatomic Adrenal Modeling Aids Preoperative Planning in Cortical-Sparing Adrenalectomy

Abstract Introduction: A young adult female member of a well-characterized Type 2 C Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) kindred presented for annual surveillance. Her VHL has manifested as organ of Zuckerkandl...
Late Quaternary geology and geomorphology in relation to archaeological site locations, southern Arizona

Abundant archaeological sites near the Tucson Mountains in southern Arizona occur on landforms formed by late Quaternary geological processes, some of which are still locally active today. Six depositional units of Quaternary age are identified in this report; four of these are of probable Holocene age. Each unit has a characteristic surface expression in terms of soil development, topographic relief, drainage density, and topographic position in relation to other units. Paleoindian Period artifacts are located on older fan remnants (Qfo) but may be buried at depth within Santa Cruz River alluvium (Qal). Archaic Period artifacts also occur on older fan remnants and may be buried along the river; however, several are also found within eolian dunes (Qeo) that contain sequences of buried soils. These dunes underwent a period of eolian sedimentation and artifact deposition, commencing at approximately 3000 14C years BP at two sites. More data are required to determine whether cultural preference, perhaps related to proto-agricultural activities, resulted in the apparent use of these dunes by Archaic peoples. Ceramic Period artifacts are located along modern drainage ways and along and in areas of Holocene alluvium. The Santa Cruz River to the east of the Tucson Mountains has downcut and terraced the valley floor deposits (Qvo and Qvy). The resulting base level changes cause young fan deposits to be inset against older ones. Buried Ceramic Period sites may be located within these relatively thick, younger fan deposits in this area.
Incidence of general surgical procedures in adult patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

PurposeExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation use may predispose patients to developing conditions that require either consultation with a general surgeon or a general surgical procedure. We aimed to ...
Reverberations and Reverb: Sound Possibilities for Narrative, Creativity, and Critique:

The performative nature of this article simultaneously functions at multiple levels. It is at once an article about, among other things, the significance of the sonic and its qualitative difference...
Effects of Proton Radiation-Induced Defects on Optoelectronic Properties of MoS 2

We report on photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope imaging of suspended and substrate-supported flakes of the 2-D semiconductor MoS2 before and after exposure to 100-keV proton radiation with fluences of $6 \times 10^{13}$ , $6\times 10^{14}$ , and $6 \times 10^{15}$ p/cm2, respectively, and subsequent annealing. An indirect-to-direct bandgap transition is observed, which is preserved after annealing. This transition is accompanied by an unexpected increase in PL intensity after radiation exposure of multilayer samples, which is attributed to higher radiative efficiency of the direct-gap transition.
2014 Distributed Wind Market Report

The cover of the 2014 Distributed Wind Market Report.According to the 2014 Distributed Wind Market Report, distributed wind reached a cumulative capacity of almost 1 GW (906 MW) in the United States in 2014, reflecting nearly 74,000 wind turbines deployed across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In total, 63.6 MW of new distributed wind capacity was added in 2014, representing nearly 1,700 units and $170 million in investment across 24 states. In 2014, America's distributed wind energy industry supported a growing domestic industrial base as exports from United States-based small wind turbine manufacturers accounted for nearly 80% of United States-based manufacturers' sales.
Prosaic Poetry and Pneumatic Craving in Southey’s Curse of Kehama

Among those affiliated with Thomas Beddoes’s Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, there were a number who poetically emphasized the hopeful attributes of scientific pursuit. Coleridge did so; Humphry Davy did in his poetry, too; Robert Southey had early on asserted the connection between scientific study and hope. Southey, however, would remark that he had undergone especially volatile responses to nitrous oxide. His sense of adventures through a material world would, in the years following his time spent at the Pneumatic Institution, become conflicted. He would, in particular, register pneumatically inflected hopes in less idealistic terms than Coleridge or Davy. Instead, Southey’s poetry has passages containing descriptions of pneumatic desires in terms of anguished bodily craving. This essay considers how Southey’s Curse of Kehama, published in 1810, locates an especially vexed sense of bodily craving in the kind of thinking about matter and air associated with the Pneumatic Institution. I examine how such physically wrenching desire relates to the form of Southey’s poem, wherein certain poetic rhythms of anticipation—iterations suggesting others still to come—operate within a more prosaic realm of conflicted, irregularly interconnected, material immanence.
Do we need two theories of relativity

