cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective study comparing incisional labial to incisional parotid biopsies in the detection and confirmation of sarcoidosis, Sjögren's disease, sialosis and lymphoma.

Simultaneous incisional biopsies of labial minor salivary glands and the superficial lobe of the parotid were accomplished in patients suspicious for sarcoidosis, Sjogren's disease, sialosis and lymphomatous changes in Sjogren's disease. Labial minor salivary gland biopsies identified sarcoidosis in 11 of 31 (36%) patients, compared to 29 of 31 (93%) patients using the parotid biopsy (p = 0.005). Similarly, the labial minor salivary gland biopsy confirmed 21 of 36 (58%) patients to have Sjogren's disease, compared to 36 of 36 (100%) (p = 0.005) patients confirmed using the parotid biopsy. Five patients with normal labial salivary gland biopsies were shown to have idiopathic hypertrophic sialosis with enlarged parotids identified by the parotid biopsy. Five additional patients were diagnosed with lymphoma occurring within the parotid glands of patients with Sjogren's disease, via the parotid biopsies, that were not identifiable with the labial minor salivary gland biopsy. The parotid biopsy consistently identified each disease entity in an earlier stage, and with more evident histopathology. Neither technique showed appreciable morbidity. Three of 77 patients showed a sensory loss related to labial salivary gland biopsy. No sensory or motor nerve loss was associated with the parotid biopsy.
Addressing Infectious Disease Challenges by Investigating Microbiomes

Microbial communities occupy essentially every habitat on earth and have profound effects on our environment and human health. The National Microbiome Initiative will provide a framework for interdisciplinary microbiome research. The challenges inherent in discovering and understanding microbiome functions, especially those associated with infectious disease, present countless opportunities for chemists.
Insuring Existence of Vacuum Energy to Keep Computational “BITS” Present at Start of Cosmological Evolution, Even if Initial Spatial Radius Goes to Zero, not Planck Length

This construction preserves a minimum non zero vacuum energy, and in doing so keep the bits, for computational bits cosmological evolution even if initial radius goes to zero . We state that the presence of computational bits is necessary for cosmological evolution to commence. We also state that entanglement entropy not disappearing even if 4 dimensional length disappears is similar to the problem of a higher dimensional surface area at the tangential sheet intersecting a point of space-time, so that the presence of non zero entanglement entropy, embedded on an infinitesmally thick space-time thickness is the same as embedding the known 4 dimensional universe into a higher dimensional structure, as hypothesized by Steinhardt and Turok and Durrer.
Racial and Gender Disparities in Incidence of Lung and Bronchus Cancer in the United States: A Longitudinal Analysis

Background Certain population groups in the United States carry a disproportionate burden of cancer. This work models and analyzes the dynamics of lung and bronchus cancer age-adjusted incidence rates by race (White and Black), gender (male and female), and prevalence of daily smoking in 38 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and across eight U.S. geographic regions from 1999 to 2012. Methods Data, obtained from the U.S. Cancer Statistics Section of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reflect approximately 77% of the U.S. population and constitute a representative sample for making inferences about incidence rates in lung and bronchus cancer (henceforth lung cancer). A longitudinal linear mixed-effects model was used to study lung cancer incidence rates and to estimate incidence rate as a function of time, race, gender, and prevalence of daily smoking. Results Between 1999 and 2012, age-adjusted incidence rates in lung cancer have decreased in all states and regions. However, racial and gender disparities remain. Whites continue to have lower age-adjusted incidence rates for this cancer than Blacks in all states and in five of the eight U.S. geographic regions. Disparities in incidence rates between Black and White men are significantly larger than those between Black and White women, with Black men having the highest incidence rate of all subgroups. Assuming that lung cancer incidence rates remain within reasonable range, the model predicts that the gender gap in the incidence rate for Whites would disappear by mid-2018, and for Blacks by 2026. However, the racial gap in lung cancer incidence rates among Black and White males will remain. Among all geographic regions, the Mid-South has the highest overall lung cancer incidence rate and the highest incidence rate for Whites, while the Midwest has the highest incidence rate for Blacks. Between 1999 and 2012, there was a downward trend in the prevalence of daily smokers in both genders. However, males have significantly higher rates of cigarette smoking than females at all time points. The highest and lowest prevalence of daily smoking are found in the Mid-South and New England, respectively. There was a significant correlation between lung cancer incidence rates and smoking prevalence in all geographic regions, indicating a strong influence of cigarette smoking on regional lung cancer incidence rates. Conclusion Although age-adjusted incidence rates in lung cancer have decreased throughout the U.S., racial and gender disparities remain. This longitudinal model can help health professionals and policy makers make predictions of age-adjusted incidence rates for lung cancer in the U.S. in the next five to ten years.
Low-threshold CW GaInNAsSb/GaAs laser at 1.49 μm

