cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A randomized, controlled trial of 1 week of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on quality of life.

Abstract Background: This study examines the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on quality of life (QOL)in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with sleep apnea were studied. Health-related quality of life was measured (HRQL) with the use of the Medical Outcomes Survey (MOS) instrument, before and after patients were randomized to receive either 1week of CPAP or placebo-CPAP (CPAP administered at ineffective pressure). Results: CPAP was not found to have a specific effect on QOL as compared with placebo-CPAP. However, several aspects of HRQL improved in both groups over time in this study. Time effects were found in the following subscales of the MOS: satisfaction with physical functioning; effects of pain; pain severity; cognitive functioning; mental health index I; psychological well-being I; depression/behavioral-emotional control; anxiety I; psychological distress I; positive affect II; mental health index II; psychological distress II; anxiety II; psychological well-being II; mental health index III; role limitations due to emotional problems; and physical/physiologic functioning. Conclusions: CPAP treatment does appear to improve several aspects of HRQL. However, this improvement may reflect a nonspecific response (ie, placebo) because comparable improvements were observed in both the active treatment group and the placebo treatment group. Additional study with placebo-CPAP designs is warranted. (Heart Lung® 2003;32:52-8.)
Parylene-HT-based electret rotor generator

A new micro power generator with parylene HT electret rotor is made. This generator uses parylene HT as a new electret material with a much superior charge density compared to teflon and CYTOP. The highest surface potential observed is 204.58 V/mum, equivalent to a surface charge density of 3.69 mC/m2. The generator uses an electret rotor. The rotor is a piece of PEEK insulator block coated with a layer of corona-charged parylene HT. Both output electrodes are on the stator. The generator produces 17.98 muW with 80MOmega load at 50Hz and 7.77 muW with an 800MOmega load at 10Hz.
Adaptive real-time closed-loop temperature control for ultrasound hyperthermia using magnetic resonance thermometry

Previous researchers have successfully demonstrated the application of temperature feedback control for thermal treatment of disease using MR thermometry. Using the temperature-dependent proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift, ultrasound heating for hyperthermia to a target organ (such as the prostate) can be tightly controlled. However, using fixed gain controllers, the response of the target to ultrasound heating varies with type, size, location, shape, stage of growth, and proximity to other vulnerable organs. To adjust for clinical variables, feedback self-tuning regulator (STR) and model reference adaptive control (MRAC) methods have been designed and implemented using real-time, online MR thermometry by adjusting the output power to an ultrasound array to quickly reach the hyperthermia target temperatures. The use of fast adaptive controllers in this application is advantageous because adaptive controllers do not require a priori knowledge of the initial tissue properties and blood perfusion and can quickly reach the steady-state target temperature in the presence of dynamic tissue properties (e.g., thermal conductivity, blood perfusion). This research was conducted to rapidly achieve and manage therapeutic temperatures from an ultrasound array using novel MRI-guided adaptive closed-loop controllers both in ex vivo and in vivo experiments. The ex vivo phantom experiments with bovine muscle (n = 5) show that within 6 ± 0.2 minutes, the tissue temperature increased by 8 ± 1.37°C. Using rabbits’ (n = 5) thigh muscle, the in vivo experiments demonstrated the target temperature reached 44.5°C ± 1.2°C in 8.0 ± 0.5 minutes. The preliminary in vivo experiment with canine prostate hyperthermia achieved 43 ± 2°C in 6.5 ± 0.5 minutes. These results demonstrate that the adaptive controllers with MR thermometry are able to effectively track the target temperature with dynamic tissue properties.
A universal client for distributed networked design and computing

We introduce a universal client (OmniFlow) whose GUI can be readily configured by the user to invoke any number of applications, concurrently or sequentially, anywhere on the network. The design and the implementation of the client is based on the principles of taskflow-oriented programming, whereby we merge concepts from structured programming, hardware description, and mark-up languages. A mark-up language such as XML supports a well-defined schema that captures the decomposition of a program into a hierarchy of tasks, each representing an instance of a blackbox or a whitebox software component. The HDL-like input/output port definitions capture data-task-data dependencies. A highly interactive hierarchical GUI, rendered from the hierarchical taskflow descriptions in extended XML, supports structured programming language constructs to control sequences of task synchronization, execution, repetition, and abort.Experimental evaluations of the prototype, up to 9150 tasks and the longest path of 1600 tasks, demonstrate the scalability of the environment and the overall effectiveness of the proposed architecture for a number of networked design and computing projects.
Culturally Responsive, Transformative Pedagogy in the Transnational Era: Critical Perspectives

