cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concordance of handheld reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) with histopathology in the diagnosis of lentigo maligna (LM): A prospective study

Background Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) provides real-time noninvasive imaging of cell structure and may be useful in diagnosing lentigo maligna (LM). Few studies have compared performance of RCM with histopathology in diagnosing LM, and specific features influencing RCM interpretation are not well described. Objective We sought to determine concordance rate between RCM and histopathology in the evaluation of suspected LM and to identify factors that may obscure diagnosis. Methods We designed a prospective study involving 17 participants seen for evaluation at a large tertiary referral center. Cases included primary lesions and possible recurrent and/or previously treated lesions. A total of 63 clinically equivocal sites were assessed by RCM and histopathology. Results RCM and histopathology interpretations were concordant in 56 of 63 sites (89%). There were no false-negative and 7 false-positive results using RCM (sensitivity 100%, specificity 71%, positive predictive value 85%, negative predictive value 100%). Features suggestive of LM in the false-positive group included the presence of numerous hyperreflectile large cells at the dermoepidermal junction and follicular localization of these cells. Limitations A larger test set is needed to more reliably distinguish LM from benign lesions using RCM and to improve specificity. Conclusion RCM shows excellent sensitivity for detecting LM although features of benign macules on a background of actinically damaged skin can obscure diagnosis and limit its specificity.
Role of Confinement on Adsorption and Dynamics of Ethane and an Ethane–CO2 Mixture in Mesoporous CPG Silica

Ethane is found confined to mineral and organic pores in certain shale formations. Effects of confinement on structural and dynamic properties of ethane in mesoporous controlled pore glass (CPG) were studied by gravimetric adsorption and quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements. The obtained isotherms and scattering data complement each other by quantifying the relative strength of the solid–fluid interactions and the transport properties of the fluid under confinement, respectively. A magnetic suspension balance was used to measure the adsorption isotherms at two temperatures and over a range of pressures corresponding to a bulk density range of 0.01–0.35 g/cm3. Key confinement effects were highlighted through differences between isotherms for the two pore sizes. A comparison was made with previously published isotherms for CO2 on the same CPG materials. Behavior of ethane in the smaller pore size was probed further using quasi-elastic neutron scattering. By extracting the self-diffusivity an...
A man with COPD, fever, and leucocytosis.

A 68 year old man with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who was on home oxygen and still smoked, presented to the emergency room with fever, fatigue, and leucocytosis (14×109 white blood cells/L). Computed tomography was performed (fig 1⇓). What is the diagnosis? Fig 1 Sagittal computed tomography image An infection within a giant bulla. ### Discussion Infections within a …
Inner hole states in /sup 207/Pb via the /sup 208/Pb(/sup 3/He,. cap alpha. ) /sup 207/Pb reaction at 70 MeV

The $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}(^{3}\mathrm{He}, \ensuremath{\alpha})^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$ reaction at 70 MeV incident energy was used to populate hole states up to 28 MeV excitation energy in $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$. A split-pole spectrometer was used for particle analysis and detection. For the excitation energy range between 0 to 4.5 MeV, about eleven well resolved states are excited. These levels contain the main part of the spectroscopic strengths of the $3{p}_{\frac{1}{2}}$, $2{f}_{\frac{5}{2}}$, $3{p}_{\frac{3}{2}}$, $2{f}_{\frac{7}{2}}$, $1{i}_{\frac{13}{2}}$, and $1{h}_{\frac{9}{2}}$ neutron subshells. Three additional regions of enhanced cross sections, centered at 5.5, 8.5, and 14 MeV excitation energy in $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$, are also observed. The 65 keV energy resolution of the present study revealed fine structure in the peak previously observed around 8.5 MeV in $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$. About fifteen levels or groups of levels are populated between 4.5 and 10.5 MeV, and angular distributions have been extracted for each individual peak as well as for the gross structures. A distorted-wave Born-approximation analysis of the data was carried out and shows that the missing $l=3 \mathrm{and} 5$ strengths in $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$ are located in some strong peaks at 5.13, 5.62, and 6.37 MeV. Thus the full sum rule is obtained for the neutron subshells between $N=126$ and $N=82$. The highly fragmented peak located at 8.5 MeV excitation energy is shown to arise from $1{h}_{\frac{11}{2}}$ neutron pickup. Finally, the large structure, 5 MeV wide and centered around 14 MeV, observed for the first time in this work is tentatively interpreted as arising from neutron pickup from the $1{g}_{\frac{9}{2}}$ inner shell. The ${T}_{g}$ components of the deeply-bound state are also observed between 20 to 24 MeV in $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$ and therefore from the sum-rule analysis, centroid energies and total strengths for each inner subshell are deduced.NUCLEAR REACTION $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}(^{3}\mathrm{He}, \ensuremath{\alpha})$, $E=70$ MeV; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}(E, \ensuremath{\theta})$. $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$ deduced levels, ${E}_{x}$, $l$, ($J$), $\ensuremath{\pi}$, ${C}^{2}S$; inner shell spectroscopic factors; enriched target, magnetic spectrometer.
Space Hardware Cost Improvement Curve Update

