cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A High-Yield Area-Power Efficient DWT Hardware for Implantable Neural Interface Applications

Temporal processing of neural recordings with high-density microelectrode arrays implanted in the cortex is highly desired to alleviate the data telemetry bottleneck. By exploiting the energy compactness capabilities of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), our previous work has shown that it is a viable data compression tool that faithfully preserves the information in the neural data. This paper describes an area-power minimized hardware implementation of the multi-level, multi-channel DWT. Performance tradeoffs and key design decisions for implantable applications are analyzed. A 32-channel, 4-level version of the circuit has been custom designed in 0.18mum CMOS and occupies only 0.16mm2, making it very suitable for high-yield intra-cortical neural interface applications.
Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases: Pharmacology, biochemistry and function

Abstract This article is a review of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase(s) (CN PDE) from the point of view of the relationships between the newer aspects of the complex enzymology of CN PDE and recent major advances in CN PDE pharmacology. A consolidation of isozyme nomenclature to the proposed family designations is recommended. Emphasis is placed on the importance of defining the subcellular localization of isozymes expressed in a given tissue and cyclic GMP substrate and regulatory roles in CN PDE isozyme function. CN PDe inhibitors that may be useful for experimental and clinical purposes are discussed. Examples of these inhibitors include CGS 9343B, TCV-3B, KW-6, MIMAX, Dihydroisoquinolines, Trequinsin, bipyridine and dihydropyridazinone cardiotonics, Rolipram, SQ 65442, Zaprinast and Dipyridamole.
Effect of rapamycin therapy on coronary artery physiology early after cardiac transplantation.

Background Rapamycin has been shown to reduce anatomical evidence of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, but its effect on coronary artery physiology is unknown. Methods Twenty-seven patients without angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease underwent measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR), coronary flow reserve (CFR), and the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) within 8 weeks and then 1 year after transplantation using a pressure sensor/thermistor-tipped guidewire. Measurements were compared between consecutive patients who were on rapamycin for at least 3 months during the first year after transplantation (rapamycin group, n=9) and a comparable group on mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) instead (MMF group, n=18). Results At baseline, there was no significant difference in FFR, CFR, or IMR between the 2 groups. At 1 year, FFR declined significantly in the MMF group (0.87 ± 0.06 to 0.82 ± 0.06, P = .009) but did not change in the rapamycin group (0.91 ± 0.05 to 0.89 ± 0.04, P = .33). Coronary flow reserve and IMR did not change significantly in the MMF group (3.1 ± 1.7 to 3.2 ± 1.0, P = .76; and 27.5 ± 18.1 to 19.1 ± 7.6, P = .10, respectively) but improved significantly in the rapamycin group (2.3 ± 0.8 to 3.8 ± 1.4, P P Conclusion Early after cardiac transplantation, rapamycin therapy is associated with improved coronary artery physiology involving both the epicardial vessel and the microvasculature.
Transformation of Sulfur Compounds by an Abundant Lineage of Marine Bacteria in the α-Subclass of the Class Proteobacteria

Members of a group of marine bacteria that is numerically important in coastal seawater and sediments were characterized with respect to their ability to transform organic and inorganic sulfur compounds. Fifteen strains representing the Roseobacter group (a phylogenetic cluster of marine bacteria in the α-subclass of the class Proteobacteria) were isolated from seawater, primarily from the southeastern United States. Although more than one-half of the isolates were obtained without any selection for sulfur metabolism, all of the isolates were able to degrade the sulfur-containing osmolyte dimethyl sulfoniopropionate (DMSP) with production of dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Five isolates also degraded DMSP with production of methanethiol, indicating that both cleavage and demethylation pathways for DMSP occurred in the same organism, which is unusual. Five isolates were able to reduce dimethyl sulfoxide to DMS, and several isolates also degraded DMS and methanethiol. Sulfite oxygenase activity and methanesulfonic acid oxygenase activity were also present in some of the isolates. The ability to incorporate the reduced sulfur in DMSP and methanethiol into cellular material was studied with one of the isolates. A group-specific 16S rRNA probe indicated that the relative abundance of uncultured bacteria in the Roseobacter group increased in seawater enriched with DMSP or DMS. Because this group typically accounts for >10% of the 16S ribosomal DNA pool in coastal seawater and sediments of the southern United States, clues about its potential biogeochemical role are of particular interest. Studies of culturable representatives suggested that the group could mediate a number of steps in the cycling of both organic and inorganic forms of sulfur in marine environments.
Organizational Misfits and the Origins of Brokerage in Intrafirm Networks

To extend research on the effects of networks for career outcomes, this paper examines how career processes shape network structure. I hypothesize that brokerage results from two distinct mechanism...
Imaging modalities for aortic endografting