This article addresses challenges of multicultural education in the context of increasing transnational mobility and growing diversity in schools, and suggests ways to convert these challenges into new resources in education. We start with a brief overview of the contemporary transnationalism and new understanding of space and culture (Levitt & Glick-Schiller, 2004), and how they pose special challenges in multicultural pedagogy. Specifically, we examine the misleading conceptualizations and practices of culture and identity in multicultural education (Hoffman, 1996). Then, we redefine the culturally responsive, transformative pedagogy with focuses on its multidimensional and empowering aspects. Multiliteracy practices (New London Group, 1996) of students from culturally and linguistically diverse families are acknowledged as a new pathway to allow a wider range of learning opportunities, transform the interactive patterns between students and teachers, and empower students to critically reflect on, and s...
Reproductive strategy of an invasive thistle: effects of adults on seedling survival

Invasive species are known for their ability to form monocultures that exclude native species, yet intraspecific interactions among invasives have not been well studied. Cynara cardunculus (L.) is an invasive perennial thistle that establishes high-density populations in coastal California grasslands. We examined the natural distribution of C. cardunculus seedlings in an established population and found that nearly 100% of seedlings grew within 2 m of adults despite an expected distribution peak at 3 m from source plants based on measured dispersal distances. We then investigated the role of mature plants in seedling survival and establishment with regard to live vegetation, litter, and seedling distance by planting seedlings at increasing distances around adults and applying removal treatments to the focal adult rosettes. We applied control (no removal), adult rosette removal (live leaves), litter removal (dead leaves), and adult rosette plus litter removal (all aboveground plant material) treatments. Seedlings experienced a higher rate of survival, measured by senescence date, and establishment, measured by return rate the following year, with all adult rosette removal treatments. Inhibition by adult rosettes was reduced with distance to 60–80 cm from the rosette, and there was little effect of adult plants between 80 and 200 cm. These results suggest that adult rosettes may inhibit conspecific seedlings at very close distances but provide a favorable environment for seedlings within nearby interspaces. This pattern may contribute to the creation and maintenance of high-density populations in C. cardunculus. Land managers seeking to control this species may improve long-term effectiveness by expanding management efforts to include a 2 m radius around adult plants and treating within 5 months of seedling emergence to prevent recruitment rather than treating adults alone.
Hex-dominant mesh generation with directionality control via packing rectangular solid cells

A new computational method that creates a hex-dominant mesh of an arbitrary 3D geometric domain is presented. The proposed method generates a high-quality hex-dominant mesh by: (1) controlling the directionality of the output hex-dominant mesh; and (2) avoiding ill-shaped elements induced by nodes located too closely to each other. The proposed method takes a 3D geometric domain as input and creates a hex-dominant mesh that consists of mostly hexahedral elements with additional prism elements and tetrahedral elements. The proposed method packs rectangular solid cells on the boundary of and inside the input domain to obtain ideal node locations for a hex-dominant mesh. Each cell has a potential energy field that mimics a body centered cubic (BCC) structure, and the cells are moved to stable positions by a physically-based simulation. The simulation mimics the formation of a crystal pattern so that the centers of the cells give ideal node locations for a hex-dominant mesh. The domain is then meshed into a tetrahedral mesh by the advancing front method, and finally the tetrahedral mesh is converted to a hex-dominant mesh by merging some tetrahedrons.
Channel and interference mitigation in the MUOS base-to-user link

The mobile user objective system (MUOS) will provide global communication for the U.S. government using WCDMA technology. The base-to-user (B2U) physical link is subject to imperfections consisting of multi-path channel effects, multiple high-powered non-MUOS in-band interferers, and competing MUOS WCDMA signals (multiple access interference (MAI)). Various techniques are developed to mitigate the effects of these channel imperfections. This paper analyzes the effects on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) caused by multi-path channel propagation, undesired interference within the B2U spectrum, and MAI.
Physical exercise and depression

Recently, the US Department of Health and Human Services issued its first ever physical activity guidelines, which were developed because ‘‘we clearly know enough now to recommend that all Americans . . . engage in regular physical activity to improve overall health and to reduce risk of many health problems.’’1 The current weekly recommendation (2.5 hours of moderate aerobic physical activity, 1.25 hours of vigorous aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic physical activity plus additional muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days) has increased from the 1995 recommendation issued by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. The Mayo Clinic lists several medical benefits of regular physical activity on its Web site, including weight management, increased cardiovascular function, prevention and control of chronic diseases, and improvement in sleep.2 Number 1 on its list is the positive effect of physical activity on psychological well-being. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by periods of depressed mood and/or anhedonia (ie, loss of interest or pleasure) that last at least 2 weeks in combination with several somatic symptoms (changes in appetite, sleep, energy level, and psychomotor function) and cognitive disturbances (feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate
Molecular parataxonomy as taxon description: examples from recently named Zoanthidea (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) with revision based on serial histology of microanatomy.