[Abstract] A 1999 study addressed cost improvement in space system hardware. Cost improvement is defined as the reduction in average unit cost (and individual box costs) as the number of boxes produced on a given acquisition contract increases. This was the first time the Quantity as an Independent Variable (QAIV) regression method for estimating cost improvement was presented in a public forum, although it was conceived and practiced by Wyle Laboratories since 1992. Current QAIV results from two different types of best-fit regression methods -Log-Transformed Ordinary Least squares (LOLS) and Zero-Bias, Minimum Percent Error (ZMPE) -are in general agreement with the 1999 results. However, unlike the 1999 study, more recent data shows that learning carry-over from contract-to-contract does take place in some cases. To illustrate the underlying nature of cost improvement, and space hardware cost improvement in particular, example analyses are presented. Each analysis case yielded a Cost Improvement Curve (CIC) “synthesized” from models of each of the major contributions to cost improvement: (1) human learning in production “line” activities, (2) fixed set-up costs spread over the number of units produced, and (3) parts and materials (P&M) costs. The results are illuminating and consistent with CICs from QAIV regressions, which are typically in the 75% to 95% range.
High incidence of potential p53 inactivation in poor outcome childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia at diagnosis

Previous studies have indicated that p53 gene mutations were an uncommon event in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. In one series of 330 patients, p53 mutations were seen in fewer than 3%. We analyzed bone marrow mononuclear cells derived from 10 children with ALL at diagnosis who subsequently failed to achieve a complete remission or who developed relapse within 6 months of attaining complete remission for p53 gene mutations and mdm-2 overexpression. We found that three children had p53 gene mutations, and four overexpressed mdm-2. Also, experiments comparing relative levels of mdm-2 RNA and protein in these patients demonstrated that mdm-2 overexpression can occur at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional level in primary leukemic cells. Although we were unable to link Waf-1 RNA expression with p53 status in childhood ALL, our data show potential p53 inactivation by multiple mechanisms in a large percentage of these patients and demonstrate that these alterations can be detected at diagnosis. Inactivation of the p53 pathway may, therefore, be important in children with ALL who fail to respond to treatment and may be useful for the early identification of children requiring alternative therapies.
Influence of water on infrared radiation characteristic of granite roadway rock burst

To study the influence of water on rock burst, an experiment was carried out to simulate rock burst with natural and saturated granites. The infrared thermal imager Therma CAM SC3000 produced by American was selected as observation method. This paper studied the infrared radiation temperature characteristics of granites under different moisture conditions. It is found that AIRT of saturated granite rise faster than what with natural granite in initial stage. The maximum and minimum temperature of saturated sample show tiny mutation before rock burst, so the precursory characteristic of rock burst with saturated sample is easier to catch. The AIRT with natural granite left and right sides of the hole suddenly increase, and the lowest temperature with surface of the sample rise linearly when rock burst occurs. While the AIRT and lowest temperature with saturated granite decline when rock burst occurs. The AIRT and AIRT increment under unit load of saturated granites is higher than that of natural granites. Infrared radiation temperature shows critical slowing down phenomenon approaching to rock burst. Internal changing rate of system reduces, and the status is more and more similar to what with previous moment, namely autocorrelation coefficients turn to increase, which can be used as precursory characteristic of rock burst.
Relationship between water sample molecule,soluble total solid and grass activity level

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the water sample molecule,the soluble total solid and Gross alpha Gross beta between the radioactive level.Methods:Using BHl216Ⅲ The low background αβ radioactive measurement installment,with 241Am(Gross alpha),40K(Gross beta) separately took always alpha always beta the radioactive measurement standard source,adopts the Suzhou various areas different water body(exwork water,end water,loaded in barrels water,surface water and so on) took the object of study,uses the filter paper filtration not to dissolve the pellet except the water sample in,the evaporation,the weighing,takes the equipollent(0.160 g) shop to become in the medium thickness relative measurement law determination sample always alpha always beta the radioactive activity.Results:Gross alpha the activity and the total residual,the soluble total solid,between the molecule quantity,has is being connected(P0.001),Gross beta the activity and the total residual,between the molecule quantity,has is being connected(P0.001),the soluble total solid also has with Gross beta the activity between is being connected(0.001P0.002),but the significance is inferior to above both.Conclusion:The water radioactivity increases along with the water sample mineralization degree increase,for guarantees in the daily tap water the radioactive level to maintain at as far as possible the low level,must reduce the radionuclide density to the water body treating processes in the measure to carry on the discussion and the research.
Fully polarimetric data from the ARL RailSAR

