cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carotid artery stenting has increased risk of external carotid artery occlusion compared with carotid endarterectomy

Objective The external carotid artery (ECA) can be an important source of cerebral blood flow in cases of high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis or occlusion. However, the treatment of the ECA is fundamentally different between carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS). CEA is routinely associated with endarterectomy of the ECA, whereas CAS excludes the ECA from direct flow. We hypothesize that these differences make ECA occlusion more common after CAS. Further, the impact of CAS on blood flow into the ECA is interesting because the flow from the stent into the ECA is altered in a way that may promote local inflammation and may influence in-stent restenosis (ISR). Thus, our objective was to use our institutional database to identify whether CAS increased the rate of ECA occlusion and, if it did, whether ECA occlusion was associated with ISR. Methods Patients undergoing CAS or CEA from February 2007 to February 2012 were identified from our institutional carotid therapy database. Preoperative and postoperative images of patients who followed up in our institution were included in the analysis of ECA occlusion and rates of ISR. Results There were 210 (67%) CAS patients and 207 (60%) CEA patients included in this analysis. Despite CAS patients being younger (68 vs 70 years), having shorter follow-up (12.5 vs 56.2 months), and being more likely to take clopidogrel (97% vs 35%), they had an increased rate of ECA occlusion (3.8%) compared with CEA patients (0.4%). CAS patients who went on to ECA occlusion had an increased incidence of prior neck irradiation (50% vs 15%; P = .03), but we did not identify an association of ECA occlusion with ISR >50%. Conclusions Whereas prior publications have identified increased rates of external carotid stenosis, this is the first demonstration of increased ECA occlusion after CAS. However, ECA occlusion is uncommon (∼4%) and did not have an association with ISR >50%. Future work modeling ECA flow patterns before and after CAS will be used to further test this interaction.
When peer-to-peer comes face-to-face: collaborative peer-to-peer computing in mobile ad-hoc networks

This paper motivates and describes the notion of mobile ad-hoc information systems. Such a system consists of a decentralized and self-organizing network of autonomous, mobile devices that interact as peers. Connectivity is determined by distance between devices; as hosts change their physical location they establish pair-wise communication links based on mutual proximity. We describe application scenarios for mobile ad-hoc information systems and identify technical challenges of a generic software infrastructure. Moreover, we present the goals and architecture of Proem, a peer-to-peer system and development platform for mobile ad-hoc applications. Proem has successfully been used as instructional tool in an advanced software engineering course on peer-to-peer computing.
The reported prevalence of mandated community treatment in two Florida samples.

Questions on multiple modes of mandated communitytreatment (e.g. outpatient commitment, advance direc-tive, representative payee, and special housing) were in-cludedintwostudiesofpersonswithmentalillness,usingamail survey of Medicaid enrollees receiving SSI and inter-views conducted as part of an evaluation of a specialtymental health court. Results indicate that the majority ofindividuals reported no experience with any forms ofmandated community treatment. However, respondentsfrom the two samples who had been subject to communitymandates reported comparatively similar experiences.Additional studies of the prevalence of mandated commu-nity treatment are necessary to garner expanded informa-tion regarding the use of such mandates. In addition,future studies must assure that the language employed toquery individuals regarding such mandates is clearly un-derstood by respondents, as certain terms (e.g. ‘‘outpati-ent commitment’’) may mean different things to differentrespondents. Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EELS femtosecond resolved in 4D ultrafast electron microscopy

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is a powerful tool in the study of valency, bonding and structure of solids. Previously, EEL spectra were either time-integrated or at best time-resolved on the millisecond to seconds scale, being limited by video rates and detector responses. Here, using our 4D electron microscope, we report ultrafast EELS, taking the time resolution in the energy–time space into the femtosecond regime, a 10 order of magnitude increase, and for a table-top apparatus. It is shown that the energy–time–amplitude space of graphite is selective to changes, especially in the electron density of the π + σ plasmon of the collective oscillation of the four electrons of carbon.
Analysis of vertical wind shear in the Southern Great Plains and potential impacts on estimation of wind energy production

This paper describes the analysis of near-surface wind speeds in Western Oklahoma. The goals of this research are to characterise the nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ) in the region, and to assess the impact wind variability, vertical shear and the LLJ on wind energy calculations. Results show the seasonal variability in wind characteristics as well as in the vertical wind shear, and also illustrate the errors associated with traditional estimates of wind power density in locations with a decoupled wind field. A comparison of projected energy output from three standard commercial turbines shows that traditional density estimations significantly underestimated power yield. The mean wind power density estimated via traditional means is significantly less than a more complete determination incorporating the LLJ. This difference illustrates the need to acquire accurate information regarding 50-150 m wind variability to produce improved estimates of wind energy resources.
Truly “exact” mass: Elemental composition can be determined uniquely from molecular mass measurement at ∼0.1 mDa accuracy for molecules up to ∼500 Da