This article discusses the ambiguity created by dividing the theory of relativity into special and general branches. A systematic study of covariant electrodynamics reveals the relation between matter and Minkowskian space-time, and the governing non-Euclidean geometry. This in turn results in the completion of Poincare’s theory of relativity by showing that motion of a particle is a four-dimensional rotation of its body frame and the interaction field is a four-dimensional vorticity field. Therefore, one can see that there is only one theory of relativity, which is fully covariant.
Usefulness of a Novel System for Feedback of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Children Recovering From Burns

The Burn Outcomes Questionnaire for children ages 5-18 years (BOQ5-18) is a widely used, reliable, and valid parent-reported outcome measure designed to assess children's recovery from burn injuries in 12 physical and psychosocial domains. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and usefulness of a feedback system that delivered BOQ and Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17; a widely used measure of psychosocial functioning) results to burn care clinicians prior to an outpatient appointment or a postoperative surgical encounter. The BOQ and the PSC-17 were administered to the parents of 147 children receiving outpatient or surgical care in two pediatric burn hospitals. Clinician and parent perceptions of the feedback system were evaluated using debriefing questionnaires. Over half of all patients were at-risk on at least one BOQ subscale, and risk on three or more BOQ domains was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of poor psychological scores on the PSC-17 (P < .001). Significant differences in BOQ scores were found between the two hospital sites on four BOQ subscales, three related to physical ability and one to psychosocial well-being. Parent ratings of the feedback system were positive, with 90% of parents in both settings agreeing that the BOQ tablet experience was easy and helpful. Clinician attitudes differed across the two settings with more positive clinician ratings of the system in the outpatient setting (P < .001). Clinician interviews revealed that the data was especially useful in bringing to light psychosocial aspects of functioning relevant to long-term recovery from burn injuries.
Generation of the first tellurium-containing diheteropentalene.

The known diester dibromomethylthiophene was converted to the tellurolo[3,4-c]thiphene, the first example of a diheteropentalene containing a tellurophene annelated across the 3,4-c position to thiophene. It is stable in solution and adds to DMAD across the 2,5-positions in tellurophene. The intermediate loses tellurium and collapses to a tetracarbomethoxy benzo[c]thiophene derivative.
PULSAR KICKS FROM NEUTRINO OSCILLATIONS

Neutrino oscillations in a core-collapse supernova may be responsible for the observed rapid motions of pulsars. Given the present bounds on the neutrino masses, the pulsar kicks require a sterile neutrino with mass 2–20 keV and a small mixing with the active neutrinos. The same particle can be the cosmological dark matter. Its existence can be confirmed the by the X-ray telescopes if they detect a 1–10 keV photon line from the decays of the relic sterile neutrinos. In addition, one may be able to detect gravity waves from a pulsar being accelerated by neutrinos in the event of a nearby supernova.
Road to Nanjing

The Japanese deployed warships and marines in the Shanghai area as early as 1894, when the First Sino-Japanese War broke out. 20 marines from the Japanese gunboat, Oshima (大島號), were dispatched ashore in 1897 to protect the Japanese Consulate General at Shanghai when a riot occurred. This was the beginning of the Japanese deployment of ground troops in Shanghai. In 1900 the Japanese organized a 120-member semi-military Volunteer Force (義勇隊) to protect Japanese subjects during the Boxer Rebellion. Five years later in 1905, marines from the Japanese cruiser, Tsushima (対馬號), landed to set up the Garrison Police Headquarters (守備警察本部). Meanwhile, Japanese warships at Shanghai were officially organized into the South China Local Garrison Flotilla (南清地方警備艦隊), which was renamed the Third Fleet in 1909.
We don’t know that we don’t know what a body can do … , or Spinoza and some social lives of sonic material