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has recently upgraded the indoor, rail-mounted synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, RailSAR, to enable collection of large amounts of low-frequency, ultrawideband (UWB) data. Our intent is to provide a research tool that is capable of emulating airborne SAR configuration and associated data collection geometries against surrogate explosive hazard threat deployments. By having such a capability, ARL’s facility will afford a more rapid response to the ever changing improvised characteristics associated with explosive hazards today and in the future. Therefore, upgrades to this RailSAR tool to improve functionality and performance are needed to meet the potential rapid response assessments to be carried out. The new, lighter RailSAR cart puts less strain on the radar positioning hardware and allows the system to move smoothly along a specified portion of the rail. In previous papers, we have presented co-polarized SAR data collected using the ARL RailSAR. Recently, however, researchers at ARL have leveraged this asset to collect polarimetric data against multiple targets. This paper presents the SAR imagery resulting from these experiments and documents characteristics of certain target signatures that should be of interest to developers of automatic target detection (ATD) algorithms.
Analysis of crystal structure of Arabidopsis MPK6 and generation of its mutants with higher activity

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, which are the highly conserved signalling modules in eukaryotic organisms, have been shown to play important roles in regulating growth, development, and stress responses. The structures of various MAPKs from yeast and animal have been solved, and structure-based mutants were generated for their function analyses, however, the structures of plant MAPKs remain unsolved. Here, we report the crystal structure of Arabidopsis MPK6 at a 3.0 A resolution. Although MPK6 is topologically similar to ERK2 and p38, the structures of the glycine-rich loop, MAPK insert, substrate binding sites, and L16 loop in MPK6 show notable differences from those of ERK2 and p38. Based on the structural comparison, we constructed MPK6 mutants and analyzed their kinase activity both in vitro and in planta. MPK6(F364L) and MPK6(F368L) mutants, in which Phe364 and Phe368 in the L16 loop were changed to Leu, respectively, acquired higher intrinsic kinase activity and retained the normal MAPKK activation property. The expression of MPK6 mutants with basal activity is sufficient to induce camalexin biosynthesis; however, to induce ethylene and leaf senescence, the expression of MPK6 mutants with higher activity is required. The results suggest that these mutants can be used to analyze the specific biological functions of MPK6.
Clinical management strategies to maintain drug compliance in asthmatic children.

Objective: Noncompliance with asthma medication is a common cause of treatment failure and may lead to unnecessary hospitalization and emergency care. This publication reviews factors associated with compliance with treatment regimens in general as well as with recommended asthma medications. General strategies (educational, organization, and behavioral) are reviewed with emphasis in behavioral strategies. These include reminders, tailoring, and contracting. Study selection: A case report follows regarding a 9-year-old boy with severe asthma who was treated in a short-term inpatient asthma rehabilitation center and followed for 3 years as an outpatient. Specific clinical management strategies and techniques to maintain theophylline compliance are presented. Conclusion: A systematic approach emphasizing the use of behavioral strategies and drug monitoring can be helpful in promoting compliance with a therapeutic regimen. This may lead to a reduction in pulmonary morbidity and medical costs
The NFL Orthopaedic Surgery Outcomes Database (NO-SOD) The Effect of Common Orthopaedic Procedures on Football Careers

Background Injuries are inherent to the sport of American football and often require operative management. Outcomes have been reported for certain surgical procedures in professional athletes in the National Football League (NFL), but there is little information comparing the career effect of these procedures. Purpose To catalog the postoperative outcomes of orthopaedic procedures in NFL athletes and to compare respective prognoses and effects on careers. Study design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods Athletes in the NFL undergoing procedures for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, Achilles tendon tears, patellar tendon tears, cervical disc herniation, lumbar disc herniation, sports hernia, knee articular cartilage repair (microfracture technique), forearm fractures, tibial shaft fractures, and ankle fractures were identified through team injury reports or other public records. Game and performance statistics during the regular season were collected before and after surgery. Statistical analysis was performed with significance accepted as P Results A total of 559 NFL athletes were included. Overall, 79.4% of NFL athletes returned to play after an orthopaedic procedure. Forearm open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), sports hernia repair, and tibia intramedullary nailing (IMN) led to significantly higher return-to-play (RTP) rates (90.2%-96.3%), while patellar tendon repair led to a significantly lower rate (50%) (P Conclusion ACLR, Achilles tendon repair, and patellar tendon repair have the greatest effect on NFL careers, with patellar tendon repair faring worst with respect to the RTP rate, career length after surgery, games played, and performance at 1 year and 2 to 3 years after surgery.
SU-F-J-18: Feasibility of Open Mask Immobilization with Optical Imaging Guidance (OIG) for H&N Radiotherapy