Abstract At sufficiently high mass resolution, not all molecular masses are possible, even for arbitrary elemental composition. Here, we consider all possible elemental compositions, C c H h N n O o S s , c unlimited, h unlimited, 0 n o s M + H) + and ( M − H) − , of molecular mass, 300–500 Da. Masses are then sorted into “bins” of width, 5, 1, 0.5, and 0.1 mDa, with inclusion (or not) of up to two 13 C's. The number of different elemental compositions per bin varies from 0 to ∼20 for 5 mDa bins, dropping to 0–2 for 0.1 mDa bins (including one 13 C) and 0–1 for 0.1 mDa bins (not including 13 C). Thus, for molecules up to ∼500 Da in mass, mass resolution and accuracy of ∼0.1 mDa generally suffice to yield a unique elemental composition for molecules in even the most complex natural mixtures (namely, petroleum crude oil), and higher mass resolution and accuracy are not necessary. The required resolution and accuracy are now becoming available with high-field (9.4–14.5 T) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.
State-Dependent Laryngomalacia in Sleeping Children

Laryngomalacia is a common congenital laryngeal abnormality. Despite its being widely discussed in the literature, the pathophysiology is not clearly understood. Both anatomic and neuromuscular theories have been suggested to explain laryngomalacia. We report 4 cases of laryngomalacia in which the presenting signs occurred during sleep. Awake flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscopy failed to demonstrate supraglottic structure collapse. Only while the patients were breathing spontaneously under general anesthesia was laryngomalacia noted. A proposed algorithm for diagnosis and treatment is included. These 4 cases of state-dependent laryngomalacia support a neuromuscular cause for laryngomalacia.
On a Problem Arising out of the Theory of a Certain Game

(1927). On a Problem Arising out of the Theory of a Certain Game. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 34, No. 10, pp. 516-521.
Modelling Growth Morphologies on Different Length Scales

Microscopic morphologies of monocomponent and binary solids growing from melts and vapors are simulated with a Monte Carlo model that accounts for bulk diffusion, interface attachment and detachment kinetics and surface diffusion. The interplay between transport and interface kinetics on morphologies and its effect on microstructures including lamellar spacing, tilted lamellar and oscillatory structures is investigated. An important aspect of these models is the length scale of the simulation.
Cold-reactive antibodies in a case of congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

Cold-reactive autoantibodies were detected in a patient with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. In this case a cold-agglutinin titer of 1:128 developed within a week of birth and remained increased for approximately 9 months. Cold-reactive rheumatoid factor titer was 1:1, 024 one week after birth but became undetectable at 2 months. These antibody increases were associated with increased IgA and IgM levels and could be abolished by prior sulfhydryl reduction. Although cold agglutinins have been described to have diagnostic and clinical importance in other infections, the role of the cold-reactive autoantibodies in this case is uncertain.
The effects of Hurricane Hugo on bats of the Luquillo Experimental Forest of Puerto Rico

Natural disturbances can have large effects on ecosystem structure and function depending on their scale, intensity, and frequency. On 18 September 1989 Hurricane Hugo struck Puerto Rico, with the eye of the hurricane passing within 10 km of the Luquillo Experimental Forest. This provided a rare opportunity to evaluate the effects of an infrequent but large scale and high intensity disturbance on tropical bat species. Data on demographic parameters of three common phyllostomid bats (Artibeusjamaicensis, Stenoderma rufum, and Monophyllus redmani) were examined for three years prior and three years after the hurricane. Population levels as estimated by captures per net hour of all three species were affected by Hurricane Hugo. Populations of A. jamaicensis and M. redmani returned to predisturbance levels within two years. In contrast, population levels of S. rufum declined to about 30 percent of prehurricane levels and have not recovered after three years. Moreover, telemetry data indicate that foraging and home range size expanded to encompass an area approximately five times larger than its prehurricane size. The cost of foraging, in terms of time and energy, may be considerably elevated over prehurricane scenarios. In fact, a significant change in the age structure of the population (juvenile individuals have been absent from the population since Hurricane Hugo) as well as significant decline in the percent of reproductively active females indicate a failure to reproduce in the posthurricane environment.
FRUITING OF HYPOGEOUS FUNGI IN OREGON DOUGLAS-FIR FORESTS: SEASONAL AND HABITAT VARIATION

Hypogeous sporocarps of ectomycorrhizal fungi were harvested from 10 Douglas-fir stands representing a variety of natural habitats. Calculated over all stands, total dry standing biomass equaled 1....
Assessment of cecal microbiota, integron occurrence, fermentation responses, and Salmonella frequency in conventionally raised broilers fed a commercial yeast-based prebiotic compound