Low-threshold room temperature continuous wave 1.49 µm GaInNAsSb lasers are presented. Room temperature threshold current density of 1.1 kA/cm2 was observed with a high external quantum efficiency of 40% and maximum output power of 30 mW from both facets.
DNA-Based Nanotemplate Directed In Situ Synthesis of Silver Nanoclusters with Specific Fluorescent Emission: Surface-Guided Chemical Reactions

DNA-hosted silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) are a set of metallic fluorescent nanodots that possess high quantum yields and photostability. Here, we show the in situ hosted synthesis of AgNCs by single-stranded DNA preorganized on the self-assembled DNA nanostructure templates, which results in the site-specific formation of AgNCs with the specific fluorescence wavelengths. The excitation/emission properties of AgNCs were tuned by adjusting the distance between nucleation site and the template, the template configuration, and the location of the nucleation site on the template. Mass spectra analysis of AgNC products was performed to study the cluster sizes. The 5′ and 3′ ends of freely diffusing and template-supported host strands were labeled with a donor and an acceptor, and the FRET efficiency was evaluated to reveal the conformations of the host strands and their complexes with Ag+. It is indicated that the rigid template guided the synthetic pathway toward the preferential synthesis of AgNCs with a specif...
Evolution of Geographic Atrophy in Participants Treated with Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose To evaluate the risk factors, incidence, and rate of progression of geographic atrophy (GA) in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with ranibizumab. Design Post hoc analysis of a prospective clinical study. Participants There were 69 participants with nAMD in ≥1 eye. Methods Participants were prospectively treated in the study eye with 0.5 mg intravitreal ranibizumab. Study eyes received 4 monthly injections followed by pro re nata injections until a fluid-free macula was achieved on optical coherence tomography. Risk factors assessed included baseline demographics, treatment, and ocular characteristics on imaging. Eyes were evaluated on fundus autofluorescence for GA. The rate of GA area growth in study and fellow eyes was analyzed by linear regression of square root transformed areas. Main Outcome Measures Development of new-onset GA and rate of GA area growth measured on ocular imaging, including fundus autofluorescence images of the study eyes. Results Sixty-nine participants (mean age, 78.8±7.8 years) with an average of 40.0±13.6 months of follow-up were analyzed. Twenty-two of the 69 study eyes (32%) were treatment naive. During their first year of the study, participants received an average of 9.2±3.3 injections in the study eye. Of 63 study eyes with quality baseline images, 22 (35%) had preexisting GA. Of the remaining 41 eyes, 7 (17%) developed new-onset GA during study follow-up. Those who developed new GA were older (all ≥79 years old) and had received fewer study injections on average (6.9 vs. 10.4 injections at 1 year) compared with those who did not develop new GA. Of the 12 treatment-naive study eyes without GA at baseline, 1 (8.3%) developed new GA during the study. In 21 study eyes with quantifiable GA area, eyes with GA present at baseline (16/21) enlarged by 0.34±0.26 mm/y, compared with 0.19±0.12 mm/y in eyes developing new-onset GA (5/21). Conclusions Although 17% of study eyes without GA present at baseline receiving ranibizumab developed new GA, the role of ranibizumab in the development of GA is unclear. Further prospective longitudinal studies are required to determine the eyes most at risk of developing GA in the setting of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor treatment.
High temperature permeability of fibrous materials using direct simulation Monte Carlo

Abstract Porous carbon fiber materials are used as effective insulators in many applications where high temperatures are involved. In particular, they are used as the substrate of ablative thermal protection materials for atmospheric entry systems. In this application and in many other industrial uses, quantifying the permeability of porous materials is needed to compute the flow rate of gases through them, under certain environmental conditions. In this work, direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) simulations are used to compute permeability of several fibrous substrates to high temperature gases. The actual porous geometry of the materials is digitized using X-ray microtomography. Numerical results at various pressures and Knudsen numbers are compared with experimental data published in the literature. The method confirms that the pressure dependence of effective gas permeability is well represented by the Klinkenberg formulation. The method is validated by showing close agreement between measurements of permeability from simulations and experimental investigations. Four carbon fiber materials with different microstructures are investigated. We show that the permeability strongly depends on the pore size distribution, as well as on the porosity of the material.
Kingdoms of the Confluence -- Rituals and Politics in the Nupe Speaking Region

This paper looks at the emerging complexity among Nupoid language speaking communities west of the Niger-Benue Confluence in the first and second millennium CE and their transition from clan-based communities to territorial and city-states of various scale. Special attention will be given to the state formation of the Nupe kingdom in the second millennium CE and its relationship to the smaller dependent chiefdoms of the Asu, Dibo, Kupa, Gupa and Kakanda as well as the clan-based communities of the Ebira. It will be argued that the material basis of the religio-political governance of the Nupe kingdom emerged over metal resources, in particular copper and iron, that mediated access to wealth and power of the ruling elite, in particular royal clans and priesthood. Up to the present day, embodied and inscribed historical memories of the various peoples that once formed part of the Nupe Empire, invoke their former integral connections to the kingdom and its ritual confederacies. The paper addresses such question as the ideology of kingship, the organization of society, religio-political governance, religious practices, afterlife beliefs and relations with neighboring states, such as the Igala kingdom and northern Yoruba city states and sheds news light on this early state in the Niger-Benue Confluence based on historical and historical-linguistic reconstruction, as well as on the oral traditions and available archaeological data for the region.
The utility of computed tomographic angiography in a neonate on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with extreme cyanosis after Blalock-Taussig shunt.

