cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histopathologic analysis of dermal lymphatic alterations in chronic venous insufficiency ulcers using D2-40.

Background Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) ulcers represent a major medical problem worldwide. Current theories concerning the pathogenesis of CVI ulcers focus on abnormalities in the blood vascular system. Other abnormalities, such as chronic leg edema, may also play pathogenic roles in CVI ulcer development and further understanding of such alterations may lead to better treatments. Objective To gain insight into lymphatic abnormalities occurring in CVI, we compared dermal lymphatics in histologic sections from CVI ulcers and normal controls. Methods We compared global and architectural features of dermal lymphatics in D2-40–stained histologic sections from CVI ulcer tissue and from normal controls. D2-40 recognizes podoplanin, a transmembrane glycoprotein that is constitutively expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells, allowing us to distinguish dermal blood vessels from lymphatic vessels. Results Our analyses reveal that CVI ulcer specimens have more dermal lymphatic vessels per unit area than controls (5.71 vs 4.08 per mm 2 , respectively; P = .0281); a higher percentage of lymphatic vessels with collapsed lumina compared with controls (30.5% vs 8.1%, respectively; P P Limitations Our study is limited by its retrospective nature and relatively small sample size. Conclusions Lymphatic vessels in CVI ulcer specimens display global and architectural differences compared with lymphatic vessels in control specimens. These findings further implicate lymphatic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of CVI ulcers and allow for the formulation of a hypothesis concerning lymphatic changes that may be tested in future studies.
A comparative study on the risk of second primary cancers in out-of-field organs associated with radiotherapy of localized prostate carcinoma using Monte Carlo-based accelerator and patient models

Purpose: A physician’s decision regarding an ideal treatment approach (i.e., radiation, surgery, and/or hormonal) for prostate carcinoma is traditionally based on a variety of metrics. One of these metrics is the risk of radiation-induced second primary cancer following radiation treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of second cancer risks in out-of-field organs from 3D-CRT and IMRTtreatments of prostate carcinoma compared to baseline cancer risks in these organs. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were performed using a detailed medical linear accelerator model and an anatomically realistic adult male whole-body phantom. A four-field box treatment, a four-field box treatment plus a six-field boost, and a seven-field IMRTtreatment were simulated. Using BEIR VII risk models, the age-dependent lifetime attributable risks to various organs outside the primary beam with a known predilection for cancer were calculated using organ-averaged equivalent doses. Results: The four-field box treatment had the lowest treatment-related second primary cancer risks to organs outside the primary beam ranging from 7.3 × 10 − 9 to 2.54 × 10 − 5 % / MU depending on the patients age at exposure and second primary cancer site. The risks to organs outside the primary beam from the four-field box and six-field boost and the seven-field IMRT were nearly equivalent. The risks from the four-field box and six-field boost ranged from 1.39 × 10 − 8 to 1.80 × 10 − 5 % / MU , and from the seven-field IMRT ranged from 1.60 × 10 − 9 to 1.35 × 10 − 5 % / MU . The second cancer risks in all organs considered from each plan were below the baseline risks. Conclusions: The treatment-related second cancer risks in organs outside the primary beam due to 3D-CRT and IMRT is small. New risk assessment techniques need to be investigated to address the concern of radiation-induced second cancers from prostate treatments, particularly focusing on risks to organs inside the primary beam.
Nonlinear static procedure for seismic vulnerability assessment of bridges

The impact of an earthquake event on the performance of a highway transportation network depends on the extent of damage sustained by its individual components, particularly bridges. Seismic damageability of bridges expressed in the form of fragility curves can easily be incorporated into the scheme of risk analysis of a highway network under the seismic hazard. In this context, this article focuses on a nonlinear static method of developing fragility curves for a typical type of concrete bridge in California. The method makes use of the capacity spectrum method (CSM) for identification of spectral displacement, which is converted to rotations at bridge column ends. To check the reliability of this current analytical procedure, developed fragility curves are compared with those obtained by nonlinear time history analysis. Results indicate that analytically developed fragility curves obtained from nonlinear static and time history analyses are consistent.
Imposing Minimax and Quantile Constraints on Optimal Matching in Observational Studies