Prebiotics are defined as nondigestible food ingredients that can stimulate the growth of one or more beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. The Biolex(®) MB40 is a commercial prebiotic that contains mannanoligosaccharides. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of prebiotic Biolex(®) MB40 on cecal microbiota of conventionally raised chickens using PCR-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and assessing Salmonella prevalence. Chickens were randomly selected and distributed into three groups; a negative control (NC) and two treatment groups (T1 and T2). The NC group was fed a non-medicated feed, while the treatment groups were fed either T1 or T2, 0.05% antibiotic (BMD50) or 0.2% Biolex(®) MB40 respectively. During the study, cecal contents and bird feed were plated on selective media for Salmonella, yeast and mold prevalence analysis. Ten chickens from each group were randomly selected at 1, 2, 4 and 6 wk and ceca were extracted for DNA isolation for PCR-based DGGE. Also, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were analyzed from collected cecal material by gas chromatography. Only 4.2% of the samples were Salmonella positive. Presence of class 1 integron from cecal material were analyzed by PCR and 97.5% of the cecal samples were positive for integron presence, but no class I integrons were detected in the Salmonella isolates. According to the PCR-based DGGE analysis, the T2 group exhibited a cecal microbial population pattern that was similar to the T1 group prior to wk 4 and the T2 group appeared to be almost identical with the NC group after wk 4 but T2 exhibited less Bacteroides rodentium prior to wk 4. Overall results showed that the commercial prebiotic, MB40 did not lead to a detectable reduction of Salmonella but the general frequency of Salmonella was minimal in all treatments. However, feeding an MB40 supplement did result in similar DGGE band patterns as the T1 group indicating that cecal microbiotia were potentially similar in these 2 groups. Overall, it appears that MB40 (T2) exhibited similar DGGE-cecal population patterns as BMD50 (T1) which suggests that these treatments may have influenced the populations in a comparable fashion.
Leadership and mentoring.

Do you remember your first nursing role model? The nurse you wanted to emulate, the person you most wanted to be like. What was it about her? Most likely it was her ability to handle the most complex patients and situations. Or, perhaps it was her personal characteristics: charisma, tenacity, profes
Sysmex XE-5000 blast Q flag analysis.

To the Editor We read with great interest the study titled “The Usefulness of Blast Flags on the Sysmex XE-5000 Is Questionable” by Eilertsen et al.1 We performed an analysis of WBC Q flagging on three Sysmex XE-5000 hematology analyzers (Sysmex, Lincolnshire, IL) as part of a validation study in the hematology laboratory at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA). We developed a strategy to maximize sensitivity for detection of blasts while maintaining reasonable specificity for evaluation of peripheral blood (PB) samples. The high volume of PB samples received in our laboratory for complete blood count (approximately 375,000 specimens a year) precludes manual assessment on every sample, and our laboratory relies on hematology analyzers to flag the samples that require further visual scanning and/or manual WBC differential count. Similar to the findings of Eilertsen et al, we found that for blast identification, the XE-5000 blast Q flag alone was insufficient, the factory Q flag setting of 100 was inadequate and needed to be lowered, …
All-Inside Versus Inside-Out Meniscal Repair With Concurrent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Meta-regression Analysis:

Background:Meniscal tears are frequently repaired during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).Purpose:To systematically evaluate differences in clinical failures between all-inside and inside-out meniscal repairs performed during ACLR.Study Design:Meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:A systematic review was perfomed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases queried included MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All English-language studies reporting failure rates after meniscal repair with either the all-inside or inside-out technique performed in conjunction with ACLR were identified between 1980 and 2015. Studies with a minimum 2-year follow-up were included. Reported outcomes, clinical meniscal repair failures, and complications were assessed. Studies were weighted according to the size of the clinical series and mean follow-up length. Inverse-variance–weighted mixed mo...
Analysis of epidemic characteristics of animal plague in Jiayuguan,Gansu Province

Objective To analyze epidemic characteristics of animal plague in Himalayan marmot plague foci in Jiayuguan in recent years,and provide a scientific basis for further prevention.Methods Descriptive epidemiology was taken to count,analyze and evaluate recent monitoring data.Results From 2008 to 2011,the marmot density was 0.012-0.045 ind./hm2 with infection rates of flea in vitro from 58.64% to 76.79% and flea index from 1.82 to 2.31,infection rates of burrow track flea from 7.60% to 14.00% and flea index from 0.21 to 0.48.Three strains of Yersinia pestis were isolated from dead marmot and body fleas collected from 2009 to 2011 with 4 samples of positive plague F1 antigen.Conclusions In recent years,animal plague in Jiayuguan Himalayan marmot plague foci turns from "resting" into the active posture.Efforts should be made to monitor and closely observe the dynamic of the epidemic among rats,and prevent occurrence of human plague.
Ronald Mckinnon's contributions to economics

Ronald McKinnon contributed crucially to our knowledge of the key role of savings, investment and financial intermedication in economic growth. Financial repression by governemt spending on consumption and repressed interest rates leads to low savings which finances investment, thus slowing growth. This is Ron’s message even today. He has castigated the U.S. monetary authorities for falling into a “policy trap” of repressing interest rates, presumably to foster investment and growth. In fact, Ron points out that zero rates deter savings and thus punish both investment and growth.
Renal cell carcinoma extending into the inferior vena cava: the prognostic significance of the level of vena caval involvement.