A modified Blalock–Taussig shunt (mBTS) is often employed to provide pulmonary blood flow in neonates that are born with cyanotic congenital heart defects. However, acute shunt thrombosis can occur in the postoperative period, resulting in profound cyanosis. In this case report, we describe the utility of computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in the management of a neonate with extreme cyanosis after placement of a mBTS while on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Using CTA, several small clots were identified in the shunt as well as stenosis of the left pulmonary artery; neither of which were identified with echocardiography. The CTA allowed for quick identification of the disorder and helped direct prompt surgical intervention.
Modeling the Co-evolution of Culture, Signs and Network Structure

We use agent-based simulation to investigate the interplay between the acquisition and transmission of cultural traits, the dynamics of social network structure and the emergence of meaningful signs. We assume agents in our model must cooperate to thrive in their environment and to be successful in doing so, they must synchronize their otherwise selectively-neutral strategies. We further assume that maintenance of social ties is costly, and that agents cannot directly identify the strategies of their counterparts. We show that when cooperation is biased by the possession of arbitrary observable markers, evolutionary dynamics lead to small-world social structures with communities defined by shared culture and the establishment of markers as signs of community membership.
Bayley Mental Scale of Infant Development and Visually Impaired Children

Twenty infants and toddlers were determined to be visually impaired based on an ophthalmological examination and electrophysiological testing (Visual Evoked Response). To assess changes in visual-m...
The effect of dietary factors on strawberry anthocyanins oral bioavailability

Strawberries are a dietary source of anthocyanins, particularly pelargonidin glycosides. Dietary anthocyanins have received increasing attention among researchers and consumers due to their health benefits. The oral bioavailability of anthocyanins is reported to be low and various dietary factors may influence their oral bioavailability further. Milk is suggested to reduce (poly)phenols’ oral bioavailability. However, the effect of milk on anthocyanin oral bioavailability remains uncertain. Likewise, mixed nutrient meals may influence the oral bioavailability of anthocyanins. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of milk on the oral bioavailability and other pharmacokinetic (PK) variables of strawberry anthocyanins consumed with and without a meal. Nine healthy participants consumed a strawberry beverage prepared in milk or water with a standard meal on two occasions. On two additional occasions, the beverages were given to a subset (n = 4) of participants to determine the impact of the meal on anthocyanin PK variables, including oral bioavailability. Independent of the meal, beverages prepared in milk significantly reduced the peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) of pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside (P-3-G), pelargonidin-glucuronide (PG) and pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside (P-3-R), as well as the PG and P-3-R area under the curve (AUC) (p < 0.05) compared to beverages prepared in water. Milk did not influence the oral relative bioavailability of pelargonidin anthocyanins under meal conditions; however, the oral relative bioavailability of pelargonidin anthocyanins was reduced by ∼50% by milk under without meal conditions (p < 0.05). Consuming strawberry beverages made with milk and consuming those made with water with and without a meal influenced different aspects of strawberry anthocyanin PKs. The significance of this effect on clinical efficacy requires additional research.
Interventional Therapy of Deep Venous Thrombosis

Venous thromboembolism is the third most prevalent type of cardiovascular disease, behind coronary artery disease and stroke. Patients with deep vein thrombosis may suffer from advanced post-thrombotic syndrome and other life-threatening complications such as pulmonary embolism and phlegmasia cerulea dolens. Intravenous anticoagulation has been the mainstay therapy for deep vein thrombosis, with proven efficacy in reducing the risk of pulmonary embolism and alleviating acute symptoms. However, the efficacy of anticoagulation in treating severe cases and preventing post-thrombotic syndrome is questionable at best. The marked improvement in catheter-based techniques over the last two decades led to a mounting interest and widespread utilization of catheter-based interventions in the treatment of deep venous thrombosis. Early studies suggest that percutaneous thrombus removal modalities can be a successful primary treatment for selected patients with deep venous thrombosis and it may prevent post-thrombotic syndrome.
Assessment of Hydrotreatment for Hydrothermal Liquefaction Biocrudes from Sewage Sludge, Microalgae, and Pine Feedstocks

Bulk property measurement, simulated distillation, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) are utilized for direct description and comparison of the chemical composition of raw and hydrotreated biocrude samples from pine, microalgae (Chlorella sp.), and sewage sludge. With hydrotreatment, the nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur content as well as viscosity, density, and moisture content of all biocrudes decreased to yield a more desirable product. For upgraded biocrudes, simulated distillation and GC-MS data reveal that the microalgae and sewage sludge products comprise a high proportion of n-alkanes, which distill between 260 and 350 °C, whereas the pine hydrotreated biocrude product has a lower concentration of n-alkanes and is more compositionally diverse with an abundance of saturated cyclic compounds. FT-ICR MS analysis of the raw biocrudes showed predominantly Ox species, whereas raw microalgae and sewag...
Transsexualism ("gender identity disorder") - a CNS-limited form of intersexuality?

