cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 4382: Genome-Wide Gene Expression analysis and molecular portraits regulated by NASEp, an inhibitor of CREB and CBP interaction, in non-small cell lung cancer.

Cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-cAMP response element (CRE) transcriptional pathway plays a critical role in the growth and survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Recruitment of CREB binding protein (CBP) is essential for the transcriptional activity of CREB. However, there is no specific drug in use blocking CREB-CRE transcriptional pathway which may become a new therapeutic target in anti-cancer strategy. Naphthol AS-E phosphate (NASEp) was identified as an inhibitor of CREB transcriptional activity by binding to the KIX domain of CBP and blocking its access to the KID domain in CREB. Our objective was to identify which genes and molecular pathways could be affected by NASEp that may alter target molecules through the regulation of a subset of CRE-containing genes. The effects of the CREB inhibitor NASEp on A549 lung carcinoma cells were examined on an Affymetrix HuGene 1.0 expression microarray and a list of significantly differentially regulated genes was generated. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) shows down-regulation of multiple cancer-related pathways including proliferation, RAS signaling, drug resistance and metastasis. Most significantly, a strong negative correlation with Rosty Cervical Cancer Proliferation Cluster, shows that NASEp inhibits the same set of genes which are up regulated by the E6 and E7 viral oncogenes. These viral elements are known to interact with CBP, which is the direct target of NASEp. Since CBP is known to be a cofactor to multiple transcription factors, we performed an additional round of GSEA using the motif-based Transcription Factor Targets gene set collection and represented the results using a Cytoscape network diagram to illustrate the multifactorial effects of NASEp. Particularly, we focused that several transcription factors regulating cell cycle-related genes. This study implicates potential combinational blockage of CREB and cell cycle-regulated proteins as a cancer therapy. Citation Format: Sin-Aye Park, James Platt, Hee Sun Park, Jong Woo Lee, David F. Stern, Roy S. Herbst, Jaseok Peter Koo. Genome-Wide Gene Expression analysis and molecular portraits regulated by NASEp, an inhibitor of CREB and CBP interaction, in non-small cell lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4382. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4382
Use of sub-10 nm Diameter Upconversion Nanophosphors as Bio-labels

We have synthesized rare-earth doped sub-10 nm diameter upconverting yttrium oxide based nanophosphors by flame spray pyrolysis. We have investigated the emitted visible fluorescence of the sub-10nm nanophosphors under both infrared excitation and electron excitation, and observed comparable narrow band emission spectra. The viability of the nanoparticles for biological imaging was confirmed by imaging the digestive system of the nematode worm C. elegans in the upconversion mode. We have surface functionalized the nanophosphors making them suitable for bio labeling.
Sugar Feeding by Adult Screwworms (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Its Effect on Longevity and Oocyte Maturation

Because primary feeding by the screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), on carbohydrate sources in nature is essential to survival and reproductive success, we undertook studies to determine in the laboratory the feeding preference for 0.1 and 0.3 M sugar solutions and their effect on longevity and oocyte maturation. Fertile flies (A-82 strain) 2—10 d old were fed 0.1 M solutions of either sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, or lactose. There was no significant ( P < 0.05) difference between males 2—10 d old in their consumption of sucrose and maltose. Over the course of the study period, females preferred maltose to sucrose. Glucose and lactose were least preferred by both sexes. Flies fed 0.1 M fructose showed the greatest median survival (LT50) of 19 d, comparable with flies on a control diet of honey. Except for lactose, survival was greater with the increase in concentration. LT50 of adults when fed 0.3 M sucrose increased 28.6% for males and 38.9% for females than when fed the 0.1 M solution. Overall, flies survived longer on honey than on the test sugars. None of the 0.1 M solutions were adequate for females to develop eggs to a mean stage 10. Females fed 0.3 M maltose, sucrose, and fructose all developed mature eggs by age 10 d. Honey was superior for egg maturation compared with the sugars tested. Possible natural sources of the test sugars are discussed.
Competing species models with an infectious disease.

The frequency-dependent (standard) form of the incidence is used for the transmission dynamics of an infectious disease in a competing species model. In the global analysis of the SIS model with the birth rate independent of the population size, a modified reproduction number $\mathbf{R}_1$ determines the asymptotic behavior, so that the disease dies out if $\mathbf{R}_1 \leq 1$ and approaches a globally attractive endemic equilibrium if $\mathbf{R}_1 > 1$. Because the disease- reduced reproduction and disease-related death rates are often different in two competing species, a shared disease can change the outcome of the competition. Models of SIR and SIRS type are also considered. A key result in all of these models with the frequency-dependent incidence is that the disease must either die out in both species or remain endemic in both species.
Glucose-dependent lactate production by homogenates of neuronal tissues prepared from rats treated with 2,4-dithiobiuret, acrylamide, p-bromophenylacetylurea and 2,5-hexanedione

Chronic treatment of rats with dithiobiuret (DTB) produces a delayed onset muscle weakness and, as suggested by a preliminary study, a distal axonopathy. An inhibition of glycolysis resulting in an energy deficit has been suggested as a possible mechanism of neurotoxin-induced distal axonopathies. To determine whether chronic DTB administration (1 mg/kg/day X 7 days; sacrificed on Day 7) might be associated with a perturbation of glucose metabolism in neuronal tissues, lactate production was measured in brain and spinal cord homogenates prepared from rats which exhibited hindlimb skeletal muscle weakness. Kinetic and statistical analysis showed that glucose-dependent lactate production in these homogenates was not different from that of controls. Lactate production was also determined in brain homogenates prepared from rats intoxicated with acrylamide (50 mg/kg/day X 9 days; sacrificed on Day 9), p-bromophenylacetylurea (200 mg/kg/day X 2 days; sacrificed on Day 14) or 2,5-hexanedione (400 mg/kg/day X 21 days; sacrificed on Day 21). The results indicated that whereas 2,5-hexanedione produced a slight decrease in Vmax, acrylamide and p-bromophenylacetylurea did not cause changes in glucose-dependent lactate production. These findings do not support the suggestion that an inhibition of glycolysis represents a common biochemical lesion associated with neurotoxins which cause delayed onset muscle weakness and distal axonopathy.
Thermodynamic prediction of the effect of CO2 to the stability of (La0.8Sr0.2)0.98MnO3±δ system

Abstract Thermodynamic predictions regarding the formation of secondary phases in CO2 containing atmosphere on the (La0.8Sr0.2)0.98MnO3±δ (LSM-20) surface and at the LSM-20 (cathode)/8YSZ (electrolyte) interface have been studied using the CALculation of Phase Diagram (CALPHAD) approach. The effects of temperature, CO2 partial pressure, O2 partial pressure and the cathode composition on formation of secondary phases have been investigated and correlated with the available experimental results found in the literature. Our study predicts that the SrCO3 has the possibility to form on the surface and at triple phase boundaries (TPBs) as a result of CO2 exposure to the system. In addition, our study also indicates that the CO2 exposure does not change the electronic/ionic carriers' concentration in perovskite phase. The observed electrical conductivity drop is predicted to occur due to the formation of secondary phases such as LaZr2O7, SrZrO3 or SrCO3, at the LSM-20/8YSZ interface, resulting in the blocking of the electron/ion transfer paths.
Polymer nanocomposites reinforced with carbonaceous nanofillers and their piezoresistive behavior

Abstract: This chapter aims to address the novelty of graphite nanocomposites with piezoresistivity being discussed as a secondary but inherent characteristic of the materials. Nanocomposites containing carbonaceous fillers exhibit electrically conductive behavior. They often produce increased thermal and electrical conductivities. Well-dispersed fillers in a polymer matrix give stable and reproducible characteristics, and display a low filler percolation threshold for electrical conductivity. Graphite nanoplatelets, carbon nanotube (CNT) and carbon black were introduced as carbonaceous nanoinclusions to accomplish piezoresistivity. We focus on graphite nanocomposites, from the filler dispersion to experimental measurement of piezoresistive properties. Carbon black and CNT will be briefly discussed.
Reflectance Confocal Microscopy for Skin Cancer Margins: How it Works

Since its first application to human skin imaging in 1995, confocal microscopy has continued to improve as both a noninvasive, in vivo imaging technique for intact skin and an efficient and cost-effective ex vivo imaging approach for excised skin. The purpose of this article is to present the principles behind confocal microscopy imaging of skin, provide a frame of reference regarding where the technology currently stands in its development towards widespread clinical practice, and elucidate how confocal microscopy can be used for preoperative and intraoperative delineation of skin cancer margins.
MSE of diagonally loaded Capon beamformer-based power spectrum estimator in snapshot deficient regime

A Capon beamformer processes the input signal such that the output power is minimized and the signal arriving from a look direction is undistorted. This paper presents a theoretical study of the estimation mean square error of a diagonally loaded Capon beamformer-based spatial power estimator in the snapshot deficient regime. The derived characterization is validated via simulations. Additionally, a strong sensitivity of the mean square estimation error to diagonal loading when beamformer is steered close to source direction has been observed.
Turbulence-resolving, two-phase flow simulations of wave-supported gravity flows: A conceptual study

Discoveries over the last three decades have shown that wave-supported gravity flows (WSGFs) are among the participating physical processes that carry substantial amount of fine sediments across low-gradient shelves. Therefore, understanding the full range of mechanisms responsible for such gravity flows is likely to shed light on the dynamics of subaqueous delta and clinoform development. As wave-induced boundary layer turbulence is the major agent to suspend sediments in WSGFs, the scale of WSGFs in the water column is also bounded by the wave-induced boundary layer thickness which is on the order of decimeters. Therefore, in order to explore the details of participating physical mechanisms, especially that due to turbulence-sediment interaction, highly resolved and accurate numerical models or measurements in the laboratory and the field are required. In this study, the dynamics of WSGFs is investigated by using turbulence-resolving, two-phase flow simulations that utilize Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS). The effect of variable sediment loading, slope, and wave orbital velocity is investigated via 21 simulations.
Photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion at nanostructured materials

Photoelectrochemical conversion of solar energy from light to electricity has been widely studied for many years. Historically, these liquid junction cells have focused on planar interfaces.
Life history as the appropriate meta-theory for evaluating group-differences in psychopathic personality: A comment on Lynn (2017) ☆

In his target article, Lynn compiles and reviews various convergent strands of evidence supportive of potential race differences in psychopathic personality. The origin of this group-difference is attributed to cold-selection in the Pleistocene. We contend that Life History Theory provides a better theoretical rubric within which to evaluate Lynn's arguments as a) it better accounts for the adaptive logic of the coherent pattern among the traits characteristic of so-called ‘psychopathic personality’, b) it provides a normatively free language with which group differences in behavior can be described, and c) it makes predictions at the level of both the individual and intra-individual (developmental) levels, which permit the role of environmental contributions to these dispositions to be better comprehended. Thus the Life History model is more empirically nuanced. We also consider the merits of future, more systematic studies along the lines of Lynn's contribution.
The Dynamics of REIT Pricing Efficiency

We study the dynamics of pricing efficiency in the equity REIT market from 1993 to 2014. We measure pricing efficiency at the firm level using variance ratios calculated from quote midpoints in the TAQ database. We find four main results. First, on average the market is efficient, with variance ratios close to one. However, in any given year, there is considerable cross-sectional variation in variance ratios, suggesting at least some firms are priced inefficiently. Second, higher institutional ownership by active institutional investors is related to better pricing efficiency, while passive ownership does not reduce pricing efficiency. Third, REITs that are included in the S&P 500 and S&P 400 are priced more efficiently than other REITs. For the S&P 500 firms we find evidence that this was purely driven by sample selection, while for S&P 400 firms, we find evidence that it is inclusion in the index that drives efficiency. Finally, we find evidence that firm investment, analyst coverage, and debt capital raising activity can influence pricing efficiency. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Clinical Implication of Enlarged Prostate in Patients with the Ileal Pouch-anal Anastomosis for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Author(s): Lian, Lei; Obusez, Emmanuel; Remer, Erick M; Monga, Manoj; Shen, Bo | Abstract: BackgroundEnlarged prostate is often noticed in patients with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in our clinical practice. The aims were to identify the factors associated with enlarged prostate and to investigate its clinical implications.MethodsIPAA patients with available prostate imaging after IPAA were included. Prostate length and width were measured in the axial plane and height in coronal plane. Prostate volume was calculated with the formula (length × width × height) × π/6. A volume greater than 40 cm3 was used to define enlarged prostate.ResultsProstate enlargement was found in 58 (24.8%) out of 234 patients. Factors associated with prostate enlargement included advanced age at imaging examination (55.6 ± 11.5 vs. 41.3 ± 13.6 years, P l 0.0001), age at pouch surgery (46.0 ± 11.8 vs. 32.5 ± 12.9 years, Pl0.0001), and the presence of an S-pouch (6.9% vs. 1.1%, P = 0.03). Postoperative use of biologics was less common in patients with enlarged prostate (5.2% vs. 17%, P = 0.03). However, pouch duration was comparable (10.0 ± 5.9 vs. 8.8 ± 6.8 years, P = 0.2) and pouch failure rate was similar. A trend towards an increased risk for acute pouchitis in patients with enlarged prostate was noticed (19% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.06). The association of S-pouch (odds ratio: 7.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.1 - 46.4) and enlarged prostate remained significant after adjusting for age, acute pouchitis, and redo pouch on multivariate analysis.ConclusionsProstate enlargement appears to be uncommon after IPAA and it was associated with S-pouch configuration and advanced age. Enlarged prostate in the setting of IPAA does not seem to have adverse impact on pouch outcomes, although there is a trend in correlation between enlarged prostate and acute pouchitis.
Prevention of long-term complications of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) may be the most rapidly-growing chronic disease in the world. Its long-term complications, including retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and accelerated macrovascular disease cause major morbidity and mortality. Although therapy that normalizes glycemia may prevent the development and delay the progression of long-term complications in NIDDM, as has been demonstrated in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), no direct data exist to support the efficacy of "intensive therapy" in NIDDM. An alternative approach to preventing the development of long-term complications may be to intervene more distally, i.e., inhibit the mechanism(s) by which elevated glucose levels cause complications. Potential pathogenic mechanisms include the accumulation of sorbitol and other biochemical changes in tissues with aldose reductase, and the modification of proteins by glycation. Pharmacologic probes, including aldose reductase inhibitors and glycation inhibitors such as aminoguanidine, are currently under study and may provide an efficient means of preventing complications, independent of the ambient glycemic level.
A comparative study of the effect of visual and auditory cues on speaker height and weight identification

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to compare the effect of visual and auditory cues on speaker height and weight identification in an attempt to determine if the voice alone conveys as much information as visual clues concerning speakers' heights and weights. A total of 30 speakers, 15 females and 15 males, participated in the study. A standard prose passage was recorded and a professional frontal full-length photograph was taken of each speaker. A group of 30 judges participated in two experimental sessions. In one session, they were shown photographic slides of all subjects and were asked to make judgments of height and weight based on the visual clues on each slide. In another session, the judges heard a master tape of the subjects' recorded readings and made height and weight judgments based on the auditory clues in each speech sample. The order of presentation of the two sessions was randomized so that 15 judges participated in the visual task in the first session and the auditory task in the second session, while 15 judges received the auditory task in the first session and the visual task in the second session. In both sessions the judges were asked to make direct estimations of height and weight. Results indicate that, although differences exist between the two experimental conditions in judges' height and weight estimates, the differences are, on the average, very small: 0.24 in and 2.03 lb, respectively. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
An overview of contemporary management of breast carcinoma.

SUMMARY Breast cancer mortality has shown little decline over the past several decades. Yet, of all solid tumors, breast cancer remains one of the most responsive tumors to hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, or both is effective in stage II patients, but not all patients benefit. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease whose biologic behavior is reflected by a variety of prognostic variables. The treatment of advanced breast cancer is still palliative; however, worthwhile complete and partial responses are obtained by using the multimodal therapeutic approach.
NEWTON DERIVED METHODS FOR NONLINEAR EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES

Publisher Summary This chapter describes Newton derived methods for nonlinear equations and inequalities. Newton's method is extended to the solution of systems of equations and inequalities, where the number of variables may be larger than the number of equations and inequalities. These extensions of Newton's method converge quadratically when started from a good initial guess, but just like Newton's method, they may diverge when started from a poor initial guess. The chapter presents an alternative stabilized version of Robinson's algorithm that has a greater rate of convergence and requires less strict assumptions than Huang's algorithm. It also presents an iterated version that is more efficient. The stabilization is accomplished by using an Armijo-type gradient method until a battery of tests indicates that one is close enough to a solution for Robinson's extension of Newton's method to converge.
Radial Throw at the Cutting Edges of Micro-Tools When Using Ultra-High-Speed Micromachining Spindles

Abstract In this paper, we present an approach to determine the trajectory of the cutting edges of a micro-tool in the presence of radial throw when using ultra-high-speed (UHS) micromachining spindles. When micro tools are rotated, inaccuracies and dynamic response of the tool-collet-spindle assembly cause the microtool axis to displace radially from the average axis of rotation. This displacement is referred to as the radial throw of the axis of rotation. Unlike runout, which defines the total radial displacement of a surface within one cycle of rotation, radial throw depends on the angle of rotation (and thus, the time). The radial throw reflected at each cutting edge causes the cutting edge trajectory to vary from the ideal trajectory, which is a circle with a diameter equal to the tool diameter. As such, the radial throw at the cutting edges critically affects the attainable dimensional accuracy and surface quality, as well as the micromachining forces. For this reason, accurate determination of effective radial throw of micro-tools is important for practical applications and process-modeling efforts. This paper devises an approach for accurate measurement of radial throw at the cutting edges of micro-tools when using UHS spindles. The approach involves (1) a mathematical framework to determine the trajectory of the cutting edges from measurements of the radial throw at two locations on the tool shank, and (2) an experimental method, based on non-contact displacement measurements, for simultaneous radial throw measurements on the tool shank at two mutually-perpendicular radial directions. The approach is experimentally validated by comparing the predicted and measured radial throw at the tool tip using a micro-tool blank rotated on an UHS spindle at 120,000 rpm. The results indicate that the deviations between the predicted and measured radial throw magnitude and orientation are less than 1% and 0.1 deg., respectively. Subsequently, the validated approach is used to determine tool-tip radial throw of a commercially-available micro-endmill rotated on the same spindle at different spindle speeds. It is concluded that the presented approach provides an effective means for accurate determination of the speed-dependent radial throw at the cutting edges of micro tools towards enhancing the process performance.
Cognitive inhibition and attentional biases in the affective go/no-go performance of depressed, suicidal populations.

Abstract Background Although cognitive inhibition deficits and attentional biases have been associated with suicidality, these findings have not been consistently reported across samples. The aim of the current study was to further investigate these variables among participants with differing suicidal risk. Methods We compared affective go/no-go performance in 100 depressed individuals with both current suicidal ideation and a prior history of attempted suicide, 100 depressed individuals with current suicidal ideation, but no history of attempted suicide, 100 suicide attempters without current depression or suicidal ideation, and 100 healthy controls. Results Suicide ideators with a history of attempted suicide committed more commission errors during negative word trials than any other group. Additionally, suicide ideators with no attempt history made more commission errors than did controls and previous attempters. An interaction for group status and emotional word valence revealed that suicide ideators with a history of attempted suicide responded fastest to negative words and slowest to positive words. Suicide ideators without an attempt history displayed a similar, but less pronounced pattern. Whereas, controls and previous attempters responded more quickly to positively valenced words. Limitations The use of cross-sectional self-report data and inclusion of only female participants limits generalizability. Conclusions Cognitive dysfunctions were apparent in all suicide vulnerable subjects, but significantly greater in suicide ideators with a history of attempted suicide. Suicidal ideation may be associated with a processing bias and inhibitory deficit for negative, mood-congruent information. These findings increase our knowledge of cognitive impairment in suicidality and may potentially help improve intervention strategies.
A bibliometric analysis of process system failure and reliability literature

Abstract This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of process system failure and reliability studies. This analysis attempts to answer following questions, related to the evolution of failure and reliability engineering in process system: (i) What are the key areas? (ii) What are the major tools and their evolution and frequency of use? (iii) How much global popularity does this field possess? (iv) Which countries are active in these areas of research? (v) Who are the top contributing authors? (vi) What is the principal source of documents in this field? (vii) What are the prevalent factors behind the citations? and (viii) What is the contribution of the industries? This field is found to have a sharp increase in the number of documents in the last twelve years (2006–2018). It is observed that process reliability is a global topic, with an active participation from the USA, China, India, and Norway. Methodology, reliability model, and maintenance-related journal articles cover the colossal portion of the documents, and conferences are the most popular mean of industrial documents. IEEE Transactions on Reliability, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Microelectronics Reliability, and Engineering Failure Analysis are the chief sources of documents. Despite a vital contribution from industry, collaborative works between industry and academia are observed to be rare.
Advances in deep space exploration via simulators & deep learning

Abstract The NASA Starlight and Breakthrough Starshot programs conceptualize fast interstellar travel via small relativistic spacecraft that are propelled by directed energy. This process is radically different from traditional space travel and trades large and slow spacecraft for small, fast, inexpensive, and fragile ones. The main goal of these wafer satellites is to gather useful images during their deep space journey. We introduce and solve some of the main problems that accompany this concept. First, we need an object detection system that can detect planets that we have never seen before, some containing features that we may not even know exist in the universe. Second, once we have images of exoplanets, we need a way to take these images and rank them by importance. Equipment fails and data rates are slow, thus we need a method to ensure that the most important images to humankind are the ones that are prioritized for data transfer. Finally, the energy on board is minimal and must be conserved and used sparingly. No exoplanet images should be missed, but using energy erroneously would be detrimental. We introduce simulator-based methods that leverage artificial intelligence, mostly in the form of computer vision, in order to solve all three of these issues. Our results confirm that simulators provide an extremely rich training environment that surpasses that of real images, and can be used to train models on features that have yet to be observed by humans. We also show that the immersive and adaptable environment provided by the simulator, combined with deep learning, lets us navigate and save energy in an otherwise implausible way.
Self-Forming Multiple Sub-Nets Based Protocol for Tactical Networks Consisting of SDRs

The paper presents a novel approach for tactical networks in which radios form self-regulatory virtual sub-nets on the basis of control messages. The design uses hybrid of frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and time division multiple access (TDMA) approaches with less call setup delays and increases in network throughput. This multiple sub-nets based distributed algorithm exploits available spectrum resources, provides collision-free simultaneous transmissions and autonomous selection of time slots over different frequency sub-bands with self-organizing and self-forming network capabilities. We propose two schemes which provide multi-channel medium access control with autonomous scheduling of time slots for software-defined radios (SDRs). The schemes use request and acknowledgment frames as control messages to devise a distributed solution. These control messages alone help to form virtual sub-nets, preserve frequency channels and schedule transmissions over multiple time slot intervals, depend on the type of data messages. In order to demonstrate the behavior of sub-nets for tactical networks, theoretical findings are exploited with experimental analysis to provide practical implementation of schemes using contention-free time slotted common control channel for nodes coordination and time slotted collision-free multi-channel environment for data transmissions. The results show the effective coexistence of multiple transmissions in a network with increase in network throughput and lower the data latency up-to 76.8%, when compare to conventional MAC protocols. The design is workable for time sensitive, mission critical networks and expected to support multi-hop transmissions in similar manner.
Lynch vs transcaruncular approach: optimizing access to the lateral frontal sinus.

Background Visualization and instrumentation of the frontal sinus is not always possible with a Draf III or modified endoscopic Lothrop procedure (MELP), and external incisions can help augment exposure. We compare lateral frontal sinus access using only a MELP compared to the adjunctive transcaruncular approach and transcutaneous Lynch incision. Methods Twelve cadaveric heads underwent thin-cut computed tomography scanning. Measurement of the frontal beak, anteroposterior depth of the frontal sinus, and interorbital distance was performed. There were 4 specimens with poorly pneumatized frontal sinuses that were excluded from the study. Eight cadaveric heads (16 sides) were dissected and a MELP with bilateral transcaruncular and Lynch incisions for access to the lateral frontal sinus was performed. Under image guidance, measurements extended from the midline crista galli to the most lateral point of the frontal sinus visualized using a 0-degree endoscope with straight suction and a 30-degree endoscope with curved suction. Results The proportion of the ipsilateral frontal sinus accessed through the contralateral nare with a 0-degree endoscope and straight suction using a MELP only, a MELP with transcaruncular approach, and a MELP with Lynch incision, respectively, averaged 41.6%, 51.6%, and 58.9% on the right, and 48.9%, 47.1%, and 61.2% on the left. Using a 30-degree endoscope and curved suction the proportion accessed using a MELP only, a MELP with transcaruncular approach, and a MELP with Lynch incision, respectively, increased to 76.1%, 62.6%, and 91.8% on the right, and 83.2%, 62.7%, and 88.7% on the left. Conclusion Adjunctive external approaches can improve access and instrumentation of the frontal sinus when combined with a MELP.
Home Infliximab Infusions Are Associated With Suboptimal Outcomes Without Cost Savings in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

INTRODUCTION Biologic agents including infliximab are effective but costly therapies in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Home infliximab infusions are increasingly payer-mandated to minimize infusion-related costs. This study aimed to compare biologic medication use, health outcomes, and overall cost of care for adult and pediatric patients with IBD receiving home vs office- vs hospital-based infliximab infusions. METHODS Longitudinal patient data were obtained from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart. The analysis considered all patients with IBD who received infliximab from 2003 to 2016. Primary outcomes included nonadherence (≥2 infliximab infusions over 10 weeks apart in 1 year) and discontinuation of infliximab. Secondary outcomes included outpatient corticosteroid use, follow-up visits, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, and cost outcomes (out-of-pocket costs and annual overall cost of care). RESULTS There were 27,396 patients with IBD (1,839 pediatric patients). Overall, 5.7% of patients used home infliximab infusions. These patients were more likely to be nonadherent compared with both office-based (22.2% vs 19.8%; P = .044) and hospital-based infusions (22.2% vs 21.2%; P < .001). They were also more likely to discontinue infliximab compared with office-based (44.7% vs 33.7%; P < .001) or hospital-based (44.7% vs 33.4%; P < .001) infusions. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, the probabilities of remaining on infliximab by day 200 of therapy were 64.4%, 74.2%, and 79.3% for home-, hospital-, and office-based infusions, respectively (P < .001). Home infliximab patients had the highest corticosteroid use (cumulative corticosteroid days after IBD diagnosis: home based, 238.2; office based, 189.7; and hospital based, 208.5; P < .001) and the fewest follow-up visits. Home infusions did not decrease overall annual care costs compared with office infusions ($49,149 vs $43,466, P < .001). DISCUSSION In this analysis, home infliximab infusions for patients with IBD were associated with suboptimal outcomes including higher rates of nonadherence and discontinuation of infliximab. Home infusions did not result in significant cost savings compared with office infusions.
A Guide to Establishing Ethics Committees in Behavioral Health Settings

Ethical statements typically involve rules. All rules can vary in accuracy and specificity depending on the context to which they are applied. Codes of ethics often involve ethical rules that are written generally to cover the wide-ranging set of possible situations that any one member of the profession may encounter. But, despite being written generally, codes of ethics are applied to specific situations that professional members encounter. The application of general rules to specific contexts can sometimes be challenging and complex. Health care organizations have several options to help their employees behave ethically. One approach is to appoint a single ethics coordinator. In contrast, the dominant approach in most health care organizations is to develop an organizational ethics committee (Moon Pediatrics, 143(5), e20190659, 2019). Despite the popularity of the ethics committee in other professions, the extent to which organizations that provide applied behavior analysis services have established and operate ethics committees is unknown. Ethics coordinator roles and ethics committees both have benefits and drawbacks. This article reviews the benefits and drawbacks of appointing an ethics coordinator and establishing an ethics committee. And, for interested organizations, this article outlines the steps and considerations that organizations can use to guide the creation of an ethics committee.
Five Myths About Privacy

When Edward Snowden released secret documents demonstrating illegal NSA surveillance, a debate raged about the tradeoff between privacy and national security as well as how to hold spy agencies accountable. This short piece, written for the Washington Post, discusses five myths about privacy in light of this debate.
Single-kV multi-contrast x-ray imaging for gout detection and gout-pseudogout differentiation

Gout is the most prevalent inflammatory arthritis found in men. A prompt diagnosis and early treatment of gout are crucial in preventing eventual functional impairment and reduction in comorbidities. In this work, the quantitative material information provided by a multi-contrast x-ray (MCXR) imaging acquisition is leveraged to develop a rapid, non-invasive, and low dose diagnostic method for gout detection and gout-pseudogout differentiation. This work establishes a theoretical foundation to demonstrate how a single-kV MCXR acquisition is capable of differentiating gout from pseudogout via a projection domain two-material decomposition. Experimental results from a benchtop MCXR system are presented. The imaging performance of the proposed MCXR technique is compared to dual-energy radiography to further validate the method.
Field Evaluation of a Mycoplasma bovis Bacterin in Young Dairy Calves

The objective of this field trial was to determine the efficacy of a commercially produced Mycoplasma bovis (Mb) bacterin for the prevention of Mb-associated disease (respiratory disease, otitis media, arthritis) and mortality in dairy calves from birth to 90. days of age. Additional objectives were to compare vaccinated and placebo-treated calves with respect to 1) weight gain from birth to 90 days of age, 2) rates of nasal colonization by Mb and 3) Mb-specific serum immunoglobulin concentrations.
Scaffolding Design to Bridge the Gaps between Machine Learning and Scientific Discovery for K-12 STEM Education

Machine Learning (ML) can provide an advanced lens for K-12 students to get their hands on intriguing patterns from real-world data and has the potential to empower young learners with more challenging cognitive skills needed for iterative scientific investigation. However, few efforts have been taken to unearth the unique challenges to engage K-12 teachers and students in ML-empowered scientific discovery (SD) learning. Moreover, it is under-explored what scaffolding can be designed to mitigate the challenges. Based on our previous study and literature research, we identified three gaps for novice learners to conduct ML-empowered SD: (1) cognitive overload in ML visual analytics; (2) insufficient synthesis of multivariate patterns for hypothesis development; (3) the lack of evidence evaluation during the iterative investigation. We also propose three corresponding scaffolding components and evaluation studies for the next step.
Spin in Schrödinger-quantized pseudoclassical systems

We examine the construction of the spin angular momentum in systems with pseudoclassical Grassmann variables. In constrained systems, there are many different algebraic forms for the dynamical variables that will all agree on the constraint surface. For the angular momentum, a particular form of the generators is preferred, which yields superselection sectors of irreducible spinc(n) representations rather than reducible so(n) representations when quantized in the Schrodinger realization.
Processing of Refractory Carbides and Nitrides (Coatings)

This chapter reviews the coating processes of refractory carbides and nitrides. Coatings of refractory carbides and nitrides have great industrial importance with a wide range of applications in semiconductors and other electronic components, in cutting tools, gas-turbine vanes and blades, precision bearings, punch sets, extruders, prostheses, and many other products. The surface of a material may be exposed to wear, corrosion, radiation, electrical or magnetic fields, and other phenomena and hence, it must have the ability to withstand these environments. This can be accomplished by coating the base material to obtain a composite in which the surface properties may be considerably different from those of the substrate. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) belong to the class of vapor-transfer processes, which are atomistic in nature—that is, the deposition species are atoms or molecules or a combination of these. The coatings are also commonly known as thin-films when their thickness is less than 10 μm. CVD is a versatile process that is well adapted to the production of all the refractory carbides and nitrides, not only as coatings but also as powders, bulk/monolithic components, and fibers. It may be defined as the deposition of a solid on a heated surface from a chemical reaction in the vapor phase.
Language and Consciousness: The Perennial Relevance of Benjamin Lee Whorf

AbstractThe recent emergence of multicultural and multidisciplinary studies is expanding traditional disciplines and developing new areas of inquiry. A notable beneficiary of this integrative trend is consciousness studies as it draws on several cultures and disciplines, including linguistics. In the past century, Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1941) uniquely foreshadowed this present trend as he explored consciousness through his studies of the interrelationship of language, culture, and mind with unprecedented reliance on multicultural and multidisciplinary research. This essay is focused on Benjamin Lee Whorf’s (1897–1941) last published work, ‘Language, Mind, and Reality’ (1942), in which he presents his final comprehensive thoughts on linguistic relativity. In light of many current studies of language, mind, and consciousness, linguistic relativity is presently enjoying resurgence. As a consequence, Whorf’s work is not only significant in the history of linguistics; but it is also relevant to contemporary ...
Vilification of the “batterer”: How blame shapes domestic violence policy and interventions

This article explores ways in which the vilification of the "batterer" nn the popular, policy, and "scientific" legitimization of the dismissive and degrading categorization of perpetrators nn has influenced research, policy, and intervention in the field of domestic violence. The historical, political, ideological, legal, and theoretical bases of this process are reviewed. Factors behind the convergence of feminist and law enforcement perspectives are discussed. Current policies and practices are described as being unnecessarily constrained and unresponsive to a wide range of families and relationships. Vilification exerts its impact on policy through a rhetoric of blame, portraying perpetrators as undeserving of a broader range of interventions and services. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Elsevier Science) Spouse Abuse Effects Spouse Abuse Offender Domestic Violence Offender Domestic Violence Effects Offender Blaming Domestic Violence Policy Spouse Abuse Policy Policy Development Legislation Domestic Violence Intervention Spouse Abuse Intervention Adult Male Adult Offender Adult Violence Partner Violence Violence Against Women Male Offender Male Violence 06-03
Error Propagation for Gamma Spectroscopy and Neutron Coincidence Counting for Plutonium-Bearing Materials

The error characteristics of both high-resolution gamma spectroscopy and high-level neutron coincidence (HLNC) measurements, separate or combined, are discussed as they apply to nondestructive analysis of plutonium-bearing materials. Expressions have been derived to estimate the overall variance in the [sup 240]Pu effective mass and in the total plutonium mass in terms of the specific contributions from uncertainties in the measurements, the pertinent physical variables (including isotopics and impurities), and the instrumental constants. Experimental data available in the published literature have been used to illustrate the error characteristics of the HLNC and the effect of isotopic error correlations associated with materials having different burnups.
Realistic Models in Population Ecology

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the realistic population models, based on the physiological, ecological and social behavior of individuals in the population, providing insight, and has predictive validity. They are useful in determining optimal strategies for pest control, harvesting, preservation of species etc. Simulation studies rely heavily on statistical considerations, for example, the probability of encountering a mate or predator. In contrast, the models discussed herein are primarily deterministic and such random events are taken into account as averages. Furthermore, in such models climate may be considered to vary according to some statistical distribution in its influence on births, deaths, and so on; however, the birth rate itself is not considered to be a random variable. In general, the approach employed here is based on partial and ordinary differential equations. Many algebraic models are, in fact, discrete approximations to partial differential equations, and certain integral formulations and branching processes can also be shown to be equivalent to partial differential equations. Currently, digital computers are routinely employed to obtain solutions to mathematical models. The results of some digital computer models are discussed.
Face morphing using 3D-aware appearance optimization

Traditional automatic face morphing techniques tend to generate blurry intermediate frames when the two input faces differ significantly. We propose a new face morphing approach that deals explicitly with large pose and expression variations. We recover the 3D face geometry of the input images using a projection on a pre-learned 3D face subspace. The geometry is interpolated by factoring the expression and pose and varying them smoothly across the sequence. Finally we pose the morphing problem as an iterative optimization with an objective that combines similarity of each frame to the geometry-induced warped sources, with a similarity between neighboring frames for temporal coherence. Experimental results show that our method can generate higher quality face morphing results for more extreme pose, expression and appearance changes than previous methods.
Vertical Foreign Direct Investment versus Outsourcing: A Welfare Comparison from the Perspective of a Host Country

In the offshoring literature, there is a huge disconnect between the alternative modes of organizing offshore production and their relative welfare impact on a host country. We bridge this gap by comparing the welfare of a host country from vertical foreign direct investment (VFDI) vis-a-vis international outsourcing. Our model finds that the ability to maximize welfare in the alternative modes of organizing offshore production is contingent on the absorptive capacity of the host country. If a host country's absorptive capacity is above a critical threshold, outsourcing is more welfare enhancing vis-a-vis VFDI; while even with an absorptive capacity lower than this critical threshold, outsourcing being welfare improving over VFDI cannot be ruled out.