This essay is about how artists, listeners and critics claim to hear life in a sound and how this suggestive, but hazily defined, provocation connects vast cultural circuits of production, technolo...
Chapter 6 – Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a relatively common age-dependent neurodegenerative disease for which there are currently excellent symptomatic treatments but no disease-modifying therapy. Here, I will outline briefly how understanding of the neuropathology of PD leads to current treatments, which largely aim to replace the lost neurotransmitter dopamine or to reset the circuitry imbalance that results from a loss of input from the substantia nigra to the striatum. While effective for many patients, there are important limitations to this approach in the context of a progressive, multisystem disease. I will also discuss targets that have come from understanding some aspects of the underlying causation of PD, principally from two genes that are mutated in inherited forms of PD and also act as risk factors for sporadic PD, α-synuclein and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2). While these concepts remain to be tested clinically, there is hope that new treatments to address the underlying process in PD will move forward in the next few years.
P694 Case-based enhanced gonorrhea surveillance, chicago, IL, 2018

Background In 2017, 11,730 gonorrhea (GC) cases were reported to Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), a 33% increase from 2015 (8,786 cases). CDPH conducted enhanced GC surveillance to identify factors that may inform interventions. Methods A 33% random sample was selected for further investigation from lab-confirmed GC cases reported August - December 2018 (N=3,337), through Illinois National Electronic Disease Surveillance System. Enhanced surveillance data came from: (1) case telephone interviews, (2) provider case reports, and (3) web-based provider survey. Results From October 2018 - February 2019, enhanced surveillance data was obtained from 459 cases (171 interviews, 399 provider reports; 111 with both), representing 68% of 672 cases with attempted contact, and 14% of all GC cases during the period. Survey respondents were representative of all reported cases: 68% male, median age 27 years, 53% Non-Hispanic Black, 22% Non-Hispanic White, 22% Hispanic. Prior GC infection was documented in 30% of cases, and was more prevalent among males (adjusted prevalence rate ratio [aPRR]= 1.90) and HIV infected persons (aPRR = 1.64). Adolescents and young adults (AYA; aged 13–24 years) comprised 47% of all reported GC cases. Compared to adults, AYA were less likely male (47% vs 80%, p Conclusion Prior GC infection and HIV co-infection were prevalent, without discriminative factors, indicating innovative measures are needed. AYA differ substantially from adults in risk profile, and may have less complete case management. Age-specific and risk-targeted interventions are needed to optimally manage GC and interrupt transmission. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Introducing Streaming into Linear Algebra-based Sparse Graph Algorithms

GraphBLAS is a new package designed to provide a standard set of building blocks for graph algorithms based formally in the language of linear algebra. This paper suggests some extensions of the underlying math that would enhance GraphBLAS’ ability to stream updates into a computation without a bulk recomputation, and at greatly reduced computational complexity. The process is applied to several examples.
External voltage sources and Tunneling in quantum wires

We (re) consider in this paper the problem of tunneling through an impurity in a quantum wire with arbitrary Luttinger interaction parameter. By combining the integrable approach developed in the case of Quantum Hall edge states with the introduction of radiative boundary conditions to describe the adiabatic coupling to reservoirs, we are able to obtain the exact equilibrium and non equilibrium current. One of the most striking features observed is the appearance of negative differential conductances out of equilibrium in the strongly interacting regime g <=.2. In spite of the various charging effects, a remarkable form of duality is still observed. New results on the computation of transport properties in integrable impurity problems are gathered in appendices. In particular, we prove that the TBA results satisfy a remarkable relation, originally derived using the Keldysh formalism, between the order T^2 correction to the current out of equilibrium and the second derivative of this current at T=0 with respect to the voltage.
Catching a Big Fish with a Small Net: Factors Associated with First-Choice Match from Urology Residency Applicants’ Self-Reported Data

AbstractIntroduction:We sought to determine the accuracy of self-reported urology applicant match data and determine which factors were most influential on successful application outcomes.Methods:A...
One-bit feedback is sufficient for upper confidence bound policies.