In terms of their gender-related behavior, persons with (non-intersex) gender identity disorder (GID; aka transsexualism) of early onset resemble patients with somatic intersexuality who request a change of gender. However, there is currently no known intersex analog for GID of late onset. Neuroanatomy studies of somatic intersex are too few for providing any guidance on what brain effects to expect in a putative CNS-limited form of intersexuality as the basis for (non-intersex) GID. Findings in GID patients of atypical androgen levels apply only to about one-third of female-to-male transsexuals and not at all to male-to-female transsexuals. Sex steroid-related findings of genetic polymorphisms are weak, inconsistent, and largely unreplicated. Neuroanatomic findings are few and also largely unreplicated; distributions for patients with GID overlap with those of controls and are therefore of questionable utility for GID diagnosis. Given the complexity of gendered behavior and identity, the neuroanatomic basis of GID is likely to be neural networks rather than individual brain nuclei or regions. Findings on neurofunction in persons with GID are few and unreplicated. In summary, the emerging data are interesting, but at this time insufficient to constitute a firm basis for the recategorization of GID as a form of CNS-limited intersexuality.
Outerplanar graphs and delaunay triangulations

Dillencourt [1] showed that all maximal outerplanar graphs can be realized as Delaunay triangulations of points in convex position. In this note, we give two new, alternate proofs.
Forms of the Classical Lie Algebras

The discussion in this chapter may be regarded as motivated by the problem of determining all Lie algebras L with non-singular Killing form over an arbitrary field F (characteristic ≠ 2, 3). By Chapter I, § 7, the problem reduces to the case where 1D50F is simple. If ℨ is the centroid of L, then L is normal simple when regarded as a Lie algebra over ℨ moreover, if S is a ℨ-linear transformation of L, we have TrF (S) = Tℨ/F (Trℨ (S)), where Tℨ/F is the trace in the field extension ℨ/F (cf. [223, p. 66]). It follows that L has non-singular Killing form over ℨ, and that T ℨ/F is not zero, hence that ℨ/F is a separable extension. Thus the problem is reduced to the study of finite separable extensions of F, and to the case where L is normal simple. Assuming L normal simple over F, let Ω be an algebraically closed extension of F. Then L Ω has non-singular Killing form, and so is a classical simple Lie algebra over Ω therefore L Ω belongs to one of an already determined set of isomorphism classes. The “problem of forms” is that of describing L when L Ω is known, i.e., of determining the F-isomorphism classes of algebras L such that L Ω belongs to a given Ω-isomorphism class.
Newton Based Optimization Procedures for Searching Potential Energy Surfaces

Most of the quantum chemical calculations performed for molecular geometry proceed through Quasi-Newton Hessian update methods, and we argue that this is likely to remain an attractive procedure, especially for large molecules. The most popular of these methods, those based on the Rank 1 Murtagh-Sargent procedure, are described and compared with a variant of the Rank 2 Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno method developed here. The BFGS method is found to be considerably superior in uncovering minima, especially for larger molecular systems.
Vitamin D Assessment: The Assays and Their Applications

The normal metabolism and physiology of vitamin D are discussed, and the methodology and clinical applications of assays, such as high performance liquid chromatography, to detect and measure vitamin D and its metabolites in biologic samples are evaluated.
Differential expression of immobilization antigen genes inTetrahymena thermophila: I. Genetic and epistatic relationships among recessive mutations which alter normal expression of i-antigens

Mutational analysis of the differentially expressed immobilization (i-) antigen genes ofTetrahymena thermophila shows that i-antigen expression is controlled by integrator-like genes that do not themselves specify i-antigens. This paper presents a more complete description of ther1 and r3 regulator loci (Doerder 1973) and describes a third locus,r4. It was found that homozygotes for mutations at each of these loci are deficient in the ability to express at least two of thei-antigen loci and that they express instead one of the alternate i-antigens. The i-antigen expressed by ther1 andr3 mutants, previously called r, is shown to be the i-antigen normally expressed when cells are grown in dilute homologous antiserum. A study of the epistatic relationships among the genes at these loci shows that the i-antigens themselves are probably not involved in their own regulation and that the previously proposed models to account for i-antigen expression are no longer valid. The data suggest that additional regulator loci must exist.
La mort de l’enfant, ou la vérité de la littérature : Sarinagara de Philippe Forest:

ResumeCette etude, en se consacrant au roman Sarinagara (2004), propose une reflexion sur la representation de la mort de l’enfant et son lien intrinseque a une pensee de la verite litteraire dans ...
Semi-automatic Code Modernization for Optimal Parallel I/O

As we progress from the multi-petascale era to the exascale computing era, the need for optimally doing parallel I/O will become increasingly important not only for enhancing the performance of an application, but also for the health of the underlying systems on which the applications run. Manual reengineering of existing applications to optimally do I/O can be challenging for several parallel programmers despite the availability of the MPI I/O interface, high-level APIs and libraries (such as parallel HDF5, and parallel NetCDF). In this paper, we present an interactive, high-level tool for reengineering existing applications so that they can do parallel I/O optimally. This tool frees the developers from the effort required for manually reengineering their applications to take advantage of the MPI libraries and the Lustre filesystem, and hence, helps in enhancing their productivity. Parallelizing I/O using our tool does not involve any external high-level I/O library, is purely MPI based, helps in optimally using the Lustre filesystem when it is available, and results in code that is portable across different systems supporting MPI libraries. The performance of the code generated using our tool is comparable to the performance of the best available manually written versions of the code for the selected test cases.
The Overall and Gendered Effects of Postrelease Supervision on Recidivism: A Propensity Score Analysis:

Although research recognizes gender differences in offending and interactions with the criminal justice system, few studies have explored the role of gender in the relationship between postrelease ...
The Poet, the Newspaper Editor, and Working-class Local Literary Culture in Victorian Blackburn

This article offers the first detailed account of a local working-class ‘verse culture’, and examines the factors which created it, taking as a case study the town of Blackburn, Lancashire, in the second half of the nineteenth century. It uses content analysis, bibliography, memoir, newspaper archives, a poet’s cuttings book and a local historian’s manuscript book to argue that reading, writing and performing poetry was an important part of working-class Victorian culture, that culture was produced far from the metropolitan centre (whilst heavily influenced by a poetic canon), and that local newspapers played an important role in producing such local cultures. Blackburn had a typical working-class cultural infrastructure, of mutual improvement, clubs and associations, its pride in local and regional traditions and its thriving newspapers. From this, two exceptional individuals helped to create an extraordinary poetic culture, the town’s leading poet William Billington, and the editor of the Blackburn Times, William Abram.
The Costs of Liquidity Enhancement: Transparency, Risk Alteration and Coordination Problems

Much of modern commercial law is devoted to the cause of enhancing the liquidity of debt. From the “holder in due course” doctrine for commercial paper to the laws designed to facilitate asset backed securitization, the advent of credit derivatives and the emergence of bankruptcy claims trading the focus has been on protecting liquidity. Little attention has been paid to the fact that liquidity enhancement has costs. This Article takes a skeptical look at liquidity enhancement, seeking to catalogue the direct (transactional) and indirect (social) costs of enhancing liquidity, and then questioning certain assumptions about the justification for facilitating the post-petition trading of claims in bankruptcy. Part I describes the traditional doctrines used to enhance the liquidity of otherwise illiquid assets, and detail the modern transactional devices that are used to similar effect on new categories of assets, regardless of whether the traditional prerequisites for liquidity enhancement are met. Part II catalogues the various transparency, and other costs, associated with liquidity enhancement generally, and the novel liquidity enhancement devices in particular. Part III describes a number of contexts in bankruptcy where courts have been faced with a tension between liquidity enhancement and bankruptcy policies. In most of these cases, liquidity policies have won out over bankruptcy policies. The article concludes by arguing that the debate about post-bankruptcy claims trading operates from the wrong baseline. Regulation of claims trading is generally treated as liquidity harming, but actually, allowing any claims trading post-bankruptcy should be viewed as a liquidity enhancement doctrine, and its desirability as policy should be weighed against its effects on reorganization policy. In my view, bankruptcy policy and the market will be better served by close attention to the traditional limits on liquidity enhancement than by a mindless solicitude for debt markets.
An integrated model for quantifying the impacts of pavement albedo and urban morphology on building energy demand

Abstract This contribution details a high-resolution approach to estimate the net greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of changing pavement albedo in urban areas by accounting for both changes in air temperature and building energy demand (BED) caused by the albedo change. The approach uses machine-learning-based meta-models that allow stakeholders to estimate the impact of pavement albedo modification for specific, detailed neighborhoods in a rapid, computationally efficient manner. This method is applied to a case study involving all buildings and the adjacent pavements in Boston, MA. Results from the case study indicate that increasing pavement albedo reduces average temperature and usually reduces carbon emissions from BED for densely-built and medium-density neighborhoods while results from low-density neighborhoods were mixed. Model results suggest that increasing pavement albedo would lead to BED GHG benefits in 88% of Boston neighborhoods. Increasing the albedo of the 1100 miles of roads in those communities would yield nearly 91,720 metric tons of reduced carbon emissions over the next fifty years.
Oxymetazoline, Mupirocin, Clotrimazole-Safe, Effective, Off-Label Agents for Tympanostomy Tube Care.