One of the most fundamental and influential differences between conventional surgery and endovascular grafting for aortic aneurysm is the central role of imaging in every aspect of management. This review summarizes five imaging techniques for aortic endografting: intravascular ultrasound, contrast angiography, conventional computed tomography (CT), spiral CT with image processing, and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). External ultrasound and intravascular ultrasound have important relevance to endovascular aortic surgery. Artifacts of arteriography include magnification, thrombus effect, fore-shortening of tortuosity, loss of luminal detail, parallax error, and projection errors. Conventional CT scans have artifacts and difficulties also. Diameter measurement by CT suffers from methodology errors and observer variability. If conventional CT and angiography are used for endovascular aortic graft planning, both should be obtained since neither alone provides sufficient data. The use of spiral CT scanning and computerized image processing has clearly aided the preoperative definition of aneurysm morphology both in terms of dimensional accuracy and by adding diagnostic information. MRA is capable of producing three-dimensional images, axial sections, and longitudinal projections in any plane. It can detect blood flow without contrast medium, but gadolinium enhances MRA by avoiding the "signal dropout" artifact. Technology exists to provide new forms of imaging for endovascular surgery that combines three-dimensional models with on-line image data in a process called "data fusion." This may offer improved ease and accuracy for conducting endovascular procedures in the future.
INVERSE ACOUSTIC SCATTERING PROBLEMS IN OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS

This paper presents theoretical and computational results from our research on inverse scattering problems for acoustic waves in ocean environments. In particular, we discuss the determination of a three-dimensional (3-D) distributed inhomogeneity in a two-layered waveguide from scattered sound and the shape determination of an object in a stratified medium. Numerical examples are presented.
Schooling and migration of large pelagic fishes relative to environmental cues

A kinesis model driven by high-resolution sea surface temperature maps is used to simulate Atlantic bluefin tuna movements in the Gulf of Maine during summer months. Simulations showed that individuals concentrated in areas of thermal preference. Results are compared to empirical distribution maps of bluefin tuna schools determined from aerial overflights of the stock during the same time periods. Simulations and empirical observations showed similar bluefin tuna distributions along fronts, although interannual variations in temperature ranges occupied suggest that additional foraging factors are involved. Performance of the model is further tested by simulating the relatively large-scale annual north‐south migrations of bluefin tuna that followed a preferred thermal regime. Despite the model’s relatively simple structure, results suggest that kinesis is an effective mechanism for describing movements of large pelagic fish in the expansive ocean environment.
Calculation of Diffraction Matrices for Single Bravais-Lattice Layers

Here we consider the diffraction of plane waves by an ordered layer of atoms that has one atom per unit cell (i.e., has a Bravais lattice). When more than one atom per unit cell are present, the layer should either be considered as a composite layer (cf. Chaps.6,7) or it should be taken to be several Bravais-lattice layers if their perpendicular separation distances are large (see Sects.3.2,11.1 for the appropriate criteria).
Thyroid Nodules and Cancer

Thyroid nodules are very common in clinical practice and the majority of these nodules are benign but about 5 % of all thyroid nodules turns out to be cancer. Clinical evaluation begins with a complete medical history and thyroid palpation, followed by thyroid function tests and ultrasound if needed. When TSH is normal and ultrasound shows a suspicious or large nodule an ultrasound fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) is recommended. US-FNA is the single most important step for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules. Benign thyroid nodules can be followed clinically and with serial ultrasound images. An indeterminate nodule poses a challenge situation and treatment may include observation, molecular markers, or surgery. When cytology is suspicious for malignancy surgery is usually recommended.
The Licensing Conundrum: If It's in the Video Game, It Might Be Illegal

Electronic Arts ("EA") has become synonymous with sports video games, producing popular titles such as "Madden" and "NCAA Football." EA, however, is facing a myriad of legal challenges. One class action suit has been brought by former collegiate athletes alleging antitrust violations and violations of their right of publicity. A similar suit has been brought by retired NFL players. Both classes have not been compensated despite EA's use of their likenesses in video games for profit. A third suit against EA by consumers also alleges antitrust violations stemming from price fixing. If EA does not prevail in these suits, its exclusive licenses could be in jeopardy and it is even possible that the suits could effect our notions of amateurism and the payment of collegiate athletes, as there is a great deal of money at stake with the use of digital likenesses.
Effects of payments for ecosystem services on wildlife habitat recovery

Conflicts between local people's livelihoods and conservation have led to many unsuccessful conservation efforts and have stimulated debates on policies that might simultaneously promote sustainable management of protected areas and improve the living conditions of local people. Many government-sponsored payments-for-ecosystem-services (PES) schemes have been implemented around the world. However, few empirical assessments of their effectiveness have been conducted, and even fewer assessments have directly measured their effects on ecosystem services. We conducted an empirical and spatially explicit assessment of the conservation effectiveness of one of the world's largest PES programs through the use of a long-term empirical data set, a satellite-based habitat model, and spatial autoregressive analyses on direct measures of change in an ecosystem service (i.e., the provision of wildlife species habitat). Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat improved in Wolong Nature Reserve of China after the implementation of the Natural Forest Conservation Program. The improvement was more pronounced in areas monitored by local residents than those monitored by the local government, but only when a higher payment was provided. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of a PES program depends on who receives the payment and on whether the payment provides sufficient incentives. As engagement of local residents has not been incorporated in many conservation strategies elsewhere in China or around the world, our results also suggest that using an incentive-based strategy as a complement to command-and-control, community- and norm-based strategies may help achieve greater conservation effectiveness and provide a potential solution for the park versus people conflict.
Figures of merit for electrically conductive polymer composites