We consider a variant of the traditional multi-armed bandit problem in which each arm is only able to provide one-bit feedback during each pull based on its past history of rewards. Our main result is the following: given an upper confidence bound policy which uses full-reward feedback, there exists a coding scheme for generating one-bit feedback, and a corresponding decoding scheme and arm selection policy, such that the ratio of the regret achieved by our policy and the regret of the full-reward feedback policy asymptotically approaches one.
The New Countermajoritarian Difficulty

The “countermajoritarian difficulty” was a central preoccupation for twentieth-century constitutional law scholars. Alexander Bickel, who coined the phrase in The Least Dangerous Branch, located that difficulty institutionally in the courts. Judicial review, he wrote, involved the “reality that when the Supreme Court declares unconstitutional a legislative act or the action of an elected executive, it thwarts the will of representatives of the actual people of the here and now; it exercises control, not in behalf of the prevailing majority, but against it.” In one of the most influential responses to Bickel’s argument, John Hart Ely asserted that “representation-reinforcing” judicial review poses no such difficulty. According to Ely, that form of judicial intervention carries out the Constitution’s commitment to democratic self-governance—a “constitutional development” that in his description had moved “continuously, even relentlessly” away from limits on “government by majority.” But what if Ely and Bickel were wrong—Bickel in supposing that the countermajoritarian difficulty was tied to the judiciary and Ely in supposing that our constitutional development has moved unidirectionally toward greater majoritarian democracy? In reality, the way our nation is constituted may be interacting with the way our Constitution was written to produce one of those periods of retrenchment in which we move once again towards government by minority. This article, originally given as the Jorde Lecture, explores how changes in demography are interacting with constitutional law—both structural features of how political power is allocated and recent Supreme Court decisions—to create a new countermajoritarian difficulty. Part I lays out the constitution of the American electorate. That electorate is changing demographically—becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, more geographically concentrated and homogeneous, and more divided, not only in its partisan affiliations, but in its values and its prospects for the future. Part II explains that some fundamental, hard-wired features of our Constitution—in particular, the Senate and the Electoral College—are assisting a shrinking white, conservative, exurban numerical minority to exert substantial control over the national government and its policies. Part III then shows that the current Supreme Court is countermajoritarian in a way that enables this entrenchment. Far from engaging in representation-reinforcing judicial review, the Court’s decisions contribute to “the ins . . . choking off the channels of political change to ensure that they will stay in and the outs will stay out” regardless of what the people would choose.
ENTRENAMIENTO EN CIRUGÍA MÍNIMAMENTE INVASIVA EN ONCOLOGÍA UROLÓGICA

Resumen es: La utilizacion de la cirugia minimamente invasiva (CMI) continua expandiendose en el campo de la urologia oncologica; sin embargo, el dominio de estas te...
Target detection studies using fully polarimetric data collected by the Lincoln Laboratory MMW SAR

Under DARPA sponsorship, MIT Lincoln Laboratory is investigating the detection and identification of stationary ground targets in high resolution, fully polarimetric, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. The paper compares two techniques for improving target detection performance by optimally processing the fully polarimetric SAR data.
Incremental Clustering Algorithm for Earth Science Data Mining

Remote sensing data plays a key role in understanding the complex geographic phenomena. Clustering is a useful tool in discovering interesting patterns and structures within the multivariate geospatial data. One of the key issues in clustering is the specification of appropriate number of clusters, which is not obvious in many practical situations. In this paper we provide an extension of G-means algorithm which automatically learns the number of clusters present in the data and avoids over estimation of the number of clusters. Experimental evaluation on simulated and remotely sensed image data shows the effectiveness of our algorithm.
Surrogate Human Tissue Temperatures Resulting From Misalignment of Antenna and Implant During Recharging of a Neuromodulation Device