Objectives:Only a few medications have a United States Food and Drug Administration indications for prevention and/or treatment of infections in patients with tympanic perforations or tympanostomy ...
Surgical management and lymph-node biopsy of rare malignant cutaneous adnexal carcinomas: a population-based analysis of 7591 patients

To analyze the prognosis of cutaneous adnexal malignancies, survival relative to surgical management, and utility of lymph-node biopsy. Population-based study of the SEER-18 database from 1975 to 2016. 7591 patients with sweat gland carcinoma, hidradenocarcinoma, spiradenocarcinoma, sclerosing sweat duct tumor/microcystic adnexal tumor (SSDT/MAC), porocarcinoma, eccrine adenocarcinoma, and sebaceous carcinoma Five-year OS ranged from 68.0 to 82.6%, while 5-year DSS ranged from 94.6 to 99.0%. The majority of patients were treated with narrow (42.4%) or wide local excision (16.9%). DSS at 5 years showed that patients with stage IV had significantly poorer survival (50.3%) than I, II, or III (99.3%, 97.8%, and 89.0% respectively). 5-year OS was significantly higher for narrow excision (excision with < 1 cm margin, 78.5%) than observation (65.0%), excisional biopsy (66.8%), or wide local excision (WLE, 73.2%). Lymph-node biopsy was performed in a minority of cases (8.1%) and patients showed no significant difference in survival based on nodal status. The sensitivity and specificity of lymph-node biopsy for all malignancies were 46% and 80%, respectively. The PPV and NPV for that group were 0.46 and 0.80, respectively. Invasion of deep extradermal structures was a poor predictor of nodal positivity. These malignancies have excellent DSS. Narrow excisions demonstrate better 5-year DSS and OS compared with WLE. Lymph-node biopsy is a poor predictor of survival in advanced stage disease and utility is limited.
Shapes of large, static soap bubbles

Standard predictions induced by the balance of surface tension and pressure dictate that static soap bubbles must be spherical. However, definite non-spherical shapes appear in large bubbles, where...
Man, Mod, and Law: Revisiting The Law of Computer Game Modifications

In 2005's "Mod, Man, and Law," I mangled Bob Dylan and discussed the issues of copyright for computer game modifications, including what effect EULA terms prohibiting mods would be given and whether mods would be considered derivative works. In the intervening years Courts have largely given full effect to EULAs, including considering violations copyright infringement. Meanwhile, the issue of whether mods can be considered freestanding works has largely not been litigated, and instead such issues have largely been resolved by contract. Meanwhile, the community of users creating mods has largely remained strong, strengthened by limited enforcement efforts and in many cases encouragement from various content owners in the computer gaming space.
Evolution of directionally freeze-cast Fe2O3 and Fe2O3+NiO green bodies during reduction and sintering to create lamellar Fe and Fe-20Ni foams

Abstract Directional freeze-casting (FC) of powder suspensions followed by freeze-drying and sintering is a versatile and scalable processing route for creating metallic foams with highly elongated pores. Because of the high propensity for oxidation of metal powders, the use of precursor oxide powders is studied here with an additional step of H2-reduction of oxides to metal before sintering. However, the large volume shrinkage due to oxide reduction causes foam deformations, making it difficult to optimize the FC parameters to obtain a particular foam structure. We use quasi in situ X-ray microtomography to analyze the three-dimensional structural evolution of directionally freeze-cast, lamellar Fe2O3 and Fe2O3+NiO green bodies as they are reduced by H2 at 725 °C to Fe and Fe-20Ni (at%), respectively, and sintered at 900 °C. These temperature and gas conditions result in sequential reduction and sintering steps that can be individually analyzed. Foam porosity, pore width, lamellae thickness, and macroscopic shrinkage are quantified by image analysis. Oxide green body structures match typical FC relationships: porosity increases with decreasing powder content in the FC suspension, and the lamellae spacing period, or FC wavelength, decreases with increasing freezing velocity. Upon H2-reduction, lamellae in Fe foams buckle due to mismatch stresses from spatially-inhomogeneous reduction rates, leading to anisotropic deformation. Buckling is absent in Fe-20Ni foams due to the faster reduction kinetics of Ni/NiO that lead to more spatially uniform reduction. Reduction is responsible for 73–86% of the total volumetric shrinkage, with sintering causing the remaining shrinkage, which is nearly isotropic for all foams. The observed relationships between FC parameters, green body and metal foam structure can help guide the design and optimization of metal foams for specific technological applications.
Motorist comprehension of traffic control devices for mobile operations