ABSTRACTModern methods construct a matched sample by minimizing the total cost of a flow in a network, finding a pairing of treated and control individuals that minimizes the sum of within-pair covariate distances subject to constraints that ensure distributions of covariates are balanced. In aggregate, these methods work well; however, they can exhibit a lack of interest in a small number of pairs with large covariate distances. Here, a new method is proposed for imposing a minimax constraint on a minimum total distance matching. Such a match minimizes the total within-pair distance subject to various constraints including the constraint that the maximum pair difference is as small as possible. In an example with 1391 matched pairs, this constraint eliminates dozens of pairs with moderately large differences in age, but otherwise exhibits the same excellent covariate balance found without this additional constraint. A minimax constraint eliminates edges in the network, and can improve the worst-case time...
Clinical Study of Recombinant DNA-Produced Leukocyte Interferon (Clone A) in an Intermittent Schedule in Cancer Patients

The effects of recombinant DNA-produced leukocyte interferon (IFLrA) were studied in 37 patients with metastatic cancer who received sequentially escalating doses of 9-86 million units (MU) of IFLrA by im injection twice weekly. The IFLrA was absorbed rapidly and reached a peak serum concentration 6-8 hours after injection. Serum concentration of IFLrA increased proportionately with the dose. The most common side effects included fever, chills, asthenia, anorexia, and weight loss, and leukopenia, granulocytopenia, and lymphopenia occurred frequently. Elevation of serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase was frequent above doses of 50 MU. All side effects were reversible by discontinuation of the drug. Antibodies to IFLrA were detected in 3 patients while on treatment. The presence of antibodies coincided with drastic reduction in serum IFLrA concentration and, in 1 patient, with relapse of disease. Objective tumor responses were documented in patients with lymphomas but not in other groups of patients.
Ballistosporic conidia in Basidiobolus ranarum: The influence of light and nutrition on the production of conidia and endospores (sporangiospores)

The process of endospore cleavage (sporan? giospore formation) within what were originally bal? listosporic conidia was examined with light and elec? tron microscopy in two isolates of Basidiobolus ranarum. A pathogenic isolate was obtained from skin ulcers on a frog (Davis isolate) and a nonpathogenic isolate was obtained from toad feces (Toad isolate). Electron mi? croscopy revealed that endospore formation was not the result of successive bipartitioning or progressive cleavage as previously described. Instead, the proto- plasm of the ballistosporic conidium was bisected by a wall, thus dividing the conidium into one or more sporangia within which endospores (sporangiospores) were delimited. The walls segregating the conidial cy? toplasm into sporangia were continuous with the inner layer of the original conidial wall. As spores were de- marcated, some cytoplasmic debris was left in the space between the conidial/sporangial walls and the spore walls. After a period of 16 hours of low light levels, turning on the laboratory lights stimulated the for? mation and discharge of conidia with a peak in conidial discharge 5-6 hours later.
Ab Initio Study of the CH3F···H2O Complex†

The CH3F···H2O complex has been studied using both the supermolecule approach through fourth-order Moller−Plesset perturbation theory (MP4) and perturbation theory of intermolecular forces. Nine co...
Review of Postoperative Delirium in Geriatric Patients Undergoing Hip Surgery

Postoperative delirium is a serious complication following hip surgery in elderly patients that can adversely affect outcomes in both hip fracture and arthroplasty surgery. Recently, the incidence of hip fracture in the Medicare population was estimated at approximately 500 000 patients per year, with the majority treated surgically. The annual volume of total hip arthroplasty is nearly 450 000 patients and is projected to increase over the next 15 to 20 years. Subsequently, the incidence of postoperative delirium will rise. The incidence of postoperative delirium after hip surgery in the elderly patients ranges between 4% and 53%, and it is identified as the most common surgical complication of older patients. The most common risk factors include advanced age, hip fracture surgery (vs elective hip surgery), and preoperative delirium/cognitive impairment. Exact pathophysiology has not been fully defined. It is hypothesized that imbalances in cortical neurotransmitters or inflammatory cytokine pathway mechanisms contribute to delirium. Development of postoperative delirium is associated with longer hospital stay, increased medical complications, and poorer short-term functional outcome. Patients who develop postoperative delirium are also at increased risk for cognitive decline beyond the acute phase. Following acute care, postoperative delirium is associated with the need for a higher level of care, an additional cost. Management of postoperative delirium centers on prevention and early recognition. Medical prophylaxis has been demonstrated to have limited utility. Utilization of delirium detection methods contributed to early recognition. The most effective means of prevention involved a multidisciplinary team focused on adequate hydration, optimization of analgesia, reduction in polypharmacy, aggressive physiotherapy, and early recognition of the delirium symptoms.
Evolution of lesion-specific management of blunt thoracic aortic injury

