cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Feeding-Tube Properties on Residual Volume Measurements in Tube-Fed Patients

Background: The effect of feeding tube size and port configuration on the ability to measure gastric residual volume (GRV) is poorly understood. In addition, there is confusion about the need to measure GRVs during feedings into the small bowel. This study sought to (1) compare the volume of gastric contents obtained from small-diameter feeding tubes and large-diameter sump tubes concurrently positioned in the stomach and (2) describe the distribution of GRVs during small-bowel feedings. Methods: For the first objective, GRV measurements were made from 10-Fr tubes (n = 645) and 14-Fr or 18-Fr sump tubes (n = 645) concurrently present in 62 critically ill patients. Sixty-milliliter syringes were used to measure GRVs from the 10-Fr tubes; the fluid was returned to the stomach and measurements were repeated from the large-diameter sump tubes. To address the second research objective, 890 GRV measurements were made from 14-Fr or 18-Fr gastric sump tubes (not connected to suction) in 75 critically ill patients...
The alchemy of Jargon: etymologies of urologic neologisms. Number 3: the genesis of steroid terminology.

Background As the scientific community is increasingly severed from the study of linguistics, the underlying significance of their common technical words is becoming blurred. This article will focus on the genesis of terminology in the field of sexual steroids. Methods These notes will give a detailed background of the history of technical terms, including how they came into being, whence they were derived, and how they impacted the scientific community through the ages. Results In this installment, following terms are analyzed: Steroid, Cholesterol, Estrogen, Estrous, Progesterone, Estradiol, Androgen, and Testosterone. Conclusions This analysis of the history and significance of scientific terms common to the urological community works towards a fortification of their power by offering a reminder of their origins. Prostate 69:228–230, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Intrinsic defects, impurities and doping in ZnO nanorods grown at low temperature

We report on the defect properties of single-crystalline ZnO nanorods grown from solutions at temperatures below 90 °C. The nanorods can easily be doped by providing impurity precursors during growth. In the as-grown state the nanorods exhibit considerable lattice strain and distortions which compromise their electrical and optical properties. Upon annealing at moderate temperatures of <400 °C the lattice strain is converted into dislocation-type defects, and the dopant impurities become optically active. In the annealed state the near-bandgap photoluminescence quantum efficiency is improved more than 5 times and reaches ∼16 % at room temperature. Thus with moderate annealing, interesting device applications become feasible for nanorods grown at T<90 ∘C.
A Sequence Kernel and its Application to Speaker Recognition

A novel approach for comparing sequences of observations using an explicit-expansion kernel is demonstrated. The kernel is derived using the assumption of the independence of the sequence of observations and a mean-squared error training criterion. The use of an explicit expansion kernel reduces classifier model size and computation dramatically, resulting in model sizes and computation one-hundred times smaller in our application. The explicit expansion also preserves the computational advantages of an earlier architecture based on mean-squared error training. Training using standard support vector machine methodology gives accuracy that significantly exceeds the performance of state-of-the-art mean-squared error training for a speaker recognition task.
Effects of Reverberant Spatial Cues on Attention-dependent Object Formation

A recent study showed that when a sound mixture has ambiguous spectrotemporal structure, spatial cues alone are sufficient to change the balance of grouping cues and affect the perceptual organization of the auditory scene. The current study synthesizes similar stimuli in a reverberant setting to see whether the interaural decorrelation caused by reverberant energy reduces the influence of spatial cues on perceptual organization. Results suggest that reverberant spatial cues are less influential on perceptual segregation than anechoic spatial cues. In addition, results replicate an interesting finding from the earlier study, where an ambiguous tone that could logically belong to either a repeating tone sequence or a simultaneous harmonic complex can sometimes “disappear” and never be heard as part of the perceptual foreground, no matter which object a listener attends. As in the previous study, the perceived energy of the ambiguous element does not “trade” between the objects in a complex scene (i.e., the element does not necessarily contribute more to one object when it contributes less to a competing object). Results are consistent with the idea that the perceptual organization of an acoustic mixture depends on what object a listener attends.
Reasons Why Physicians Do Not Have Discussions About Poor Prognosis, Why It Matters, and What Can Be Improved

At a time of controversy about a sick and aging population and fiscal constraint, honest communication about choices and outcomes represents an important solution. Yet evidence consistently shows that doctors are hesitant to divulge prognostic information. We have found several underlying misconceptions held by health care professionals. Much of this work has been done in the cancer population but applies across serious illnesses.
[FeFe] Hydrogenase Genetic Diversity Provides Insight into Molecular Adaptation in a Saline Microbial Mat Community

Degenerate primers for the [FeFe] hydrogenase (hydA) were developed and used in PCRs to examine hydA in microbial mats that inhabit saltern evaporative ponds in Guerrero Negro (GN), Mexico. A diversity of deduced HydA was discovered that revealed unique variants, which may reflect adaptation to the environmental conditions present in GN.
Dyadic perceptions of goals, conflict strategies, and perceived resolvability in serial arguments

