cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hand-assisted laparoscopic vs open colectomy: an assessment from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program procedure-targeted cohort.

Abstract Background Perioperative outcomes of patients who underwent hand-assisted colorectal laparoscopic (HALS) vs open colectomy were compared using recently released procedure-targeted database. Methods Review was conducted using the 2012 colectomy-targeted American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to final surgical approach: HALS vs open (planned). Groups were matched (1:1) based on age, gender, body mass index, surgical procedure, diagnosis, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and wound classification. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted for group comparison. Results Of 7,303 patients, 1,740 patients were matched in each group. Open group had higher proportion of patients with preoperative dyspnea ( P = .01), ascites ( P = .01), weight loss ( P P = .04), and increased work relative value units ( P P Conclusions National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted-data demonstrated several advantages of HALS compared with open colonic resection including shorter hospital stay and lower complication rate. Further adoption of HALS technique as a bridge to straight laparoscopy or tool in difficult cases can positively impact the short-term outcomes after colectomy when compared with open technique.
Finite Element Analysis and Parameter Optimization of Single PCP Based on Solidworks

On the basis of 3D model of the stator established in SolidWorks, the finite element model of the stator is established further in the COSMOSWorks, and the distribution of stress, strain and displacement on the inner surface of the rubber sleeve under the pressure is analyzed .The results show that the rigid part has bigger stress but fewer strain; the rubber sleeve has smaller stress, larger strain along its semicircular surface, smaller strain along straight line. The biggest displacement takes place in the middle of the straight line, it results in the gap between the rotor and the stator, and affect the performance of the progressing cavity pump. The straight line of the stator is optimized as a convex arc. The result of finite element analysis shows that it has a relatively uniform displacement, which results in uniform tightness between the rotor and the stator, so as to improve the performance of the PCP.
Continuous Top-K Remarkable Comments over Textual Streaming Data Using ELM

The increasing popularity of location-based social networks encourages more and more users to share their experience. It deeply impact the decision of the other users. In this paper, we study the problem of top-K remarkable comments over textual streaming data. We first study how to efficiently identify the mendacious comments. Through using a novel machine learning technique named ELM, we could filter most of mendacious comments. We then study how to maintain these vital comments. For one thing, we propose a two-level index to maintain their position information. For another, we employ domination transitivity to remove meaningless comments. Theoretical analysis and extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
The role of surgery in the management of pulmonary monosporosis: A collective review

Nine cases of pulmonary monosporosis treated in the Missouri State Chest Hospital over a period of 19 years (1956 to 1975) were reviewed. Nine other cases from the literature are summarized. Ten of these 18 patients underwent resectional operations with two operative deaths, one from respiratory insufficiency and the other from a bronchopleural fistula and massive hemorrhage. The rest of the patients had an uneventful recovery. The indications for resectional surgery are re-established for suitable cases. The underlying disease is the major determinant of the outcome of the surgery. Other modes of treatment are also discussed. Based on the analysis of these 18 cases, a guideline for the management of pulmonary monosporosis is proposed.
CO2 Electroreduction with Enhanced Ethylene and Ethanol Selectivity by Nanostructuring Polycrystalline Copper

There are a number of recent reports on the use of oxidation/reduction cycling of Cu surfaces to improve their selectivity for ethylene formation in the aqueous CO2 reduction reaction. Here, the oxidation/reduction process is examined in detail. It is found that the faradaic efficiencies for both ethylene and ethanol are enhanced after oxidation/reduction cycling in the presence of halide anions. Specifically, cycling of the electrode in the presence of chloride, bromide, or fluoride anions allows for an ethylene faradaic efficiency of approximately 15.2 %, a factor of 1.5 higher than that for polycrystalline copper (at −1.0 V vs. RHE). The faradaic efficiency for ethanol is also enhanced from 2.65 to approximately 7.6 %. The effects of electrochemical oxidation/reduction with the chloride anion were investigated by using in situ Raman spectroscopy, and the changes in the surface morphology of copper were monitored by using SEM. Consistent with prior reports, it is observed that during the oxidation part of the cycle, anodic corrosion forms a Cu2O layer, which consists of cubical crystals of about 150 nm. During the reduction sweep, it is converted to metallic copper, which forms irregular Cu nanoparticles of around 20 nm in diameter. The enhancement in ethylene formation is presumably attributed to the formation of grain boundaries, which may serve as active sites.
Juvenile Alpers-Huttenlocher Syndrome

Abstract Juvenile Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome is a mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) depletion syndrome that results in a typical clinical course of headache with visual auras leading to explosive seizure onset and eventual hepatopathy. Elevations of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate, elevation of CSF protein, and injury to deep gray structures on neuroimaging are signs of the diagnosis. Diagnosis can be met by clinical criteria as well as by genetic testing in combination with phenotypic variability. We present an archetypal case to demonstrate the thought process leading to diagnosis and discuss clinical pearls.
Analyses of Nanoscale to Microscale Strength and Crack-Tip Stresses Using Nanomechanical Raman Spectroscopy in IN-617