Developments in diagnosis and treatment have transformed the management of blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAIs). For patients in stable condition, treatment practice has shifted from early open repair to nonoperative management for low-grade lesions and routine delayed endovascular repair for more significant injuries. However, effective therapy depends on accurate staging of injury grade and stability to select patients for appropriate management. Recent developments in BTAI risk stratification enable lesion-specific management tailored to the patient and aortic lesion. This review summarizes advances in lesion assessment and treatment and proposes an integrated scheme for the modern management of BTAI.
High-Power Linear Amplifiers

This chapter describes transmitting tube circuits because tubes still provide the most practical and economical means of achieving the high performance necessary for multichannel (ISB) transmission at power levels above 1 kW (at present). The opening section provides a good discussion of IMD. This chapter will then show how to choose and compute tube-operating conditions. Tank circuit and coupling network requirements will be discussed, and neutralization and stabilization circuits will be shown. Finally, RF feedback circuits will be described as an effective means of improving IMD performance.
Northern Latitude but Not Season Is Associated with Increased Rates of Hospitalizations Related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results of a Multi-Year Analysis of a National Cohort

Background and Aims There is growing evidence that the incidence and severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be geographically and seasonally related. Why these associations are observed remains unclear. We assessed the impact of geographic location, season, and exposure to ultraviolet light on disease severity by measuring national hospital IBD-related discharge rates. Methods Utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), we identified all patients with IBD-related discharges from 2001–2007. Patients were included if they were discharged from states above the 40th parallel (north) or at or below the 35th parallel (south); and their discharge fell within the winter (January, February, and March) or summer (July, August, and September). Groups of patients were assessed comparing north to south within each season, and summer to winter within each region. UV index was recorded from the National Weather Service data and compared to monthly discharge rates. Results There was a consistent pattern of increased IBD-related hospitalization rates in northern states compared to southern states for both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Differences in IBD-related hospitalization rates by season, however, were not uniform across the years studied. UV index was significantly inversely associated although not proportional to discharge rates for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Conclusions In the US, there is a significant increased rate of IBD-related hospitalizations in the northern compared to southern states, which not fully explained by differences in UV exposure.
Psychopathy, Its Etiology, and the Nature of Crime

The current chapter examines psychopathy, its etiological bases, and the nature of crime. Here, it is suggested that psychopathy mirrors the elemental nature and embodies the pejorative essence of antisocial behavior. The study of psychopathy has almost always been conscious of the negativity that permeates the interpersonal violation of another human being. Lying, cheating, parasitically living off another, conning, scheming, and aggressing are intrinsically wrong. The more extreme criminal behaviors committed by psychopaths are mala in se. The nature of antisocial behavior is that it is wrongful and universally proscribed and sanctioned by societies immemorial. Throughout its history, clinicians have recurrently described the disorder in very negative terms, and the chapter also reviews prominent theories of psychopathy. Cleckley’s seminal thesis, particularly his ambivalent and mostly negative view about the relation of antisociality to psychopathy, is critiqued. In contrast, the current view is that psychopathy is entrenched in criminality.
Optical Spectra of p-Doped PEDOT Nanoaggregates Provide Insight into the Material Disorder

Highly doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), or PEDOT, is a conductive polymer with a wide range of applications in energy conversion due to its ease of processing, optical properties, and high conductivity. The latter is influenced by processing conditions, including formulation, annealing, and solvent treatment of the polymer, which also affects the polymer arrangement. Here, we show that the analysis of the optical spectra of PEDOT domains reveals the nature and magnitude of the structural disorder in the material. In particular, the optical spectra of objects on individual domains can be used for elucidation of molecular disorder in an oligomer arrangement, which is a key factor affecting the conductivity.
Design and Analysis of Soft-Error Resilience Mechanisms for GPU Register File