AbstractThe records of 24 patients with renal cell carcinoma involving the inferior vena cava who were free of metastatic disease at presentation were reviewed retrospectively. The over-all 2-year survival for the group was 45.8 per cent, with a mean survival of 38.9 months. When the group was analyzed according to the level of extension of the vena caval thrombus marked differences in the rate of survival and of incidence of local progression of disease were found. The 10 patients with an infrahepatic vena caval thrombus had a 2-year survival rate of 80 per cent and a mean survival of 61.4 months. Two patients (20 per cent) had extension of tumor into the perinephric fat and none had involvement of the regional lymph nodes. The 14 patients with a vena caval thrombus extending to the level of the hepatic veins or beyond had a 2-year survival rate of 21 per cent and a mean survival of 22.9 months. Tumor was present in the regional lymph nodes and/or perinephric fat in 9 of these patients (64 per cent). The...
Basal and hormone-activated calcium absorption in mouse renal thick ascending limbs.

These studies examined transepithelial routes of basal and hormone-activated calcium absorption in thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop perfused in vitro. Single cortical (cTAL) or medullary (mTAL...
Creating the Character, Culture, and Craft of Engagement

Because faculty members and staff create majors and minors in service-learning, public engagement, civic work, and related areas, it is important that they understand community engagement in context, that is, how it works on specific campuses, depending on the organizational culture, norms, mission and, of course, relationships, both within and outside the institution. As Furco and Miller (2009) document, there are multiple measures of the extent to which community engagement has been institutionalized on campuses. Just as important, however, is the way in which community engagement has been implemented and how it is characterized and understood on campus. In this chapter, I report on community engagement at Bryant University, an organization with a long history and strong tradition as a business school. I examine how service-learning was “branded” and conceptualized in our new sociology major, illustrating how we developed the character, culture, and craft of engagement. Finally, I propose some lessons we learned that might provide guidance to other campuses considering developing a service-learning major within a discipline.
Sustaining a Technopolis Initiative

Many regions have attempted to emulate Silicon Valley’s success in economic growth stimulated by technology entrepreneurship. Some of these efforts have shown good results, some are ongoing and remain promising, and others have been short-lived. This chapter will present cases and advance hypotheses about the sustainability/persistence of regional technology entrepreneurship development initiatives. Where other chapters explored the critical success factors for aspiring technoregions, the present chapter focuses on the initiative process itself, and the mechanisms that launch it and sustain it.
Time resolution of stilbene coupled to silicon photomultipliers for use in a handheld dual particle scatter camera

Two stilbene crystals were coupled to low-noise silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) to assess the assemblies' time resolution for use as elements in a handheld dual-particle scatter camera. Pulses were digitized from a measurement of Na-22 and digital constant fraction discrimination (CFD) was performed to determine the time of each pulse. The crystals were then coupled to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and the measurement was repeated. The full width at half max (FWHM) of the time-difference distributions was used to determine the time resolution of the detector assemblies. The time resolution when using the SiPMs was better than 1 ns and comparable to that of assemblies using PMTs.
Glomerular and Tubular Renal Function after Repeated Once-Daily Tobramycin Courses in Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Introduction. Antibiotic treatment regimens against Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients often include aminoglycoside antibiotics that may cause chronic renal failure after repeated courses. Aminoaciduria is an early marker of acute aminoglycoside-induced renal tubular dysfunction. We hypothesized that urinary amino acid reabsorption is decreased after repeated once-daily tobramycin therapies. Methods. In this prospective cross-sectional study creatinine clearance was estimated by the Schwartz and the Cockcroft-Gault formula. Tubular amino acid reabsorption was determined by ion exchange chromatography in 46 patients with CF who received multiple tobramycin courses (6.3 ± 10.1 (1-57)) in a once-daily dosing regimen and 10 who did not. Results. Estimated creatinine clearance employing the Cockcroft-Gault was mildly reduced in 17/46 (37%) of the patients who received tobramycin and 5/10 (50%) of the patients who did not but in none using the Schwartz formula. No association with lifetime tobramycin courses was found. Tubular amino acid reabsorption was not influenced by the amount of once-daily tobramycin courses. Conclusion. Clinically not significant reduction of eCCL occurred in a minority of CF patients. However, chronic tubular dysfunction was not present in patients with CF repeatedly treated with tobramycin in the once-daily dosing scheme.
Transitions of postural coordination as a function of frequency of the moving support platform.