Romantic partners’ dyadic perceptions of their goals and conflict strategies in ongoing, unresolved conflict are examined in relation to one another and to these serial arguments’ perceived resolvability. Specifically, elements of Bevan, Finan, and Kaminsky’s ((2008) Modeling serial arguments in close relationships: The serial argument process model, Human Communication Research, 34, 600–624) serial argument process model were considered here as dyadic perceptions. Eighty-four romantic partners completed surveys that measured their self-reports of perceived resolvability and self- and perceived partner reports of serial argument goal importance and conflict strategy usage. Whereas there were relatively more self-perception/actor effects for goal importance and conflict strategy usage, there were more partner perception/partner conflict strategy usage effects on perceived resolvability. The implications of these findings for the dyadic consideration of serial arguments and Bevan et al.’s model are presented.
Prognostic significance of early lymphocyte recovery in pediatric osteosarcoma.

Background Evidence suggests early lymphocyte recovery after chemotherapy predicts superior outcome for patients with cancer, a phenomenon not previously investigated in osteosarcoma. This study determined the prognostic significance of early lymphocyte recovery for pediatric patients with osteosarcoma. Procedures We reviewed data of 19 consecutive patients treated for osteosarcoma at our institution from 1997 to 2007. After initial chemotherapy, patients were separated into two groups: early versus late lymphocyte recovery, using a threshold absolute lymphocyte count of ≥800 cells/µl on day 14 (ALC-14). Results The 5-year overall survival (OS) for our cohort was 73.7% [±10.1 standard error (SE)]. Thirteen patients (68%) had an ALC-14 ≥ 800 cells/µl, with 12/13 alive and 5-year OS of 92.3% (±7.4 SE). In contrast, six patients (32%) had an ALC-14 800 cells/µl and recently completed relapse therapy. Conclusions These data demonstrate that early lymphocyte recovery represents a significant prognostic indicator for osteosarcoma. Early identification and risk stratification therapy based on the ALC-14 threshold may improve outcomes and our knowledge of this disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:1096–1102. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Prediction of response to fluoxetine and placebo in children and adolescents with major depression: a hypothesis generating study

Background: The results of multivariate analyses to identify potential predictors of response to fluoxetine or placebo separately in 96 child and adolescent outpatients with major depressive disorder from a recent controlled trial are presented. Methods: A variety of clinical, demographic and laboratory factors were examined as possible predictors of response to fluoxetine or placebo using logistic regression models. Results: No single variable or combination of variables strongly predicted response to fluoxetine. For the placebo group, a younger age, a shorter duration of depressive episode, and a lower socioeconomic status predicted response with an overall predictive power of 81%. Conclusions: This study is limited by the small sample size and should be considered hypothesis generating rather than confirming.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RISK ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR USE IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

A simulation model that assesses the risk of acquiring salmonellosis from consumption and handling of chicken was created in an Excel™spreadsheet and was simulated using Risk™. The model simulated the distribution, preparation, and consumption of 1,000 chickens and was designed to determine the relationship between the level of Salmonella contamination on chickens at the processing plant exit and the risk of salmonellosis for consumers of the chickens. A scatter plot of the probability of acquiring salmonellosis from consumption of the chickens simulated versus the Salmonella load on the chickens at the processing plant exit clearly showed that highly (i.e., > 100 Salmonella/bird) contaminated chickens at the plant exit did not necessarily pose greater risk of salmonellosis than lightly (i.e., < 10 Salmonella/bird) contaminated chickens at the plant exit. Rather, greater risk of salmonellosis was realized from lightly contaminated chickens when they were temperature-abused, undercooked, and consumed by someone from the high risk population.
Pneumomediastinum Resulting from Performing Valsalva Maneuvers during Marihuana Smoking

A patient is described who developed mediastinal emphysema from prolonged and repeated Valsalva maneuvers while smoking marihuana. The patient's recovery was uneventful.
Spectrum estimation by iterative minimization of the I-divergence measure

A method for spectrum estimation (either narrowband or broadband) based on minimization of Csiszar's (1975) I-divergence measure is introduced. The blurring effect of the observation window (or antenna array) is minimized by applying a nonlinear deconvolution procedure. This algorithm has subsequently been shown to minimize the I-divergence between the spectrum and its estimate subject to a non-negativity constraint. Here the method is applied to the spectrum estimation problem for stationary processes. A reblurring procedure is used to regularize the method. Simulations show that the method offers error performance comparable to that of MUSIC, although the resolution performance is inferior. The method is iterative, allowing a tradeoff between resolution and error performance, and can be implemented using fast FFT hardware. >
Transformative Communication as a Cultural Tool for Guiding Inquiry Science.