In this research, Inconel 617, a solid solution Ni–Cr–CO–Mo superalloy, was studied in the temperature range of room temperature to 1073 K (800 °C) for temperature dependent strength and crack propagation behavior. Elastic modulus, hardness, creep exponent, creep strain rate and thermal activation volume of the different alloy 617 samples were studied through nanoindentation method. Indentation size effect (ISE) was studied in terms of hardness variation as a function of loading depth and temperature. Three-point bending tests for in-situ crack tip stress measurements were performed on the samples with an initial crack to measure crack tip plastic stresses under applied load. A relation between indentation depth and hardness was used to predict strain gradient length scale variation from 1.008 μm at room temperature and to 1.876 μm at 673 K then decreasing to 1.228 μm at 1073 K.
Abstract CT213: Clinical effects of a ketogenic diet on brain tumor patients: tumor growth and quality of life

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most malignant brain cancer, with few patients surviving beyond 2 years despite treatment including surgical resection, radiation, chemotherapy and new experimental therapies. Improvements in survival require the design of novel therapies that take advantage of phenotypic traits common in tumor cells. One such trait is aberrant metabolism - tumors rely heavily on glucose and glutamine as energy sources and are unable to use other sources of energy. We and others have suggested the exploitation of this through the use of the ketogenic diet (KD), a high fat, low carbohydrate and protein diet (4:1 fat:protein plus carbohydrate) that causes the body to shift metabolically from glucose to ketones as the primary source of energy. In addition to reducing available glucose, in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies have shown that increasing ketones appears to have additional anti-tumor effects, even in the presence of normal glucose levels. We and others have shown that the KD improves survival in mouse models of malignant brain tumors, and we have shown that it potentiates the effects of radiation and chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Anecdotal evidence and published case reports suggest that it may also have efficacy in human glioma patients, thus warranting further investigation in a clinical setting. Here, we report results to date from our ongoing, phase I/II single-arm clinical trial of this intervention (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02046187). Patients are eligible to enroll if they have newly diagnosed GB and at least a subtotal surgical resection. The KD is used in addition to standard care (radiation and temozolomide). It is already known to be safe and effective in the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Patients follow a 4:1 ketogenic diet during concurrent radiation and chemotherapy; they then change to a more moderate 1:1 diet during adjuvant chemotherapy. Blood glucose and ketone measurements are recorded daily, with target levels of glucose at ∼70ml/dl and ketones at ∼4mmol/l. To date, our preliminary study suggests that the KD is generally well tolerated and steroid use does not preclude the patient9s ability to reduce glucose levels below 80ml/ml. Overall health and therapy-related quality of life measurements decline from baseline to the end of RT as is typical for patients undergoing radiation therapy, but appears to recover back to baseline over time. This suggests that following the ketogenic diet probably does not adversely affect long-term quality of life. Additional patient followup data will be presented. Citation Format: Leonora Renda, Norissa Honea, Christopher Dardis, Lynn S. Ashby, Adrienne C. Scheck. Clinical effects of a ketogenic diet on brain tumor patients: tumor growth and quality of life. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr CT213. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-CT213
The Sperner Property

In this chapter we consider a surprising application of certain adjacency matrices to some problems in extremal set theory. An important role will also be played by finite groups in Chapter 5, which is a continuation of the present chapter. In general, extremal set theory is concerned with finding (or estimating) the most or least number of sets satisfying given set-theoretic or combinatorial conditions. For example, a typical easy problem in extremal set theory is the following: what is the most number of subsets of an n-element set with the property that any two of them intersect? (Can you solve this problem?) The problems to be considered here are most conveniently formulated in terms of partially ordered sets or posets for short. Thus we begin with discussing some basic notions concerning posets.
Securing commercial WiFi-based UAVs from common security attacks

We posit that commercial Wi-Fi-based unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are vulnerable to common and basic security attacks, capable by beginner to intermediate hackers. We do this by demonstrating that the standard ARDiscovery Connection process and the Wi-Fi access point used in the Parrot Bebop UAV are exploitable such that the UAV's ability to fly can be disrupted mid-flight by a remote attacker. We believe that these vulnerabilities are systemic in Wi-Fi-based Parrot UAVs. Our approach observed the normal operation (i.e., ARDiscovery Connection process over Wi-Fi) of the Parrot Bebop UAV. We then used a fuzzing technique to discover that the Parrot Bebop UAV is vulnerable to basic denial of service (DoS) and buffer-overflow attacks during its ARDiscovery Connection process. The exploitation of these vulnerabilities could result in catastrophic and immediate disabling of the UAV's rotors midflight. Also, we discovered that the Parrot Bebop UAV is vulnerable to a basic ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Cache Poisoning attack, which can disconnect the primary mobile device user and in most cases cause the UAV to land or return home. Based on the literature and our own penetration testing, we assert that Wi-Fi-based commercial UAVs require a comprehensive security framework that utilizes a defense-in-depth approach. This approach would likely mitigate security risks associated with the three zero-day vulnerabilities described in this paper as well as other vulnerabilities reported in the literature. This framework will be effective for Parrot Wi-Fi-based commercial UAVs and likely others with similar platforms.
ADD-MORE: automated dynamic display of measures of risk and error