Current taxonomic practices require corroboration from multiple lines of evidence to provide sufficient rigor for species discovery and description. However, many recently named taxa (species–families) are defined by nucleotide sequence with little or no description of the features that traditionally define higher taxa and link nucleotide-based information to the existing taxonomic system. Without knowledge of form, it may be impossible to identify conspecifics, congeners, and confamiliars of new taxa among the hundreds of specimens and described species for which nucleotide sequencing is not now, and may never be, available. Additionally, some nucleotide sequences are invariant or inconsistently differentiated between congeners; severely limiting the utility of nucleotide-based taxon definitions. Here we use serial histology of paratypes to reveal the microanatomy of internal structures and revise the definitions of the Zoanthidea taxa Corallizoanthus tsukaharai Reimer, Antipathozoanthus hickmani Reimer & Fujii, Parazoanthus darwini Reimer & Fujii, Terrazoanthus onoi Reimer & Fujii, Terrazoanthus sinnigeri Reimer & Fujii, Microzoanthus kagerou Fujii & Reimer, and Zoanthus kuroshio Reimer & Ono; examination of Mesozoanthus lilkweminensis Reimer & Sinniger failed to produce interpretable sections. The results described here, with individual measurements documented in Morphbank (collection 829724) and Encyclopedia of Life (by taxon name), indicate a notably rich diversity of form for an order that is often characterized as depauperate in morphological diversity. One prominent example is a novel marginal muscle structure (cyclically transitional) that is not observable without serial sections. These findings may renew interest in morphological characters and provide the foundation for revision of Zoanthidea higher taxa, particularly now that phylogenetic relationships for these taxa can be inferred.
MiR-382 targeting of kallikrein 5 contributes to renal inner medullary interstitial fibrosis

Previously we have shown that microRNA miR-382 can facilitate loss of renal epithelial characteristics in cultured cells. This study examined the in vivo role of miR-382 in the development of renal...
Nanophase iron oxides as a key ultraviolet sunscreen for ancient photosynthetic microbes

We propose that nanophase iron-oxide-bearing materials provided important niches for ancient photosynthetic microbes on the Earth that ultimately led to the oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere and the formation of iron-oxide deposits. Atmospheric oxygen and ozone attenuate ultraviolet radiation on the Earth today providing substantial protection for photosynthetic organisms. With ultraviolet radiation fluxes likely to have been even higher on the early Earth than today, accessing solar radiation was particularly risky for early organisms. Yet, we know that photosynthesis arose early and played a critical role in subsequent evolution. Of primary importance was protection below 290 nm, where peak nucleic acid (~260 nm) and protein (~280 nm) absorptions occur. Nanophase ferric oxide/oxyhydroxide minerals absorb, and thus block, the lethal ultraviolet radiation, while transmitting light through much of the visible and near-infrared regions of interest to photosynthesis (400 to 1100 nm). Furthermore, they were available in early environments, and are synthesized by many organisms. Based on experiments using nanophase ferric oxide/oxyhydroxide minerals as a sunscreen for photosynthetic microbes, we suggest that iron, an abundant element widely used in biological mechanisms, may have provided the protection that early organisms needed in order to be able to use photosynthetically active radiation while being protected from ultraviolet-induced damage. The results of this study are broadly applicable to astrobiology because of the abundance of iron in other potentially habitable bodies and the evolutionary pressure to utilize solar radiation when available as an energy source. This model could apply to a potential life form on Mars or other bodies where liquid water and ultraviolet radiation could have been present at significant levels. Based on ferric oxide/oxyhydroxide spectral properties, likely geologic processes, and the results of experiments with the photosynthetic organisms, Euglena sp. and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we propose a scenario where photosynthesis, and ultimately the oxygenation of the atmosphere, depended on the protection of early microbes by nanophase ferric oxides/oxyhydroxides.
Charter school performance in two large urban districts

In the national effort to improve educational achievement, urban districts offer the greatest challenge as they often serve the most disadvantaged students. Many urban leaders, including mayors and school district superintendents, have initiated charter schools, which are publicly supported, autonomously operated schools of choice, as a mechanism of improving learning for these disadvantaged students. In this analysis, we examine the effect charter schools are having on student achievement generally, and on different demographic groups, in two major urban districts in California. Student achievement results suggest that charter schools are having mixed overall effects and generally not promoting student achievement for minorities.
Becoming a physician: long-term student group.

