cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A study on the vibrational structure of poly(phenylenevinylene)s via low-temperature UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy

UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy of poly(phenylenevinylene) derivatives were acquired at low temperature (−108 °C). Noticeable spectroscopic red-shifts (as large as 17 nm) were detected from both polymers and model compounds in solutions when the temperature was decreased from 25 °C to −108 °C, indicating that the molecules adopted a more planar conformation at the low temperature. The low temperature spectra revealed the hidden structured absorption and emission. The vibrational structures in the fluorescence spectra were analyzed by using the obtained spectroscopic data at the low temperature. The very similar spectroscopic properties between the polymers (1 and 2) and their model compounds (3 and 4) strongly suggested that the observed spectroscopic red-shift from the polymers at the low temperature was an intrinsic property of the chromophore.
A statistical method for short answer extraction

This paper presents a simple, general method for using the Mutual Information (MI) statistic trained on unannotated trivia questions to estimate question class/semantic tag correlation. This MI method and a variety of question classifiers and semantic taggers are used to build short-answer extractors that show improvement over a hand-built match module using a similar question classifier and semantic tagger.
Direct, trace level detection of explosives on ambient surfaces by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry is used to detect trace amounts of explosives present on a variety of ambient surfaces in 5-second analysis times without any sample preparation.
Thermoelectric Potential of Bi and Bi1−x Sbx Nanowire Arrays

The potential of Bi and Bi1−x Sbx nanowire arrays for thermoelectric applications is discussed. The advantages of bismuth as a low dimensional thermoelectric material are enumerated and the role of modeling is emphasized. The advantages of using the Sb concentration as well as the wire diameter as materials parameters for optimizing the thermoelectric performance of these nanowires are discussed, with particular emphasis given to the development of a high performance p-type nanowire thermoelectric material.
THE STOCK PRICE REACTION TO SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT ADVERTISEMENTS AND COMPANY VALUE

The research examines the stock price reaction to the announcement of the adoption of supply chain management-enhancing tools and technologies to determine whether there is a significant response from the capital markets. The results show that the adoption of supply chain management-enhancement tools appears to be value creating. The strength of the stock price reaction is positively related to the degree of certainty regarding the publication date of the publication.
Interpersonal Rejection Sensitivity in Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors Mediator of Depressive Symptoms and Anger Suppression

This study investigated whether interpersonal rejection sensitivity serves a mediating role between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and three long-term psychological correlates of CSA in adult female survivors: depressive symptoms, anger suppression, and attenuated emotional expression. Interpersonal rejection sensitivity has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of depression and is elevated in CSA survivors. Similarly, attenuated emotional expression, particularly anger, has been related to adjustment difficulties in CSA survivors. Participants in this study were 355 female undergraduates, 34 of whom reported a history of CSA. Results demonstrated that interpersonal rejection sensitivity mediates the relationship between CSA and later depressive symptoms. Interpersonal rejection sensitivity partially mediated the relationship between CSA and anger suppression; however, it did not mediate the relationship between CSA and attenuated emotional expression. These results are examined within the context of the current literature on adult CSA survivors and their implications are discussed.
Pharmacy Response to the Boston Marathon Bombings at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center

Objective: Effective crisis response requires multidisciplinary communication and rapid action. Our goals are to highlight the experience of a pharmacy department’s response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, to discuss the role of the pharmacist in a crisis response, and to identify potential learning opportunities for a future mass casualty event. Case Summary: Our initial response targeted 3 general areas: staffing, supplies, and communication. Pharmacist and technician staffing was increased throughout the hospital, with a 6-fold increase of pharmacists to the emergency department (ED). To ensure adequate supplies were available, inventory on the ED automatic dispensing cabinets (ADC) was assessed for vaccines, antibiotics, and vasoactive medications. ED pharmacists prepared emergent intravenous medications in the ED while the sterile products room bolstered our supply of intravenous medications for patients in the ED and operating room. Overall, there was a 33% increase in the number of ADC transac...
Concast: design and implementation of an active network service

Concast is a network layer service that provides many-to-one channels: multiple sources send messages toward one destination, and the network delivers a single "merged" copy to that destination. As we have defined it, the service is generic but the relationship between the sent and received messages can be customized for particular applications. We describe the concast service and show how it can be implemented in a back ward-compatible manner in the Internet. We describe its use to solve a problem that has eluded scalable end-system-only solutions: collecting feedback in multicast applications. Our preliminary analysis of concasting effectiveness shows that it provides significant benefits, even with partial deployment. We argue that concast has the characteristics needed for a programmable service to be widely accepted and deployed in the Internet.
Carbon isotopic fractionations associated with thermophilic bacteria Thermotoga maritima and Persephonella marina.