Purpose: Full face and neck thermoplastic masks provide standard-of-care immobilization for patients receiving H&N IMRT. However, these masks are uncomfortable and increase skin dose. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility and setup accuracy of open face and neck mask immobilization with OIG. Methods: Ten patients were consented and enrolled to this IRB-approved protocol. Patients were immobilized with open masks securing only forehead and chin. Standard IMRT to 60–70 Gy in 30 fractions were delivered in all cases. Patient simulation information, including isocenter location and CT skin contours, were imported to a commercial OIG system. On the first day of treatment, patients were initially set up to surface markings and then OIG referenced to face and neck skin regions of interest (ROI) localized on simulation CT images, followed by in-room CBCT. CBCTs were acquired at least weekly while planar OBI was acquired on the days without CBCT. Following 6D robotic couch correction with kV imaging, a new optical real-time surface image was acquired to track intrafraction motion and to serve as a reference surface for setup at the next treatment fraction. Therapists manually recorded total treatment time as well as couch shifts based on kV imaging. Intrafractional ROI motion tracking was automatically recorded. Results: Setup accuracy of OIG was compared with CBCT results. The setup error based on OIG was represented as a 6D shift (vertical/longitudinal/lateral/rotation/pitch/roll). Mean error values were −0.70±3.04mm, −0.69±2.77mm, 0.33±2.67 mm, −0.14±0.94 o, −0.15±1.10o and 0.12±0.82o, respectively for the cohort. Average treatment time was 24.1±9.2 minutes, comparable to standard immobilization. The amplitude of intrafractional ROI motion was 0.69±0.36 mm, driven primarily by respiratory neck motion. Conclusion: OGI can potentially provide accurate setup and treatment tracking for open face and neck immobilization. Study accrual and patient/provider satisfaction survey collection remain ongoing. This study is supported by VisionRT, Ltd
SU-F-T-338: Flattening Filter Free Photon Beams Can Achieve the Same Plan Quality as Conventional Flattened Beams for Prostate Radiotherapy

Purpose: Some modern linear accelerators are equipped with one low energy flat beam and two flattening filter free (FFF) beams at high and low energies. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the high energy FFF beam can produce the same plan quality as the conventional low energy flat beam, using a volumetric modulated arc (VMAT) technique for prostate patients. Methods: Ten prostate cancer patients were selected with a prescription of 78Gy. For each patient, three plans were created: (a) double arc flat 6MV plan used clinically; (b) double arc 10MV FFF plan; (c) single arc 10MV FFF plan. Each plan was prescribed so that at least 95% of the PTV received the prescription dose. The following dosimetric endpoints were evaluated: volume receiving 78Gy (V78) of the CTV and PTV, PTV conformality index (CI, ratio of prescription isodose volume to the PTV volume), bladder volume receiving 70Gy (V70) and 60Gy (V60), rectum volume receiving 70Gy (V70) and 50Gy (V50), dose to 10cc of the rectum, and volume of both femoral heads receiving 50Gy (V50). Total monitor units for each plan were recorded. Results: No significant difference was found for all dosimetric endpoints between all plans (p>0.05). Compared to the 6MV plans, monitor units were higher with the double arc 10MV FFF plans and lower with the single arc 10MV FFF plans, 29% and 4% respectively. Conclusion: Both single arc and double arc 10MV FFF VMAT can achieve equivalent plan quality as 6MV flat beam double arc treatment plans. With the gantry speed restriction, a high dose rate of 2400MU/min may allow the optimizer to use more MUs than actually needed. Single arc 10MV FFF VMAT plans are a reasonable alternative to double arc 6MV flat beam VMAT plans.
The “Big Wide-Mouthed Frog” Theory of Iowa Politics

To be a successful governor in Iowa, and retain the confidence of voters, one has to establish a personal connection with voters. This chapter concludes that the stranglehold on power enjoyed by Governors Ray and Branstad (and could have been enjoyed by Vilsack had he not voluntarily stepped down) had as much to do with perceptions of their personal character as it did about the electoral context and economic conditions. This chapter gets the reader to think about how the case of Iowa applies more generally to not just candidates for governor, but also candidates for any office, including the presidency given Iowa’s unique role in the presidential process. Emphasis here is on the fact that while this book is about Iowa governors specifically, the results speak to a larger audience on the relationships candidates develop with voters and how voters evaluate candidates for elected office.
Two types of speaker's ignorance over the epistemic space in Korean

The main goal of this paper is to propose a novel paradigm of the split epistemic ignorance, based on two morphologically related particles in Korean: inka in wh-indefinites vs. nka in modalized questions . Previous literature assumes the interrogative-indefinite affinity as a reflex of a semantic relationship between interrogative markers and indefinites by introducing a set of propositional alternatives ( Alternative Semantics: Kratzer and Shimoyama 2002; Alonso-Ovalle 2006, a.o.). However, we challenge these claims by showing that inka and nka are distinct lexical items which are distributed in different clause types, hence, a new split for the ignorance system is called for. We propose a semantics under which inka and nka variants are relativized to the epistemic state of the speaker, M(i) (Giannakidou 1995 et seq.). In particular, we show that: (i) the common denominator of nka and inka is the fact that they both express the speaker’s epistemic indeterminacy; but (ii) the crucial difference arises from a strict dichotomy between the types of alternatives that nka and inka introduce, i.e., the propositional alternatives for nka vs. the individual alternatives for inka .
The Time of Television: Broadcasting, Daily Life, and the New Indian Middle Class