Abstract Crucial aspects of medical education involve psychosocial and personal dimensions of the student's learning and development. Many of these dimensions are not included in the formal curriculum but are affected both favorably and unfavorably by the curriculum and specific clinical training settings. Medical student groups during the first 2 years of school have become common but are rare during clinical rotations. The authors report a relatively unique medical student group that continued throughout the last 3 years of medical school by the students' self-determination. experiences in different hospitals and specialty rotations were examined in the context of the students' learning, evolving professional identity, relationships, feedings, and related life experiences. Four major content themes were: (1) reactions to core training experiences, (b) professional identity and career decisions, (c) personal and life crises, and (d) stereotyped attitudes and behavior of physicians toward women and other aspects of medical and hospital culture. The structure and methods of the group are described. The group process, particularly its emotional components, is elaborated upon. Results of a 10-month follow-up evaluation after graduation, utilizing several rating scales and student commentaries, are reported. Comparisons and comments are made about medical student groups and evaluations elsewhere as reported by other authors.
Connection Topology and Dynamics in Lateral Inhibition Networks

We show analytically how the stability of two-dimensional lateral inhibition neural networks depends on the local connection topology. For various network topologies, we calculate the critical time delay for the onset of oscillation in continuous-time networks and present analytic phase diagrams characterizing the dynamics of discrete-time networks.
Layers of epistasis: genome-wide regulatory networks and network approaches to genome-wide association studies

The conceptual foundation of the genome-wide association study (GWAS) has advanced unchecked since its conception. A revision might seem premature as the potential of GWAS has not been fully realized. Multiple technical and practical limitations need to be overcome before GWAS can be fairly criticized. But with the completion of hundreds of studies and a deeper understanding of the genetic architecture of disease, warnings are being raised. The results compiled to date indicate that risk-associated variants lie predominantly in noncoding regions of the genome. Additionally, alternative methodologies are uncovering large and heterogeneous sets of rare variants underlying disease. The fear is that, even in its fulfillment, the current GWAS paradigm might be incapable of dissecting all kinds of phenotypes. In the following text, we review several initiatives that aim to overcome these limitations. The overarching theme of these studies is the inclusion of biological knowledge to both the analysis and interpretation of genotyping data. GWAS is uninformed of biology by design and although there is some virtue in its simplicity, it is also its most conspicuous deficiency. We propose a framework in which to integrate these novel approaches, both empirical and theoretical, in the form of a genome-wide regulatory network (GWRN). By processing experimental data into networks, emerging data types based on chromatin immunoprecipitation are made computationally tractable. This will give GWAS re-analysis efforts the most current and relevant substrates, and root them firmly on our knowledge of human disease.
The Initiation and Determination of Leaves

Leaves are initiated sequentially in precisely ordered patterns throughout the vegetative phase of shoot development by the apical meristem, which maintains itself in the process as an organized unit of cells whose fates within the shoot are not yet determined. Leaves originate relatively uniformly as sim? ple peg-like outgrowths, and subsequently exhibit divergent patterns of determinate growth. The leaf has been character? ized as a developmental "ground state," an identity that is modified through the action of homeotic genes to generate floral organs (Coen and Meyerowitz, 1991). Yet leaves themselves are diverse, not only among different species of plants, but also within an individual. Plants frequently exhibit some degree of heterophylly, producing different leaves on the same shoot system. Alternative leaf forms on a single plant are of? ten sufficiently different with respect to morphology and anatomy that they could be said to have different "identities" in the same sense that leaf and petal are different identities. Furthermore, leaves are subdivided into regions of differing identities, such as the petiole and blade of a typical dicot leaf or the sheath and blade regions of a grass leaf. Thus, leaf de? termination, the process by which the characteristics of the leaf are fixed, is a complex problem in its own right. How is a leaf initiated, and how are its characteristics determined? Here, we explore these questions by reviewing selected aspects of early leaf development in angiosperms, discussing where possible the underlying mechanisms of control such as the roles played by genes and hormones. Excellent reviews with similar themes have been written previously (for example, Halperin, 1978; Lyndon, 1983).
A Synopsis of Phosphate Disorders in the Nursing Home

Elderly patients are at an increased risk of developing both hypophosphatemia and hyperphosphatemia. Renal insufficiency predisposes elderly patients to elevated serum concentrations of phosphate. On the other hand, poor dietary intake and loss of phosphorus in the urine can lead to deficiency states. It is well documented that hyperphosphatemia is correlated with an increase in morbidity and mortality as a result of vascular calcification. This article reviews the etiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, and treatment of hypophosphatemia and hyperphosphatemia.
The Cumulative Effect of Rural and Regional Residence on the Health of Older Adults

Objective: This study considers whether rural status or living in a particular region of the United States has effects on mental and physical health. The analyses examine whether there are independent and interactive effects of rural status and region of residence on health, beyond individual level factors related to poverty. Methods:Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models are used to examine the relationships between rural and regional residence and health across three time periods. Results: Negative health effects of rural residence were found only in the South region. Positive health effects of rural residence were found only in the Midwest region. There are no observed health risks associated with rural or regional residence across group. Discussion: The results indicate a cumulative risk of rural and Southern residence for older men and women. Living in a rural place in the midwestern United States seems to provide unique sources of health benefits.
Oblique Septal Crossbar Graft for Anterior Septal Angle Reconstruction