We develop an Excel® Add-In that automates the evaluation and visualization of measures of risk and error (MORE) for performance measures that change over time. We use an example with a non-stationary arrival process to demonstrate the applicability and importance of a such tool. The tool takes raw simulation output, automatically calculates the pertinent MORE values, and generates side-by-side MORE plots for different time ticks according to a user-specified interval to characterize how the mean and percentiles of a time-dependent statistic and their corresponding confidence intervals change over time. The ADD-MORE tool significantly reduces the burden on the simulation analyst and can potentially have a high impact on simulation practice as there is no easy way to perform such analysis using existing tools. The tool is made available online for free and can potentially be integrated into existing simulation and/or statistical software packages to support output analysis and decision-making.
A Comparison of Computer-Vision-Based Structural Dynamics Characterizations

As a specific modern non-contact sensing technology, optical/video information is getting more and more attention employed to interpret structural responses and system status awareness. By means of processing the acquired video, a full-field system information is available which may be applied later to Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA), Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), System Identification (SI), etc., while at the same time, there is no influence to the structural testing such as mass loading and stiffness change. There are numerous technologies to extract the dynamic response of structures from acquired videos. In this paper, several point tracking algorithms are particularly compared, including Lucas-Kanade tracker, Hungarian registration algorithm and particle filter. These computer vision algorithms are implemented to extract the natural frequencies of a lab-scale structure, and the efficiency of each method is investigated regarding the consistency in estimating the natural frequencies and computational time. The recorded video contains external noise caused by lighting change during the experiment, as well as the intrinsic uncertainty on the photosensitive devices. Therefore, the natural frequencies estimated via different algorithms will have different values. An overall comparison between several computer vision algorithms are made in this paper in terms of precision, and computational load.
Abstract P153: Effect of Statin Transitions in High-Risk Cardiovascular Patients

Efforts to manage healthcare costs include transitioning patients to generic medications. This often includes the statins. Implementation methods and patient selection may affect clinical outcomes of these programs. We measured changes in quality metrics associated with statin transition in high-risk cardiovascular (CV) patients, assessed dose conversion, and identified clinical predictors of successful transition. This retrospective cohort study included adults receiving care in a university health system for ACS, CKD, DM or post- CABG and receiving a statin. Electronic records from 2005 to 2008 were used to identify statin transition (T) or no transition (NT). High (H) and low (L) potency agents, equipotent dosages, and successful transition were defined. Treatment patterns, LDL-C (mg/dL), and medication possession ratios (MPR) were tracked one year after transition. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were applied. The 1,505 patients were 54% male and age 50 + 10 years. Statin transition occurred in 316 (21%) of which 249 (79%) were H to L potency. DM, CKD, ACS, and CABG were present in 70%, 24%, 17%, and 8% of patients. Baseline ACS was present in T (23%) more than NT (15%), p=0.001. Changes in LDL-C were similar in T (+2.2 + 35.4 mg/dL) and NT (-0.4 + 34.6 mg/dL), p=0.34. Adherence (MPR) was higher in T (0.85 + 0.19) relative to NT (0.77 + 0.27), p
A non-linear model for analysis and design of slender reinforced-concrete columns

The purpose of this paper is to present a non-linear model for analysis and design of slender reinforced-concrete columns subjected to uniaxial and biaxial bending. This model considers both materi...
A High-Fidelity, Low-Order Propulsion Power Model for Fixed-Wing Electric Unmanned Aircraft