In an effort to determine the optimal balance of electrical and mechanical performance for electrically conductive polymer composites, three figures of merit were evaluated. All three figures of merit displayed peaks and/or discontinuities at a particular filler loading. These loadings appear to correspond to the critical pigment volume concentration for a given system. Composite systems based upon latex as the matrix starting material showed peaks in the figures of merit at very low carbon black concentrations (10 vol%), while composites prepared with polymer solutions or melts had peaks above 20 vol% carbon black. These differences in behavior are attributed to differences in microstructural evolution that occur with filler loading.
Prehistoric Llama Breeding and Herding on the North Coast of Peru

There is no clear-cut consensus or reliable body of published data in the Andean literature indicating whether llamas were bred and herded on the prehistoric North Coast of Peru or periodically imported from the highlands. Based on four lines of evidence—ethnographic, archaeozoological, physiological, and ethnohistoric—we argue that llamas (and perhaps even alpacas) were successfully bred and maintained on the North Coast from the early Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 600) and perhaps since the Early Horizon. More specifically, we discuss population structure, representation of body parts, climatic and dietary adaptability, and abundance of coastal forage. Both llamas and alpacas are physiologically well-adapted for the coastal environment and can efficiently process a wide range of forage. By the Middle Horizon, domestic camelids served a wide range of functions including transport, sacrifice, tools, and meat. Species identification, coastal herd management, effects of disease vectors, and other related issues are also discussed.
Clinical analysis of 19 children with erythema multiforme major

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristic and treatment of children with erythema multiforme major(EMM),and to improve the diagnosis and treatment ability clinically.Methods The clinical feature, diagnosis and treatment of 19 children with EMM were summarized and analyzed.Results All cases had fever, skin eruption, mucosa lesion, with different degree organs involvement and immunological abnormality.94.7% patients treated with glucocorticoid in the earlier period,57.9% patients received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment meanwhile. Clinical symptoms quickly relieved, laboratory markers almost completely recovered in 6 weeks. In the follow-up period, among 6 cases accompanied with lung involvement, 3 cases recovered, 2 cases relieved, 1 case died of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis after 3 months.Conclusion EMM is one of the emergencies in children, pulmonary complication severely endangers children's health even life, glucocorticoid and IVIG treatment in the earlier period can reduce mortality and important organs complication.
Research on Production Process of Nickel

The principles and general situations of the new processes for producing nickel that can decrease the production cost and increase the source of nickel are summarized,including biohydrometallurgy,the utilization of ocean polymetallic nodules,selective reduction and recovery nickel from the spent materials,and their mechanisms and characteristics are also analyzed.
Rationale for French Colonial Urbanism

A major component of efforts to universalize French urbanism is the introduction of French urban design schemes in foreign lands. Official pronouncements extoll such schemes as efforts to promote the healthy, effective and efficient functioning of built space. However, a critical examination of the raison d’etre of these efforts suggests that they are designed to accomplish other less glamorous goals of the French imperial project. In this chapter I contend that the acculturation of “racial/cultural others” constitutes, and remains, primordial amongst these goals. This raison d’etre of French urbanism abroad has largely escaped the attention of analysts. Yet, the need to pay attention to the impact of supplanting the indigenous spatial norms of ‘racial/cultural others’ with French/Western varieties cannot be overstated. This chapter identifies and analyses some of these implications. In addition, the chapter presents an outline of the entire book.
[Analysis on the spatial distribution of severe hand-foot-mouth disease cases in Lushan county Henan province].

手足口病发病时间存在季节性变化,但有地区差异[1].进行重症手足口病空间分布特征的分析和研究有利于更好掌握重症病例的地理分布特征与规律,为此本研究对2010年河南省报告重症病例最多的鲁山县的病例空间分布聚集性进行了分析,现将结果报道如下. 关键词：手足口病;负二项分布;空间聚集性
Hydroxyethyl starch in priming fluid for cardiopulmonary bypass.