Nasal septal deformity is a central feature of the crooked nose, contributing to functional and aesthetic problems. Straightening of the septum often requires resection, scoring, or incision of the septum—maneuvers that inevitably weaken the cartilaginous dorsal and caudal L-shaped struts, which together are known as the L-strut. Compromise of this L-strut predisposes to septal buckling, recurrent deviation, and saddle nose deformity. We describe our experience with the oblique septal crossbar, a structural graft that allows biomechanically sound anterior septal angle reconstruction during septorhinoplasty. The technique improves dorsal septal support and facilitates correction of the crooked nose. The open septorhinoplasty approach and swinging door maneuver are followed by placement of a diagonally oriented crossbar graft, obtained from cartilage or the perpendicular plate. The approach allows consistent midline correction and buttressing of the nasal dorsum, with no complications to date.
Glucose-powered pulsatile release

Abstract Pulsatile release is required for many drugs from hormones to vaccines, but automating this release typically requires elaborate pumping systems with electronic controls and transcutaneous catheters. This paper describes a materials-based approach to this functionality, using a combination of composite polymer membranes to provide discrete pulses of drug at preprogrammed intervals using only a static concentration of glucose in water. Drug is encapsulated in acid-sensitive polymer membranes. Enzymes which convert glucose to acid are immobilized in other polymer membranes, along with sacrificial acid scavengers. These membranes are stacked alternately into a polymer laminate and sealed around the bottom and edges. Glucose diffuses steadily into the top membrane and is converted to acid. This acid is consumed by the scavenger until the scavenger is exhausted, at which point it triggers the acid-sensitive drug membrane below. That membrane swells and delaminates from the stack, releasing its payload, and the process repeats, potentially with different drugs in each layer and different preprogrammed delay times between each dose. This paper provides the first experimental demonstration of such a system, characterizes its components, models the system computationally, and provides basic design rubrics for further development.
Power allocation for maximizing energy efficiency of mixed RF/VLC wireless networks

Developing energy efficient wireless communication networks has become crucial due to the associated environmental and financial benefits. Visible light communication (VLC) has emerged as a promising candidate for achieving energy efficient wireless communication. Integrating VLC with heterogeneous wireless networks has improved the achievable data rates of mobile users. In this paper, we investigate the energy efficiency benefits of employing VLC in a heterogeneous wireless environment. We formulate the problem of power allocation for energy efficiency maximization of a heterogeneous network composed of a VLC system and a radio frequency (RF) communication system. Then, we investigate the impacts of the system parameters on the energy efficiency of the mixed RF/VLC heterogeneous network.
Basal characteristics of the main sticky spot on the ice plain of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica

Abstract Understanding the processes that affect streaming ice flow and the mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets requires sound knowledge of their subglacial environments. Previous studies have shown that an extensive deformable subglacial sediment layer favors fast ice-stream flow. However, areas of high basal drag, termed sticky spots, are of particular interest because they inhibit the fast flow of the overriding ice. The stick-slip behavior of Whillans Ice Stream (WIS) is perhaps the most conspicuous manifestation of a subglacial sticky spot. We present new ice-thickness and seismic-reflection measurements collected over the main sticky spot in the ice plain of WIS, allowing us to elucidate its role in the behavior of the ice stream. Ice-thickness and surface-elevation data show that the sticky spot occupies a subglacial topographic high. Water flow in response to the hydrological potential gradient will be routed around the sticky spot if effective pressures are similar on the sticky spot and elsewhere. The seismic experiment imaged a laterally continuous basal layer approximately 6 m thick, having compressional wave velocities of greater than 1800 m s −1 and density greater than 1800 kg m −3 , indicative of a till layer that is stiffer than corresponding till beneath well-lubricated parts of the ice stream. This layer likely continues to deform under the higher shear stress of the sticky spot, and some water may be pumped up onto the sticky spot during motion events.
Research, Anyone? A Look at the Federal Records Centers

rlRTEEN major cities across the country, offer tempting opportunities to American historians.1 Nevertheless those eager to take advantage of the opportunities must approach the Centers with some caution. Only frustration will result if historians have illusory hopes that the materials available at the Federal Records Centers will immediately illuminate areas of study now perceived in the half-light of generalization and plausible guess. To understand the hazards of expecting too much too soon, historians need only observe Richard S. KirkendalPs optimism in October 1962, at the prospects for scholars' using the Presidential Libraries and his disappointment, in July 1966, with the work turned out in the intervening period.2 But Kirkendall's disenchantment appears to have resulted from a combination of circumstances. The unfavorable comparison he draws when contrasting the work of Hyde Park scholars (Freidel, Bellush, Fusfeld, Burns, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.) with the output of those who labored at Independence seems a little unfair although Kirkendall does take into account the fact that the papers in the Roosevelt Library have been available for research much longer than those in the Truman Library.3 In pointing out how a recent study suffered because the author failed to use the Truman Library, Kirkendall himself has suggested one reason for the problem Hyde Park's accessibility to a greater number of scholars.4 Kirkendall also inveighs against
Utility of Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy in the Evaluation of Pediatric Head and Neck Masses:

ObjectivesFine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has a well-established role in the evaluation of an adult head and neck mass (HNM) but remains underused in children. The objectives of this study were to assess the diagnostic accuracy, safety profile, use of anesthesia, and influence on surgical decision making of FNAB of HNM in the pediatric population.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary care children’s hospital.Subjects and MethodsIn total, 257 consecutive patients with HNM who underwent 338 FNABs from July 2007 to July 2014 were reviewed. Patients ranged in age from 0 to 21 years (mean, 9.3 years); lesions ranged in size from 0.3 to 12.5 cm (mean, 2.4cm). Fine-needle aspiration biopsies were performed in the interventional radiology suite, operating room, clinic, or ward.ResultsThe most common patient final diagnoses included reactive lymphadenopathy (n = 99, 38.5%), benign thyroid colloid nodule (n = 31, 12.1%), malignancies (n = 21, 8.2%), and atypical mycobacterial infection (n =...
Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Breast Tissue

Quantitative diffuse optical spectroscopic (DOS) measurements of healthy and diseased breast were correlated with high-resolution contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images (MRI). The results show DOS-derived physiological information is complementary to anatomic information provided by MRI.
The Dialectics of World Order: Notes for a Future Archeologist of International Savoir Faire

Generated by an intent to write an internationally useful text on the theory and practice of world politics in the twentieth century, this paper represents a preliminary attempt to review and make sense of that field.’ Our focus will be on the contending world order concepts, designs or doctrines embodied within the recent history of globally oriented political practices, as well as the evaluative criticisms, alternative explorations and theoretical rationalizations occasioned by such practices. The search for order in and beyond contemporary world politics has repeatedly transcended or redefined the boundaries of the political. Hence International Relations, rather than its major subdiscipline World Politics, is the most generally relevant academic field for studying contending world orders.
Effect of polyamines on the stability of brain-cortex ribosomes.

Abstract 1. Ribosomes isolated from the cortex tissue of goat brain contain very small amounts of spermidine and spermine. Ribosomes isolated from spermidine-treated slices have a higher spermidine content. 2. The polyamines partially prevent the temperature-dependent breakdown of ribosomes into acid-soluble nucleotides. 3. The `melting' temperature of ribosomes rises slightly when the ribosomes are heated slowly in the presence of polyamines. 4. The pH-dependent breakdown of ribosomes into protein, RNA and acid-soluble nucleotide is markedly decreased by polyamines present in media in which ribosomes are suspended. 5. The breakdown of ribosomes in the presence of high concentrations of salts and EDTA is partially checked by the concurrent presence of polyamines. 6. Spermidine and spermine make ribosomes less susceptible to enzymic digestion by crystalline trypsin and ribonuclease.
The Lexicon and Grammar of Affect-as-Information in Consumer Decision Making: The GAIM

This chapter examines how the original tenets of the affect-as-information hypothesis can be extended to explain a wide range of judgment phenomena, especially with respect to consumer decision making. To this end, research within social psychology as well as research from other fields such as consumer behavior and behavioral decision making is reviewed. The chapter is organized into three main sections. The first section identifies distinct types of information that people seem to derive from their feelings. In a sense, these different types of information constitute the lexicon of feelings as information. The second section identifies the basic principles that guide the processes by which feelings provide these various types of information. These principles can be thought of as rules that govern and structure the ways in which feelings acquire and convey judgment-relevant meaning. In a sense, these principles collectively define the grammar of feelings as information. In the concluding section the state of our knowledge and the chapter's main theoretical propositions are summarized in a generalized model of affect-as-information in judgment and decision making, the GAIM (for Generalized Affect as Information Model of judgment).
Systematic review of surgery for persistent pediatric tracheocutaneous fistula