Abstract This study was set-up to investigate the multi-segmental organization of human postural control in a dynamic balance task. The focus was on the coupling between the center of mass (CoM) and center of pressure (CoP) as a candidate collective variable that supports maintaining balance on a sinusoidal oscillating platform in the medial-lateral (ML) plane and was continuously scaled up and then down across a frequency range from 0.2 Hz to 1.2 Hz. The CoM-CoP coordination changed from in-phase to anti-phase and anti-phase to in-phase at a critical frequency (∼0.4 Hz to 0.6 Hz, respectively) in the scaling up or down of the support surface frequency, showed hysteresis as a function of the direction of frequency change and critical fluctuations at the transition region. There was evidence of head motion independent of CoM motion at the higher platform frequencies and a learning effect on several of the dynamic indices over 2 days of practice. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis of CoM-CoP acting as an emergent collective variable that is supported by the faster time scale motions of the joints and their synergies in postural control.
An interactive, stereoscopic virtual environment for medical imaging visualization, simulation and training

Recent advances in medical image acquisition allow for the reconstruction of anatomies with 3D, 4D, and 5D renderings. Nevertheless, standard anatomical and medical data visualization still relies heavily on the use of traditional 2D didactic tools (i.e., textbooks and slides), which restrict the presentation of image data to a 2D slice format. While these approaches have their merits beyond being cost effective and easy to disseminate, anatomy is inherently three-dimensional. By using 2D visualizations to illustrate more complex morphologies, important interactions between structures can be missed. In practice, such as in the planning and execution of surgical interventions, professionals require intricate knowledge of anatomical complexities, which can be more clearly communicated and understood through intuitive interaction with 3D volumetric datasets, such as those extracted from high-resolution CT or MRI scans. Open source, high quality, 3D medical imaging datasets are freely available, and with the emerging popularity of 3D display technologies, affordable and consistent 3D anatomical visualizations can be created. In this study we describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of one such interactive, stereoscopic visualization paradigm for human anatomy extracted from 3D medical images. A stereoscopic display was created by projecting the scene onto the lab floor using sequential frame stereo projection and viewed through active shutter glasses. By incorporating a PhaseSpace motion tracking system, a single viewer can navigate an augmented reality environment and directly manipulate virtual objects in 3D. While this paradigm is sufficiently versatile to enable a wide variety of applications in need of 3D visualization, we designed our study to work as an interactive game, which allows users to explore the anatomy of various organs and systems. In this study we describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of an interactive and stereoscopic visualization platform for exploring and understanding human anatomy. This system can present medical imaging data in three dimensions and allows for direct physical interaction and manipulation by the viewer. This should provide numerous benefits over traditional, 2D display and interaction modalities, and in our analysis, we aim to quantify and qualify users' visual and motor interactions with the virtual environment when employing this interactive display as a 3D didactic tool.
Coronary artery disease: High field strength coronary MRA--ready for prime time?

Yang and colleagues report on their single-center experience with high-field coronary MRA using a new MR contrast agent. Data on 30 patients were compared with conventional X-ray angiography. Their new coronary MRA approach seems favourable when compared with previous MRA methods.
New Possibilities for the Operator, Engineer, and Management Interface with the Process Control Computer and Process

Abstract The essential needs of communication and interaction between the process and the operating, engineering, or managing personnel are summarized. The conventional interface between the process control computer and the operator, engineer, and management is briefly reviewed in the light of their needs. It is shown that some recently developed devices can function better than the conventional ones as an interface between the process and the operating and engineering personnel as well as a communication device between the process or several processes and management.
Abstract LB-255: Prognostic role of neuroendocrine differentiation marker in prostate adenocarcinoma

Neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) has been recognized in prostatic adenocarcinomas. NED prostate adenocarcinoma represent a subset of aggressive tumor phenotypes which may be associated with therapeutic resistance and dismal outcome. Genomic and transcriptomic studies have suggested that there is marked intra-tumor heterogeneity of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostatic adenocarcinoma. NED tumors surges with increase in tumor grade and/or stage prostate cancers particularly in hormone-treated and hormone-refractory tumors. However, the prognostic value of NED in prostate adenocarcinoma is not well understood due to conflicting results in reported studies. We hypothesize that the heterogeneous nature of NED in prostate cancer may contribute to the difficulty in predicting outcomes in morphologically similar tumor specimens. In this study, 36 radical prostatectomy cases with a diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma were procured from the archive of the Department of Pathology at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, including 18 patients who developed recurrent cancer after curative surgery with PSA level >0.1 ng/mL, and 18 patients whose cancers did not recur during matched follow up times. NED was subjectively evaluated by performing immunohistochemistry (IHC) for Chromogranin A (CgA), a neuroendocrine differentiation marker, and the scores were evaluated independently by two pathologist. Ten areas were randomly selected from areas of cancer present on each whole mount section, and the CgA IHC staining intensity in these areas was graded from 0-5, wherein 0 represents no staining and 4 represents strong staining. CgA staining intensity was positively associated with rise in serum PSA level. A significant intratumoral heterogeneity of CgA staining intensity was observed. The cumulative CgA scores from 10 areas were higher in specimens from patients whose cancers relapsed, as compared with specimens from patients whose cancers did not recur. Average cumulative CgA score was noted to be 18.72 ± 2.78 in the relapsed group and 8.28 ± 1.44 in the remission group. Taken together, the study revealed that intra-tumor heterogeneity of NED exists in prostate adenocarcinoma and influences the precise evaluation of NED in clinical specimens. Though the data is not conclusive, we do observe a lower level of NED in patients with remission compared to patients with a clinical failure in treatment by thorough evaluation of NED in prostate whole mount sections. This study potentially provides guidance to clinical usage of NED markers in prostate adenocarcinoma. Citation Format: Menglei Zhu, Wei Chen, Michael Glover, Eswar Shankar, Gregory T. MacLennan, Sanjay Gupta. Prognostic role of neuroendocrine differentiation marker in prostate adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-255. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-255
The role of time in phonetic spaces: Temporal resolution in Cantonese tone perception

Abstract The role of temporal resolution in speech perception (e.g. whether tones are parameterized with fundamental frequency sampled every 10 ms, or just twice in the syllable) is sometimes overlooked, and the temporal resolution relevant for tonal perception is still an open question. The choice of temporal resolution matters because how we understand the recognition, dispersion, and learning of phonetic categories is entirely predicated on what parameters we use to define the phonetic space that they lie in. Here, we present a tonal perception experiment in Cantonese where we used interrupted speech in trisyllabic stimuli to study the effect of temporal resolution on human tonal identification. We also performed acoustic classification of the stimuli with support vector machines. Our results show that just a few samples per syllable are enough for humans and machines to classify Cantonese tones with reasonable accuracy, without much difference in performance from having the full speech signal available. The confusion patterns and machine classification results suggest that loss of detailed information about the temporal alignment and shape of fundamental frequency contours was a major cause of decreasing accuracy as resolution decreased. Moreover, machine classification experiments show that for accurate identification of rising tones in Cantonese, it is crucial to extend the temporal window for sampling to the following syllable, due to peak delay.
ARE PRODUCT SPREADS USEFUL FOR FORECASTING OIL PRICES? AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF THE VERLEGER HYPOTHESIS

Many oil industry analysts believe that there is predictive power in the product spread, defined as the difference between suitably weighted refined product market prices and the price of crude oil. We derive a number of alternative forecasting model specifications based on product spreads and compare the implied forecasts to the no-change forecast of the real price of oil. We show that not all product spread models are useful for out-of-sample forecasting, but some models are, even at horizons between one and two years. The most accurate model is a time-varying parameter model of gasoline and heating oil spot price spreads that allows for structural change in product markets. We document mean-squared prediction error reductions as high as 20% and directional accuracy as high as 63% at the two-year horizon, making product spread models a good complement to forecasting models based on economic fundamentals, which work best at short horizons.
Introduction of optical tweezers in advanced physics laboratory

Laboratories are an essential part of undergraduate optoelectronics and photonics education. Of particular interest are the sequence of laboratories which offer students meaningful research experience within a reasonable time-frame limited by regular laboratory hours. We will present our introduction of optical tweezers into the upper-level physics laboratory. We developed the sequence of experiments in the Advanced Lab to offer students sufficient freedom to explore, rather than simply setting up a demonstration following certain recipes. We will also present its impact on our current curriculum of optoelectronics concentration within the physics program.
Natural Bioactive Compounds: Alternative Approach to the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent, primary malignant brain tumor prevalent in humans. GBM characteristically exhibits aggressive cell proliferation and rapid invasion of normal brain tissue resulting in poor patient prognosis. The current standard of care of surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide is not very effective. The inefficacy of the chemotherapeutic agents may be attributed to the challenges in drug delivery to the tumor. Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated the chemopreventive role of natural, dietary compounds in the development and progression of cancer. Many of these studies have reported the potential of using natural compounds in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy as a novel approach for the effective treatment of cancer. In this paper, we review the role of several natural compounds individually and in combination with chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of GBM. We also assess the potential of drug delivery approaches such as the Gliadel wafers and role of nanomaterial based drug delivery systems for the effective treatment of GBM.
Editorial Commentary: MRI Findings Are Only One Part of the Equation in National Football League Athletes: Shoulder Instability in Contact Athletes