Objectives: A synergistic experimental and numerical investigation has provided quantitative information on the response of surrogate human tissue temperatures to misalignment of the implant and antenna of neuromodulation devices during recharging. Materials and Methods: The experimental phase of the work provided information on the rates of heat transfer from the implant and the antenna to their respective surroundings. The heat transfer data were used as input to a biothermal model from which tissue temperature distributions were obtained. Results: It was found that misalignment increases tissue temperatures compared with those for the aligned case for all of the investigated devices. These increases ranged from 0.5°C to 5.3°C. Conclusion: Notwithstanding these increases, the lowest temperatures were attained by the Restore Ultra device for all operating conditions. The temperature levels achieved by the Precision Plus and Eon Mini devices were found to be greater than those for the Restore Ultra but their relative rankings depend on the thermal boundary conditions and the duration of the recharging period. The foregoing rank ordering was validated by a sensitivity study in which the heat transfer data inputted to the numerical simulation was varied systematically. The aforementioned comparisons correspond with identical recharging periods for all of the devices.
Chapter 19 Derivatives

Abstract The area of derivatives is arguably the most fascinating area within financial economics during the past thirty years. This chapter reviews the evolution of derivatives contract markets and derivatives research over the past thirty years. The chapter has six complementary sections. The first contains a brief history of contract markets. The most important innovations occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, when contracts written on financial contracts were introduced. Concurrent with these important industry innovations was the development of modern-day option valuation theory, which is reviewed in the second and third sections. The key contribution is seminal theoretical framework of the Black-Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973) (“BSM≓) model. The key economic insight of their model is that a risk-free hedge can be formed between a derivatives contract and its underlying asset. This implies that contract valuation is possible under the assumption of risk-neutrality without loss of generality. The final three sections summarize the three main strands of empirical work in the derivatives area. In the first group are studies that focus on testing no-arbitrage pricing relations that link the prices of derivatives contracts with their underling asset and with each other. The second group contains studies that evaluate option empirical performance of option valuation models. The approaches used include investigating the in-sample properties of option values by examining pricing errors or patterns in implied volatilities, examining the performance of different option valuation models by simulating a trading strategy based on under- and over-pricing, and examining the informational content of the volatility implied by option prices. The final group focuses on the social costs and/or benefits that arise from derivatives trading. The main conclusion that can be drawn from the empirical work is that the BSM model is one of the most resilient in the history of financial economics.
Blood Gas Measurements

Blood gas measurement-monitoring is essential to monitor gas exchange in critically ill patients in the intensive care units, and “standard of care” monitoring to deliver general anesthesia. It is a cornerstone in the diagnosis and management of the patient's oxygenation and acid-base disorders. Moreover, it may indicate the onset or culmination of cardiopulmonary problems, and may help in evaluating the effectiveness of the applied therapy. Numerous studies and reports have shown the significance of utilizing blood gas analyses in preventing serious oxygenation and acid-base problems. This article gives a summarized explanation of the common methods and instruments used nowadays in blood gas measurements in clinical medicine. This explanation includes a brief history of the development of these methods and instruments, the principles of their operation, a general description of their designs, and some of their clinical uses, hazards, risks, limitations, and finally the direction in the future to improve these instruments or to invent new ones. Keywords: invasive blood gas measurements; noninvasive blood gas measurements; blood gas electrodes; blood gas physiology; oximetry; TCM
Symbiotic Combination as an Alternative to Sexual Recombination in Genetic Algorithms

Recombination in the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is supposed to enable the component characteristics from two parents to be extracted and then reassembled in different combinations - hopefully producing an offspring that has the good characteristics of both parents. However, this can only work if it is possible to identify which parts of each parent should be extracted. Crossover in the standard GA takes subsets of genes that are adjacent on the genome. Other variations of the GA propose more sophisticated methods for identifying good subsets of genes within an individual. Our approach is different; rather than devising methods to enable successful extraction of gene-subsets from parents, we utilize variable-size individuals which represent subsets of genes from the outset. Joining together two individuals, creating an 'offspring' that is twice the size, straight-forwardly produces the sum of the parents' characteristics. This form of component assembly is more closely analogous to combination of symbiotic organisms than it is to sexual recombination. Whereas sexual recombination, modeled by crossover, occurs between similar individuals and exchanges subsets of genes, symbiotic combination, as modeled in our operator, can occur between entirely unrelated species and combines together whole organisms. This paper summarizes our research on this approach to recombination in GAs and describes new methods that illustrate its potential.
Effects of scene content and horizon on glideslope control