Modern graphics processing units (GPUs) are using increasingly larger register file (RF) which occupies a large fraction of GPU core area and is very frequently accessed. This makes RF vulnerable to soft-errors (SE). In this paper, we present two techniques for improving SE resilience of GPU RF. First, we propose compressing the RF values for reducing the number of vulnerable bits. We leverage value similarity and the presence of narrow-width values to perform compression at warp or thread-level, respectively. Second, we propose selective hardening to design a portion of register entry with SE immune circuits. By collectively using these techniques, higher resilience can be provided with lower overhead. Without hardening, our warp and thread-level compression techniques bring 47.0% and 40.8% reduction in SE vulnerability, respectively.
Income Timing, Savings Constraints, and Temptation Spending: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

We study a savings technology that is popular but underutilized in developing countries: short-term deferred compensation, in which workers receive a single, later lump sum instead of more frequent installments. Workers who are randomly assigned to lump-sum payments reduce the share of income they spend immediately by 25%, and increase short-term cash holdings by a third. They are 5 percentage points more likely to purchase an artificial "bond" offered through the study. These effects are most likely due to savings constraints: 72% of workers prefer deferred payments, and rationalizing workers' choices without savings constraints requires implausibly low discount factors. Although workers report that temptation spending is an important driver of savings constraints, we find little evidence for that mechanism. Employers could enhance workers' welfare at limited cost by offering deferred wage payments.
Blast Furnace Practice with Pellets and Natural Gas

A review of Ford Motor Co’s test program on the blast-furnace smelting of Humboldt pellets with the injection of natural gas as a supplementary fuel.
Evaluation of the Immunomodulatory Effects of 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoro-2-(Heptafluoropropoxy)-Propanoate in C57BL/6 Mice

2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate was designed to replace perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been mostly phased out of U.S. production due to environmental persistence, detectable human and wildlife serum concentrations, and reports of systemic toxicity. In rodent models, PFOA exposure suppresses T cell-dependent antibody responses (TDAR) and vaccine responses in exposed humans. To determine replacement compound effects on TDAR and related parameters, male and female C57BL/6 mice were gavaged with 0, 1, 10, or 100 mg/kg/day for 28 days. Mice immunized with antigen on day 24 were evaluated for TDAR and splenic lymphocyte subpopulations five days later. Serum and urine were collected for test compound concentrations and liver peroxisome proliferation was measured. Relative liver weight at 10 and 100 mg/kg and peroxisome proliferation at 100 mg/kg were increased in both sexes. TDAR was suppressed in females at 100 mg/kg. T lymphocyte numbers were increased in males at 100 mg/kg; B lymphocyte numbers were unchanged in both sexes. Females had less serum accumulation and higher clearance than males, and males had higher urine concentrations than females at all times and doses. While this PFOA-replacement compound appears less potent at suppressing TDAR relative to PFOA, it produces detectable changes in parameters affected by PFOA; further studies are necessary to determine its full immunomodulatory profile and potential synergism with other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances of environmental concern.
Influence of Preoperative Musculotendinous Junction Position on Rotator Cuff Healing After Double-Row Repair

Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the preoperative position of the musculotendinous junction (MTJ) on rotator cuff healing after double-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. A secondary purpose was to evaluate how tendon length and MTJ position change when the rotator cuff heals. Methods Preoperative and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 42 patients undergoing arthroscopic double-row rotator cuff repair were reviewed. Patients undergoing repairs with other constructs or receiving augmented repairs (platelet-rich fibrin matrix) who had postoperative MRI scans were excluded. Preoperative MRI scans were evaluated for anteroposterior tear size, tendon retraction, tendon length, muscle quality, and MTJ position with respect to the glenoid in the coronal plane. The position of the MTJ was referenced off the glenoid face as either lateral or medial. Postoperative MRI scans were evaluated for healing, tendon length, and MTJ position. Results Of 42 tears, 36 (86%) healed, with 27 of 31 small to medium tears (87%) and 9 of 11 large to massive tears (82%) healing. Healing occurred in 94% of tears that had a preoperative MTJ lateral to the face of the glenoid but only 56% of tears that had a preoperative MTJ medial to the glenoid face ( P = .0135). The measured tendon length increased an average of 14.4 mm in patients whose tears healed compared with shortening by 6.4 mm in patients with tears that did not heal ( P P = .026). The overall follow-up period of the study was from April 2005 to September 2014 (113 months). Conclusions The preoperative MTJ position is predictive of postoperative healing after double-row rotator cuff repair. The position of the MTJ with respect to the glenoid face is a reliable, identifiable marker on MRI scans that can be predictive of healing. Level of Evidence Level IV, retrospective review of case series; therapeutic study.
On identifiability of sparse gross errors in power system measurements

In this paper, we present feasibility study of sparse error correction in power system measurements. Legacy bad data detection mechanisms have been shown to be prone to make erroneous decisions when elaborately designed errors are injected by cyber attacks. In order to effectively handle such gross errors, sparse error correction framework has been suggested in the literature. For proper utilization of sparse error correction framework, it is important to understand what are the gross errors that are fundamentally identifiable based on the sparsity assumption. Such understanding can help us find optimal security resource allocation that can restrict the gross error locations such that the errors are identifiable. In this paper, we present a few conditions that can guarantee that gross errors are identifiable. In addition, we provide sufficient conditions under which a summation of identifiable gross errors with disjoint supports is also identifiable. These condition can be used to verify identifiability of gross errors in the measurement system by checking local conditions of smaller subsystems.
Current perspectives on natamycin in ocular fungal infections

Abstract Currently, natamycin ophthalmic suspension (Natacyn ® ) is the only commercially available antifungal agent that has been approved in the treatment of superficial fungal infections of the eye such as fungal keratitis, blepharitis, and conjunctivitis. Despite natamycin requiring frequent application due to low retention at the ocular surface, it has shown efficacy in treating superficial ophthalmic fungal infections. This is attributed to its broad antifungal spectrum against filamentous fungi, safety profile, and its trans-corneal penetration capability. The ability of natamycin to traverse across the intact cornea and reach adjacent stromal layers has been credited to be one of the major factors favoring its continued use in superficial fungal infections over other antifungal agents such amphotericin B and azole class of antifungals, which can only penetrate the debrided cornea, but not intact cornea, to elicit their activity. This has led to natamycin being one of the front-line agents in the therapy of superficial ocular fungal infections. This review discusses various aspects of natamycin such as its chemistry and pharmacology, antifungal spectrum and potential for development of resistance, ocular clinical evaluations, and specifics on the marketed natamycin formulation (Natacyn ® ) to obtain a perspective of natamycin use in ophthalmic fungal infections.
Pattern directed mining of sequence data

Sequence data arise naturally in many applications, and can be viewed as an ordering of events, where each event has an associated time of occurrence. An important characteristic of event sequences is the occurrence of episodes, i.e. a collection of events occurring in a certain pattern. Of special interest are frequent episodes, i.e. episodes occurring with a frequency above a certain threshold. In this paper, we study the problem of mining for frequent episodes in sequence data. We present a framework for efficient mining of frequent episodes which goes beyond previous work in a number of ways. First, we present a language for specifying episodes of interest. Second, we describe a novel data structure, called the sequential pattern tree (SP Tree), which captures the relationships specified in the pattern language in a very compact manner. Third, we show how this data structure can be used by a standard bottom-up mining algorithm to generate frequent episodes in an efficient manner. Finally, we show how the SP Tree can be optimized by sharing common conditions, and evaluating each such expression only once. We present the results of an evaluation of the proposed techniques.
Bandwidth scheduling in overlay networks with linear capacity constraints

An increasing number of high-performance networks are built over the existing IP network infrastructure to provision dedicated channels for big data transfer. The links in these overlay networks correspond to underlying paths and may share lower-level link segments. We consider a model of overlay networks that incorporates correlated link capacities and linear capacity constraints (LCCs) to formulate such shared bottleneck components. The overlay links are typically shared by multiple users through advance reservations, resulting in varying bandwidth availability in future time. Therefore, efficient bandwidth scheduling algorithms are needed to improve the network resource utilization and also meet the user's transport requirements. We investigate two advance scheduling problems in overlay networks with LCCs: Fixed-Bandwidth Path and Varying-Bandwidth Path, with the objective to minimize the data transfer end time for a given data size. We prove that both problems are NP-complete and non-approximable, and propose heuristic algorithms using a gradual relaxation procedure on the maximum number of links from each LCC allowed for path computation. The performance superiority of these heuristics is verified by extensive simulation results in comparison with optimal and greedy strategies.
Flexural Behavior of Concrete Crossties under Different Support Conditions