In recent years, we have seen an uptrend in the popularity of UAVs driven by the desire to apply these aircraft to areas such as precision farming, infrastructure and environment monitoring, surveillance, surveying and mapping, search and rescue missions, weather forecasting, and more. These aircraft are more often being fully powered by electric power sources and a major technical hurdle is that of drastically reducing overall power consumption so they can be powered by solar arrays, and for long periods of time. To do so, the power requirement of an aircraft and the conversion efficiency of its propulsion system, from electrical energy to thrust, must be parametrized so that it can be improved. This paper describes a high-fidelity, low-order power model for electric, fixed-wing unmanned aircraft using flight path information. The motivation behind this work is the development of computationally-intensive, long-endurance solar-powered unmanned aircraft, the UIUC Solar Flyer, which will have continuous daylight ability to acquire and process high resolution visible and infrared imagery. Therefore, having an accurate power model will aid in providing the ability to predict power usage for future mission flight segments, which will be vital for energy-conscious path planning. Compared to works in the existing literature, the model presented follows a holistic approach for fixed-wing electric UAV power modeling that encompasses both aircraft aerodynamics and propulsion models under realistic assumptions. The model developed is able to very accurately estimate the power consumption of an electric UAV based on flight path state, without needing precise aerodynamic measurements, therefore doing so with minimal computation power. The propulsion power model was evaluated by means of flight testing as well as simulation and showed errors ranging from negligible to approximately 5%.
Testing the robustness of the genetic algorithm on the floating building block representation

Recent studies on a floating building block representation for the genetic algorithm (GA) suggest that there are many advantages to using the floating representation. This paper investigates the behavior of the GA on floating representation problems in response to three different types of pressures: (1) a reduction in the amount of genetic material available to the GA during the problem solving process, (2) functions which have negative-valued building blocks, and (3) randomizing non-coding segments. Results indicate that the GA's performance on floating representation problems is very robust. Significant reductions in genetic material (genome length) may be made with relatively small decrease in performance. The GA can effectively solve problems with negative building blocks. Randomizing non-coding segments appears to improve rather than harm GA performance.
Overall Approach to Trauma in the Emergency Department

1. Daniel M. Fein, MD* 2. Michele J. Fagan, MD† 1. *Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 2. †Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn, NY * Abbreviations: ABCs: : Airway, Breathing, and Circulation ATLS®: : Advanced Trauma Life Support® BSA: : body surface area CSF: : cerebrospinal fluid EMS: : emergency medical services FAST: : Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma GCS: : Glasgow Coma Scale MVA: : motor vehicle accident TBI: : traumatic brain injury Assessing a child who has sustained a multisystem trauma requires a structured assessment of the airway, breathing, and circulation to promptly identify life-threatening injuries and allow for timely lifesaving interventions. This is followed by a more detailed evaluation of the entire body to evaluate for all injuries. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Identify the steps of the primary and secondary surveys used during evaluation of a child who has sustained trauma. 2. Describe the potential life-threatening injuries that may occur after trauma and their treatment. 3. Understand the evaluation and management of a child who has sustained a significant burn. The importance of trauma in children is readily apparent in that injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children from infancy to young adulthood in the United States. Each year, more than 9,000 children die of serious injury, and approximately 8.7 million children require emergency department care for treatment of their injuries. (1) This surpasses all major diseases in children and young adults. Specifically, motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are 1 of the top 2 causes of death in children of all age groups. Childhood injuries result in costs exceeding $87 billion annually (1) when accounting for direct medical costs as well as costs to the economy, cost of rehabilitation, and costs to the families of children who survive childhood injury but have resultant lifelong disabilities. Childhood injury is a public health problem that has multiple facets, ranging from injury prevention to rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The American College of Surgeons created the Advanced Trauma Life Support® (ATLS®) course to help train physicians to face …
Application of a High-Resolution Quadrupole/Orbital Trapping Mass Spectrometer Coupled to a Gas Chromatograph for the Determination of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Cow’s and Human Milk

A quadrupole/orbital trapping mass spectrometer or Q-Exactive (QE) interfaced with a gas chromatograph (GC) was optimized for measuring polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in foods. Figures of merit include (1) an instrument detection limit (IDL) for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) of 9 femtograms (fg), (2) quantitative mass resolution from PCDD interferences (e.g., PCBs, methoxy-PCBs DDTs, polychlorodibenzylphenyl ethers, polychloroxanthenes, methyl-polychlorodibenzofuran, and polychlorodibenzothiophenes), and (3) mass accuracy <1 ppm at the IDL. The QE measured the concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in whole cow’s milk with no known source of contamination (e.g., TCDD 33 fg/g fat). A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) unfortified human milk standard reference material (SRM) 1953 was measured determining 27 PCDD/F and PCB congeners with an average difference of 7.6% from the certified results. The QE-GC is a bencht...
Evaluation of an education session using standardized patients and role play during perinatal bereavement

Abstract Nurses have voiced their lack of comfort during perinatal loss and communicating with families during this period. A mid-western organization provided bereavement education to its perinatal nurses, which included a didactic session, followed by two perinatal loss scenarios with standardized patients, and debriefing. Participant's knowledge (p = 0.000) and comfort (p = 0.000) levels significantly improved after the education session. Observations during the standardized patient scenarios, demonstrated that the majority of nurses used appropriate communication techniques with the bereaved mother that was reviewed throughout the education session. An education session that includes standardized patients acting out a perinatal loss may be an effective approach in promoting perinatal nurses comfort level in providing effective bereavement care and communication.
Evaluation of Evidence: Pre-Modern and Modern Approaches