This study is part of a continuing program of research whose goal is the identification of the sources of information used by pilots performing visually guided landing approaches. One source of information that has received empirical support is the horizon-aimpoint angle, which subtends the distance from the horizon to the runway aimpoint. This angle remains invariant for a constant angle of approach, and thus serves as a means to determine deviations from the specified glideslope. It has been shown that a high or low horizon biases glideslope control in a systematic fashion, and that the addition of a perspective gradient weakens this bias. The first experiment reported examines the effect of the density of the perspective gradient on glideslope control, to see if a gradient of sufficient density can eliminate the bias induced by a high or low horizon. The second experiment explored the differential effects of a perspective gradient and moderately realistic scene detail when restricted to the foreground or background fields of a visual scene. >
Evolution of Coherent Structures in a Lip Jet

Evolutions of coherent structures are examined in a lip jet and in a free jet. The presence of the lip extension (Fig. 1) has extensive effect on the development of the shear layers. Interaction between the free shear layer and the boundary layer or between the two free shear layers with different initial conditions is also studied. The induced flow of the coherent structures plays a dominant role in the interactions.
Improving the Data Delivery Latency in Sensor Networks with Controlled Mobility

Unlike traditional multihop forwarding among homogeneous static sensor nodes, use of mobile devices for data collection in wireless sensor networks has recently been gathering more attention. It is known that the use of mobility significantly reduces the energy consumption at each sensor, elongating the functional lifetime of the network, in exchange for increased data delivery latency. However, in previous work, mobility and communication capabilities are often underutilized, resulting in suboptimal solutions incurring unnecessarily large latency. In this paper, we focus on the problem of finding an optimal path of a mobile device, which we call "data mule," to achieve the smallest data delivery latency in the case of minimum energy consumption at each sensor, i.e., each sensor only sends its data directly to the data mule. We formally define the path selection problem and show the problem is $\mathcal{NP}$-hard. Then we present an approximation algorithm and analyze its approximation factor. Numerical experiments demonstrate that our approximation algorithm successfully finds the paths that result in 10%-50% shorter latency compared to previously proposed methods, suggesting that controlled mobility can be exploited much more effectively.
Numerical Taxonomy of Some Bacteria Isolated from Antarctic and Tropical Seawaters

Pfister, Robert M. (Lamont Geological Observatory, Palisades, N.Y.), and Paul R. Burkholder. Numerical taxonomy of some bacteria isolated from Antarctic and tropical seawaters. J. Bacteriol. 90:863-872. 1965.-Microorganisms from Antarctic seas and from tropical waters near Puerto Rico were examined with a series of morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. The results of these analyses were coded on punch cards, and similarity matrices were computed with a program for an IBM 1620 computer. When the matrix was reordered by use of the single-linkage technique, and the results were plotted with four symbols for different per cent similarity ranges, nine groups of microorganisms were revealed. The data suggest that organisms occurring in different areas of the open ocean may be profitably studied with standardized computer techniques.
Intervention in Clinical Sociology

The most basic attribute that sets the subdiscipline of clinical sociology apart is that of intervention; the clinical sociologist is an active change agent. It is not possible, at this stage of development, to present a concise and comprehensive model of clinical sociological intervention. Intervention in clinical sociology is not just the mechanistic application of a set of techniques that automatically follow from a problem label. The problem of trying to characterize intervention in clinical sociology is also exacerbated by the diversity of clinical sociology. Therefore, rather than offer specific interventions for specific problems, this brief chapter will outline general considerations for developing interventions: First this chapter will briefly consider the nature of intervention in clinical sociology, then turn to several “guiding themes” of intervention, and close with some consideration of intervention targets.
ALCOHOLISM: ITS EFFECT ON HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY GONADAL FUNCTION