In 2004, researchers conducted surveys to evaluate motorist comprehension of various mobile traffic control devices used to inform drivers about the number of vehicles in a work convoy; speed differential between the work convoy and the normal traffic stream; and passing a work convoy on two-lane, two-way roadways with improved shoulders. Four static signs were investigated to ascertain whether they inform motorists that they are approaching multiple work vehicles. Three of the signs (including the sign “Work Convoy”) had comprehension levels less than 53%. Placing the number of work vehicles on the sign (i.e., “3 Vehicle Convey”) improved the comprehension level to 79%. Various mobile speed displays were evaluated to determine if they provide information to motorists about the speed differential between the work convoy and approaching traffic. Only the “Your Speed” display (indicating speed of approaching vehicles) was understood by more than 85% of participants. In Texas, when mobile operations are conducted on the centerline of a two-lane, two-way roadway with improved shoulders, motorists are directed via a right flashing arrow panel to pass the work convoy to the right on the improved shoulder. However, under the current setup, only 66% of participants understood that they were supposed to pass the work vehicles on the right. All alternative text messages improved the comprehension rate; however, the “Pass on Shoulder” message was understood by the highest percentage of participants, at 97%.
Effects of REM sleep deprivation on responding under multiple schedules of free-operant avoidance

The effects of REM sleep deprivation on free-operant avoidance in rats was examined. Six rats were taught to press a lever to postpone shock for a fixed period of time after each response (response-shock [RS] interval). If they failed to press the lever, shocks were delivered after a fixed period of time (shock-shock [SS] interval). The subjects were exposed to a multiple schedule of reinforcement in which RS intervals were varied, but SS intervals were held constant. For each animal, baselines were established in which the length of the RS interval was inversely related to response rate. The subjects were then repeatedly exposed to 24, 48, or 96 h of REM sleep deprivation under identical tank control and cage control conditions. Compared with baseline and control conditions, REM sleep deprivation increased response rates. Increases in response rates were primarily accounted for by increases in brief interresponse times. The percentage of avoided shocks was not significantly altered across conditions.
A DNA test for fruit flesh color in tetraploid sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

Fruit flesh color in tetraploid sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) is an important market-driven trait in the USA where the fruit from the dominant cultivar has brilliant red skin but clear/yellow flesh. This brilliant red color in the processed products differentiates products from sour cherries grown in the USA compared to those in Europe where the cultivars predominantly have dark purple-red flesh. In sweet cherry (P. avium), red skin and flesh colors were shown to be controlled by a major MYB10-associated locus. Sour cherry, which is derived from sweet cherry and ground cherry (P. fruticosa), also exhibits a range of flesh colors, but the genetic control of flesh color is not known. Our objectives were to test the hypothesis that the MYB10 locus controls flesh color in sour cherry and develop a predictive DNA test for dark purple-red flesh color. Pedigree-linked sour cherry plant materials were phenotyped for flesh color. Thirteen haplotypes for the sour cherry MYB10 region were distinguished based on markers scored from the use of the cherry 6K Infinium® II SNP array. Six haplotypes were significantly associated with variation in flesh color, supporting a role for MYB10 in controlling flesh color variation in sour cherry. A simple sequence repeat primer pair, designed from the peach genome sequence near MYB10, amplified a fragment that uniquely identified the haplotype that was associated with the darkest purple-red flesh color. This marker can be used for marker-assisted breeding to identify individuals that are predicted to have dark purple-red flesh.
Synthesis of Disintegrable Metal Composite for Oilfield Applications

Lightweight metal composites were traditionally developed for weight-critical applications. Recently, significant efforts have been made to improve the corrosion performance. In this study we report the synthesis of a novel type of high-strength metal composites with enhanced corrosion rate for use in self-disintegratable tools in oil and gas wells. The composites were fabricated through a powder metallurgy procedure by consolidating reactive metal powders that were coated with nanoscale metallic and/or ceramic coatings. The interaction between the metal matrix and coating was studied using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and electron microscopy. The composites exhibit simultaneous high strength (up to 460 MPa) and two orders of magnitude increase in the corrosion rate (i.e., 250 mg/cm2/hr) under saline water. The corrosion behavior and associated field applications are described.
Formal Specification and Development of Control System Input/Output

This paper presents a formal specification in the Z notation for computations that calculate control system state variables from input / output device register contents (and vice-versa). The specification is motivated by a particular medical device but is quite generic and should be widely applicable. The specification is parameterised so that an implementation can be adapted to different control systems by providing tables of configuration data, rather than changing executable code. Specified behaviours include detection of errors (where clients invoke operations with invalid parameters) and faults (where input / output devices report invalid data). The specification is not merely descriptive, but is also used in the formal development (or “refinement”) of a detailed design. From an initial specification which naturally expresses the requirements, but is abstract and non-constructive, we derive a functionally equivalent specification (also in Z), which suggests a straightforward and efficient implementation in an imperative programming language. Formal justification is provided for each step in the derivation. Theorems are stated that formalise claims such as “All inputs are handled properly.” Proving the theorems checks for errors in the derivation, and provides confidence that the formal specification expresses the intended requirements.
Risk Management in Globally Distributed Call Center Networks