This article develops a temporal framework for analyzing television's role in shaping the formation of a new and powerful urban middle class in 1980s India. Focusing on the first sitcom produced in India, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi [Such Is Life], we argue that the unique temporal affordances of broadcast television facilitated a broader shift in the national imaginary. Not only did broadcast television, via the vehicle of such neglected genres as sitcoms, synchronize the rhythms of daily life to its schedules, but sitcoms also recast the daily lives and experiences of the middle classes as ordinary, relatable, and achievable. Casting the 1980s as the time of television illuminates a critical period and medium of communication in Indian cultural history.
Task Committee Report on Reliability Analysis of Water Distribution Systems

The results of the ASCE Hydraulics Division Task Committee on Reliability Analysis of Water Distribution Systems are summarized in a very comprehensive report entitled Reliability Analysis of Water Distribution Systems. This committee has developed several new methodologies for the reliability analysis of water distribution systems that are summarized in the report. Topics include network simulation models, water distribution optimization models, failure of distribution system components, data base management, component replacement/rehabilitation analysis, reliability based optimization models, and frequency-duration analysis for water supply systems. New methodologies that have been recently developed or are in development are discussed in detail in the report.
Adipose Stem Cell Engineering: Characterization and Current Application in Otolaryngology

The clinical potential for adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) is abundant and their capacity to differentiate into multiple lineages demonstrates the impact they can provide to regenerative therapies in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery. Adipose tissues have sufficient amounts of ASCs that can be derived from a single sample and harvested with minimally invasive procedures. Furthermore, ASCs can prevent the incidence of graft versus host disease by suppressing the immune response. Tissue engineering strategies can combine cell delivery with appropriate scaffold biomaterials that can mimic the unique physiological and biomechanical properties of ear, nose and throat. This chapter presents a review of the literature regarding the use of ASCs in otolaryngology head and neck surgery related research, illustrating their current and potential use in the field.
A family-based method for leveraging random genetic variation to identify variance-controlling loci

The propensity of a trait to vary within a population may have evolutionary, ecological or clinical significance. In the present study we deploy sibling models to offer a novel and unbiased, if underpowered, way to ascertain loci associated with the extent to which phenotypes vary (variance-controlling quantitative trait loci, or vQTL). Previous methods for vQTL mapping either exclude genetically related individuals or treat genetic relatedness among individuals as a complicating factor addressed by adjusting estimates for non-independence in phenotypes. The present method uses genetic relatedness as a tool to obtain unbiased estimates of variance effects rather than as a nuisance. The family-based approach, which utilizes random variation between siblings in minor allele counts at a locus, also allows controls for parental genotype, mean effects, and nonlinear (dominance) effects that may spuriously appear to generate variation. Deploying this strict approach on data from the Framingham Heart Study we found several alleles that appeared to alter within-family variation in height as well as pathways that appear to be enriched. However, significant SNPs failed to replicate in an independent sample. Pathway analysis revealed one gene set, encoding members of several signaling pathways related to gap junction function, which appears significantly enriched for associations with within-family height variation in both datasets (while not enriched in analysis of mean levels). We recommend approximating laboratory random assignment of genotype using complete family data and more careful attention to the possible conflation of mean and variance effects. Because of the lower power of family-based analyses, we further advocate the creation of consortia that unite studies with family-based designs, thereby increasing the sample sizes available for such analyses.
Anatomic Repair of Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries: Single-Center Intermediate-Term Experience.

We present our experience for patients who have undergone an anatomic repair (AR) for congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent AR for CCTGA from 2001 to 2015 was performed. The cohort consisted of 15 patients (74% male). Median age of anatomic repair was 15 months (range 4.5–45.6 months). Four patients had a bidirectional Glenn (BDG) prior to AR. At the time of AR,—9 (60%) underwent Senning/Rastelli procedure, 4 (26.6%) had double switch operation, and 2 (13.3%) underwent only Senning with VSD closure. Median duration of follow-up was 5.5 years (0.05–14 years). Reoperations prior to discharge included BDG, revision of pulmonary venous baffle, closure of residual VSD, and pacemaker placement. Late reoperations included left ventricular outflow tract obstruction repair, conduit replacement, melody valve placement, and pacemaker implantation. At their most recent follow-up, no patient had heart failure symptoms and only 1 had severely diminished function that improved with cardiac resynchronization therapy. Moderate mitral regurgitation was noted in 15% (2/13), and severe in 7% (1/13). Moderate tricuspid regurgitation was noted in 15% (2/13). One patient, 7% (1/13), developed moderate aortic insufficiency. There was a 100% survival at the time of the most recent follow-up. Patients with CCTGA who have undergone AR have excellent functional status and mid-term survival but reinterventions are common. Longer term studies are needed to determine both the extent and spectrum of reinterventions as well as long term survival.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early Barrett’s neoplasia: a meta-analysis