The physiochemical characteristics of hydroxyethyl starch make it suitable for use as a colloidal blood plasma substitute. In high doses, this drug may interfere with blood coagulation. Because of its effectiveness and low cost, we have used hydroxyethyl starch rather than albumin in the priming fluid for cardiopulmonary bypass: 500 ml of 6% hydroxyethyl starch and 2,000 ml of lactated Ringer’s solution. To determine if excessive bleeding has been associated with the use of hydroxyethyl starch, we reviewed 760 cardiac operations. The patients were 49.9 ± 0.5 years old (mean ± SEM) and weighed 73 ± 1 kg. Blood loss during the first postoperative day was 578 ± 25 ml, and 4.0 ± 0.2 units of bank blood were utilized in the perioperative period. We have used an improved method of administering heparin and protamine for the past 3 years. In the 461 patients operated upon since then, blood loss was 437 ± 21 ml, 2.9 ± 0.1 units of bank blood were used, and excessive postoperative bleeding necessitated re-exploration in nine patients (2.0%). These results compare favorably with other recently published series in which hydrobyethyl starch was not used in the pump prime. Thus the dose of hydroxyethyl starch in our priming fluid does not appear to be associated with excessive bleeding. In view of its safety and low cost, hydroxyethyl starch is a suitable colloidal blood plasma substitute for use during cardiopulmonary bypass.
Higher serum digoxin levels were associated with increased mortality in CHF.

Source Citation Rathore SS, Curtis, JP, Wang Y, Bristow MR, Krumholz HM. Association of serum digoxin concentration and outcomes in patients with heart failure. JAMA. 2003;289:871-8. 12588271
Retinal Pigment Epithelium Tear after Immunosuppressive Treatment for Sarcoidosis-related Choroidal Granuloma

ABSTRACTPurpose: To describe the formation of a retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tear following immunosuppressive treatment of a large choroidal granuloma in a patient with sarcoidosis-related panuveitis.Methods: A 25-year-old woman presented with bilateral sarcoidosis-related panuveitis and optic disc edema in both eyes with a large choroidal granuloma temporal to the fovea in the left eye. High-dose oral prednisone therapy was given.Results: High-dose oral prednisone therapy produced improvement in her panuveitis with reduction in size of the left choroidal granuloma. An RPE tear overlying the flattening choroidal granuloma developed by 3 weeks of treatment.Conclusions: Treatment of choroidal granuloma with rapid reduction in size may result in an RPE tear.
Optimal Control of Bilinear Systems to Identify Time Varying Effects of Antitumor Drugs

Abstract A bilinear model is introduced to represent the time varying effects of anti-tumor drugs on the kinetics of the cell cycle. Optimal control theory is applied for the estimation of these time-varying effects. This methodology enables the authors to quantify the effects of a drug on each phase of the cycle. A compartmental model of the cell cycle with both constant and time varying parameters is presented. The constant parameters are determined utilizing the Gauss-Newton algorithm from data on cell cultures in which no drug is introduced. After the constant parameters are known, the functions (controls) which represents the time varying effects of a drug on the various phases of the cycle are determined. This is accomplished by formulating an optimal control problem in which the controls represent the effects of a drug. The controls are determined using the discrete minimum principle and a performance measure based on a least squares fit of laboratory data. A steepest descent algorithm is applied in the numerical computations. The results, which were consistent with current concepts on the pharmacology of the drug, suggest that this method is valuable for determining drug effects on the cell cycle.
Modified open-access scheduling for new patient evaluations at an academic chronic pain clinic increased patient access to care, but did not materially reduce their mean cancellation rate: A retrospective, observational study

Abstract Study objective To determine if open-access scheduling would reduce the cancellation rate for new patient evaluations in a chronic pain clinic by at least 50%. Design Retrospective, observational study using electronic health records. Setting Chronic pain clinic of an academic anesthesia department. Patients All patients scheduled for evaluation or follow-up appointments in the chronic pain clinic between April 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015. Interventions Open-access scheduling was instituted in April 2015 with appointments offered on a date of the patient's choosing ≥1 business day after calling, with no limit on the daily number of new patients. Measurements Mean cancellation rates for new patients were compared between the 12-month baseline period prior to and for 7months after the change, following an intervening 2-month washout period. The method of batch means (by month) and the 2-sided Student t -test were used; P Main results The new patient mean cancellation rate decreased from a baseline of 35.7% by 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4% to 6.9%; P =0.005); however, this failed to reach the 50% reduction target of 17.8%. Appointment lag time decreased by 4.7days (95% CI 2.3 to 7.0days, P P P =0.0004). The cancellation rate and appointment lag times did not decrease for established patient visits, as expected because open-access scheduling was not implemented for this group. Conclusions Access to care for new chronic pain patients improved with modified open-access scheduling. However, their mean cancellation rate only decreased from 35.7% to 31.5%, making this a marginally effective strategy to reduce cancellations.
There Is No Performance, There Is Just This Moment: The Role of Mindfulness Instruction in Promoting Health and Well-Being Among Students at a Highly-Ranked University in the United States.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve health outcomes across populations. We explored the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effects of a pilot MBSR program at a highly-ranked university in the United States. We conducted 23 in-depth interviews with 13 students. Interviews explored stressors and coping mechanisms, experiences with MBSR, and its reported impact and potential future use. Interviews were analyzed using thematic content and narrative analyses. Results indicated that students are exposed to a very high level of constant stress related to the sheer amount of work and activities that they have and the pervasive surrounding university culture of perfectionism. MBSR offered an opportunity to step back and gain perspective on issues of balance and priorities and provided concrete techniques to counter the effects of stressors. We conclude that MBSR and mindfulness programs may contribute to more supportive university learning environments and greater health and we...
Enhancing power transformer differential protection to improve security and dependability

Current differential principle is a well-known principle used for protection of transformers, motors, generators, buses, and any other type of power equipment with input and output current measurements. Further the principle is used in developing percent differential protection which can be programmed to the desired sensitivity for detecting in-zone faults, and security during external faults. This protection dependability is usually achieved by modeling a differential-retraining characteristic with two regions, operating and non-operating, and tracking the real differential restraint ratio during faults. Some external faults with high DC offset and high X/R system time constant would easily saturate the installed current transformers (CTs), which in return would cause high differential/restraint ratio above the preset characteristic into the operating region. In such cases the differential protection would operate and cause unwanted transformer trip. This paper focuses on a number of enhancements applied to the differential principle of the main differential protection, and defines guidance on how to setup the protection for better sensitivity and security. The paper is supported by fault cases, showing the improved security and dependability during internal/external faults with and without CT saturation.
What's the Difference?: Evaluating Variations of Multi-Series Bar Charts for Visual Comparison Tasks

An increasingly common approach to data analysis involves using information dashboards to visually compare changing data. However, layout constraints coupled with varying levels of visualization literacy among dashboard users make facilitating visual comparison in dashboards a challenging task. In this paper, we evaluate variants of bar charts, one of the most prevalent class of charts used in dashboards. We report an online experiment (N = 74) conducted to evaluate four alternative designs: 1) grouped bar chart, 2) grouped bar chart with difference overlays, 3) bar chart with difference overlays, and 4) difference bar chart. Results show that charts with difference overlays facilitate a wider range of comparison tasks while performing comparably to charts without them on individual tasks. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings, with a focus on supporting visual comparison in dashboards.
Structurating Expanded Genetic Carrier Screening: A Longitudinal Analysis of Online News Coverage.

Expanded carrier screening (ECS) is a genetic test that is designed to assess the risk of a healthy person passing down a genetic disorder, such as spinal muscular atrophy, to future children. ECS screens for up to several hundred disorders in one test, expanding on traditional carrier screening tests that target one or a few genetic disorders. However, little is known about how this health technology is being presented to the public in media coverage. Accordingly, this study is a qualitative content analysis of online news and information of ECS over a 6-year period, beginning in 2010 when the technology was publicly available. Results indicate that major coverage themes were consistent across the years included, although content within those themes changed over time. Using structuration theory to guide analysis, results reveal that online news and information from 2010 to 2015 structurated ECS as a health technology innovation, an opportunity for business and investment, and a tool for family planning. ...
Oriented Crystallization of Urea in Membranes

Inner egg shell membrane was soaked in 2 M urea solution and dried. Cu Kα X-rays directed perpendular to the membrane yielded an unsymmetrical diffraction pattern with urea 110, 111, 102, 210 and 211 planes diffracting to the right and urea 101, 200 and 201 planes diffracting to the left. The urea appears to be hydrogen-bonded diagonally between the lamellae of β-keratin at an angle of 33.5° to the 6.68 A b-axis (fiber axis) of the parallel pleated sheet structure, shortening the half-axis lengths in the a direction from 4.73 A to 4.41 A. Similar results were obtained with formalinized dog mesentery. Keratinous outer egg shell membrane, formalinized collagenous dog renal capsule, formalinized collagenous pheasant pericardium, and formalinized callogenous human arachnoid yielded symmetrically oriented urea layer lines. Formalinized dog renal fascia and pleura yielded random urea lines.
Treatment at safety-net hospital to influence the rate of pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

e18678Background: The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has allowed pathologic complete response (pCR) to become a predictive measure for breast cancer recurrence-free survival and overall surv...
The Influence of Land Cover, Vertical Structure, and Socioeconomic Factors on Outdoor Water Use in a Western US City

To help inform urban water conservation and planning, we evaluated spatial patterns and correlative relationships among physical land cover properties, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, and single-family outdoor residential water use in Aurora, Colorado, a rapidly-growing suburb in the semi-arid Colorado Front Range. Using high resolution land cover maps and lidar-derived vertical structural data, we quantified land cover composition and vertical structural characteristics for detached, single-family residential parcels. These data were combined with socioeconomic and demographic datasets from the 2010 US Census and local government agencies and used in Random Forest analyses of outdoor water use estimated from residential water meter records, with separate analyses conducted using parcels and census block groups as sampling units. Conditional variable importance measures from Random Forest analyses and comparisons of the predictive accuracy of models developed using subsets of explanatory variables were used to assess the relative importance of physical and socioeconomic variables in predicting outdoor water use. Models developed using the subset of land cover variables had the highest predictive accuracy, followed by vertical structural variables, and lastly, socioeconomic/demographic variables. At both the parcel and census block group scale, there was significant spatial clustering in outdoor water use as indicated by various spatial statistical analyses. Our approach demonstrates the value of high resolution land cover and structure data for understanding urban water use patterns and can be used for targeting water conservation efforts.
Social judgments of electronic multitasking in the workplace: The role of contextual and individual factors

Abstract In the modern, technology-driven workplace, employees often engage in electronic multitasking behaviors. Using an online, experimental vignette methodology, the current set of studies investigated the influence of contextual and individual difference factors on observers' social judgments of electronic multitasking (i.e., rudeness, agency, and communalism) during a simulated work meeting scenario. Study 1 (N = 465) found no significant differences in social judgments based on the type of task-switching behaviors (sequential vs. concurrent). Study 2 (N = 477) found that relevant multitasking was evaluated as less rude, more agentic, and more communal than irrelevant multitasking. Individuals higher in polychronicity rated multitasking as less rude, more agentic, and more communal. Results for trait anger were mixed across studies. Finally, Study 3 found that observers evaluated relevant multitasking and concurrent multitasking as less rude, more agentic, and more communal than irrelevant multitasking and sequential multitasking, respectively. These results have implications for productive meetings and better relationships among coworkers.
Radiation Therapy After Breast-Conserving Surgery in Women 70 Years of Age and Older: How Wisely Do We Choose?

Despite data from randomized trials supporting omission of radiation therapy (RT) for women ≥ 70 years of age with T1, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) tumors undergoing breast-conserving therapy (BCT), RT usage remains high. We reviewed our institutional experience to determine if risk factors for local recurrence or comorbidities influenced use. Women ≥ 70 years of age with T1, ER+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2−) tumors undergoing BCT in 2010–2012 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Ten-year estimated mortality was calculated using the Suemoto index. The associations of clinicopathological features and mortality risk on receipt of RT were examined. Overall, 323 patients with 327 cancers were identified. Median age was 75 years, median tumor size was 1 cm, and all were clinically node negative; 53.7% of patients received RT. RT usage decreased with age (73.6%, age 70–74 years; 49.5%, age 75–79 years; 33.3%, age 80–84 years; 10.7%, ≥ 85 years; p < 0.001). Within age groups, estimated mortality did not impact RT usage. On multivariable analysis, only younger age and larger tumor size were associated with RT use. Recurrence-free survival was 98% versus 93% with and without RT, respectively (p = 0.011). Those who received adjuvant radiation also had improved overall survival (92% vs. 89%), although this effect did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.051). Neither the factors associated with risk of local recurrence nor the estimated risk of death in 10 years were associated with use of adjuvant radiation in a large cohort of women ≥ 70 years of age with small ER+ breast cancers treated with breast-conserving surgery.
On the Negative Consequences of Thinking About Häagen-Dazs Cottage Cheese: Low-Fit Brand Extensions and Self-Regulatory Depletion

Many firms seek to leverage successful brands by introducing brand extensions. These extensions vary in the extent to which they fit with the original brand image, ranging from high-fit (e.g., BMW driving gloves) to low-fit (e.g., BMW skateboards) to, in some cases, extremely low-fit (e.g., BMW cosmetics bags). Where previous work has focused on how fit influences consumers’ evaluations of the extension, this paper explores the cognitive consequences that evaluating low-fit extensions have for consumers. Across four studies, we find that evaluating low-fit extensions depletes consumers’ cognitive resources relative to evaluating high-fit extensions, and explore some of the implications that this effect has for consumer choice. In support of our theoretical account, we show that low-fit extensions only deplete consumers who try to reconcile the extension with the brand and that relaxing the standard of what constitutes fit lowers the cognitive costs of evaluating low-fit extensions, thereby reducing depletion effects.
A Feedback Loop Formed by ATG7/Autophagy, FOXO3a/miR-145 and PD-L1 Regulates Stem-Like Properties and Invasion in Human Bladder Cancer

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 blockade have been identified to target immune checkpoints to treat human cancers with durable clinical benefit. Several studies reveal that the response to PD-1-PD-L1 blockade might correlate with PD-L1 expression levels in tumor cells. However, the mechanistic pathways that regulate PD-L1 protein expression are not understood. Here, we reported that PD-L1 protein is regulated by ATG7-autophagy with an ATG7-initiated positive feedback loop in bladder cancer (BC). Mechanistic studies revealed that ATG7 overexpression elevates PD-L1 protein level mainly through promoting autophagy-mediated degradation of FOXO3a, thereby inhibiting its initiated miR-145 transcription. The lower expression of miR-145 increases pd-l1 mRNA stability due to the reduction of its direct binding to 3′-UTR of pd-l1 mRNA, in turn leading to increasing in pd-l1 mRNA stability and expression, and finally enhancing stem-like property and invasion of BC cells. Notably, overexpression of PD-L1 in ATG7 knockdown cells can reverse the defect of autophagy activation, FOXO3A degradation, and miR-145 transcription attenuation. Collectively, our results revealed a positive feedback loop to promoting PD-L1 expression in human BC cells. Our study uncovers a novel molecular mechanism for regulating pd-l1 mRNA stability and expression via ATG7/autophagy/FOXO3A/miR-145 axis and reveals the potential for using combination treatment with autophagy inhibitors and PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade to enhance therapeutic efficacy for human BCs.
Thrombocytosis in Iron Deficiency Anemia

Abstract Background: Thrombocytosis can be a result of a reactive process such as acute blood loss, infections, iron deficiency anemia (IDA) or a clonal disorder such as Essential Thrombocythemia. The challenge of correctly identifying the etiology of thrombocytosis in an individual patient becomes particularly essential when the clinician is confronted with decisions regarding further workup, follow up as well as preventing future complications such as thrombotic events. Prior data linking iron deficiency anemia and thrombocytosis has been concluded from studies with small sample size, and to a large part, this association is based on anecdotal evidence. Our study examines the association between IDA and platelet counts and to the best of our knowledge is the largest study to do so. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients seen at our outpatient clinic from 1st January to 31st December 2017. We defined Iron deficiency as serum ferritin 450,000/ul. Patient demographics, as well as hematological data, were collected and compared between three groups: Iron deficiency anemia, Iron deficiency without anemia, and control. We defined controls as subjects with neither iron deficiency nor anemia. Bivariate analysis using the Chi-square test for categorical variables, and a One-Way ANOVA for continuous variables were used to determine the association between the three groups of interest and the covariates. The relationship between platelet counts and other hematological parameters was evaluated using Pearson's correlation test. Results: Of the 4896 subjects included in our study, 1225 (25.02%) had iron deficiency anemia, 699 (14.28%) had iron deficiency without anemia, and 2972 (60.70%) were controls. The mean age of the cohort was 55.8 (SD = 18.31) years, and 73.9% of the subjects were females. In the IDA group, the mean hemoglobin was 10.21 (SD = 1.39) g/dl, the mean platelet count was 319.24 (SD = 106.92) k/uL, and 127 (10.37%) subjects had thrombocytosis whereas 1098 (89.63%) had normal platelet counts. When compared to the control group, 32 (1.08%) subjects had thrombocytosis, and 2940 ( 98.92%) had normal platelet counts. The difference in numbers of subjects with thrombocytosis between iron deficiency anemia, iron deficiency without anemia and control group was statistically significant as indicated by P Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a significant association between iron deficiency anemia and thrombocytosis when compared to the control group however at a lower frequency than seen in the previously published studies. Further studies are needed to study causality and to elucidate the mechanism by which iron deficiency anemia leads to thrombocytosis. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
3D Morphological Analysis and Synthesis of Industrial MaterialsSurfaces

We present the original results pertaining to understanding topographical features on real industrial alloy surfaces. Quite often, such materials are subjected to different thermomechanical treatments with the goal of improving their yield strength, ductility, corrosion resistance, and other properties. Operations of casting, rolling, extruding, and stretching metal invariably leave their distinct “signatures” on the processed materials’ surfaces. It is highly desirable to be able to perform their characterization not in terms of the numerous surface roughness and/or waviness parameters, but rather in terms of the distinctive contributions of such operations. Indeed, if such a quantitative characterization were possible, it would be much easier to introduce corrective actions into the appropriate chain of production operations. We provide such possibility with the “morphological analysis and synthesis” techniques described in the paper. The results can be quantified either using surface topography measurements or studying light scattering from such surfaces. This last capability also gives a quick check of the “morphological similarity” of the “real” and modeled surfaces (images), which is important, e.g., in phase-field simulations. All calculations were performed using the MorphoHawk© software developed by the author and colleagues.
Provincialising Bengal: The View from Darjeeling

Written against the backdrop of Darjeeling’s 2017 Gorkhaland agitation, this essay chronicles the colonialisations—first British, now Bengali—that undergird this subnationalist struggle. The analys...
The Inconsentability of Facial Surveillance

Governments and companies often use consent to justify the use of facial recognition technologies for surveillance. Many proposals for regulating facial recognition technology incorporate consent rules as a way to protect those faces that are being tagged and tracked. But consent is a broken regulatory mechanism for facial surveillance. The individual risks of facial surveillance are impossibly opaque, and our collective autonomy and obscurity interests aren’t captured or served by individual decisions. In this article, we argue that facial recognition technologies have a massive and likely fatal consent problem. We reconstruct some of Nancy Kim’s fundamental claims in Consentability: Consent and Its Limits, emphasizing how her consentability framework grants foundational priority to individual and social autonomy, integrates empirical insights into cognitive limitations that significantly impact the quality of human decision-making when granting consent, and identifies social, psychological, and legal impediments that allow the pace and negative consequences of innovation to outstrip the protections of legal regulation. We also expand upon Kim’s analysis by arguing that valid consent cannot be given for face surveillance. Even if valid individual consent to face surveillance was possible, permission for such surveillance is in irresolvable conflict with our collective autonomy and obscurity interests. Additionally, there is good reason to be skeptical of consent as the justification for any use of facial recognition technology, including facial characterization, verification, and identification.
Precipitation Retrievals from Satellite Combined Radar and Radiometer Observations

This chapter provides a unified perspective on a broad class of approaches to derive precipitation estimates from satellite combined radar and radiometer observations based on the optimal estimation theory. These approaches are based on the optimal estimation theory and are numerical equivalent to an optimization problem. Irrespective of the procedure used to address the optimization, challenges related to mismatch between the large mismatches between the radar and radiometer footprint sizes, the ill-posed character of the mathematical problem and errors in the forward models need to be effectively mitigated. Approaches used in the TRMM and GPM combined algorithms as well as their benefits and limitations are discussed in the chapter. Aspects requiring improvement and potential solutions are also presented in the chapter.
Chapter 6 – Frontotemporal Dementia

The term frontotemporal dementia (FTD) refers to a group of neurodegenerative disorders caused by impairment of neuronal networks centered in the frontal and temporal lobes. Imaging and pathology studies indicate an important role of the cortex in FTD. Each FTD syndrome is associated with degeneration of specific cortical regions. Neuronal loss and pathological inclusions are particularly prevalent in cortical layers 2 and 3 in many patients. Additionally, specialized populations of neurons located in the frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortices are among the first neurons lost in the most common FTD clinical subtype. As much as 25% of FTD is dominantly inherited, and the genetic causes of these cases have been used to generate experimental models of FTD. In this chapter, we discuss the degeneration of neuronal networks in each FTD syndrome and how experimental models have provided insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying FTD, thus revealing potential therapeutic targets.
Deaths Attributable to Cancer in the US Human Immunodeficiency Virus Population During 2001-2015.

BACKGROUND Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced mortality among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but cancer remains an important cause of death. We characterized cancer-attributable mortality in the HIV population during 2001-2015. METHODS We used data from population-based HIV and cancer registries in the United States (US). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) associating cancer diagnoses with overall mortality, we could perhaps cut these words to accommodate the word limit. However readers will probably want to know what statistical adjustments were made to the model. Population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated using these HRs and the proportion of deaths preceded by cancer. Cancer-specific PAFs and cancer-attributable mortality rates were calculated for demographic subgroups, AIDS-defining cancers (Kaposi sarcoma [KS], non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL], cervical cancer), and non-AIDS-defining cancers. RESULTS Cancer-attributable mortality was 386.9 per 100 000 person-years, with 9.2% and 5.0% of deaths attributed to non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancers, respectively. Leading cancer-attributable deaths were from NHL (3.5%), lung cancer (2.4%), KS (1.3%), liver cancer (1.1%), and anal cancer (0.6%). Overall, cancer-attributable mortality declined from 484.0 per 100 000 person-years during 2001-2005 to 313.6 per 100 000 person-years during 2011-2015, while the PAF increased from 12.6% to 17.1%; the PAF for non-AIDS-defining cancers increased from 7.2% to 11.8% during 2011-2015. Cancer-attributable mortality was highest among those aged ≥60 years (952.2 per 100 000 person-years), with 19.0% of deaths attributed to non-AIDS-defining cancers. CONCLUSIONS Although cancer-attributable mortality has declined over time, it remains high and represents a growing fraction of deaths in the US HIV population. Mortality from non-AIDS-defining cancers may rise as the HIV population ages. ART access, early cancer detection, and improved cancer treatment are priorities for reducing cancer-attributable mortality.
Food Safety and the Ethics of Consent

This chapter addresses a series of philosophical questions that arise in a general consideration of food safety risks, with specific attention to products of gene transfer. The first topic is to demonstrate the sense in which modern technology has converted what were once norms of prudence and self-interest into ethical responsibilities. The next topic is a summary review of the way that food safety experts view food safety risk, followed by a discussion of how this way of thinking is applied to products of gene transfer. From this point, the chapter summarizes a different conceptual framework that shows how the history of food science has created alternative rationalities for thinking about the risks we bear in consuming food. This alternative helps to explain why communication of risks from gene transfer have been so difficult to communicate, and explains why labeling is a component of food safety policy. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how labeling could address some of the ethical tensions created by the tension between expert and lay perspectives on the risks of consuming food.