The emergence of globally distributed call-center networks, such as Dell International Support Service, has fundamentally increased the challenges to the management. This new trend of networking faces the risk of extensive demand fluctuation both over locations and over time. Existing literature in operation management uses pooling mechanisms to deal with demand fluctuations among different departments, while does not consider system-wide time-varying demand shifts. Queuing literature has developed algorithms to allow the number of servers to change in response to time-varying loads, however, a pooling configuration introduces additional business risk and is thus more complex to change. More sophisticated approaches are needed to accurately describe the reality of call-center operations. In this paper, we study a model generalized from the International Queue run in Dell's globally distributed call-center network and identify its operation risks from both demand fluctuation and pooling management. Then we propose an economic framework to use a Real-Options Approach (ROA) to systematically analyze those risks to help the management to hedge the risks to a pre-chosen level and hence secure the associated service quality and the costs.
Photoperiod affects estrogen receptor α, estrogen receptor β and aggressive behavior

Estrogens have important effects on male and female social behavior. Despite growing knowledge of the anatomy and behavioral effects of the two predominant estrogen receptor subtypes in mammals (ERalpha and ERbeta), relatively little is known about how these receptors respond to salient environmental stimuli. Many seasonally breeding species respond to changing photoperiods that predict seasonal changes in resource availability. We characterized the effects of photoperiod on aggressive behavior in two species of Peromyscus that exhibit gonadal regression in short days. P. polionotus (old field mice) were more aggressive than P. maniculatus (deer mice) and both species were more aggressive in short days. We used immunocytochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction to characterize the effects of photoperiod on ERalpha and ERbeta expression. In both species ERalpha-immunoreactive staining in the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) was increased in short vs. long days. Both species had reduced ERbeta-immunoreactive expression in the posterior BNST in short days. In the medial amygdala ERbeta immunoreactivity was increased in long days for both species. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction on punch samples that included the BNST, we observed that ERalpha mRNA was increased and ERbeta mRNA was decreased in short days. These data suggest that the effects of photoperiod on ERalpha and ERbeta expression may thus have important behavioral consequences.
The NO2 Flux Conundrum

Nitrogen oxide radicals, NO, play an important role in atmospheric processes from acid rain to tropospheric ozone formation. Several large sources and sinks for NOare known, but as [ Lerdau et al. ][1] discuss in their Perspective, the role of vegetation as a sink or source of NOremains controversial. This is an important problem because NOemission processes must be understood to be able to predict future environmental impacts. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/289/5488/2291
Structure in the fusion yield for 32S

The total fusion cross section for /sup 32/S+ /sup 12/C has been measured over the center-of-mass energy range from 16 to 28 MeV. The data show structures having peak-to-valley variations of 5--10% of the total fusion yield.
The Essential Guide to Image Processing

A complete introduction to the basic and intermediate concepts of image processing from the leading people in the fieldA CD-ROM contains 70 highly interactive demonstration programs with user friendly interfaces to provide a visual presentation of the conceptsUp-to-date content, including statistical modeling of natural, anistropic diffusion, image quality and the latest developments in JPEG 2000 This comprehensive and state-of-the art approach to image processing gives engineers and students a thorough introduction, and includes full coverage of key applications: image watermarking, fingerprint recognition, face recognition and iris recognition and medical imaging. To help learn the concepts and techniques, the book contains a CD-ROM of 70 highly interactive visual demonstrations. Key algorithms and their implementation details are included, along with the latest developments in the standards."This book combines basic image processing techniques with some of the most advanced procedures. Introductory chapters dedicated to general principles are presented alongside detailed application-orientated ones. As a result it is suitably adapted for different classes of readers, ranging from Master to PhD students and beyond." - Prof. Jean-Philippe Thiran, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland"Al Bovik's compendium proceeds systematically from fundamentals to today's research frontiers. Professor Bovik, himself a highly respected leader in the field, has invited an all-star team of contributors. Students, researchers, and practitioners of image processing alike should benefit from the Essential Guide." - Prof. Bernd Girod, Stanford University, USA"This book is informative, easy to read with plenty of examples, and allows great flexibility in tailoring a course on image processing or analysis." - Prof. Pamela Cosman, University of California, San Diego, USA * A complete and modern introduction to the basic and intermediate concepts of image processing - edited and written by the leading people in the field* An essential reference for all types of engineers working on image processing applications* A CD-ROM contains 70 highly interactive demonstration programs with user friendly interfaces to provide a visual presentation of the concepts* Up-to-date content, including statistical modelling of natural, anisotropic diffusion, image quality and the latest developments in JPEG 2000