Background and Aims The role of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in Barrett's esophagus (BE) is not well established. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ESD for the management of early BE neoplasia. Methods Three online databases were searched. The Cochran Q test and I 2 were used to test for heterogeneity. Pooling was conducted using either fixed- or random-effects models depending on heterogeneity across studies. For the main outcomes, potential sources of heterogeneity were evaluated via linear regression analysis. Results Eleven studies (501 patients, 524 lesions) were included. Mean lesion size was 27 mm (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.9-33.1). Pooled estimate for en bloc resection was 92.9% (95% CI, 90.3%-95.2%). The pooled R0 (complete) and curative resection rates were 74.5% (95% CI, 66.3%-81.9%) and 64.9% (95% CI, 55.7%-73.6%), respectively. There was no association between R0 or curative resection rates and study setting (Asia vs West), length of BE, lesion characteristics, procedural time, or length of follow-up. The pooled estimates for perforation and bleeding were 1.5% (95% CI, .4%-3.0%) and 1.7% (95% CI, .6%-3.4%), respectively. Esophageal stricture rate was 11.6% (95% CI, .9%-29.6%). Incidence of recurrence after curative resection was .17% (95% CI, 0%-.3%) at a mean follow-up 22.9 months (95% CI, 17.5-28.3). Conclusions ESD for early BE neoplasia is associated with a high en bloc resection rate, acceptable safety profile, and low recurrence after curative resection. ESD should be considered as part of the armamentarium for the management of BE neoplasia.
Relationship of Circulating miRNAs with Insulin Sensitivity and Associated Metabolic Risk Factors in Humans.

Abstract Background: Insulin resistance disrupts metabolic processes and leads to various chronic disease states such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the mechanism linking insul...
DSP-Free Coherent Receivers for Data Center Links

We review low-power DSP-free coherent receiver architectures for DP-QPSK that exhibit performance comparable to their DSP-based counterparts, while consuming an estimated ∼ 4 W for 200 Gbit/s DP-QPSK in 90-nm CMOS.
The short- and long-term outcomes of percutaneous intervention with drug-eluting stent vs bare-metal stent in saphenous vein graft disease: An updated meta-analysis of all randomized clinical trials.

The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) vs bare-metal stents (BMS) in saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of all randomized clinical trials comparing the outcomes of DES with BMS in SVG percutaneous coronary interventions. A search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinicaltrials.gov was performed for all randomized clinical trials. We evaluated the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of the following: all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), definite/probable stent thrombosis, target lesion revascularization (TLR), and target-vessel revascularization (TVR). From a total of 1582 patients in 6 randomized clinical trials, 797 had DES and 785 had BMS. Patients with DES had lower short-term MACE, TLR, and TVR in comparison with BMS (odds ratio [OR]: 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.35-0.91, P = 0.02; OR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.19-0.99, P = 0.05; and OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.22-0.95, P = 0.04, respectively). However, there were no different outcomes for all-cause mortality (P = 0.63) or stent thrombosis (P = 0.21). With long-term follow-up, there were no significant reductions of MACE (P = 0.20), TLR (P = 0.57), TVR (P = 0.07), all-cause mortality (P = 0.29), and stent thrombosis (P = 0.76). The use of DES in SVG lesions was associated with lower short-term MACE, TLR, and TVR in comparison with BMS. However, there were no significant differences with long-term follow-up.
Presidential Impeachment in Tribal Times: The Historical Logic of Informal Constitutional Change

The unconventional presidency of Donald Trump has made presidential impeachment once again an issue of national concern. But do legal scholars have a good grasp on what happened in past presidential impeachments with respect to the meaning of the constitutional standard (“high crimes and misdemeanors”)? In this essay, I argue that prior scholarship has largely ignored the historical context and thus the real lessons of the three most prominent instances in which Congress attempted to impeach and convict a president: those of Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. The essay then goes beyond these historical episodes to make a contribution to the ongoing debate in constitutional theory over theories of informal constitutional change. Impeachment scholarship has been predominantly originalist. There is a large measure of consensus on the meaning of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” standard, which I call the “Hamiltonian vision.” The Hamiltonian vision is that impeachment can be used for a broad category of “political” offenses. Most scholars agree that impeachment does not require Congress to allege an indictable offense or other violation of law. Despite this scholarly consensus, the historical reality of the Johnson, Nixon, and Clinton impeachments is quite different. Contrary to prior legal scholarship, I argue that a party-political logic overwhelmed the framers’ design and created a situation in which the position that impeachment is limited to indictable offenses could not be effectively discredited. I use the example of impeachment to generalize about the process of informal constitutional change and understand what I call its “historical logic.” The essay goes beyond a simple reaffirmation of living constitutionalism to advocate the value of an alternative methodology called “developmental” analysis. Developmental analysis makes explicit what is implicit in most work on living constitutionalism – that it rests on a historicist approach in which institutional changes such as political parties establish new constitutional baselines which are the practical equivalent of constitutional amendments. These baselines then form the new context going forward for evaluating the constitutionality of official action.
Chemical Plant Growth Regulation in World Agriculture