pathway may be used for CO2 fixation. This is supported by small fractionation between biomass and CO2 (e = -3.8‰ to -5.0‰), which is similar to fractionations reported for other organisms using similar CO2 fixation pathways. Identification of the exact pathway will require biochemical assay for specific enzymes associated with the reversed TCA cycle or the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway.
Learning Noun Phrase Anaphoricity to Improve Conference Resolution: Issues in Representation and Optimization

Knowledge of the anaphoricity of a noun phrase might be profitably exploited by a coreference system to bypass the resolution of non-anaphoric noun phrases. Perhaps surprisingly, recent attempts to incorporate automatically acquired anaphoricity information into coreference systems, however, have led to the degradation in resolution performance. This paper examines several key issues in computing and using anaphoricity information to improve learning-based coreference systems. In particular, we present a new corpus-based approach to anaphoricity determination. Experiments on three standard coreference data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Approach to the Solid Organ Transplant Patient with Suspected Fungal Infection

In solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Detection of IFIs can be difficult because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of viral or bacterial infections, and diagnostic techniques have limited sensitivity and specificity. Clinicians must rely on knowledge of the patient's risk factors for fungal infection to make a diagnosis. The authors describe their approach to the SOT recipient with suspected fungal infection. The epidemiology of IFIs in the SOT population is reviewed, and a syndromic approach to suspected IFI in SOT recipients is described.
The Nature of Energy Received from the Sun: The Analogies with Water Waves and Sound

The nature of the energy received from the Sun was a mystery. Analogies were sought in better understood phenomena: water waves and sound. Water waves produce an up and down motion of the surface, but do not move the water except in the special circumstances of the very long waves known as the tides and tsunamis. The speeds of different kinds of waves could be readily determined. However, they can be used as analogs to visualize what happens in other kinds of wave. Sound waves are compression waves in the air. The speed of sound in air was also readily determined. Although sound waves cannot be seen, they have properties that can be used in trying to understand light.
Metastatic breast cancer cells in lymph nodes increase nodal collagen density

The most life-threatening aspect of breast cancer is the occurrence of metastatic disease. The tumor draining lymph nodes typically are the first sites of metastasis in breast cancer. Collagen I fibers and the extracellular matrix have been implicated in breast cancer to form avenues for metastasis. In this study, we have investigated extracellular matrix molecules such as collagen I fibers in the lymph nodes of mice bearing orthotopic human breast cancer xenografts. The lymph nodes in mice with metastatic MDA-MB-231 and SUM159 tumor xenografts and tumor xenografts grown from circulating tumor cell lines displayed an increased collagen I density compared to mice with no tumor and mice with non-metastatic T-47D and MCF-7 tumor xenografts. These results suggest that cancer cells that have metastasized to the lymph nodes can modify the extracellular matrix components of these lymph nodes. Clinically, collagen density in the lymph nodes may be a good marker for identifying lymph nodes that have been invaded by breast cancer cells.
Fearing Minefields But Finding Goldfields: Teaching International and Comparative Workplace Law in China or Anywhere Else

This article explores the goals, challenges and outcomes associated with a course entitled "The Global Workplace," which the author taught in May-June 2007 as part of Thomas Jefferson School of Law's inaugural Study Abroad in China Program. Although she had previously taught a similar course, this was her first experience with a cross-cultural, cross-national classroom. The article reviews the goals the author had for the course, aspirations that did not differ in content from what she ordinarily hopes to achieve when teaching the course: (1) introducing students to international workplace law principles and international organizations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO); (2) comparing several national systems so that students achieve insight into how common workplace problems are addressed differently in different countries; and (3) creating creative, open-minded, future transnational lawyers through respectful discussion of policy and the tools available to facilitate transnational legal practice. Next, the article describes three challenges attendant to teaching international and comparative workplace law in a foreign country. These challenges were: (1) language-related, because the Chinese students were not used to speaking and reading English on a regular basis; (2) pedagogical, in that the Chinese method of law instruction is typically lecture-based rather than interactive and Socratic; and (3) political, because some of the issues in the course implicate Chinese and American foreign policy and workplace conditions. Finally, the article reviews the outcomes achieved during the author's three weeks in China. By the end of the course, the author felt she had: (1) piqued the students' interest and increased their knowledge in the course subject matter; (2) facilitated cross-cultural appreciation and the development of friendships between the Chinese and American students; and (3) achieved a depth and balance in her teaching that had perhaps been more difficult to achieve when teaching on American soil. This last outcome continues to yield fruit in the author's classroom in the U.S.
Non-epitaxial, Highly Textured (001) CoPt:B2O3 Composite Films for Perpendicular Recording

We report the non-epitaxial growth of highly textured (001) CoPt:B2O3 nanocomposite thin films that are deposited directly on thermally-oxidized Si wafers. Multilayers of Co/Pt/Co/B2O3 are deposited followed by appropriate thermal processing. The as-deposited films are disordered fcc CoPt phase, and magnetically soft. After annealing, an (001) orientation of CoPt-ordered grains is developed. The texture development is dependent both on the total film thickness and the annealing process. Nearly perfect (001) texture can be obtained in films with thinner initial layer thicknesses. Strong perpendicular anisotropy is shown to be related to this (001) texture.
Social integration and mortality in patients with coronary heart disease: findings from the Heart and Soul Study.