Abstract Shoulder instability is a common problem in contact sports such as the National Football League. Although many elite level football athletes will have shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings consistent with labral tearing on MRI, these imaging findings are not always correlated with symptomatic instability or functional limitations. It is crucial in all patients, not just National Football League athletes, to treat the patient, and not the MRI.
Shell-Correction Methods for Clusters

One of the principle themes in research on finite systems (e.g., nuclei, atomic and molecular clusters, and nano-structured materials) is the search for size-evolutionary patterns (SEPs) of properties of such systems and elucidation of the physical principles underlying such patterns [1].
PRIVACY, ANTITRUST, AND POWER

When a dominant Internet service collects information about its users, the situation is so far from the usual arm’s-length market transaction that neoclassical economic analysis is misleading. “Lack of surveillance” is not a product that individuals have varying preferences for and purchase accordingly. Rather, surveillance is an inevitable concomitant of life online. We need to tame the power that surveillance entails, rather than continuing to pursue illusory, surveillance-free alternatives on the platform level.To the extent a company creates profiles of individuals and collects data on them, a third party ought to be collecting reports from the company on how it is using that information, to whom it is selling the data, and how it maintains the security of the data. Surveillance of these dominant firms’ practices could also allay fears of venture capitalists and innovators (who are loath to enter online markets knowing that a dominant firm could effectively cut off their air supply on a whim). Monitoring should do to leading Internet companies what they do to their users each day: systematically study, categorize, and characterize their behavior. Routinely making information available about data collection will help develop the infrastructure and analytics necessary to bring antitrust enforcement into the twenty-first century by promoting rapid understanding of the corporate actions underlying complaints. Rather than relying on antitrust law to promote the development of rivals to dominant Internet firms, we should rely on monitoring of data practices to help authorities regulate dominant firms. Only then can the FTC, DOJ, and other antitrust enforcers assure that companies that occupy such commanding heights in the Internet ecosystem do not treat firms operating in adjacent fields in an anti-competitive manner.
Influence of Substructure Levels on the Computed Seismic Performance of Low-Rise Structures

Numerical simulations are performed to study the behavior of hypothetical one, two, and three-story structures when different earthquake conditions occur in a selected soil profile in the southern ...
Network Restructuring Control for Conic Invariance with Application to Neural Networks

Recent advances in the study of artificial and biological neural networks support the power of dynamic representations-computing with information stored as nontrivial limit-sets rather than fixed-point attractors. Understanding and manipulating these computations in nonlinear networks requires a theory of control for abstract objective functions. Towards this end, we consider two properties of limit-sets: their topological dimension and orientation (covariance) in phase space and combine these abstract properties into a single well-defined objective: conic control-invariant sets in the derivative space (i.e., the vector field). Real-world applications, such as neural-medicine, constrain which control laws are feasible with less-invasive controllers being preferable. To this end, we derive a feedback control-law for conic invariance which corresponds to constrained restructuring of the network connections as might occur with pharmacological intervention (as opposed to a physically separate control unit). We demonstrate the ease and efficacy of the technique in controlling the orientation and dimension of limit sets in high-dimensional neural networks.
Towards a Fourier domain waveform for non-spinning binaries with arbitrary eccentricity

Although the gravitational waves observed by advanced LIGO and Virgo are consistent with compact binaries in a quasi-circular inspiral prior to coalescence, eccentric inspirals are also expected to occur in nature. Due to their complexity, we currently lack ready-to-use, analytic waveforms in the Fourier domain valid for sufficiently high eccentricity, and such models are crucial to coherently extract weak signals from the noise. We here take the first steps to derive and properly validate an analytic waveform model in the Fourier domain that is valid for inspirals of arbitrary orbital eccentricity. As a proof-of-concept, we build this model to leading post-Newtonian order by combining the stationary phase approximation, a truncated sum of harmonics, and an analytic representation of hypergeometric functions. Through comparisons with numerical post-Newtonian waveforms, we determine how many harmonics are required for a faithful (matches above 99%) representation of the signal up to orbital eccentricities as large as 0.9. As a first byproduct of this analysis, we present a novel technique to maximize the match of eccentric signals over time of coalescence and phase at coalescence. As a second byproduct, we determine which of the different approximations we employ leads to the largest loss in match, which could be used to systematically improve the model because of our analytic control. The future extension of this model to higher post-Newtonian order will allow for an accurate and fast phenomenological hybrid that can account for arbitrary eccentricity inspirals and mergers.
Occupational health research beyond the work setting: inclusive inquiry with ethnic minority and immigrant workers.