Inquiry-based science instruction offers great promise as a means of actively engaging students in authentic scientific problem solving, including consideration of re- search design issues. At the same time, inquiry introduces some difficulties. In particular, familiar "cultural tools" for classroom discourse, such as Initiation-Reply-Evaluation se- quences, are no longer appropriate because they are premised on known answers and teacher-driven activity. To help support productive open-ended science inquiry, coaching strategies that allow for strong student voice ut~d teacher influence are necessary. We describe the sociocultural theory motivating one such strategy, transformative communi- cation, as well as a specific dialogue sequence that can be used as a cultural tool for accomplishing such interaction. We then illustrate the utility of the dialogue sequence in four key episodes within an inquiry-based high school Earth Science class. 0 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 85:223-238, 2001.
Association Between Obesity During Pregnancy and the Adequacy of Prenatal Care

In the United States, more than a third of women are obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30]. Although obese populations utilize health care at increased rates and have higher health care costs than non-obese patients, the adequacy of prenatal care in this population is not well established and assumed to be suboptimal. We therefore evaluated adequacy of prenatal care among obese women. We utilized an electronic database including 7094 deliveries with pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 18.5 from January 2009 through December 2011. Subjects were categorized as normal weight 18.5–24.9 kg/m2, overweight 25–29.9 kg/m2, and obese ≥30 kg/m2 (class I–II–III). Adequacy of prenatal care (PNC) was evaluated using the Kotelchuck Index (KI), corrected for gestational age at delivery. Adequate care was defined as KI “adequate” or “adequate plus,” and non-adequate as “intermediate” or “inadequate.” Chi square and logistic regression were used for comparisons. When compared to non-obese women, obese women were more likely to have adequate PNC (74.1 vs. 68.7 %; OR 1.30, 95 % CI 1.15–1.47). After adjusting for age, race, education, diabetes, hypertension, and practice type, obesity remained a significant predictor of adequate prenatal care (OR 1.29, 95 % CI 1.14–1.46). While age and hypertension were not significant independent predictors of adequate PNC, college education, Caucasian, diabetes, and resident or MFM care had positive associations. Maternal obesity is associated with increased adequacy of prenatal care. Although some comorbidities associated with obesity increase utilization of prenatal services, this did not explain the improvement in PNC adequacy associated with obesity. Overweight and obese women are at a higher risk of pregnancy complications with obesity contributing to increased morbidity and mortality of the mother. Several studies have evaluated barriers to routine health care services, with obese parturients perceiving their weight to be a barrier to obtaining appropriate care. There is limited data available assessing the adequacy of prenatal care in this population. Our study demonstrated that obesity was actually associated with an increased adequacy of prenatal care. The presence of comorbidities did not explain this improvement in prenatal care.
Comparative Morphology of Tube Feet Among the Asteroidea: Phylogenetic Implications1

Tube-foot morphology has been included among a variety of taxonomic criteria for the Asteroidea over the past twenty-five years. Other than a few families belonging to the order Paxillosida, which are thought to have pointed, non-suckered tube feet that are used for digging and burial in soft sediments, the presumption has been that asteroids have flat-tipped, suckered tube feet. This has become an accepted model despite the fact that the comparative morphology of asteroid tube feet has not been considered. In the present study we examine tube-foot morphology of 45 species of Asteroidea representing 19 families. Our analysis confirms that members of the Luidiidae and Astropectinidae (order Paxillosida) lack suckers on the tips of their pointed tube feet. We demonstrate that there is considerable variation in tube-foot morphology among members of the Asteroidea including an entirely new type of flat-tipped, non-suckered tube foot in species belonging to the order Valvatida. The external morphology of tube feet in species belonging to the order Velatida could not be distinguished from “typical” flat-tipped, suckered tube feet; nonetheless, histological sections revealed a distinctive internal morphology. Finally, we report the first observations of the tube-foot morphology of representatives of deep-sea asteroids belonging to the orders Notomyotida and Brisingida, a group that also lacks the typical flat-tipped, suckered tube-foot morphology. The results of our study demonstrate that the current tube-foot morphology model needs to be reconsidered, as there is considerably greater variation than was previously believed to be the case. Moreover, we conclude that while tube-foot morphologies show consistent similarities within orders, tube-foot morphology is less appropriate as a taxonomic character below this level.
Computational Techniques for Analysis of Shape and Kinematics of Biological Structures

This chapter presents state-of-the-art methods for statistical shape analysis of biological structures obtained from sets of medical images. In particular, emphasis is placed on the techniques necessary to parameterize and then decompose a given set of 3D surfaces extracted from medical images. Shape representation methods such as medial representation (i.e., skeletonization) and harmonic topological mapping are presented as tools for parameterizing a given set of surfaces so that they can be quantitatively compared. Then, methods for statistical decomposition including the proper orthogonal decomposition (also called principal component analysis) and independent component analysis are shown for the decomposition of the set of parameterized shapes into the set of fundamental shape features that can be applied to cluster the shapes and build classifiers with the potential for relating shape characteristics to pathology. An example analysis is presented which applies these techniques to parameterize and decompose the shape change of two human right ventricles from cardiac CT scans throughout the cardiac cycle. Advantages, disadvantages, and the relevance of the described methods in clinical medical image applications will be addressed throughout the chapter.
Observations on the Mapping of Critical Environmental Zones in the Former Soviet Union