The tremendous increases in world crop production during the past twenty-five years were made possible by a system in which agrichemicals as fertilizers and plant protectant chemicals were most important components, while plant growth regulator chemicals were of little significance. This presentation will offer an optimistic view of the future opportunity for plant growth regulators. By 2000 A.D. I predict that plant growth regulators primarily as yield enhancers, but secondarily as quality improvers and production process facilitators, will become as important as fertilizers or plant protectant chemicals for world crop production. Specific topics included in this presentation are: (1) Strategies for increasing crop production for food, feed, energy, and materials including the relatively undeveloped technology of plant growth regulators. (2) The current status of plant growth regulators, reasons for their relatively slow development, and their advantages and disadvantages. (3) Steps in a fundamentally based approach to increase crop production with a tabulation of the many possible limitations or “what’s wrong” with two key biological processes—photosynthetic CO2 fixation and N2 fixation. (4) Specific biochemical, physiological, genetic, and agronomic targets for plant growth regulators will be suggested with a comprehensive tabulation of existing chemicals useful as experimental probes or as commercial plant growth regulators, and (5) Scientific highlights of selected promising areas for increased crop production including N2 fixation, photosynthesis, translocation, assimilate partitioning, protection from stress due to air pollutants, and hormonal activity manipulation.
Studying Lives: Psychobiography and the Conceptual Structure of Personality Psychology

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the study of individual lives. The study of individual persons and lives had always been one of the central concerns and motivating agendas. The study of lives takes one back into the fabric of personality psychology. The objective is not to stomp out other forms of research, nor to argue that personality psychology should be nothing but the study of lives. It is rather to argue that the study of persons or lives is one of the central objectives of the field. A discipline of psychology which does not contribute to a better understanding of persons is pretty pathetic. Particularly pathetic is a personality psychology which fails to do so. The objectives of the study of lives in the field of personality psychology are to examine the quantitative and experimental research traditions. Furthermore, conceptual structure of personality psychology is discussed in this chapter. This conceptual partitioning of the field of personality psychology into four different objectives or streams of work is useful from a number of different perspectives. The conceptual personality psychology is concerned with four major tasks or objectives. These include: (1) developing general theories of personality, (2) studying individual and group differences, (3) analyzing specific processes and classes of behavior, and understanding individual persons and lives.
Energetic Efficiency of a Compositional Controller on a Monoped With an Articulated Leg and SLIP Dynamics

Embedding the dynamics of the Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) and applying a compositional controller around it can simplify dynamic legged robot locomotion control, but what is the energetic cost of this convenience? This paper measures the magnitude of this effect in such a way that the results are applicable to a wide class of jumping robots. A three-link monoped model with revolute joints is used to compare the energetic costs of locomotion using two different control approaches: 1) SLIP-embedding with a Raibert-style controller optimized for energetic efficiency, and 2) a trajectory optimized only for energetic efficiency. By performing this comparison in simulation for a large number of different monopeds randomly sampled from a space of realistic robot designs, it is found that the SLIP-Raibert approach requires, on average, almost twice the energy of the trajectory-optimized controller to traverse a given distance. Furthermore, the increase in energetic cost does not depend much on the particulars of the robot design, as the SLIP-Raibert approach requires at least 50% more energy for approximately 88% of realistic robot designs.
Dramatic bandwidth enhancement in nonlinear metastructures via bistable attachments

We report amplitude-dependent substantial enhancement of the frequency bandwidth in locally resonant metamaterial-based finite structures (metastructures) via bistable attachments. The bistable magnetoelastic beam attachments of the unit cells exhibit linear intrawell, nonlinear intrawell, and nonlinear interwell oscillations for low, moderate, and sufficiently high intensity excitations, respectively. As a result, the overall metastructure leverages linear locally resonant bandgaps under low amplitudes and nonlinear attenuation due to wideband chaotic vibrations of the bistable attachments under large amplitudes. The concept was first demonstrated through a linear mass-spring chain with bistable attachments in a numerical case study. Experimental results and validations are then presented for a base-excited cantilever beam hosting seven bistable unit cells. Transition from linear locally resonant bandgaps to nonlinear attenuation is observed, and the amplitude-dependent bandwidth enhancement is shown. The bandwidth offered by nonlinear interwell oscillations is substantially wider than the linear locally resonant bandgap that is limited by the added mass.
On replication for moiré-fringe multiplication

A modified casting method is described for forming replicas of deformed moire grids for subsequent fringe multiplication. The technique, which is believed to be simpler, faster and more convenient than previous procedures, is demonstrated by application to a fiber-reinforced interlaminar shear-strength specimen.
ALFA: A dataset for UAV fault and anomaly detection:

We present a dataset of several fault types in control surfaces of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for use in fault detection and isolation (FDI) and anomaly detection (AD) research. Cur...
Bacterial Septic Arthritis of the Adult Native Knee Joint: A Review.