OBJECTIVE To determine why lower social integration predicts higher mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS The association between social integration and mortality was examined prospectively in 1019 outpatients with stable CHD from the Heart and Soul Study. Baseline social integration was assessed with the Berkman Social Network Index. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the extent to which demographic and disease-relevant confounders and potential biological, behavioral, and psychological mediators explained the association between social integration and mortality. RESULTS During a mean (standard deviation) follow-up period of 6.7 (2.3) years, the age-adjusted annual rate of mortality was 6.3% among socially isolated patients and 4.1% among nonisolated patients (age-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26-2.05, p < .001). After adjustment for demographic and disease-relevant confounders, socially isolated patients had a 50% greater risk of death than did nonisolated patients (HR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.07-2.10). Separate adjustment for potential biological (HR = 1.53, CI = 1.05-2.25) and psychological mediators (HR = 1.52, CI = 1.08-2.14) did not significantly attenuate this association, whereas adjustment for potential behavioral mediators did (HR = 1.30, CI = 0.91-1.86). C-reactive protein and hemoglobin A1c were identified as important biological and omega-3 fatty acids, smoking, and medication adherence as important behavioral potential mediators, with smoking making the largest contribution. CONCLUSIONS In this sample of outpatients with baseline stable CHD, the association between social integration and mortality was largely explained by health-related behavioral pathways, particularly smoking.
Stability and Load Sharing Characteristics of a Posterior Dynamic Stabilization Device.

Background Lumbar interbody fusion is a common treatment for a variety of spinal pathologies. It has been hypothesized that insufficient mechanical loading of the interbody graft can prevent proper fusion of the joint. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical stability and anterior column loading sharing characteristics of a posterior dynamic system compared to titanium rods in an anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) model. Methods Range of motion, interpedicular kinematics and interbody graft loading were measured in human cadaveric lumbar segments tested under a pure moment flexibility testing protocol. Results Both systems provided significant fixation compared to the intact condition and to an interbody spacer alone in flexion extension and lateral bending. No significant differences in fixation were detected between the devices. A significant decrease in graft loading was detected in flexion for the titanium rod treatment compared to spacer alone. No significant differences in graft loading were detected between the spacer alone and posterior dynamic system or between the posterior dynamic system and the titanium rod. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that the posterior dynamic system provides similar fixation compared to that of a titanium rod, however, studies designed to evaluate the efficacy of fixation in a cadaver model may not be sufficiently powered to establish differences in load sharing using the techniques described here.
Solitary Pulmonary Nodules

There is no universally accepted definition for pulmonary nodules, but they typically are defined as solitary, well-circumscribed lesions that are surrounded by normal lung parenchyma, not adjacent to hilum or mediastinum, and not associated with atelectasis or pleural effusion. These lesions usually are less than or equal to 3 cm in size; larger lesions are termed solitary masses and are highly suspicious for malignancy. Lesions that have significant ground glass opacity are not considered solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs).
Investigation of pathogens of a food poisoning event caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Objective:To investigate the pathogens of a food poisoning event by the method of genotyping,to study the molecular typing technique applied in emergency enents.Methods: The RiboPrinter automatic microbial characterization system and Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis(PFGE) were used to analyze eight isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.Results: Six strains isolated from patients and two strains isolated from foods were all the same and produce staphylococcal enterotoxins.Conclusion: The food-poisoning is caused by the same genotype of S.aureus strains.Genotypeing methods is helpful to find out the heredity background of isolated bacteria and to trace the source of an outbreak.
Analysis of the level of individual dose to clinical radiation workers in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,in 2012

Objective To provide the scientific evidence for radiation protection by knowing the individual level of clinical radiation workers in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.Methods Individual dose was monitored for 2045radiation workers from 179hospitals in The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region during 2012.Results The average annual individual effective dose was 0.96mSv for each clinical radiation worker in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region during 2012.The level from high to low in the order of the average annual individual effective dose for each clinical radiation worker from different types of work is nuclear medicine(1.85mSv),intervention(1.21mSv),dentistry(1.01mSv),radiotherapy(0.92mSv),radiodiagnosis(0. 85mSv).Other radiology(0.78mSv).Conclusion Work place and work intensity for clinical radiation Workers in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region were suitable and safe.
Effects of ventricular fibrillation on coronary blood flow and myocardial metabolism

Ventricular fibrillation is frequently induced during cardiac surgery to quiet the operative field. The reported effects of fibrillation on the myocardium vary considerably. In an attempt to better define these effects, we subjected 28 dogs to one hour of total normothermic bypass. Myocardial blood flow, lactate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), oxygen consumption, and left ventricular dp/dt were measured sequentially. Spontaneous ventricular fibrillation was induced in 5 dogs and continuous electrical fibrillation in 7 dogs. These groups were compared to two respective control groups with beating hearts of 8 animals each. Coronary sinus flow, total coronary blood flow, left ventricular flow, myocardial oxygen consumption, and myocardial tissue lactate increased significantly in the fibrillating hearts. Left ventricular dp/dt decreased with fibrillation, but not significantly. It is concluded that the metabolic demands of ventricular fibrillation exceed the increase in coronary blood flow, when compared to demands of the beating heart, and that decreased left ventricular performance may result.
Evidence of Partisan Alignment at the Constituent Level, 1832–1847

Chapter 8 tested the degree to which patterns of liberal and conservative self-identification in the House of Commons lined up with dissenting and Anglican legislation in the four parliaments that met between 1833 and 1847. The evidence developed in that chapter argued strongly for mature organization of parliament along perceptible party lines several decades before the age of Gladstone and Disraeli. The present chapter turns to the other major component of this research that lends itself to numerical analysis, and allows us to test these attitudes at another level of political power, in an assessment of electoral behaviour among the constituents of four of the five boroughs in review. Such analysis is feasible for two reasons: because of the practice of public voting in the United Kingdom until the secret ballot act of 1872 and the consequent printing of poll books indicating how individual electors voted for members of parliament; and because dissenting chapels, especially until the marriage and registration acts of 1836, usually kept their own records of baptisms, marriages, and burials.
Abstract 5271: Optimization and detection of focal somatic copy number variants in whole genome, whole exome and panel sequencing for tumor/normal matched pairs and tumor only analysis

Often in the clinical setting, tumor samples may be derived from historical tissue or from fresh frozen tissue and it may not be feasible to obtain normal tissue from the individual. Comparing unmatched tissues from different individuals possess a unique challenge of addressing common copy number variations not faced when comparing matched samples. In addition to the challenges of comparing unmatched samples, DNA extracted from samples preserved as formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is often highly degraded and when compared to more intact DNA extracted from different source (e.g. blood) can increase the inherent noise in the system. Here we analytically characterize the accuracy and performance of algorithmic approaches for separating germline inherited copy number variation from somatic copy number changes, focusing on both filtering approaches and use of pooled reference samples sequenced under similar conditions. Example approaches include filtering known common copy number variation within 1000 Genomes Phase 3 and Database of Genomic Variants (DGV) Gold Standard. Additionally, we utilized a tumor/reference pool based analysis where a reference pool was constructed by equimolar pooling of multiple individuals. Determination of fold changes between tumor and reference was calculated by determining physical coverage of read pair fragments in 100 bases increments. Next, to address differences in sequencing performance between tumor and reference, the read depth data for each sample is collapsed/averaged into a lower resolution according to user-selected parameters (e.g. distance between points and read depth). Normalized log2 fold-changes between tumor and reference samples are then calculated and an adjustable smoothing window is applied. In addition, we utilize tumor allele frequencies of known heterozygous germline SNPs identified within the normal to both evaluate potential false positives and correct biases. Lastly, a segmentation algorithm is applied to summarize the individual log2 fold-changes into intervals with a constant copy number state. We will present the advantages and limitations of these approaches both when a germline normal is available and when tumor only analysis is necessary. Citation Format: Jessica Aldrich, Jonathan J. Keats, Austin Christofferson, Winnie S. Liang, John D. Carpten, Lisa Baumbach-Reardon, David W. Craig. Optimization and detection of focal somatic copy number variants in whole genome, whole exome and panel sequencing for tumor/normal matched pairs and tumor only analysis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 5271.
Separation of Porphyrins Using a γ-Cyclodextrin Stationary Phase

Abstract An isocratic separation of five porphyrin carboxylic acids using conventional mobile phase conditions was achieved on a commercially available γ-cyclodextrin bonded phase within 30 minutes. The effects of pH, ionic strength, organic modifier as well as the retention and separation mechanisms are discussed. The direct determination of porphyrin levels in blood serum is also discussed.
Communication, advocacy, and acceptance among support-seeking parents of transgender youth

ABSTRACTOthers' reactions to transgender youth have been identified as an important area of study. In the current study, support-seeking parents of transgender youth already connected with services (e.g., support groups or specialty clinics) completed questions about disclosure of the child's gender identity to the parent, extended family, and school personnel, and ongoing parent-child communication about the child's gender identity. Results indicated that most children disclosed their gender identity to parents in a face-to-face conversation, often in a gradual process. Parental acceptance of the child's gender identity was common, as was parental advocacy in this sample. Acceptance by school personnel and extended family increased over time but continued to be infrequent. Results indicate that although transgender youth of support-seeking parents may be accepted at home, youth may still face discrimination and hardship in other settings.
Common Elements of the Expert Consensus Guidelines for Clinical Videoconferencing

This chapter identifies common elements of various expert consensus guidelines for clinical videoconferencing (CV) services. We broadly conceptualize common elements as shared recommendations or themes addressed in the majority of published organizational guidelines (in this case, as identified in at least five of the nine major sets of national-level guidelines). Practice recommendations are discussed in the context of these common elements, specific guidelines are highlighted that represent the shared intention of common themes, and basic core requirements of CV programming are synthesized. We close the chapter by discussing notable variability among the guidelines pertaining to specific issues.
Architectural solutions for intermediate-level vision

A difficult problem for designers of real-time machine vision systems is handling the iconic/symbolic interface. While image-to-image transformations are readily computed by both pipelined and image-parallel architectures, and list-based and logic-based processors handle symbolic information efficiently, there has all too often been a bottleneck in handling the conversion of iconic data into symbolic form and vice-versa. There is a wide variety of operations that convert images into scalars, contour lists, or other non-iconic descriptions; however, these operations are relatively inefficient on most commercial and research systems.
Responsive Survey Designs for Reducing Nonresponse Bias

Survey researchers have been investigating alternative approaches to reduce data collection costs while mitigating the risk of nonresponse bias or to produce more accurate estimates within the same budget. Responsive or adaptive design has been suggested as one means for doing this. Falling survey response rates and the need to find effective ways of implementing responsive design has focused attention on the relationship between response rates and nonresponse bias. In our article, we re-examine the data compiled by Groves and Peytcheva (2008) in their influential article and show there is an important between-study component of variance in addition to the within-study variance highlighted in the original analysis. We also show that theory implies that raising response rates can help reduce the nonresponse bias on average across the estimates within a study. We then propose a typology of response propensity models that help explain the empirical findings, including the relative weak relationship between nonresponse rates and nonresponse bias. Using these results, we explore when responsive design tools such as switching modes, giving monetary incentives, and increasing the level of effort are likely to be effective. We conclude with some comments on the use of responsive design and weighting to control nonresponse bias.
Gender as Subculture: The First Division of Multicultural Diversity

Publisher Summary This chapter relates gender and culture in a broad way by focusing on the four major racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States, namely, African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Latinas/os. It seeks to show how mental health and adjustment are affected by the gender-role norms of these particular cultures, and how different norms are associated with the feminine gender role and the masculine gender role. Femininity and masculinity are not innate, permanent, or universally defined. The particular cultural context in which racial/ethnic minority groups live their daily lives gives unique meaning to conceptions of femininity and masculinity. Culture and gender work jointly to affect the attitudes, feelings, characteristics, and behaviors experienced by such groups. Knowledge and appreciation of such cultural definitions are as important to effective assessment and treatment of mental health issues with racial/ethnic minority groups as clinical training. African American, American Indian, Asian American, and Latino cultures each have unique perspectives on the meaning of being a woman and being a man. Their perspectives are influenced not only by the worldview of their racial/ethnic minority group but also by the history of their political, economic, and social relationships with the majority culture. For example, although minority men have tried to be effective providers and protectors, they have been severely blocked in their efforts because of racism. In their frustration, they have developed unique survival strategies, such as “Cool Pose” in the case of African American men. Modifications, like Cool Pose and others, to majority culture notions of masculinity and femininity, must be taken into consideration by mental health professionals working on gender-role conflicts with women and men who are members of racial/ethnic minority groups.
Effectiveness of definitive radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva with gross inguinal lymphadenopathy.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and long-term side effects of definitive groin radiotherapy for vulvar cancer with grossly involved inguinal lymph nodes. Methods The records of 407 women with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiotherapy at one institution during 1992–2014 were reviewed to identify patients who had radiographic or histologic evidence of grossly involved inguinal lymph nodes. Patients with lymphadenectomy before radiotherapy and patients treated for recurrent disease were excluded. Actuarial incidences of vulvar, inguinal, and distant recurrences, the relationship between vulvar recurrence and inguinal recurrence, and overall survival were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results Thirty-three patients were identified. The median age at diagnosis was 64 years. The median long-axis radiographic diameter of the largest inguinal lymph node or lymph node mass was 2.5 cm (range, 1.4–8.7). Sixteen patients (48%) also had evidence of pelvic lymph node metastasis. The median radiation dose delivered to grossly involved nodes was 66.0 Gy (range, 60.0–70.0). The 3-year actuarial incidences of vulvar, groin, and distant recurrences were 24.2%, 17.7%, and 30.3%, respectively. With a median follow-up time of 28 months (range, 2–196), four patients (12%) had groin recurrence, of whom three also had vulvar recurrence. There were few major late adverse effects of regional radiotherapy. The 3-year overall survival rate was 51%. Conclusions High-dose volume-directed radiotherapy achieves a high rate of local control with low risk of serious long-term toxic effects in patients with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and grossly involved inguinal lymph nodes.
Polypoid lesions of the large intestine: differential diagnosis from true polyps.

Certain polyplike lesions of the anus and large intestine that project into the lumen of the bowel and resemble true polyps are encountered rather frequently on digital examination of the anus and rectum, on endoscopy of the lower portion of bowel and on x-ray studies of the colon. It is generally accepted that true polyps have malignant propensities while most polypoid lesions do not. For this reason the differential diagnosis is important. Features that assist in the differential diagnosis are consistency, location and appearance of the lesion.
Laboratory Study of Topographic Effects on the Near-surface Tornado Flow Field

To study topographic effects on the near-surface tornado flow field, the Iowa State University tornado simulator was used to simulate a translating tornado passing over three different two-dimensional topographies: a ridge, an escarpment and a valley. The effect of the translation speed on maximum horizontal wind speeds is observed for translation speeds of 0.15 and 0.50 $$\hbox {m}\,\hbox {s}^{-1}$$ , with the lower value resulting in a larger maximum horizontal wind speed. The tornado translation over the three topographies with respect to flat terrain is assessed for changes in: (a) the maximum horizontal wind speeds in terms of the flow-amplification factor; (b) the maximum aerodynamic drag in terms of the tornado speed-up ratio; (c) the maximum duration of exposure at any location to high wind speeds of a specific range in terms of the exposure amplification factor. Results show that both the maximum wind amplification factor of 14%, as well as the maximum speed-up ratio of 14%, occur on the ridge. For all topographies, the increase in aerodynamic drag is observed to be maximized for low-rise buildings, which illustrates the importance of the vertical profiles of the horizontal wind speed near the ground. The maximum exposure amplification factors, estimated for the range of wind speeds corresponding to the EF2 (50–60 $$\hbox {m}\,\hbox {s}^{-1}$$ ) and EF3 (61–75 $$\hbox {m}\,\hbox {s}^{-1})$$ scales, are 86 and 110% for the ridge, 4 and 60% for the escarpment and − 6 and 47% for the valley, respectively.
Risk factors and prognostic significance of altered left ventricular geometry in preterm infants.

Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) predicts adverse cardiac events in adults. We sought to determine the risk factors and prognostic significance of altered LV geometry in preterm infants. In an echocardiographic, single-center, retrospective case–control study we investigated the risk factors and outcomes in patients with altered LV geometry (either increased left ventricular mass index (LVMI) or increased relative wall thickness (RWT)) from a cohort of 503 preterm infants ≤2 kg. Altered LV geometry was seen in 180 patients and was predicted by postnatal steroids and small for gestational age. Hospital stay was longer in the elevated RWT cases. Altered LV geometry resolved in 129 of the 131 cases with follow-up echocardiogram. Fifteen of 94 patients with elevated RWT died compared to 3/90 controls (P = 0.004). Altered LV geometry in preterm infants is associated with postnatal steroid use and small for gestational age. Elevated RWT is associated with longer hospital stay and increased mortality.
Alterations in the Spectrum of Spontaneous Rifampicin-Resistance Mutations in the Bacillus subtilis rpoB Gene after Cultivation in the Human Spaceflight Environment

The effect of Bacillus subtilis exposure to the human spaceflight environment on growth, mutagenic frequency, and spectrum of mutations to rifampicin resistance (RifR) was investigated. B. subtilis cells were cultivated in Biological Research in Canister-Petri Dish Fixation Units (BRIC-PDFUs) on two separate missions to the International Space Station (ISS), dubbed BRIC-18 and BRIC-21, with matching asynchronous ground controls. No statistically significant difference in either growth or in the frequency of mutation to RifR was found in either experiment. However, nucleotide sequencing of the RifR regions of the rpoB gene from RifR mutants revealed dramatic differences in the spectrum of mutations between flight (FL) and ground control (GC) samples, including two newly discovered rpoB alleles in the FL samples (Q137R and L489S). The results strengthen the idea that exposure to the human spaceflight environment causes unique stresses on bacteria, leading to alterations in their mutagenic potential.
Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide with a molecular polypyridyl nickel complex

The synthesis and reactivity of a molecular nickel(II) complex 1 with the polypyridyl ligand framework N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) under electrochemically reducing conditions in the presence of CO2 is reported. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), infrared spectroelectrochemistry (IR-SEC) and electrolysis experiments suggest this Ni complex is competent at mediating the two-electron reduction of CO2 to CO and H2O with phenol as an added proton donor, but is subsequently prone to rapid degradation as Ni(CO)4. This deleterious pathway was shown to be mitigated by the inclusion of the CO scavenger [Ni(TMC)]2+, although this requires stoichiometric inclusion for each catalyst turnover and does not significantly improve the observed catalytic current densities.
Prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell anemia: hemoglobin electrophoresis versus DNA analysis

The prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell anemia (hemoglobin SS) can be established by DNA analysis using two highly sensitive techniques (Southern blot and polymerase chain reaction [PCR]). Hemoglobin electrophoresis provides a third, simpler and more rapid, technique to analyze blood from a fetus at risk for sickle cell anemia. The authors present examples of prenatal diagnostic studies using both DNA analysis techniques and hemoglobin electrophoresis. Hemoglobin electrophoresis of fetal hemolysate can provide a simple and rapid alternative method to PCR analysis for the prenatal exclusion of sickle cell anemia, and it is especially useful in cases in which rapid results are needed because of advanced gestational age.
The contributions of advising experiences with faculty and classroom social environment to undergraduate students' persistence in physical science, mathematical, and engineering majors

This study explored the extent to which advising experiences with faculty, classroom social environment, relational-interdependent self-construal, and math and science self-efficacy, both individually and in combination, contribute to the prediction of persistence in the physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering (PSME). Based on the self-in-relation model of identity development and social-cognitive theories, it was hypothesized that 1) women would prefer a more developmental style of advising than men; 2) a developmental style of advising, advising contact with faculty, and professorial concern would each contribute to the prediction of persistence in PSME majors; and 3) the relationships between a) advising experiences and professorial concern and b) math and science self-efficacy and persistence in PSME majors would be stronger for women than for men. One hundred sixty-eight third, fourth, and fifth-year undergraduate students (representing a 22% response rate) were surveyed by mail to explore the above relationships. No difference in preferred style of advising was found between female and male students. In general, findings from linear and logistic regression procedures failed to support a significant link between advising experiences with professors in PSME majors and math and science self-efficacy and persistence in those majors. Results did offer support, however, for the importance of some relationship factors for persistence in these majors, and suggest that different factors may contribute to the prediction of persistence in these disciplines for women versus men. Findings suggest that, beyond the contribution of ability, a critical factor in women's persistence in PSME majors may be their perceptions of classroom affiliation in their courses, while a critical factor for men may be the level of support or encouragement they receive from role models to pursue their major. Suggested interventions for increasing rates of persistence in PSME disciplines include increasing students' level of career aspirations for these fields, increasing perceived classroom affiliation amongst students in these majors, and facilitating encouragement from role models to pursue degrees in these disciplines.
Writing, Reading, and Translating the Clustered Protocadherin Cell Surface Recognition Code for Neural Circuit Assembly

The ability of neurites of individual neurons to distinguish between themselves and neurites from other neurons and to avoid self (self-avoidance) plays a key role in neural circuit assembly in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Similarly, when individual neurons of the same type project into receptive fields of the brain, they must avoid each other to maximize target coverage (tiling). Counterintuitively, these processes are driven by highly specific homophilic interactions between cell surface proteins that lead to neurite repulsion rather than adhesion. Among these proteins in vertebrates are the clustered protocadherins (Pcdhs), and key to their function is the generation of enormous cell surface structural diversity. Here we review recent advances in understanding how a Pcdh cell surface code is generated by stochastic promoter choice; how this code is amplified and read by homophilic interactions between Pcdh complexes at the surface of neurons; and, finally, how the Pcdh code is translated to cellular function, which mediates self-avoidance and tiling and thus plays a central role in the development of complex neural circuits. Not surprisingly, Pcdh mutations that diminish homophilic interactions lead to wiring defects and abnormal behavior in mice, and sequence variants in the Pcdh gene cluster are associated with autism spectrum disorders in family-based genetic studies in humans.
A HV silicon vertical JFET: TCAD simulations

Abstract In the future ATLAS Inner Tracker detector (ITk), several silicon strip modules will be biased by a single High-Voltage (HV) line, so that a switch between each strip sensor and the HV line is required to disconnect faulty sensors. Such a switch must satisfy strict requirements, such as being radiation hard, being able to sustain high voltages in the OFF state and being able to operate in a high magnetic field. At Brookhaven National Laboratory we conceived a new kind of solid-state switch that can potentially meet all the specs: it is a HV silicon vertical JFET. Before designing and fabricating the JFET, we did a study using numerical TCAD simulations that demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating the device in a standard planar technology. We report such simulations, highlighting in particular a few key parameters to which the JFET performances are most sensitive.
The Evolution of Subclinical Seizures in Children With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.

Background:Subclinical seizures are electrographic seizures that present without subjective or objective clinical symptoms. In tuberous sclerosis complex, it is not known whether subclinical seizur...
Leadless Pacemakers: Recent and Future Developments

Leadless pacemakers were developed to reduce complications associated with transvenous pacemaker implant and long-term follow-up. Since initial market release, however, there have been registry and single-center reports documenting improvements in implant technique, reduced complication rates, and new patient populations studied. Most studies have demonstrated a further reduction in complication rates and safe implant in those on continuous anticoagulation. Perforation rates are decreasing but still occur and risk factors include BMI < 20 kg/m2, age ≥ 85 years, females, history of heart failure, indication not including atrial fibrillation, and chronic lung disease. Device infections are exceedingly rare, even in those undergoing infected transvenous devices at the same time. For appropriate patients, leadless pacing is a safe and reasonable option, especially if atrial-based sensing or pacing is not needed. Future iterations may include VDD pacing, atrial pacing, dual-chamber pacing, biventricular pacing, and device-device communication.
Examining the impact of institutions on common pool resource problems: the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy

Why is there variation in the level of overfishing in European Union member states? The Common Fisheries Policy sets politically-negotiated quotas for fishing, but different states break the quotas...
Bioactive Synthetic-Bioinformatic Natural Product Cyclic Peptides Inspired by Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Gene Clusters from the Human Microbiome

Bioinformatic analysis of sequenced bacterial genomes has uncovered an increasing number of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) to which no known bacterial metabolite can be ascribed. One emerging method we have investigated for studying these BGCs is the synthetic-Bioinformatic Natural Product (syn-BNP) approach. The syn-BNP approach replaces transcription, translation, and in vivo enzymatic biosynthesis of natural products with bioinformatic algorithms to predict the output of a BGC and in vitro chemical synthesis to produce the predicted structure. Here we report on expanding the syn-BNP approach to the design and synthesis of cyclic peptides inspired by nonribosomal peptide synthetase BGCs associated with the human microbiota. While no syn-BNPs we tested inhibited the growth of bacteria or yeast, five were found to be active in the human cell-based MTT metabolic activity assay. Interestingly, active peptides were mostly inspired by BGCs found in the genomes of opportunistic pathogens that are often more commonly associated with environments outside the human microbiome. The cyclic syn-BNP studies presented here provide further evidence of its potential for identifying bioactive small molecules directly from the instructions encoded in the primary sequences of natural product BGCs.
Cytokeratin 7-negative and GATA binding protein 3-negative breast cancers: Clinicopathological features and prognostic significance

Cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) are considered as immunohistochemical hallmarks of breast cancers; however, there are breast tumors lacking these markers. Clinicopathological characterization of CK7 negative breast cancer has not been addressed previously and similar studies on GATA3 negative tumors are limited. This study included 196 consecutive cases of Nottingham Grade 3 breast cancers with 159 cases of Grade 1 and Grade 2 tumors for comparison. CK7 and GATA3 expression was correlated with patient’s age, histological type, pathological grade and stage, hormone receptor status, molecular subtype and overall survival. CK7 negativity was seen in 13% of Grade 3, 9% of Grade 2, and 2% of Grade 1 cases (P = 0.0457). Similarly, 28% of Grade 3, 5% of Grade 2 and 2% of Grade 1 cases were GATA3 negative (P < 0.0001). CK7 negative tumors did not show association with other clinicopathological parameters. GATA3 negative tumors were enriched in the basal-like molecular subgroup and were associated with negative estrogen receptor (ER) and negative progesterone receptor (PR) statuses. Both CK7 and GATA3 expression showed no association with overall survival in patients with Grade 3 tumor. This is the first study to characterize CK7 negative breast tumors in the context of clinicopathology. Profiling the CK7 negative and GATA3 negative breast cancers helps to understand the biology of these specific tumor subgroups and may aid in their diagnosis.