Judges were never bound by law to convict a defendant unless they considered him guilty. Yet, they could be prohibited by law from convicting a person they consider guilty due to the absence of legally prescribed or the presence of legally prohibited evidence. Evaluation of Evidence addresses the question: should the law restrict the freedom of judges in assessing the probative value of evidence in the criminal process? Tracing the treatment of evidence from pre-modern to modern times, Mirjan Damaska argues that there has always been some understanding about rules regarding the use and treatment of evidence, and these rules should not be looked askance as a departure from ideal arrangements. In a time when science and technology have the ability to contribute to factual inquiry, there needs to be acceptance of rules that expand or corroborate evidence produced by our native sensory apparatus.
Seeking Contemporary Urban Comfort Through Vernacular Architectural Principles in Hot Arid Climate

The chapter deals with urban comfort by utilizing the old traditional vernacular architecture. It describes the effects of sunlight, wind pattern, shading, and comfort. Examples were given from ancient Iran cities like Yazd with hot arid zone and the use of “Wind Towers” in the summer period. Effect of water and vegetation combined with courtyard used to moderate the temperature and create harmony between day and nights. One of the most effective elements to reduce the heat in arid zone is the use of shading.
Phonological (in)visibility: The perception of reduced Spanish vowels among L1-Spanish speakers, L2-Spanish learners, and English monolinguals

Abstract Reduced vowels between obstruents and rhotics are durationally variable and phonologically invisible in Spanish, e.g. pərado ‘field’ as /pɾ/. The present study compares L1-Spanish speakers, English monolinguals, and L2-Spanish learners’ perceptual boundaries for reduced vowels in Spanish. A native speaker produced 70 Spanish nonce words with word-initial obstruent + vowel + flap sequences, and the duration of each vowel was manipulated from 100% to 75%, 50%, and 25% of its original duration. To determine whether these groups perceive variably reduced vowels as phonologically visible, 78 listeners counted the number of syllables perceived in 280 target audio files. Linear regression models fitted to 21,436 responses indicate that English monolinguals apply an L1 perceptual strategy, but L2-Spanish learners have shifted their perceptual boundaries. The study concludes that the perception of highly variable acoustic information becomes more native-like with greater L2 proficiency, while age of acquisition is less predictive of native-like perception.
Applications for Quantile Regression in Epidemiology

To illustrate the utility of quantile regression in epidemiology for outcomes that are continuous and when exposure effects may differ across the distribution of the outcome. Linear regression methods estimate only the effects at the mean level which may be an incomplete and biased summary of the effect of exposures for some continuous health outcomes. There are several variations of the quantile regression method including classical linear quantile regression, nonparametric quantile regression for growth trajectories, and the modified quantile regression for case–control designs. Such methods offer several applications including (1) the use of quantile regression to test whether the effects of exposure are similar across quantiles, (2) the use of quantile regression for risk prediction, and (3) the use of quantile regression to examine the effects of growth trajectories over time. Quantile regression is an important tool for understanding continuous health outcomes, especially outcomes that are not normally distributed, as it offers insight into the relation of exposures with respect to the distribution of the outcome. Quantile regression methods have the potential to deepen and expand the existing quantitative evidence from more common mean-based analyses.
Antibodies to a Conserved Influenza Head Interface Epitope Protect by an IgG Subtype-Dependent Mechanism

Summary Vaccines to generate durable humoral immunity against antigenically evolving pathogens such as the influenza virus must elicit antibodies that recognize conserved epitopes. Analysis of single memory B cells from immunized human donors has led us to characterize a previously unrecognized epitope of influenza hemagglutinin (HA) that is immunogenic in humans and conserved among influenza subtypes. Structures show that an unrelated antibody from a participant in an experimental infection protocol recognized the epitope as well. IgGs specific for this antigenic determinant do not block viral infection in vitro, but passive administration to mice affords robust IgG subtype-dependent protection against influenza infection. The epitope, occluded in the pre-fusion form of HA, is at the contact surface between HA head domains; reversible molecular “breathing” of the HA trimer can expose the interface to antibody and B cells. Antigens that present this broadly immunogenic HA epitope may be good candidates for inclusion in “universal” flu vaccines.
A new non-diffusional gas bubble production route in used nuclear fuel: implications for fission gas release, cladding corrosion, and next generation fuel design

A novel relationship between noble metal phase particles and fission gas bubble production in used nuclear fuel is described. The majority of Te atoms within noble metal phase undergo radioactive decay to form stable Xe within a few hours after particle formation. This results in the production of clusters of Xe atoms contained within the solid metal matrix exhibiting an equivalent gas bubble pressure approaching 1 GPa. These high pressure bubbles are stabilized by the UO2 within the bulk of the fuel. However, when these bubbles form near the fuel/cladding interface, in combination with local and temporal damage caused by fission recoil, they are capable of overcoming the fracture strength of the UO2 and rupturing catastrophically. The force of the resulting bubble rupture is sufficient to eject noble metal phase particles several microns into the cladding. This proposed mechanism explains the observance of noble metal phase in cladding and is consistent with a host of morphological features found near the fuel/cladding interface.
Subdural empyema caused by Morganella morganii.