» Acute bacterial septic arthritis of the knee is an orthopaedic emergency and, if left untreated, can result in substantial joint degradation. » Important risk factors for development of septic arthritis include age of >60 years, recent bacteremia, diabetes, cancer, cirrhosis, renal disease, drug or alcohol abuse, a history of corticosteroid injection, a recent injury or surgical procedure, a prosthetic joint, and a history of rheumatoid arthritis. » The diagnosis is primarily based on history and clinical presentation of a red, warm, swollen, and painful joint with limited range of motion. Laboratory values and inflammatory markers from serum and joint fluid may serve as adjuncts when there is clinical suspicion of septic arthritis. » The initial and general antibiotic regimen should cover methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. The antibiotic regimen should be specified following the culture results of the infected joint. » Operative management involves either arthrotomy or arthroscopy of the knee with thorough irrigation and debridement of all infected tissue. The Gachter classification is useful in establishing a prognosis or in determining the need for an extensive debridement.
Stereotactic Brain Biopsy Hemorrhage Risk Factors and Implications for Postoperative Care at a Single Institution: An Argument For Postoperative Imaging.

Objective To determine preoperative factors contributing to postoperative hemorrhage after stereotactic brain biopsy (STB), clinical implications of postoperative hemorrhage, and the role of postoperative imaging in clinical management. Methods Retrospective review of STB (2005–2018) across 2 institutions including patients aged >18 years undergoing first STB. Patients with prior craniotomy, open biopsy, or prior STB were excluded. Preoperative variables included age, sex, neurosurgeon seniority, STB method. Postoperative variables included pathology, postoperative hemorrhage on computed tomography, immediate and 30-day postoperative seizure, infection, postoperative hospital stay duration, and 30-day return to operating room (OR). Analysis used the Fisher exact tests for categorical variables. Results Overall, 410 patients were included. Average age was 56.5 (±16.5) years; 60% (n = 248) were men. The majority of biopsies were performed by senior neurosurgeons (66%, n = 270); frontal lobe (42%, n = 182) and glioblastoma (45%, n = 186) were the most common location and pathology. Postoperative hemorrhage occurred in 28% (114) of patients with 20% 0.05 cm3. Postoperative hemorrhage of any size was associated with increased rate of postoperative deficit within both 24 hours and 30 days, postoperative seizure, and length of hospital stay when controlling for pathology. Hemorrhages >0.05 cm3 had a 16% higher rate of return to the OR for evacuation, due to clinical deterioration as opposed to radiographic progression. Conclusions Postbiopsy hemorrhage was associated with higher risk of immediate and delayed postoperative deficit and seizure. Postoperative computed tomography should be used to determine whether STB patients can be discharged same day or admitted for observation; clinical evaluation should determine return to OR for evacuation.
The Controversy behind Confucianism

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. “Learning is the key constituent of the human mind and family is the core of the social-relational structure” (Galia 243). This is the main point of Confucianism, a philosophic religion founded by Confucius. Confucianism was viewed in China as a moral code for how one should live their life." This research paper is available in Verbum: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol9/iss2/12 * Prize provided by:
Alkaloid biosynthesis

Es wird eine neue Theorie der Alkaloidbiosynthese vorgeschlagen, die alle Alkaloidtypen vereinigt. Die Grundidee dieser Theorie beruht auf der Uberlegung, dass die Alkaloide eher mit Kohlehydraten als mit Aminosauren genetisch verwandt sind. Alle Strukturtypen der Alkaloide sind hypothetisch teilbar in C4, C6-C1, C6-C2 und C6-C3-Fragmente, und konnen daher in Beziehung zum Davis-Sprinson-Schema, welches die Biosynthese aromatischer Naturstoffe behandelt, gebracht werden.
Export entrepreneurship promotion: The role of regulation-induced time delays and institutions

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between regulation-induced time delays and export entrepreneurship in a panel of 59 countries for the period 2006 to 2014. The paper finds robust evidence that regulations which cause lengthy time delays in moving a standard container of goods from the factory to the seaport significantly reduce export entry rate. These findings support the hypothesis that decreasing regulation-induced time delays expands export entrepreneurship by reducing the cost of exporting. Additionally, the paper finds that superior quality institutions significantly enhance the positive impact of lower regulatory time barriers on export entrepreneurship. Stronger protection of private property rights is the most important measure of institutional quality that aides the favorable impact of lower regulation-induced time barriers on export entrepreneurship. Furthermore, a reduction in regulation-induced time barriers has a positive effect on net entry rate and survival rates of export entrants, and high-quality institutions significantly increase the magnitude of this positive outcome.