Both as the result of liver disease and of alcoholism per se, chronic alcoholics develop infertility, sterility, gonadal atrophy, hypoandrogenization, and feminization. The hypothalamic-pituitary abnormalities associated with alcoholism include hyperprolactenemia-increased estrogen-stimulated neurophysin levels, suppressed secretion of plasma gonadotropins, and loss of gonadotropin reserve. Several of the possible mechanisms potentially responsible for the development of these endocrine abnormalities have been discussed. The rational for suspecting that alcohol might interfere with either vitamin A metabolism of alter the redox state of the testes, thus affecting germ cell proliferation and steroidogenesis, has been presented. A possible mechanism for the sexual changes observed in chronic alcoholic men has been proposed. Much work remains to be done in this area before a complete understanding of the pathogenesis of these phenomena is obtained. The omission of any consideration of the effects of alcohol on sexual function in women is an admission of gross ignorance greatly in need of rectification. The necessity for couching a description of even the natural history of the syndrome in alcoholic men in conditional terms is a reflection of the limited state of the art. Nevertheless, it behooves the gastroenterologist, who is frequently called upon to be the primary physician for alcoholic men, to keep abreast of the nongastrointestinal medical consequences of alcohol addiction so that they can be recognized early and incorporated into long range medical planning designed to care for the chronic alcoholic patient.
Utility of double inversion recovery MRI in paediatric epilepsy

Detecting focal abnormalities in MRI examinations of children with epilepsy can be a challenging task given the frequently subtle appearance of cortical dysplasia, mesial temporal sclerosis and similar lesions. In this report, we demonstrate the utility of double inversion recovery MRI in the detection of paediatric epileptogenic abnormalities, promoted primarily by increased lesion conspicuity due to complementary suppression of both cerebrospinal fluid and normal white matter signal.
A Toolset to Support the Development of Spatial and Temporal Judgment Experiments for Synthetic Vision Systems

Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) are cockpit technologies which depict computer generated perspective displays of terrain surrounding an aircraft in order to prevent incidents of controlled flight into terrain. This paper describes a toolset designed to support an experiment that assessed the ability of different SVS displays to convey spatial awareness (the ability of a pilot to identify terrain, his ability to identify its relative location, and his ability to identify its relative location in the future) using spatial and temporal judgments. This toolset was used successfully to design and conduct this experiment. Work is currently being conducted to generalize the applicability of the toolset so that it can be used to support a wider range of experiments.
Black in the USSR: African diasporan pilgrims, expatriates and students in Russia, from the 1920s to the first decade of the twenty-first century

From the 1920s through the collapse of the USSR, Blacks have found the Soviet Experiment fascinating. The Soviets’ solidarity against oppression, and rapid industrialization programs of the 1920s and 1930s attracted a core of highly skilled Blacks, many of whom contributed their talents to helping build the new ‘Soviet’ Russia. Others took models home to wage struggles in their homeland. After World War II, the Soviets offered training to students from Africa, Latin America and Asia, and, for decades, generations went to study at Soviet universities. There were overwhelmingly positive public sentiments and a sense of common struggle in the post-War euphoria around the independence movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, relations began to sour as the student numbers rose into the hundreds. By the 1980s with numbers in the thousands, racist acts had risen from the occasional to the dramatic. This paper explores the changing socio-political dynamics.
Real-time wide-angle X-ray diffraction during polyethylene blown film extrusion

Real-time wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) measurements during blown film extrusion of low-density polyethylene are reported in this study. WAXD patterns were obtained at different axial positions in the blown film line starting from a location near the die and extending up to the nip-roller. The X-ray diffraction patterns from the bubble were analyzed for crystalline growth along the bubble. From the evolution of (110) and (200) peaks, it is evident that the crystallization process starts near the frost-line height (FLH), shows a steep growth immediately past the FLH, and then plateaus at higher axial distances near the nip-rolls. The real-time crystallinity profiles obtained from WAXD were consistent with those measured using real-time Raman spectroscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers