cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear state space embedding features and their application to robust speech segmentation

The aim of our research is to develop features from a state space embedded signal useful for high resolution and robust real-time speech segmentation. Since the set of state-space trajectories of a system can completely describe the system, state space embedding of a signal is typically used to study qualitatively any nonlinearities of the system generating a signal. However. while it may be easy for one to observe patterns in the state space trajectories of a system, it is often difficult to quantify what is observed. Two novel features are extracted from a state space embedded signal using concepts from differential geometry. These features are computed iteratively on the one-dimensional speech signal and they completely characterize the state space trajectories formed by the signal. The results obtained show that these features are particularly useful for classifying voicing states and can detect these phoneme boundaries with a resolution of four samples.
Disturbed NK Cell Compartment in CML Patients with Anti-Leukemia Immune Responses Under Treatment with Imatinib Mesylate

Imatinib mesylate has revolutionized the treatment of CML and, as an oral agent with few side effects, became the first-line therapy for patients with CML. However, patients who discontinue the drug invariably relapse. Currently, the only curative treatment for CML is allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ABMT). A major mechanism of ABMT is immunological as evidenced by the poor clinical outcome with T cell-depleted ABMT. To determine anti-leukemia immune responses in patients in remission on imatinib, blood and bone marrow samples before (12 samples) and serially after treatment (59 samples, range 10 months – 35 months) were collected and analyzed. The NK cell (CD56+CD3−) compartment in the 12 CML patients were significantly decreased before treatment (median 3,4 % vs 10 %, p
Early diagnosis of genital mucosal melanoma: how good are our dermoscopic criteria?

Background: There are limited studies on the dermoscopic features of mucosal melanoma, particularly early-stage lesions. Described criteria include the presence of blue, gray, or white colors, with a reported sensitivity of 100%. It is unclear if these features will aid in the detection of early mucosal melanoma or improve diagnostic accuracy compared to naked-eye examination alone. Case: An Asian female in her fifties was referred for evaluation of an asymptomatic, irregularly pigmented patch of the clitoral hood and labia minora of unknown duration. Her past medical history was notable for Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. She denied a personal or family history of skin cancer. Dermoscopic evaluation of the vulvar lesion revealed heterogeneous brown and black pigmentation mostly composed of thick lines. There were no other colors or structures present. As the differential diagnosis included vulvar melanosis and mucosal melanoma, the patient was recommended to undergo biopsy, which was delayed due to complications from her underlying lung cancer. Repeat dermoscopic imaging performed three months later revealed significant changes concerning for melanoma, including increase in size, asymmetric darkening, and the appearance of structureless areas and central blue and pink colors. Histopathological examination of a biopsy and subsequent resection confirmed the diagnosis of melanoma in situ. Conclusion: Previously described dermoscopic features for mucosal melanoma may not have high sensitivity for early melanomas. Additional studies are needed to define the dermoscopic characteristics of mucosal melanomas that aid in early detection. Health care providers should have a low threshold for biopsy of mucosal lesions that show any clinical or dermoscopic features of melanoma, especially in older women.
The Interaction Effects of Mood and Ad Appeals on Type of Elaboration and Advertising Effectiveness

ABSTRACTAn experiment was conducted to examine how mood (positive vs. negative) and ad appeals (experiential vs. utilitarian) influence ad and product evaluation and purchase intention. Specifically, mood and ad appeals both influenced type of elaboration (relational vs. item-specific processing). As a result, people in a positive mood evaluated ad and product more positively when exposed to a utilitarian ad, whereas people in a negative mood evaluated ad and product more positively when exposed to an experiential ad. Also, people in a negative mood showed stronger purchase intention when exposed to an experiential ad. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
Long-term no-till and stover retention each decrease the global warming potential of irrigated continuous corn.

Over the last 50 years, the most increase in cultivated land area globally has been due to a doubling of irrigated land. Long-term agronomic management impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and global warming potential (GWP) in irrigated systems, however, remain relatively unknown. Here, residue and tillage management effects were quantified by measuring soil nitrous oxide (N2 O) and methane (CH4 ) fluxes and SOC changes (ΔSOC) at a long-term, irrigated continuous corn (Zea mays L.) system in eastern Nebraska, United States. Management treatments began in 2002, and measured treatments included no or high stover removal (0 or 6.8 Mg DM ha-1 yr-1 , respectively) under no-till (NT) or conventional disk tillage (CT) with full irrigation (n = 4). Soil N2 O and CH4 fluxes were measured for five crop-years (2011-2015), and ΔSOC was determined on an equivalent mass basis to ~30 cm soil depth. Both area- and yield-scaled soil N2 O emissions were greater with stover retention compared to removal and for CT compared to NT, with no interaction between stover and tillage practices. Methane comprised <1% of total emissions, with NT being CH4 neutral and CT a CH4 source. Surface SOC decreased with stover removal and with CT after 14 years of management. When ΔSOC, soil GHG emissions, and agronomic energy usage were used to calculate system GWP, all management systems were net GHG sources. Conservation practices (NT, stover retention) each decreased system GWP compared to conventional practices (CT, stover removal), but pairing conservation practices conferred no additional mitigation benefit. Although cropping system, management equipment/timing/history, soil type, location, weather, and the depth to which ΔSOC is measured affect the GWP outcomes of irrigated systems at large, this long-term irrigated study provides valuable empirical evidence of how management decisions can impact soil GHG emissions and surface SOC stocks.
Who You Gonna Call? Automatically Connecting Radiologists to the Right Clinician

Contacting clinicians to convey critical results is a critical part of radiology workflow, but many obstacles prevent easy and timely communication. Integration of radiology applications and workflow with an EHR-based patient coverage database demonstrated subjective and objective improvement in radiologist workflow and satisfaction.
Weaning of proton pump inhibitors in patients with suspected laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) weaning protocol in a cohort of patients following successful empiric treatment for suspected laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD). Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods LPRD patients were weaned from PPIs using a standardized weaning protocol. Symptom recurrence rate following PPI wean and present PPI use were determined. All numeric data were analyzed. The setting was a tertiary laryngology practice. The subjects were patients who had a positive response to empiric treatment for LPRD and subsequently were weaned from PPI therapy. Results Thirty-five patients with suspected LPRD were instructed to wean from PPI after successful empiric treatment of their LPRD symptoms from July 2013 to September 2015. Twenty-three patients (66%) remained symptom-free post-wean. Twelve patients (34%) had symptom recurrence post-wean; of those, 11 of them (92%) needed to go back on a PPI. Median durations of follow-up for the unsuccessful wean group and the successful wean group were 13 (range 6–29) months and 18 (range 6–38) months, respectively. Pre-wean and post-wean reflux symptom index (RSI) scores in the unsuccessful wean group were 7.7 ± 5.6 and 12.9 ± 6 (P = .11). Pre-wean and post-wean RSI scores in the successful wean group were 8.1 ± 6.5 and 8.1 ± 9.0 (P < .99). Body mass index (BMI) was found to be a significant predictor of failure to wean (odds ratio = 0.72, 95% confidence interval = 0.55–0.95) after controlling for age, sex, PPI treatment duration, and PPI regime. None of the other covariates were found to be significant predictors of failure of PPI wean. Conclusion Approximately 66% of patients who were on PPIs for LPRD were successfully weaned. High BMI was significantly predictive of failure to wean. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 2017
Towards shortest path computation using Dijkstra algorithm

Shortest Path issue plays an important role in applications of road network such as handling city emergency way and guiding driver system. The concepts of network analysis with traffic issues are recognized. The condition of traffic among a city changes periodically and there are usually large amounts of requests occur, it needs to be solve quickly. By using the Dijkstra's Algorithm, the above problems can be solved through shortest paths. The shortest path and the best path is computed based on the problem of traffic condition shortest path. This plays an important role in navigation systems as it can help to make sensible decision and time saving decisions. The main purpose is to get the implementation at low cost. Thus, it brings a new framework called towards shortest path which enables drivers to quickly and effectively collect the shortest path as well as alternative path and traffic information. An impressive the result is that the driver can get their shortest path result and also gives alternative paths for the same route with the traffic count. Our experimental resultsfind that it is better invarious parameters and it gives relatively fast response time, for shortest path problem.
Discovery-based praxes: Channelling the user-interface of an industrial-strength programming environment to formally teach programming

Many instructors consider a programming environment replete with a large variety of interactive objects and commands a liability for teaching introductory programming. In fact, such an environment is an important pedagogical tool, whose instructional capabilities can be amplified by discovery-based programming praxes — predefined programs with embedded comments that instruct students to browse and experiment with the program code, visualize static and dynamic program state, and make inductive inferences. By embedding commentary in program code, we essentially create duals of programming lectures, which embed code in a discussion. The praxes are associated with multiple-choice quizzes, which ask students to identify the results of the experiments and the conclusions drawn from them. Students who learned using such praxes made less use of recorded lecture videos to study the material. Moreover, they received explicit instruction in several interactive features that are arguably essential to effective programming.
A sRNA in a reduced mutualistic symbiont genome regulates its own gene expression.

Similar to other nutritional endosymbionts that are obligate for host survival, the mutualistic aphid endosymbiont, Buchnera, has a highly reduced genome with few regulatory elements. Until recently, it was thought that aphid hosts were primarily responsible for regulating their symbiotic relationship. However, we recently revealed that Buchnera displays differential protein regulation, but not mRNA expression. We also identified a number of conserved small RNAs (sRNAs) that are expressed among Buchnera taxa. In this study, we investigate whether differential protein regulation in Buchnera is the result of post-transcriptional gene regulation via sRNAs. We characterize the sRNA profile of two Buchnera life stages: (i) when Buchnera is transitioning from an extracellular proliferating state in aphid embryos and (ii) when Buchnera is in an intracellular nonproliferating state in aphid bacteriocytes (specialized symbiont cells). Overall, we identified 90 differentially expressed sRNAs, 97% of which were upregulated in aphid embryos. Of these sRNAs, the majority were predicted to be involved in the regulation of various metabolic processes, including arginine biosynthesis. Using a heterologous dual expression vector, we reveal for the first time that a Buchnera antisense sRNA can post-transcriptionally interact with its cognate Buchnera coding sequence, carB, a gene involved in arginine biosynthesis. These results corroborate our in vivo RNAseq and proteomic data, where the candidate antisense sRNA carB and the protein CarB are significantly upregulated in aphid embryos. Overall, we demonstrate that Buchnera may regulate gene expression independently from its host by utilizing sRNAs.
Applications: Shelter Surveillance

Abstract Health surveillance in disaster shelters is a key practice in maintaining the health and safety of displaced populations. The process of establishing a shelter health surveillance system can be complicated but, with the proper elements in place, these systems will function well under even the most difficult circumstances. Critical elements of the shelter health surveillance process include decisions regarding when the system will be activated, what format(s) will be used to collect the data, what data elements will be collected, how the information will be aggregated across facilities, and how and to whom the information will be reported once aggregated. With careful planning, health surveillance in disaster shelters can generate data that will identify potential threats to health early on, create opportunities for successful health interventions, allow for optimal resource allocation, and present opportunities for evidence-based prevention messages.
Influence of ryegrass on physico-chemical properties of a fragipan soil

Abstract Fragipan horizons are naturally occurring impermeable layers found in certain soil types which constrain crop yields. While abundant literature exists regarding the processes of fragipan genesis, there is little recognition given to potential alterations in the pan with surface management, particularly important in light of the fact that these horizons can occur near the surface. We collected soil cores from a Zanesville silt loam (Typic Fragiudalf) and seeded them to annual ryegrass in the greenhouse and determined relevant soil properties after one growing cycle. The presence of ryegrass lowered bulk densities in the Btx1 and Btx2 horizons by 8% and 6% when compared with the counterpart horizons in the control, suggesting an increase in porosity. These findings were paralleled by a 62% and 52% reduction in tensile strength of ryegrass-grown aggregates in these same horizons when compared with control aggregates. These trends are likely due in part to solubilization of cementing agents by ryegrass root exudates. Glycolate, azelaic acid, and diphenolics appeared as components of the water soluble organic fraction (WSOC) pool and the diphenolics were in greater concentrations in ryegrass soil cores. Diphenolic concentrations were associated with elevated water-soluble aluminum and iron levels, suggesting that ryegrass might be solubilizing these cementing agents and affecting bulk density. Biological drilling by ryegrass roots might also be involved to increase porosity in fragipan horizons. Our findings raise questions about the ability of ryegrass to ameliorate impermeable subsurface fragipan horizons and how the improvement in porosity might impact subsequent row crop production.
Where It's At: A Content Analysis and Appraisal of the Journal of Leisure Research

(1973). Where It's At: A Content Analysis and Appraisal of the Journal of Leisure Research. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 67-73.
Hemodialysis in metformin-associated lactic acidosis due to acute overdose in a metformin-naïve patient.

Abstract Metformin is a common and generally well-tolerated medication in the treatment of diabetes but rarely has been implicated as the cause for metformin-associated lactate acidosis. This is usually caused by decreased elimination from renal dysfunction but is rarely described after an acute ingestion. We present a case of an acute intentional overdose of metformin in a metformin-naive patient without renal dysfunction. The patient gradually developed altered mental status, tachypnea, hypotension, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, and vasoplegic shock unresponsive to vasopressor support. Despite attempts at alkalinization, the patient developed a lactic acidosis with a pH of 6.9 and lactate of 33 mmol/L. Hemodialysis was performed with rapid improvement of clinical status. This case provides a clinical context in the acute setting and illustrates the rare need for extracorporeal support in this setting, which may be lifesaving.
Pediatric Helicobacter pylori infection : Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and therapy

Peptic ulcer disease causes significant morbidity and mortality in adults (Sonnenberg et al. 1996; Sonnenberg 1988, 1995). However, studies have yet to be performed that evaluate both the overall prevalence of peptic ulcer disease in large pediatric populations and the health care impact of this condition on the care of children. Gastritis, the “precursor” lesion to mucosal ulceration (i.e., peptic ulcer disease) is an important clinical entity and may be an important cause of abdominal pain in children (Drumm et al. 1988; Loof et al. 1985). Anectdotal reports suggest that ulcer frequency in children is higher than previously reported, and multicenter studies may contribute to a better understanding of the prevalence and economic impact of these entities in the pediatric population (Kurata et al. 1984; Eastham et al. 1991; MacArthur et al. 1995; Gold 1996).
Coordination and Reaction Time

Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Although completely error-free practice is not possible, conditions can be arranged to minimize errors, which, unfortunately, can be learned as easily as can correct or desired performance. Although some slowing of reaction time occurs with age, such slowing does not appear to be inevitable. At any age, fitter is faster.
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders and Acute Heart Failure Syndrome

An association between severe heart failure and a form of breathing irregularity, Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR), has been recognized for well over two centuries. Only in the past three decades, however, has intensive epidemiologic and experimental work uncovered an intriguing and reciprocal relationship between sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs) and cardiovascular disease. For example, obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS, also known more simply as obstructive sleep apnea or OSA) causes hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and early atherosclerosis. Obstructive sleep apnea also worsens ischemic heart disease and cardiac arrhythmias, and it is an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure. That is, in otherwise healthy individuals, OSA can be a cause of cardiac dysfunction, and in patients with existing cardiovascular disorders, OSA can accelerate the progression to heart failure, or induce an exacerbation of underling chronic heart failure (1, 2).
Effects of feeder cattle frame size, muscle thickness, and age class on days fed, weight, and carcass composition

Feeder steers (n = 189) representing nine frame size x muscle thickness subclasses were started on a high-concentrate diet as calves, yearlings, or long yearlings and slaughtered at a constant S.C. fat thickness (13.5 mm) to determine the effects of feeder cattle frame size (large, medium, small), muscle thickness (No. 1, No. 2, No. 31, and age class on carcass traits and composition. After slaughter, one side of each carcass was physically separated into muscle, fat, and bone. Subcutaneous, intermuscular, and internal fat depot percentages were calculated as proportions of total fat weight. Effects of age class, frame size, and muscle thickness were significant for time-on-feed, slaughter weight, and carcass weight. Among age classes, long yearling steers required the fewest (P .05) compositional differ- ences were observed between No. 1 and No. 3 steers. Differences in musc1e:bone ratio, though statistically significant, were relatively small in magnitude and were not directionally consistent with differences in muscle thickness. Differences in fat partitioning were noted among frame and muscle subclasses. Large- framed steers had the lowest (P < .05) percentage of S.C. fat and the highest (P < .05) percentage of internal fat among frame sizes. No. 3 steers deposited the lowest (P < .05) percentage of intermuscular fat and the highest (P < .05) percentage of internal fat.
Task Boundary Inference via Topic Modeling to Predict Interruption Timings for Human-Machine Teaming

Human-machine teaming aims to meld human cognitive strengths with the unique capabilities of smart machines. An issue within human-machine teaming is a lack of communication skills on the part of the machine such as the inability to know when to interrupt human teammates. A proposed solution to this issue is an intelligent interruption system that monitors the spoken communication of human teammates and predicts appropriate times to interrupt without disrupting the teaming interaction. The current research expands on a prosody-only task boundary model as an intelligent interruption system with a topic-only task boundary model. The topic-only task boundary model outperforms the prosody-only model with a 9.5% increase in the F1 score, but is limited in its ability to process topical data in real-time, a previous benefit of the prosody-only task boundary model.
Promoting Students’ Social Interactions Results in an Improvement in Performance, Class Attendance and Retention in First Year Computing Courses

This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents the impact of Learning Communities (LC) on student retention, class attendance and performance outcomes in first-year computing courses. LCs are a group of students who enroll in two or more courses, generally in different disciplines that are linked together by a common theme, in an academic semester. Our results show that when first-year students take computing courses as part of a LC, retention rates increase and students perform significantly better. We also found that LCs promote class attendance and that students’ academic and social interactions with classmates may play a critical role in the improvement of student performance observed in LC students.
Abstract 441: Role of the Mitochondrial Translocator Protein (TSPO) in the Proarrhythmic Vulnerability of the Diabetic Heart

In structurally normal hearts, inhibition of the mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) prevents ROS-mediated proarrhythmia. Whether and how TSPO modulates electrophysiological (EP) function of ...
Creating and Seeing the First Pure Carbon Ring

The synthesis, isolation, and characterizations of sp-hybridized carbon materials remain challenging due to their high reactivities. Recently in Science, Kaiser et al. synthesized the first pure carbon ring, cyclo[18]carbon, and demonstrated its bonding structure of alternating single and triple bonds.
Micromonas micros: A rare anaerobic cause of late implant failure following spinal surgery.

Context: Delayed, postoperative, spine infections are rare, most commonly occurring secondary to fastidious, less virulent pathogens. The etiology may involve a distant infectious focus, not relate...
Using Spectral Matching to Interpret LC‐MS/MS Data During RNA Modification Mapping

While a number of approaches have been developed to analyze liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data obtained from modified oligonucleotides, the majority of these methods require analyzing every MS/MS spectrum de novo to sequence the oligonucleotide and place the modification. Spectral matching is an alternative approach for analyzing MS/MS data that is based on creating a library of annotated MS/MS spectra against which individual MS/MS data can be searched. Here, we have adapted the existing NIST spectral matching software to enable its use in the interpretation of MS/MS data obtained from modified oligonucleotides. In particular, we demonstrate the utility of this approach to identify specific post-transcriptionally modified nucleosides in particular transfer RNAs (tRNAs) obtained through a conventional RNA modification mapping experimental protocol. Spectral matching was found to be an efficient approach for screening for known modified tRNAs by using the experimental data as the library and previously annotated RNase T1 digestion products of tRNAs as the reference spectra. The utility of spectral matching for rapid analysis of multiple LC-MS/MS analyses was demonstrated by screening mutant strains of Streptococcus mutans to identify the enzyme(s) responsible for synthesizing the tRNA position 37 modification threonylcarbamoyladenosine (t6 A).
Medicaid Expansion Associated With Reductions In Preventable Hospitalizations.

Hospitalizations for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions indicate barriers to care outside of inpatient settings. We found that Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act were associated wi...
White Women Who Lead: God, Girlfriends, and Diversity Projects in a National Evangelical Ministry

A robust body of literature has used feminist analysis to study white evangelical women in the United States, but few of these studies have addressed the reproduction of racial inequality. Beginnin...
STAT3 activation promotes angiogenesis in human breast cancer cells

439 Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is associated with angiogenic phenotype and poor prognosis in a variety of human cancers, including breast cancer. However, the precise mechanism underlying VEGF overexpression in breast cancer remains unknown. Previous studies show that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is constitutively activated in breast tumors; this activation is significantly associated with aggressive phenotypes of breast cancer. In the present study, we investigated the role of STAT3 activation on VEGF production and tumor angiogenesis in breast tumors both in vitro and in vivo. Transfection with constitutively activated STAT3 increased STAT3 activation, which in turn, enhanced breast metastasis. In contrast, blockade of STAT3 activation by transfection with siRNA for STAT3 suppressed breast tumor growth in animal models. Furthermore, altered STAT3 activity profoundly affected breast tumor angiogenesis in vivo, tumor cell invasion in vitro, and the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in vivo and in vitro. Finally, STAT3 activity transcriptionally regulated the promoter activity of bFGF as well as VEGF and MMP-2 in human cancer cells. These results indicate STAT3 activation plays an important role in the dysregulated expression of bFGF, VEGF and MMP-2 as well as in the angiogenic and invasive processes utilized by cancer cells_all of which contribute to metastasis. Therefore, STAT3 activation may present a novel target in the treatment of human breast cancer.
Effective UAV and Ground Sensor Authentication

Nowadays, The Internet of Things (IoT) has been widely used in various fields due to its smart sensing and communication capabilities. IoT devices serve as bridges for the cyber system to interact with the physical environment by providing various useful sensing capabilities such as battlefield surveillance, home monitoring, traffic control, etc. These capabilities also make IoT an important role in tactical missions in the military, including Reconnaissance, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RISTA). Nevertheless, IoT devices are known to have critical issues on security due to constraints on cost and resources. Most existing researches are based on smart sensors that have comparatively more computing and communication resources, while security solutions for dumb sensors are still lacking. Some IoT sensors that are deployed in a hostile environment are dumb due to limitations on cost and power supply, making them more vulnerable to attacks. In this work, we try to tackle this problem by proposing effective authentication solutions between a UAV and dumb IoT devices (also referred to as dumb sensors) within an example application of a UAV-sensor collaborative RISTA mission. We present two different schemes for two-way mutual authentication between the UAV and dumb sensors which utilize non-cryptographic physical layer cover channel and neighboring devices' signal sensing correlations respectively. We demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our schemes with extensive real-world experiments on our prototype deployment.
Latency of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation-evoked cortical activity as a potential biomarker for postoperative motor side effects.

Abstract Objective Here, we investigate whether cortical activation predicts motor side effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and whether these potential biomarkers have utility under general anesthesia. Methods We recorded scalp potentials elicited by DBS during surgery (n = 11), both awake and under general anesthesia, and in an independent ambulatory cohort (n = 8). Across a range of stimulus configurations, we measured the amplitude and timing of short- and long-latency response components and linked them to motor side effects. Results Regardless of anesthesia state, in both cohorts, DBS settings with capsular side effects elicited early responses with peak latencies clustering at Conclusion DBS elicits short-latency cortical activation, both awake and under general anesthesia, which appears to reveal interactions between the stimulus and the corticospinal tract. Significance Short-latency evoked cortical activity can potentially be used to aid both DBS lead placement and post-operative programming.
Development and application of an ethical framework for pediatric metabolic and bariatric surgery evaluation

Abstract Background As severe obesity continues to rise among youth, metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) will increasingly be used as a treatment of choice for durable weight loss and improvement of obesity-related complications. MBS for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and for preadolescents has raised ethical questions. Objectives The purpose of this article is to present the creation and application of an ethical framework that supports why MBS should be considered in pediatrics based on the principle of justice without automatic exclusions. This framework also provides a guide for how to conduct a robust, ethically grounded evaluation of pediatric patients presenting for MBS in general, and among subpopulations including youth with IDD and preadolescents. Setting Academic medical center, United States. Methods An ethical framework was developed and applied through a collaboration between an MBS center at a children’s hospital and the institution’s ethics consult service. Results Application of the ethical framework to address 4 core ethical questions is illustrated using 2 hypothetical cases: 1 that highlights an adolescent with IDD and 1 that highlights a preadolescent. Conclusions We have demonstrated the application of a novel, overarching framework to conduct the ethical evaluation of youth presenting for MBS. This framework resulted from a collaboration between MBS and ethics consult teams and has the potential to be used as a prototype for other youth-focused MBS programs. Next steps include prospective data collection to test the framework and determine its validity in the target population.
A decomposition formula for representations

Let H be the Levi subgroup of a parabolic subgroup of a split reductive group G. In characteristic zero, an irreducible representation V of G decomposes when restricted to H into a sum V = ⊕ m α W α where the W α ’s are distinct irreducible representations of H . We will give a formula for the multiplicities m α . When H is the maximal torus, this formula is Weyl’s character formula. In theory one may deduce the general formula from Weyl’s result but I do not know how to do this.
The Relationship between Foreclosure Status and Apartment Price

Empirical studies disclose that foreclosed residential properties sell at a discount from the expected market price for non-foreclosed residences. This investigation shows that prior findings on residential properties can be extended to include income-producing properties. In addition, it employs market rent to control for variation in property quality. An analysis of apartment sales in Phoenix, Arizona, demonstrates that foreclosure-status apartments sell at a 22% discount when compared to non-foreclosure apartment sales. The rationale for accepting discounted prices may be atypical seller motivations such as a need to satisfy regulatory capital requirements, to mitigate negative stock price effects, or to protect credit ratings.
Opportunistic Fitness Evaluation in a Genetic Algorithm for Civil Engineering Design Optimization

The process of large structure design in civil engineering relies primarily on trial and error, guided by experience. We apply genetic algorithms to search for valid designs (satisfying all design constraints), minimizing total weight. The fitness evaluation has two components. Evaluating the validity of a candidate solution is very expensive, but the total weight can be evaluated independently and relatively cheaply. We demonstrate two techniques for using the inexpensive quality evaluation to decide whether or not the expensive validity evaluation is worth the investment of time it requires. We also use operators that reflect domain expert knowledge about design improvement techniques in order to improve convergence.
Extensive Workup for Embolic Sources in Lacunar Strokes: Prevalence in an Academic Setting (P1.043)

OBJECTIVE: To study the practice of extensive etiologic workup in lacunar stroke patients in an urban academic hospital setting. BACKGROUND: Small subcortical (lacunar) strokes occur in clinical settings and have prognostic implications distinct from infarctions due to large artery occlusions. While the two stroke types share certain risk factors, small subcortical strokes are more commonly caused by intrinsic microvascular disease than by thromboembolism from proximal sources. Thus, the clinical relevance and cost-effectiveness of extensive workup for thromboembolic sources in lacunar strokes has been questioned. DESIGN/METHODS: All admissions to the University of Chicago Medical Center with a principle diagnosis of stroke over a three year period were classified as lacunar strokes versus other stroke types according to pre- identified criteria. 25 lacunar stroke cases and 25 non-lacunar stroke cases were randomly sampled. Clinical features and imaging results were reviewed and recorded. RESULTS: 1841 patients with a coded diagnosis of stroke were admitted during the study period. Of these, 202 were readmitted patients. There were 637 confirmed ischemic strokes, 293 primary intracranial hemorrhages, 10 combined ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, 849 non-acute stroke conditions, and 52 uncertain or unclassified cases. Of the 637 ischemic strokes, 100 were lacunar strokes, 19 were possible lacunes, and 518 were non-lacunar ischemic strokes. Of the 25 sampled lacunar stroke admissions, 17 had both echocardiography and intracranial vascular imaging; in comparison, 18 of 25 non-lacunar stroke admissions included both types of imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Lacunar strokes represent a substantial fraction of the ischemic strokes admitted in this urban hospital setting. These patients typically receive extensive work-up for thromboembolic sources similar to that applied to large artery strokes. Examination of clinical features and outcomes of lacunar stroke, and of the clinical utility of the extensive imaging, is warranted to guide best clinical practices. Disclosure: Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Choi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gallardo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nwaneri has nothing to disclose. Dr. Brorson has received personal compensation for activities with CVS Caremark Corporation as a legal consultant. Dr. Brorson has received research support from the National Institutes of Health.
NeST: a Grid enabled storage appliance

We describe NeST, a flexible software-only storage appliance designed to meet the storage needs of the Grid. NeST has three key features that make it well-suited for deployment in a Grid environment. First, NeST provides a generic data transfer architecture that supports multiple data transfer protocols (including GridFTP and NFS), and allows for the easy addition of new protocols. Second, NeST is dynamic, adapting itself on-the-fly so that it runs effectively on a wide range of hardware and software platforms. Third, NeST is Grid-aware, implying that features that are necessary for integration into the Grid, such as storage space guarantees, mechanisms for resource and data discovery, user authentication, and quality of service, are a part of the NeST infrastructure. We include a practical discussion about building Grid tools using the NeST software.
Laboratory Forum: Rat as an Animal Model for Male Erectile Function Evaluation in Sexual Medicine Research

ABSTRACT Introduction Animal models have contributed, to a great extent, to our understanding and advancement in the field of sexual medicine. Many current medical and surgical therapies in sexual medicine are the direct result of the development of such animal models. Over the past 15–20 years, rodents have become the premier models for such studies. In particular, the rat model provided the most valuable and reproducible investigations that significantly contributed to our knowledge of male sexual dysfunction as well as in the development of various treatment modalities. In addition, such in vivo animal models helped us develop the latest biotechnological tools that allowed numerous investigations at the cellular and molecular levels. Aim Review the most common laboratory techniques that employ rat model for the evaluation of male erectile function and erectile tissue end-organ analyses. Methods Review of peer-reviewed literature. Main Outcome Measures Pathophysiology and laboratory research outcome correlation. Results The review suggests that rat is a versatile model in sexual medicine research. Conclusions This versatile model should help in the further development of research tools, characterize additional signaling target molecules and pathways, and help in our understanding of male sexual dysfunction. Mehta N, Sikka S, and Rajasekaran M. Rat as an animal model for male erectile function evaluation in sexual medicine research.
Out of Oz: Opportunities and Challenges for Using Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as Biological Indicators in North-Temperate Cold Biomes

I review the distribution of ant genera in cold biomes of the northern hemisphere, and discuss opportunities and challenges in using ants as environmental, ecological, and biodiversity indicators in these biomes. I present five propositions that, if supported with future research, would allow ants to be used as biological indicators in north-temperate cold biomes: (1) Distribution of individual species or species groups are leading (early-warning) indicators of climatic warming at tundra / taiga or taiga / broadleaf forest boundaries; (2) mound-building species in the Formica rufa LINNAEUS, 1761 group are ecological indicators for land-use changes in European taiga and broadleaf forests; (3) relative abundance (evenness) is a leading indicator of environmental changes whereas high species richness is an indicator of past or ongoing disturbance; (4) presence of social parasites and slave-making species are better indicators of ecological integrity than presence or abundance of their hosts alone; (5) occurrence of non-native or invasive species is an indicator of reduced ecological integrity. Important aspects of long-term sampling, surveying, monitoring, and experimenting on ants are discussed in light of future research needs to test these propositions and to further develop ants as indicators of changing environmental conditions in north-temperate cold biomes.
Conscientious refusal or discrimination against gay parents

Pediatricians should not opt out of caring for children of same-sex couples due to anti-gay beliefs or bias.
In vitro validation of a new cardiac catheter technique for recording monophasic action potentials.

Monophasic action potential (MAP) recording with non-suction, ‘contact’ electrode catheters has been shown possible and safe during clinical catheterization, but direct validation of this new technique is lacking. We therefore recorded these contact electrode MAPs simultaneously with transmembrane action potentials (TAPs) from closely adjacent sites in perfused and superfused rabbit septum preparations and performed a quantitative comparison between the two signals for duration and area at 30, 60 and 90% repolarization. To obtain a variety of action potential durations and configurations for the comparison, the rate and rhythm of stimulation and the extracellular calcium or potassium ion concentration were changed. With action potential duration at 90% repolarization made to vary from 150 to 513 ms, the mean absolute difference ±SD between the simultaneous intra- and extracellular recordings was 5.4±11.3 ms and the linear correlation coefficient was r = 0.96 ± 0.03. Similar agreement between the two types of recordings was found for measurements for area and at 60 and 30% repolarization levels. These data confirm that MAPs recorded with this clinically safe contact electrode technique can be used to measure accurately the repolarization time course of transmembrane action potentials.
Über fluorhaltige Komplexe. VI. Über Fluoroberyllate

Die Praparate nach Mitra sind nicht, wie behauptet, Monohydroxotrifluoroberyllate, sondern Tetrafluoroberyllate. Auch nach Pascal lassen sich keine einwandfreien Hydroxo-fluoroberyllate gewinnen. Die Herstellung von Alkoxyfluoroberyllaten scheitert an der grosen Bildungstendenz des [BeF4]2–-Ions. Als Ausgangsmaterial zur Herstellung polymerer Fluoroberyllate dienen Oxalatofluorokomplexe des Berylliums. Bei der thermischen Behandlung spielen sich folgende Reaktionen ab: Die Carbonatokomplexe bilden sich bei etwa 400°C. Oberhalb 400°C. beginnt langsam die CO2-Abspaltung, zur vollstandigen Entfernung von CO2 war mehrstundiges Erhitzen auf 750°C notwendig. The monohydroxotrifluoroberyllates described by Mitra are shown to be tetrafluoro-beryllates; the preparation method given by Pascal yields no real hydroxofluoroberyllates, too. Similarly, alkoxyfluoroberyllates cannot be obtained because of the great formation tendency of the [BeF4]2– ion. The polymeric fluoroberyllates K2BeF2O and K4[Be2F6O] have been prepared by thermal decomposition of oxalatofluoro-compounds (reactions see „Inhaltsubersicht”).
SPERMATIC CORD ANESTHESIA BLOCK FOR SCROTAL PROCEDURES IN OUTPATIENT CLINIC SETTING

ABSTRACTPurpose: We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of spermatic cord anesthetic block (SCAB) as the only method of anesthesia for bilateral simple orchiectomy in an outpatient clinic setting.Materials and Methods: The study included 141 consecutive bilateral simple orchiectomy (BSO) procedures performed at Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center during a 33-month period. All procedures were performed in an outpatient clinic setting using SCAB as the only method of anesthesia. The anesthetic solution consisted of an equal mixture of 1% lidocaine with epinephrine at 1:100,000 and 0.25% bupivacaine. A 10-point visual analog pain scale was used to assess pain/discomfort at baseline, during SCAB instillation and during BSO. Postoperatively overall patient impression/satisfaction with SCAB as a method of anesthesia was determined.Results: Nine of the 141 available cases (6.4%) were excluded from study. The remaining 132 cases were included in data analysis. Mean patient age was 75.4 years (range 44 to 8...
The Historiography of Late Nineteenth-Century American Legal History

Although the treatment of history in late nineteenth-century American legal scholarship remains largely unexplored, two recent areas of research have discussed this subject tangentially. Historiographical critiques of the emphasis on doctrine by American legal historians typically maintain that late nineteenth-century legal scholars viewed history as disclosing an inevitable evolutionary progression from primitive to civilized forms. This "whiggish" approach, the critiques add, ignored the context and function of past law while apologetically justifying conservative existing law as autonomous scientific truth. Without addressing the historiographical critiques, scholarship about late nineteenth-century legal thinkers has touched on their historical research and assumptions, mostly in passing as part of inquiries about other subjects. Designed primarily to convey how both areas of research have contributed to the historiography of late nineteenth-century American legal history, this article concludes by drawing on my own extensive reading of the original sources. Sometimes in support but often in refutation of the existing secondary literature, my findings reveal that the late nineteenth-century scholars formed a distinctive and sophisticated American school of historical jurisprudence that merits further study. Often warning against the very faults ascribed to them by dismissive subsequent scholars, many viewed legal evolution as a contingent response to social change and urged substantial reform of existing law. The American school of historical jurisprudence, moreover, provides an important intellectual context for new insights into two giants of American legal thought, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and Roscoe Pound.
A microfluidic multichannel resistive pulse sensor using frequency division multiplexing for high throughput counting of micro particles

In this work we demonstrate an on-chip multiplexed multichannel resistive pulse sensor (Coulter counter) for high throughput counting of microscale particles. The design, fabrication and testing of this device are presented. The high throughput counting is a result of using multiple parallel microfluidic channels to analyze the sample. Detection is achieved by using frequency division multiplexing; each microchannel is modulated with its own known and unique frequency, a combined measurement is made across a single pair of electrodes, and the measured signal is demodulated to determine the signal across each individual channel. Testing results using 30 µm polystyrene particles demonstrate that the throughput of the multiplexed device gets improved 300% over a single-channel device; this is achieved by simultaneously detecting particles through the device's four parallel channels. In addition, the ac modulation method used in this paper reduces the polarization effect on the microelectrodes, and thereby allows for measurement of the particle sizes with significantly reduced error. The multiplexed detection principle can be extended to a larger number of channels to further improve the throughput, without increasing the external detection electronics.