Background Morganella morganii is a species of Gram-negative enteric rod found in normal human gut flora. Pathologically, this most often presents as urinary tract infections, wound infections, and bacteremia. It is highly uncommon for M. morganii to be implicated in a central nervous system infection, with only 12 reported cases of parenchymal abscesses or meningitis. Case description A previously healthy 13-month-old female presented with fever of unknown origin and had a witnessed seizure during evaluation. A large left subdural fluid collection was identified, and the patient underwent emergent burr hole drainage and subdural drain placement. Cultures demonstrated M. morganii empyema, and she subsequently completed a course of directed antibiotics. Six months following surgery, she has no further clinical or radiographic evidence of infection, seizures, or neurological sequelae. Conclusion We describe the first reported case of isolated subdural empyema caused by M. morganii. The child was successfully treated with the evacuation of the empyema and direct antibiotics with no lasting neurological injury.
Effects of age and hearing loss on perceptual and physiological measures of temporal envelope processing and spatial release from speech-on-speech masking

Abstract Older adults often experience difficulties understanding speech in adverse listening conditions. These difficulties are partially attributed to auditory temporal-processing deficits associated with aging even in the absence of hearing loss. The aim of this study was to assess effects of age and hearing loss on temporal envelope processing and speech-on-speech masking. Listeners with normal and near-normal hearing across a wide age range (20 to 66 years) were tested using a series of psychophysical (amplitude-modulation detection, gap detection, and interaural-envelope-phase discrimination), physiological (electroencephalographic envelope-following responses), speech perception (spatial release from masking), and cognitive (processing speed) measures. Results showed that: (i) psychophysical measures of monaural and binaural envelope processing and neural measures of envelope processing are not affected by aging after accounting for audiometric hearing loss, (ii) behavioral gap-detection thresholds decline with age, (iii) aging results in a reduction of spatial release from masking, even as speech intensity is amplified in the region of hearing loss, (iv) aging is associated with poorer measures of cognitive function. Although age significantly contributed to a decline in spatial release from speech-on-speech masking, individual differences in envelope processing and in scores from nonauditory cognitive tests used in this study were not significant predictors of speech performance. Highlights Age per se does not affect psychophysical and physiological measures of monaural amplitude-modulation processing. Age does not affect the ability to detect interaural disparities in envelope timing between the ears. Gap detection thresholds degrades with age even after hearing thresholds are statistically accounted for. Age, independent of hearing thresholds, can substantially reduce spatial release from masking. Cognitive ability declines with age. However, such declines do not necessarily cause deficits in spatial release from masking.
A Society of Peoples: The Nature and Limits of Rawls's International Vision

In this paper I first set out the context and point of departure for Rawls's discussion of international relations in The Law of Peoples. I then examine the nature and limits of the vision he sets out in The Law of Peoples, drawing attention to features easily overlooked if one reads the book without its context and point of departure clearly in view. I conclude that while incomplete in important ways, the vision is quite powerful and merits close attention.
Selective binding of anions by rigidified nanojars: sulfate vs. carbonate.

Selective binding and transport of highly hydrophilic anions is ubiquitous in nature, as anion binding proteins can differentiate between similar anions with over a million-fold efficiency. While comparable selectivity has occasionally been achieved for certain anions using small, artificial receptors, the selective binding of certain anions, such as sulfate in the presence of carbonate, remains a very challenging task. Nanojars of the formula [anion⊂{Cu(OH)(pz)}n]2− (pz = pyrazolate; n = 27–33) are totally selective for either CO32− or SO42− over anions such as NO3−, ClO4−, BF4−, Cl−, Br− and I−, but cannot differentiate between the two. We hypothesized that rigidification of the nanojar outer shell by tethering pairs of pyrazole moieties together will restrict the possible orientations of the OH hydrogen-bond donor groups in the anion-binding cavity of nanojars, similarly to anion-binding proteins, and will lead to selectivity. Indeed, by using either homoleptic or heteroleptic nanojars of the general formula [anion⊂Cun(OH)n(L2–L6)y(pz)n−2y]2− (n = 26–31) based on a series of homologous ligands HpzCH2(CH2)xCH2pzH (x = 0–4; H2L2–H2L6), selectivity for carbonate (with L2 and with L4–L6/pz mixtures) or for sulfate (with L3) has been achieved. The synthesis of new ligands H2L3, H2L4 and H2L5, X-ray crystal structures of H2L4 and the tetrahydropyranyl-protected derivatives (THP)2L4 and (THP)2L5, synthesis and characterization by electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of carbonate- and sulfate-nanojars derived from ligands H2L2–H2L6, as well as detailed selectivity studies for CO32−vs. SO42− using these novel nanojars are presented.
Uncertainty and Error in the Law of Sales: The Article Two Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations in Article Two of the U.C.C. was that Article's most litigated section when first enacted and continues to provoke much dispute. Most of this dispute is legal; there are almost no issues of significance within this section on which the great majority of courts agree. Moreover, even when the courts agree they often are wrong as a matter of interpretation, policy, or both. Perhaps as a result, the statute of limitations in Article Two has had a great many non-uniform amendments, vitiating the benefits of uniform state law. The possible revision of Article Two makes a thorough look at these areas of uncertainty and error timely. This Article reviews the main spots of dispute. For example, the courts are split on whether implied warranties come under a discovery rule or under the usual time-of-breach rule; when express warranties do so; whether personal injury claims fall within the Article Two statute of limitations when they stem from breaches of warranty; whether indemnification actions or non-privity actions fall under the Article Two statute; whether promises to repair or replace goods fall under the statute, and, if so, when the limitations period starts to run; and when attempts to repair goods or settle disputes toll the statute of limitations. It considers each from a range of perspectives - doctrinal, comparative, economic, behavioral. Many can be dealt with under the statute as it is, for instance, the repair or replace dispute or the indemnification dispute. Some cannot, at least not without torturing the statute, for instance, the implied warranty dispute. Regrettably, Amended Article Two greatly lengthens the statute of limitations without solving its fundamental flaws, though its length yields patchwork solutions to some of the doctrinal problems. Changing the statute from one based on accrual at time of breach to one based on accrual at time of discovery would solve many of these problems more simply, particularly those pertaining to when warranties are included. The others may be dealt with by comment or by drawing from other state enactments.
Identifying rare classes with sparse training data

Building models and learning patterns from a collection of data are essential tasks for decision making and dissemination of knowledge. One of the common tools to extract knowledge is to build a classifier. However, when the training dataset is sparse, it is difficult to build an accurate classifier. This is especially true in biological science, as biological data are hard to produce and error-prone. Through empirical results, this paper shows challenges in building an accurate classifier with a sparse biological training dataset. Our findings indicate the inadequacies in well known classification techniques. Although certain clustering techniques, such as seeded k-Means, show some promise, there are still spaces for further improvement. In addition, we propose a novel idea that could be used to produce more balanced classifier when training data samples are very limited.
OROTIC ACID-INDUCED FATTY LIVER. METABOLIC STUDIES IN CONVENTIONAL AND GERM-FREE RATS.

Abstract Germ-free rats fed 1% orotic acid in their diet absorb 66% of the compound from their intestinal tracts and continuously excrete the remaining one third in their feces. In conventional rats fed orotic acid, the intestinal microflora adapts rapidly to catabolize all nonabsorbed orotic acid, which disappears from the feces within 5 days after feeding is begun. Orotic acid-fed, germ-free rats develop a fatty liver which can be prevented by adenine administration, as is the case with conventional rats. Of the orotic acid absorbed by germ-free rats, 30% is excreted in urine and the remainder is rapidly decarboxylated and apparently converted to uridylic acid despite high steady-state concentrations of uridine nucleotides in the liver. The addition of adenine to the diet does not influence intestinal absorption but increases urinary excretion and decreases somewhat the amount decarboxylated. The magnitude of the adenine effect seems inadequate to account for the protective action of adenine against orotic acid-induced fatty liver or to explain the ability of adenine to depress rapidly the steady-state concentrations of uridine nucleotides. Addition of 1% orotic acid to the diet does not influence the excretion of pseudouridine but doubles the amount of uracil appearing in the urine.
Guilty as charged: all available evidence implicates complement's role in fetal demise

Appropriate complement inhibition is an absolute requirement for normal pregancy. Uncontrolled complement activation in the maternal-fetal interface leads to fetal death. Here we show that complement activation is a crucial and early mediator of pregnancy loss in two different mouse models of pregnancy loss. Using a mouse model of fetal loss and growth restriction (IUGR) induced by antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), we examined the role of complement activation in fetal loss and IUGR. We found that C5a-C5aR interaction and neutrophils are key mediators of fetal injury. Treatment with heparin, the standard therapy for pregnant patients with aPL, prevents complement activation and protects mice from pregnancy complications induced by aPL, and anticoagulants that do not inhibit complement do not protect pregnancies. In an antibody-independent mouse model of spontaneous miscarriage and IUGR (CBA/J×DBA/2) we also identified C5a as an essential mediator. Complement activation caused dysregulation of the angiogenic factors required for normal placental development. In CBA/J×DBA/2 mice, we observed inflammatory infiltrates in placentas, functional deficiency of free vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), elevated levels of soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1, also known as sFlt-1; a potent anti-angiogenic molecule), and defective placental development. Inhibition of complement activation blocked the increase in sVEGFR-1 and rescued pregnancies. Our studies in antibody-dependent and antibody-independent models of pregnancy complications identified complement activation as the key mediator of damage and will allow development of new interventions to prevent pregnancy loss and IUGR.
Toward Ethical Guidelines for Social Science Research in Public Policy