A senior American specialist on the environment in the post-Soviet successor states examines the evolution of the concept of critical environmental zones in the region and of programs designed to identify and map them. Coverage focuses on persistent shortcomings of such maps—despite their potential to convey important environmental information in a form sufficiently standardized to permit spatial and temporal comparisons—and their relationship to analogous sections of the recent Russian Federation environmental law. 4 figures and 24 references.
Cavity Noise Suppression Through Shear Layer Liftofi

Cavity noise is a well known problem in the ∞uid dynamics Oeld. While many methods of suppressing ∞ow induced cavity resonance exist, the community still lacks a full understanding of the physical process taking place during the cavity noise suppression. This paper explores one resonance control mechanism, namely the eAEect of lifting the shear layer above the cavity, and the physical eAEects associated with this technique. The noise suppression values and shear layer development are systematically quantiOed as a rod is located on the surface of the model at various locations upstream of the cavity leading edge. Through the experimental results and ∞ow visualization trials, this paper shows that the presence of an upstream rod de∞ects the incoming shear layer upwards above the cavity, decreases the noise levels (up to 26.5 dB for the main tone harmonic sound pressure level), and reduces the intensity of ∞ow impingement on the trailing edge wall inside the cavity. In addition, a diminished recirculation on the side walls of the cavity is observed suggesting signiOcant disruption of the acoustic resonance feedback loop.
Selection of a UV-tolerant Strain of the Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Nucleopolyhedrosis Virus

Gypsy moth nucleopolyhedrosis (NPV) was exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation for periods of 0 to 240 min. During the first five UV exposures (and passages) little change in UV tolerance occurred, as measured by biological activity of UV-exposed and nonexposed virus or by viral inactivation time. During the first five UV selection steps (UV no. 1–5), 22% of original viral activity remained after a 60-min exposure period. At the sixth exposure, however, 56% of original viral activity remained, i.e., a 2.5-fold increase in viral persistence. During the succeeding UV exposures, viral persistence remained stable. Although an increase in UV tolerance occurred during the sixth UV exposure (60 min), little change in activity of the selected virus occurred. Although no change in UV tolerance occurred during the 240-min UV exposures, activity increased during the sixth UV treatment, but was still 2.4-fold less than that of the nonirradiated, control NPV.
Mathematical Communication in State Standards Before the Common Core

Mathematical communication has been an important feature of standards documents since National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) (1989) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards. Such an emphasi...
Research on H Bridge Cascaded SVG with Carry Phase Shifting Technology

Cascade multilevel, high voltage and large capacity inverters have been widely used in electric power systems. Carrier phase shifted sinusoidal pulse width modulation(CPS-SPWM) technique is very suitable for the high power inverter. In the paper, bipolar CPS-SPWM and single pole double frequency CPS-SPWM modulation method are presented respectively, and a simulation model based on PSCAD/EMTDC software is built. Comparative analysis for these two methods is made by adopting frequency spectrum analysis method. Simulation results have proved that the lowest harmonics of the output voltage are centralized near the N times of the carrier frequency, and the equivalent switch frequency is improved by N(N is the number of the cascade SVG for each phase) times by adopting bipolar CPS-SPWM. The lowest harmonics of the output voltage are centralized near the 2N times of the carrier frequency, and the equivalent switch frequency is improved by 2N times by adopting single pole double frequency CPS-SPWM. Therefore, the single pole double frequency CPS-SPWM modulation method is better to eliminate the harmonics, and its output voltage fits sine wave better.
Crystal structure of O-ethyl N-(eth-oxy-carbon-yl)thio-carbamate.

The title compound, C6H11NO3S, provides entries to novel carbamoyl disulfanes and related compounds of inter­est to our laboratory. The atoms of the central O(C=S)N(C=O)O fragment have an r.m.s. deviation of 0.1077 A from the respective least-squares plane. While several conformational orientations are conceivable, the crystal structure shows only the one in which the carbonyl and the thio­carbonyl moieties are anti to each other across the central conjugated C—N—C moiety. Pairs of 2.54 A N—H⋯S=C hydrogen bonds between adjacent mol­ecules form centrosymmetric dimers in the crystal.
Thermodynamics limits the reactivity of BrHg radical with volatile organic compounds

Abstract Mercury emissions to the atmosphere primarily consist of Hg(0), which tends not to enter ecosystems until it is oxidized. Atomic bromine initiates oxidation of Hg(0) via the BrHg intermediate, but the further reactions of BrHg are just beginning to be explored. Here we use quantum chemistry to determine that hydrogen abstraction from hydrocarbons by BrHg is so endothermic as to be irrelevant. Bonds between BrHg and carbon atoms are so weak that BrHg addition to carbon-carbon double bonds atoms will be somewhat ineffective in leading to further reactions.
Modulation of Immune Responses by Exosomes Derived from Antigen-Presenting Cells

Exosome-mediated signaling is important in mediating the inflammatory response. To exert their biological or pathophysiological functions in the recipient cells, exosomes deliver a diverse array of biomacromolecules including long and short coding and non-coding RNAs, proteins, and lipids. Exosomes secreted by antigen-presenting cells can confer therapeutic benefits by attenuating or stimulating the immune response. Exosomes play a crucial role in carrying and presenting functional major histocompatibility peptide complexes to modulate antigen-specific T cell responses. Exosomes from Dendritic Cells (DCs) can activate T and B cells and have been explored for their immunostimulatory properties in cancer therapy. The immunosuppressive properties of exosomes derived from macrophages and DCs can reduce inflammation in animal models for several inflammatory disorders. This review focuses on the protective role of exosomes in attenuating inflammation or augmenting immune response, emphasizing studies on exosomes derived from DCs and macrophages.
How to Build Cloud Computing Infrastructure

In this paper we explain the concept of Cloud Computing and how to build your own Cloud Computing Infrastructure. This paper covers the different types of Cloud deployment models, service models, Cloud testing strategy, entry & exit criteria for vendor and product selection, Cloud adoption trends, customer success stories, summary and conclusion. General Terms Management, Performance, Design & Security.
Anthropogenic Land Changes and Sedimentation Response in the Tidal Straits of New York City

ABSTRACT Coch, N.K.; Lenna, M., and Deely, A., 2017. Anthropogenic land changes and sedimentation response in the tidal straits of New York City. The sand and gravel mixtures found in the northern part of New York Harbor (i.e. Upper Bay) have long been attributed to the transport of coarse-grained sediments into the harbor from the Atlantic. A recent sedimentological study of New York Harbor suggested that the origin of this facies may have been from the East and Harlem rivers. Today, there are no tributaries supplying sediment to the East River–Harlem River system. A review of oceanographic and historical data and a detailed bottom sediment mapping program has established the historical drainage changes in New York City and the effect on sediments supplied to the East River–Harlem River system. Before the 18th Century, the East River and the Harlem River were major suppliers of coarse sediments to New York Harbor. However, development and filling in of almost all of New York's tributaries have cut off th...
Presentation of the Mineralogical Society of America Award for 2016 to Anat Shahar

I am privileged and honored to introduce the 2016 MSA award recipient, Dr. Anat Shahar. This award recognizes outstanding published contributions to the science of mineralogy by relatively young individual or individuals near the beginning of their professional careers. In Anat’s case, she is being recognized at an early age for helping to establish a new field. The field I shall refer to as planetary stable isotope geochemistry. At its essence, stable isotope geochemistry of high-temperature materials is about crystal chemistry of the materials of interest, and so it is appropriate that the advances in this area should be recognized by the MSA. Anat’s first foray into this new field came in the beginning of her graduate career in which she found herself recruited to join our effort to characterize the iron isotope effects of an applied voltage. This first work on iron isotopes and unconventional driving forces for isotope fractionation kindled something in Anat’s thinking. Anat has since focused her research on the use of high-pressure/high-temperature experiments to explore the fractionation of stable isotopes between phases relevant to the differentiation of rocky planets and high-temperature …
Remote Sensing Tropical Coral Reefs: The View from Above

Carbonate precipitation has been a common life strategy for marine organisms for 3.7 billion years, as, therefore, has their construction of reefs. As favored by modern corals, reef-forming organisms have typically adopted a niche in warm, shallow, well-lit, tropical marine waters, where they are capable of building vast carbonate edifices. Because fossil reefs form water aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs, considerable effort has been dedicated to understanding their anatomy and morphology. Remote sensing has a particular role to play here. Interpretation of satellite images has done much to reveal the grand spatial and temporal tapestry of tropical reefs. Comparative sedimentology, whereby modern environments are contrasted with the rock record to improve interpretation, has been particularly transformed by observations made from orbit. Satellite mapping has also become a keystone technology to quantify the coral reef crisis—it can be deployed not only directly to quantify the distribution of coral com...
MYD88 mutation status does not impact overall survival in Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is an immunoglobulin M-associated lymphoma, with majority of cases demonstrating MYD88 locus alteration, most commonly, MYD88L265P . Owing to low prevalence of the wild-type (WT) MYD88 genotype in WM, clinically relevant data in this patient population are sparse, with one study showing nearly a 10-fold increased risk of mortality in this subgroup compared to patients with MYD88L265P mutation. We studied a large cohort of patients with MYD88L265P and MYD88WT WM, evaluated at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between 1995 and 2016, to specifically assess the impact of these genotypes on clinical course. Of 557 patients, MYD88L265P mutation status, as determined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, was known in 219, and 174 (79%) of those exhibited MYD88L265P , 157 of 174 patients had active disease. Of 45 (21%) patients with MYD88WT genotype, 44 had active disease. The estimated median follow-up was 7.0 years; median overall survival was 10.2 years (95% CI: 8.4-16.5) for MYD88L265P versus 13.9 years (95% CI: 6.4-29.3) for the MYD88WT (P = 0.86). The time-to-next therapy from frontline treatment and the presenting features were similar in the two patient populations. For patients with smoldering WM at diagnosis, the median time-to-progression to active disease was 2.8 years (95% CI: 2.2-3.8) in the MYD88L265P cohort and 1.9 years (95% CI: 0.7-3.1) in the MYD88WT cohort (P = 0.21). The frequency of transformation to high-grade lymphoma, or the development of therapy-elated myelodysplastic syndrome was higher in the MYD88WT cohort (16% versus 4% in the MYD88L265P , P = 0.009). In conclusion, MYD88L265P mutation does not appear to be a determinant of outcome, and its presence may not be a disease-defining feature in WM. Our findings warrant external validation, preferably through prospective studies.
Teaching Psychology and Climate Change: One Way to Meet the Call for Action

The American Psychological Association (APA) has called for psychologists to become more involved in addressing climate change. One way to address this pressing issue is through curriculum. To this...
Stick–Slip and Temperature Effect in the Scratching of Materials

The stick–slip process and temperature effect in scratch testing of materials have been studied. For a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer scratched by a conical diamond indenter, both the amplitude and period of the stick–slip at room temperature increase with the normal load and decrease with the driving speed. An increase in temperature leads to an increase in stick–slip amplitude and period, as well as in the average horizontal force. For bismuth metal scratched by a conical tungsten indenter, the surface temperature in the contact area reveals fluctuations related to the stick–slip motion.
Stress Measurement in Railroad Rail using Ultrasonic and Magnetic Techniques

The nondestructive measurement of stress is a continuing concern to the railroad industry. Severe web cracking tendencies in some rails have been linked to high residual stresses created during rail production. Rails are plastically deformed during the final stage of production, known as roller-straightening. While most rails have the same characteristic stress distribution afforded by this process, safety concerns warrant the detection of pronounced stress levels that would lead to exaggerated cracking behavior.
Review of Major Drug-Drug Interactions in Thoracic Transplantation

The first human lung transplant surgery in the world was done in 1963, followed by the first heart transplant in 1967, making this year its 50th anniversary. Since then, there has been great advancement in immunotherapy, with the adoption of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI), mycophenolate mofetil, and proliferation signal inhibitors (PSI). However, while these medications are crucial to maintenance of allograft function and prevention of allograft rejection, they have many toxicities and side effects, which make therapeutic dose monitoring and recognition of drug-drug interactions of critical importance. Most of drug-drug interactions in transplant medicine can be explained through the mechanism of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein. A large component of the medical management of post-transplant care is in the appropriate utilization of immunosuppression drugs while minimizing side effects and drug-drug interactions.
Diffuse Discharge Opening Switches

In a “Diffuse Discharge Opening Switch, ” the switch medium is an externally sustained discharge. Most of the research on externally sustained, high pressure (> 1 atm), diffuse discharges has been performed with respect to its application for pumping molecular lasers. The most common sustainment method, the electron-beam (e-beam) controlled discharge technique, was devised and implemented by Daugherty, et. al.,1 to overcome thermal instabilities in large volume, high energy, CO2 laser discharges. The potential use of diffuse discharges as fast closing and opening switches was proposed and discussed five years later by Hunter2 and Koval’chuk and Mesyats.3,4
Impact of hospitalist vs. non-hospitalist services on length of stay and 30-day readmission rate in hip fracture patients

Objectives Hip fracture is a common and morbid condition, affecting a patient population with significant medical co-morbidities. A number of medical co-management models have been studied, with conflicting reports of effect on patient outcomes. Our objective was to compare outcomes for patients with hip fracture managed by hospitalist vs. non-hospitalist services at an academic medical center. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with hip fracture over 1 year, comparing those on hospitalist vs. non-hospitalist services. Outcomes included 30-day readmission and hospitalization ≤7 days, with comparison between patients admitted to hospitalist vs. non-hospitalist services. We performed multivariate analysis, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, insurance type, ASA score, and blood transfusion during hospitalization and days from admission to surgery. Results We identified 124 hospitalist and 53 non-hospitalist patients. In unadjusted analysis, hospitalist patients were more likely to have hospitalization ≤7 days (84.7% vs. 67.9%, p = 0.01). In adjusted analysis, hospitalist patients had lower odds of 30-day readmissions (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.04-0.97) but no difference in odds of hospitalization ≤7 days (OR 2.1, 95% CI 0.82-5.66). Conclusions Patients with hip fracture managed by hospitalist vs. non-hospitalist services had lower odds of 30-day readmission after discharge. Our results suggest benefit to hospitalist co-management of hip fracture patients.
Electromagnetic Imaging of Dielectric Objects Using a Multidirectional-Search-Based Simulated Annealing

In this paper, we introduce a global optimization method that is a novel combination of the simulated annealing method and the multidirectional search algorithm. We demonstrate the use of the algorithm for a microwave imaging system to obtain the electrical properties of objects. The proposed global optimizer significantly improves the performance and speed of the simulated annealing method by utilizing a nonlinear simplex search, starting from an initial guess, and taking effective steps in obtaining the global solution of the minimization problem. Due to the efficient performance of the proposed global optimization method, we are able to obtain the shape, location, and material properties of the target without considering any a priori information about them. The accuracy and applicability of the proposed imaging method are demonstrated with some numerical results in which two-dimensional images of multiple objects are successfully reconstructed.
Lenalidomide for second-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular cancer (HCC): A Brown University Oncology Group phase II study.

4098 Background: Lenalidomide inhibits fibroblast growth factor (FGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and multiple tumor growth pathways. There is no standard of care for patients who pr...
Moral Psychology for Professional Journalists

Journalists have long been expected to rely on external moral guidance such as institutional norms and principles typified in codes of ethics. These prevailing external methods—called “external” because they are imposed on agents rather than psychologically internalized within the agent—have left many journalists confused in terms of specific application of norms, rules and principles in practice, which in turn has left the public wanting higher ethical standards and more consistent (good) behavior. This chapter will detail a classically under-regarded internal view of professionalism that utilizes an internalized moral psychology for journalists based on virtue ethics.
Sarah’s Story

In this chapter, I describe Sarah’s story, beginning with her childhood in an AUB polygamous family living in Northern Utah. Prioritizing Sarah’s voice, I describe her life inside and outside of polygamy, highlighting the academic and non-academic experiences that inform understanding of her readiness for higher education. Sarah’s descriptions of her formal education experiences and non-academic experiences contributed to her readiness for higher education settings; yet, because she did not perceive a need for higher education, the impact of those factors on her readiness for higher education was limited.
Towards an intelligent tactical edge: an internet of battlefield things roadmap (Conference Presentation)

The paper presents a research agenda on supporting machine intelligence at the tactical network edge, and overviews early results in that space developed under the Internet of Battlefield Things Collaborative Research Alliance (IoBT CRA); a collaboration between the US Army Research Labs and a consortium of academia and industry led by the University of Illinois. It is becoming evident today that the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning components in future military operations will be inevitable. Yet, at present, the dependability limitations and failure modes of these components in a complex multi-domain battle environment are poorly understood. Most civilian research investigates solutions that exceed the SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) limitations of tactical edge devices, and/or require communication with a central back-end. Resilience to adversarial inputs is not well developed. The need for significant labeling to train the machine slows down agility and adaptation. Cooperation between resource-limited devices to attain reliable intelligent functions is not a central theme. These gaps are filled by recent research emerging from the IoBT CRA. The paper reviews the field and presents the most interesting early accomplishments of the Alliance aiming to bridge the aforementioned capability gaps for future military operations.
Infertility among African American women with systemic lupus erythematosus compared to healthy women: A pilot study

Objective Some treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can cause infertility, but the effect of SLE itself on fertility, particularly in African American women, is less clear. We undertook this study to examine infertility experiences in African American women with SLE compared to healthy women. Methods We enrolled women ages 22-40 years living in the Atlanta metropolitan area who were diagnosed with SLE after age 17 years. Women who had ever been treated with cyclophosphamide or who had a hysterectomy were excluded. African American women ages 22-40 years who were from the same area and recruited from a marketing list were used for comparison. Women were interviewed about their reproductive histories and goals. Periods of infertility were identified as times when women had regular, unprotected sex for ≥12 months without conceiving after 20 years of age. We separately considered any period of infertility and periods of infertility when attempting pregnancy. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the association between SLE and time to infertility. Models were adjusted for age, nulliparity, and smoking. An age-matched analysis was also conducted to examine periods of infertility occurring after SLE diagnosis. Results Our sample included 75 women with SLE and 154 women without SLE. SLE was associated with any infertility (adjusted hazard ratio [HRadj ] 2.08 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.38-3.15]), but less so with infertility when attempting pregnancy (HRadj 1.30 [95% CI 0.62-2.71]). The matched analysis generated similar point estimates. Conclusion Women with SLE may be more likely to experience episodes of infertility, but this may not translate to an inability to meet reproductive goals.
Validation and method comparison of the use of densitometry to quantify monoclonal proteins in canine sera.

Background Densitometric quantitation using serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) is used to monitor monoclonal proteins (M-proteins) in human patients but has not been validated in the dog. Serum globulin concentrations, species-specific radial immunodiffusion (RID), and ELISAs are currently used in veterinary medicine. Objective We aimed to compare four methods that quantify M-proteins using densitometry and biuret protein (dM-protein) measurements. We also validated the best performing method and compared it with the RID and ELISA methods for measuring canine serum M-protein. Method Serum from six normal dogs and 83 serum samples from 46 dogs with confirmed monoclonal gammopathies were used. A spike and recovery experiment with purified monoclonal IgG and IgM, inter-run and intra-run variability, linearity under dilution, and lower limit of detection were performed. Results of commercial canine RID and ELISA kits for total class-specific immunoglobulin were compared with dM-proteins. Results The corrected perpendicular drop gating method had .99), intra-run CV (1.1%-2.3%), and inter-run CVs (2.0%-3.5%) were acceptable. Correlation between the RID and densitometry results ranged from r = .25 to r = .88, depending on the class. The RID result was greater than that of the biuret total protein in 26/63 (41%) IgA cases. A panel of IgG, IgA, and IgM RIDs failed to correctly identify an IgM paraproteinemia in 6/6 (100%) cases. Densitometry was not comparable with any other tested method. Conclusion Densitometric quantitation is a valid technique for measuring M-proteins in the β- and γ-globulin regions. Immunotyping via RID using the tested kit does not appear to detect IgM. Densitometry is recommended for measuring M-proteins in canine patients.
Characterization and Localization of Dynamic Cell Wall Structure and Inorganic Species Variability in Harvested and Stored Corn Stover Fractions as Functions of Biological Degradation

Traditional approaches for corn stover utilization create an inhomogeneous, whole plant mixture that does not achieve performance and cost targets for biofuel production. The improvement of convers...
Interaction of alpha-N-Acetyl-beta-endorphin and calmodulin.

Acetylation at the α-amino terminal is a common post-translational modification of many peptides and proteins. In the case of the potent opiate peptide β-endorphin, α-N-acetylation is a known physiological modification that abolishes opiate activity. Since there are no known receptors for α-N-acetyl-β-endorphin, we have studied the association of this peptide with calmodulin, a calcium-dependent protein that binds a variety of peptides, phenothiazines, and enzymes, as a model system for studying acetylated endorphin-protein interactions. Association of the acetylated peptide with calmodulin was demonstrated by cross-linking with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate; like β-endorphin, adducts containing 1 mol and 2 mol of acetylated peptide per mole calmodulin were formed. Some of the bound peptides are evidently in relatively close proximity to each other since, in the presence of amidated (i.e., lysine-blocked) calmodulin, cross-linking yielded peptide dimers. The acetylated peptide exhibited no appreciable helicity in aqueous solution, but in trifluoroethanol (TFE) considerable helicity was formed. Also, a mixture of acetylated peptide and calmodulin was characterized by a circular dichroic spectrum indicative of induced helicity. Empirical prediction rules, applied earlier to β-endorphin, suggest that residues 14–24 exhibit α-helix potential. This segment has the potential of forming an amphipathic helix; this structural unit is believed to be important in calmodulin binding. The acetylated peptide was capable of inhibiting the calmodulin-mediated stimulation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17) activity with an effective dose for 50% inhibition of about 3 µM; this inhibitory effect was demonstrated using both an enzyme-enriched preparation as well as highly purified enzyme. Thus, acetylation at the α-amino terminal of β-endorphin, although abolishing opiate activity, does not interfere with the binding to calmodulin. Indeed, β-endorphin and the α-N-acetylated peptide behave very similarly with respect to calmodulin association.
Dependence of nanoscale heat transfer across a closing gap on the substrate material and ambient humidity

We investigate the heat transfer across a closing nanoscale gap between an operational microelectronic device and a static substrate in ambient conditions. The device contains an embedded microheater and a nanoscale metal wire that works as a thermometer. The heater causes a microscale protrusion by thermal expansion such that its surface approaches the substrate until contact occurs. Meanwhile, the metal wire located near the center of the protrusion surface measures the temperature of the protrusion, which is dependent on the size of the gap, the substrate material, and the ambient conditions. We study the nanoscale heat transfer using three different substrates and find that their thermal conductivity plays an essential role. Finally, the experiments are conducted under different relative humidity (RH) conditions. The results show that the ambient humidity can also affect the nanoscale heat transfer when RH > 75%.
Ciencia, matemáticas y poesía

This text explores the different modalities of the relationship between poetry and natural and mathematical sciences. It also proposes a structuralist scheme for identifying ways in which the poetry of science can cultivate harmony and/or tension with scientific knowledge.