Objectives To compare the treatment outcomes and adverse event rates for primary closure compared to simple excision with healing by secondary intention for persistent tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) in children. Study Design Systematic review. Methods Systematic review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting standards. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and manual search were used to identify articles. Inclusion criteria were case series or comparative studies of surgery for persistent TCF in children under age 18 years. Exclusion criteria were age 18 years or older, duplicate patient series, case series with less than two patients, or case reports. Data were pooled using random effects meta-analysis to assess outcomes, adverse events, and comparative effectiveness. Results We identified 14 articles with 413 patients treated with excision with primary closure and 233 patients treated with excision with closure by secondary intention. Pooled success rates were 95.7% with primary closure (95% confidence interval [CI]: 93.1% to 97.4%) and 92.7% with secondary intention (95% CI: 88.4% to 95.4%). Subcutaneous emphysema or urgent airway problems were uncommon, occurring in 3.8% and 3.6% of patients, respectively. Five studies had data suitable for comparative meta-analysis, which showed no differences by closure technique for treatment success (P = .480), overall complications (P = .551), need for revision surgery (P = .624), or the incidence of subcutaneous emphysema or pneumothorax (P = .512), urgent airway problems (P = .126), wound infection (P = 1.00), or wound dehiscence or fistula (P = .818). Conclusions There are no differences in the rates of success or complications with surgical closure of TCF in children, whether performed by primary closure or by secondary intention. Both techniques have high success rates with a low incidence of serious complications. Laryngoscope, 2016
Racial disparities in preterm births. The role of urogenital infections.

Objectives To evaluate the impact of urogenital infections on the racial gap between black and white women in preterm birth rates. Methods A computer-assisted search of the medical literature was conducted through MEDLINE aided by a manual bibliographic search of published articles and relevant books. Estimates of the relative risk for preterm birth were extracted from published studies for the following infections: N. gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, Chlamydia trachomatis, Group B streptococcal vaginal colonization, asymptomatic bacteriuria, genital mycoplasmas, and bacterial vaginosis. Estimates of the prevalence among black and white women by race for each of these infections were extracted from published studies. The attributable risk for preterm birth for selected infections was then calculated for the black and white populations and the impact on the racial gap in preterm births was estimated. Results Only bacterial vaginosis and bacteriuria appear to be established risk factors for preterm births. Significantly higher rates of bacterial vaginosis among black women may account for nearly 30% of the racial gap in preterm births. Higher rates of bacteriuria among black women may account for roughly 5% of the gap. Conclusion Although these findings are limited by the reliability of published estimates of prevalence and relative risk for these infections, treatment of infections during pregnancy, particularly bacterial vaginosis, offers hope for reducing the racial gap in preterm births.
Phorbol ester stimulates cyclooxygenase-2 expression and prostanoid production in cardiac myocytes.

Phorbol-12-myristate- 13-acetate (PMA) has been shown to induce hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes. The prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase isoform 2 (cyclooxygenase-2, COX-2) has been associated wi...
Learning with Side Information through Modality Hallucination

We present a modality hallucination architecture for training an RGB object detection model which incorporates depth side information at training time. Our convolutional hallucination network learns a new and complementary RGB image representation which is taught to mimic convolutional mid-level features from a depth network. At test time images are processed jointly through the RGB and hallucination networks to produce improved detection performance. Thus, our method transfers information commonly extracted from depth training data to a network which can extract that information from the RGB counterpart. We present results on the standard NYUDv2 dataset and report improvement on the RGB detection task.
Between East and West, fourteenth century to 1774

In the four centuries between the founding of the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia and the first substantial limitation of Ottoman suzerainty over them by a European power, Romanian elites strove to find a secure place for their countries in a neighborhood of competing and never friendly great powers. Princes and nobles, churchmen and intellectuals learned to appreciate early on the advantages of balance and accommodation in international relations. Through often dangerous times they continued to build institutions and fashion a culture that would ensure their identity and survival. At the same time they debated among themselves who they were and where they belonged in Europe. From the beginning they asked themselves whether they should look to the East or to the West for a model. In time, religion and culture inherited from Byzantium and political and economic ties imposed by the Ottoman Empire turned them to the East. Orthodoxy in the broad cultural sense of the term was paramount in establishing their identity and may explain why Roman Catholicism and, later, Protestantism made little headway among them. Yet, the Romanians of the principalities and of Transylvania were never isolated from the West. The educated were always aware of their Roman origins. A shift in their consciousness and aspirations toward the West became palpable in the seventeenth century and gathered momentum in the eighteenth, and thereby they prepared the way for the emergence of the modern Romanian sense of being. Their writings – church books, chronicles, and histories – and their experiments with poetry and artistic prose trace the path they followed from East to West.
Redefining Rape: Sexual Violence in the Era of Suffrage and Segregation. By Estelle B. Freedman. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013. Pp. 416. $35.00.)