Front-page newspaper headlines about economic indicators, voting analyses, national scores on school achievement tests, and a myriad of other topics tell the story. Social science is now taken seriously in public policy. No longer are social science findings and theories of great interest only to those in the discipline. Such work now has the potential to affect the lives of citizens.
Right-sizing Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Clinical Trials in Breast Cancer

I describe a simple and intuitive method for finding sample size for clinical trials in primary breast cancer based on neoadjuvant trial results and using the FDA's patient-level meta-analysis. Then I explain a problem with this method and how the problem can be remedied.
Akt regulates glutamate receptor trafficking and postsynaptic membrane elaboration at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction

The Akt family of serine-threonine kinases integrates a myriad of signals governing cell proliferation, apoptosis, glucose metabolism, and cytoskeletal organization. Akt affects neuronal morphology and function, influencing dendrite growth and the expression of ion channels. Akt is also an integral element of PI3Kinase-target of rapamycin (TOR)-Rheb signaling, a pathway that affects synapse assembly in both vertebrates and Drosophila. Our recent findings demonstrated that disruption of this pathway in Drosophila is responsible for a number of neurodevelopmental deficits that may also affect phenotypes associated with tuberous sclerosis complex, a disorder resulting from mutations compromising the TSC1/TSC2 complex, an inhibitor of TOR (Dimitroff et al., 2012). Therefore, we examined the role of Akt in the assembly and physiological function of the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ), a glutamatergic synapse that displays developmental and activity-dependent plasticity. The single Drosophila Akt family member, Akt1 selectively altered the postsynaptic targeting of one glutamate receptor subunit, GluRIIA, and was required for the expansion of a specialized postsynaptic membrane compartment, the subsynaptic reticulum (SSR). Several lines of evidence indicated that Akt1 influences SSR assembly by regulation of Gtaxin, a Drosophila t-SNARE protein (Gorczyca et al., 2007) in a manner independent of the mislocalization of GluRIIA. Our findings show that Akt1 governs two critical elements of synapse development, neurotransmitter receptor localization, and postsynaptic membrane elaboration.
A Review of “Minority Status, Oppositional Culture, & Schooling”

Do African American students really have to act White to achieve academically? Will they then be ridiculed by their communities and viewed as “sellouts” if they succeed? What does it mean to act Wh...
Nanomodulation of molecular nanomagnets.

Detailed synthetic, structural, and magnetic characterizations for a family of six [Mn3Zn2]13+ complexes are presented. These complexes have planar [Mn3III-(μ3-oxo)]7+ core magnetic units and have formulas represented by [cation]3[Mn3Zn2(R-salox)3O(N3)6X2], where [cation]+ = [NEt4]3+ or [AsPh4]3+; R = H or Me; and X = Cl−, Br−, I−, or N3−. Least-squares fits to the magnetic susceptibility data for these complexes indicate large negative values of the axial zero field splitting (ZFS) parameter D (≈ −1.1 K) and spin ground states ranging from a highly spin-mixed S ≈ 1 to a reasonably isolated S = 6 (ΔES = 5 = 69.2 K). The strength and magnitude of the intramolecular exchange interactions have been observed to change with the crystal packing as a result of systematic variations in the co-crystallizing cation, terminal ion, and oximate ligand. Alternating current susceptibility data were collected from 1.8−7 K at 10−997 Hz, revealing strong frequency-dependent peaks in the out-of-phase susceptibility (χ′′M) f...
Surface Characterization of Tyrosine-Derived Polycarbonates

The surfaces of five biodegradable tyrosine-derived polycarbonates were studied using contact angle measurements, ESCA, and static SIMS. The wettability, critical surface tension, and polarity of these polymers decreased with increasing chain length of the pendent alkyl groups. Surface elemental composition, as determined by ESCA, was consistent with the stoichiometry of the repeat unit of the polymers. High-resolution C1s, O1s, and N1s ESCA spectra also showed results consistent with the different bonding states of these elements in the polymer repeat unit. In both positive and negative ion spectra, SIMS experiments showed fragment ions characteristic of the polymer backbone. Fragment ions characteristic of the pendent groups were identified in the negative ion SIMS spectra only, while the positive SIMS spectra provided a characteristic fingerprint for each polymer. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1467–1479, 1997