ABSTRACTEthnic minority and immigrant workers comprise a sizable proportion of the low-wage workforce. They are surprisingly understudied despite their workplace prominence. Factors such as workpla...
Rugged nanoparticle tracers for mass tracking in explosive events

Tracing the flow of solid matter during an explosion requires a rugged tag that can be measured by a unique identifiable signature. Silica-covered semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) provide a unique and tunable photoluminescent signature that emits from within a sacrificial outer layer. Five types of silica-covered zinc sulfide QDs were synthesized and covalently bound to commercial luminescent powders. The combination of five dots and five powders enables a matrix of 25 unique tags. The tracers are shown to be tolerant of environments associated with chemical explosives and provides a unique tag to evaluate debris fields.
Association of Preterm Births Among US Latina Women With the 2016 Presidential Election.

Importance The circumstances surrounding the 2016 US presidential election have been proposed as a significant stressor in the lives of the US Latino population. Few studies to date, however, have evaluated the population health implications of the election for Latina mothers and their children. Objective To determine whether preterm births (gestational age, Design, Setting, and Participants In this national population-based study, an interrupted time series design, used to evaluate whether policies or other population-level changes interrupt a trend in an outcome, compared monthly counts of preterm births to Latina women after the 2016 presidential election with the number expected had the election not taken place. Women residing in the United States who had singleton births during the study period were included. Counts of singleton term and preterm births by month and race/ethnicity from January 1, 2009, through July 30, 2017 (32 860 727 live births), were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder online database. These methods were applied separately to male and female births. Data were analyzed from November 8, 2018, through May 7, 2019. Exposures Pregnancy in the 2016 US presidential election. Main Outcomes and Measures The number of male and female preterm births based on the last menstrual period. Results Among the 32 860 727 live births recorded during the study period, 11.0% of male and 9.6% of female births to Latina women were preterm compared with 10.2% and 9.3%, respectively, to other women. In the 9-month period beginning with November 2016, an additional 1342 male (95% CI, 795-1889) and 995 female (95% CI, 554-1436) preterm births to Latina women were found above the expected number of preterm births had the election not occurred. Conclusions and Relevance The 2016 US presidential election appears to have been associated with an increase in preterm births among US Latina women. Anti-immigration policies have been proposed and enforced in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election; future research should evaluate the association of these actions with population health.
ACUTE SUBMASSIVE PULMONARY EMBOLISM AND PATENT FORAMEN OVALE PRESENTING AS PARADOXICAL EMBOLI

Patent Foramen Ovales (PFOs) are an under recognized risk factor in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) morbidity and mortality. Studies show that PFO presence with acute PE carries a higher risk of mortality and arterial embolization by right-to-left shunting. A 43 year-old female presented with acute
Life balance and professional quality of life among baccalaureate nurse faculty

Abstract Background The nurse faculty shortage is a well-documented problem. The future workforce is dependent upon qualified faculty who desire to teach students. Purpose The purpose was to explore the relationship between nurse faculty life balance and quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted through surveying nurse faculty (N = 108). The Life Balance Inventory measured health, relationships, identity, challenge/interest, and activities of daily living with scores ranging from 1 (unbalanced) to 3 (very balanced). The Professional Quality of Life scale measured compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress with scores ranging from 22 or less (low), 23–41 (average), and 42 or more (high). Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated. Results Nurse faculty had moderate life balance (Mean = 2.23), average compassion satisfaction (Mean = 40.17), average burnout (Mean = 24.86), and low secondary traumatic stress (Mean = 20.14). The moderate and weak, negative correlations between total life balance and both burnout (r = −0.461, p Conclusion It is critical to create supportive work environments for nursing faculty that promote well-being and reduce burnout and stress.
Of Locke and Valor: Why the Supreme Court's Decision in United States v. Alvarez Does Not Foreclose Congress's Ability to Protect the Property Rights of Medal of Honor Recipients

Of Locke and Valor: Why the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Alvarez Does not Foreclose Congress’s Ability to Protect the Property Rights of Medal of Honor Recipients first discusses the history and importance of military honors, with particular attention given to the Medal of Honor (the “Medal”) and its history. The Article then argues that, given the great labor required to earn the Medal, bona fide Medal recipients earn a property right in the honor and reputation associated with the Medal. This Article then examines the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Alvarez with specific emphasis on why the Court held the provision of the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 prohibiting false claims to the Medal unconstitutional. Finally, this Article concludes by arguing that Congress’s attempts, both in the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 and in recent proposals from the House and Senate, fail to adequately protect the interests held by bona fide Medal recipients. Given that this Article establishes a proprietary interest in the honor and reputation associated with the Medal, the Article proffers that Congress can better constitutionally protect those interests by prohibiting imposters from unlawfully appropriating that reputation through false claims to the Medal — a prohibition analogous to the constitutionally permissible common law prohibition on commercially appropriating another’s name, likeness, and reputation.