Last year, a White House task force found that one in five female college students is sexually assaulted, usually by someone she knows. Rape remains vastly underreported, partly because of the way ...
An innovative educational pipeline programme for under-represented youth: the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education/CUNY School of Medicine model

Increased diversity and representation within medicine is necessary both to stimulate innovation and more appropriately serve the population as a whole. This is especially pertinent in the United S...
Marketing survey research best practices: evidence and recommendations from a review of JAMS articles

Survey research methodology is widely used in marketing, and it is important for both the field and individual researchers to follow stringent guidelines to ensure that meaningful insights are attained. To assess the extent to which marketing researchers are utilizing best practices in designing, administering, and analyzing surveys, we review the prevalence of published empirical survey work during the 2006–2015 period in three top marketing journals—Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS), Journal of Marketing (JM), and Journal of Marketing Research (JMR)—and then conduct an in-depth analysis of 202 survey-based studies published in JAMS. We focus on key issues in two broad areas of survey research (issues related to the choice of the object of measurement and selection of raters, and issues related to the measurement of the constructs of interest), and we describe conceptual considerations related to each specific issue, review how marketing researchers have attended to these issues in their published work, and identify appropriate best practices.
Usefulness of NKX2.2 Immunohistochemistry for Distinguishing Ewing Sarcoma from Other Sinonasal Small Round Blue Cell Tumors

NKX2.2 is a new immunohistochemical marker that has been reported to be sensitive and specific for Ewing sarcoma (ES). It has not, however, been investigated specifically in the sinonasal small round blue cell tumor (SRBCT) differential diagnosis which includes many tumors specific to that site. It has also not been investigated in the newly recognized “adamantinoma-like” variant of ES. Immunohistochemistry for NKX2.2 was performed on 170 poorly differentiated sinonasal neoplasms: 73 squamous cell carcinomas (67 poorly differentiated, non-keratinizing, or basaloid types and 6 nasopharyngeal carcinomas), 46 olfactory neuroblastomas, 8 sinonasal undifferentiated carcinomas (SNUCs), 6 melanomas, 7 Ewing sarcomas, 6 SMARCB1-deficient carcinomas, 6 teratocarcinosarcomas, 5 alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas, 4 solid adenoid cystic carcinomas, 4 NK/T cell lymphomas, 3 NUT carcinomas, and 2 small cell carcinomas. NKX2.2 was positive in 7 of 7 (100%) Ewing sarcomas, including 3 adamantinoma-like variant (all diffuse, 5 strong and 2 weak). It was also positive in 5 of 6 (83%) teratocarcinosarcomas (strong, but focal), 12 of 46 (26%) olfactory neuroblastomas (diffuse, 2 strong and 10 weak), 4 of 6 melanomas (2 diffuse, 2 focal, all weak), and 1 of 2 small cell carcinomas (diffuse and strong). All squamous cell carcinomas, NUT carcinomas, SMARCB1-deficient carcinomas, SNUCs, solid adenoid cystic carcinomas, NK/T cell lymphomas, and alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas were negative. In the sinonasal SRBCT differential diagnosis, NKX2.2 is a useful and very sensitive marker for Ewing sarcoma, including the treacherous adamantinoma-like variant. At the same time, it is not entirely specific, as it will be positive in a subset of other neuroendocrine/neuroectodermal tumors. As a result, NKX2.2 must be utilized as part of an immunohistochemical panel with other markers, especially cytokeratins, melanoma markers, and CD99.
Persistent Hematuria in ANCA Vasculitis: Ominous or Innocuous?

Management of ANCA vasculitis is an area of much ongoing research, but it remains a challenge for clinicians caring for these patients. With modern therapy, remission can be achieved in 70%–90% of patients ([1][1]–[3][2]), but about 40%–50% will relapse at some point in the course of their
Density Versions of Plünnecke Inequality: Epsilon-Delta Approach

We discuss whether Plunnecke’s inequality for Shnirel’man density with respect to Shnirel’man basis can be generalized to other densities with respect to other concepts of basis. We show behavioral disparities between lower densities and upper densities on Plunnecke’s inequality. We provide standard proofs for the generalizations of Plunnecke’s inequality to lower asymptotic density and upper Banach density. These two results were proved before by the author using nonstandard analysis. A similar generalization to upper asymptotic density is not true. We also provide a standard proof for a new generalization to lower Banach density with respect to upper Banach basis. In the last section we present a simplified proof of Plunnecke’s inequality for Shnirel’man density with respect to Shnirel’man basis without introducing the impact function.
Effects of Surface Impurities and Diffusion on Ion Bombardment-Induced Topography Formation

A “sputter cone” is a general name given to a class of surface topographies formed on surfaces undergoing energetic ion bombardment. Sputter cones are related to ridges, ledges, pits and craters, as well as rather complicated winding or almost liquid-like surface structures. Sputter cones were first documented in the early forties by Glinterschultze and Tollmien (1), although the structure was only inferred rather than observed. In the past 15 years or so, sputter cones have received more attention, beginning with the work of Mazey, Nelson and Thackery, Nobes, Carter and Colligon, Stewart and Thompson and also Wehner and Haj icek (2–13). Since that time, dozens of qualitative and semi-quantitative observations have been made on these cone-like structures. Three recent review papers have described the development of the field in great detail (14–16).