AbstractSuccessful mapping of concrete crosstie flexural demands to different railroad track support conditions can lead to an improved understanding of crosstie flexural performance and more repre...
Physiology in Perspective: Stem Cells and Regenerative Physiology

Stem cells are the basic building blocks of life and determine differentiation into all cell types within the body. Our first attempts to harness the potential of stem cells occurred in the late 1960s with the introduction of bone marrow transplantation. Excitement, debate, and controversy then
Child Sleep and Socioeconomic Context in the Development of Cognitive Abilities in Early Childhood.

Despite a robust literature examining the association between sleep problems and cognitive abilities in childhood, little is known about this association in toddlerhood, a period of rapid cognitive development. The present study examined the association between various sleep problems, using actigraphy, and performance on a standardized test of cognitive abilities, longitudinally across three ages (30, 36, and 42 months) in a large sample of toddlers (N = 493). Results revealed a between-subject effect in which the children who had more delayed sleep schedules on average also showed poorer cognitive abilities on average but did not support a within-subjects effect. Results also showed that delayed sleep explains part of the association between family socioeconomic context and child cognitive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Primacy coding in dual olfactory networks

In the olfactory system, odor percepts retain their identity despite substantial variations in concentration, timing, and background. We propose a novel strategy for encoding intensity-invariant stimuli identity based on representing relative rather than absolute stimulus features. In this scheme, dependence on relative amplitudes of stimulus features makes identity invariant to intensity and monotonous non-linearities of neuronal responses. We propose that the olfactory system represents stimulus identity using the information that a subset of odorant receptor types responds more strongly than all receptor types in the complement set. We show that this information is sufficient to ensure the robust recovery of a sparse stimulus (odorant) via elastic net loss minimization. This minimization is performed under the constraints imposed by the relationships between these two receptor sets. We formulate this problem using its dual Lagrangian. We show that the dual problem can be solved by a neural network whose Lyapunov function represents the dual Lagrangian. We thus propose that networks in the piriform cortex compute odorant identity and implement dual computations with the sparse activities of individual neurons representing Lagrange multipliers.
Mother’s inflammation shapes baby’s brain

Exposure to maternal inflammation during pregnancy affects newborn brain organization and cognitive abilities during early childhood.
Stochastic control of a queue with two servers of different rates

We consider the problem of optimal control of a queueing system consisting of a common queue feeding two servers of different rates. Arrivals to this system form a Poisson process and the service times are exponentially distributed. Whenever a server is idle a decision has to be made on whether to feed a customer from the queue to the idle server. The cost criterion which we desire to minimize is the average number of customers in the system or equivalently, the mean waiting time of the customers. It is shown that the optimal policy is of threshold type, i.e. the slower server should be fed a customer only when the queue length exceeds a certain threshold value.
Molecular Diagnostics and Tumor Mutational Analysis

Genetic and genomic analysis of melanoma tumor samples has identified a number of somatic mutations integral to melanoma pathogenesis, with the most prevalent mutation being the BRAF V600 mutation. Targeted inhibitors directed against this mutation have produced improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy. Multiple additional somatic mutations have been identified, and some also have prompted the development of therapy targeted against them. In this chapter, we review common techniques used to identify gene mutations and genomic aberrations, and briefly describe mutations important in melanoma pathogenesis. We also describe massively parallel sequencing and discuss advances that have been made in the identification of novel driver mutations in melanoma tumors. Finally, the application of these techniques with respect to clinical testing is addressed, specifically as they pertain to the development and advancement of personalized medicine.
An Exploratory Study on the Köhler Effect and Flow in Long-term Exergaming

Background. One way to motivate people to exercise is to create a motivating social context, such as group exercise, due to social comparison opportunities. However, typical group exercise is not a...
Brief Report: HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Engagement Among Adolescent Men Who Have Sex With Men The Role of Parent–Adolescent Communication About Sex

Background Adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) are severely affected by the HIV epidemic in the United States. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has proven extremely effective in preventing new HIV infections among adult men who have sex with men, but no research has examined PrEP awareness among AMSM. Furthermore, initial research investigating PrEP adherence among AMSM has found low adherence to the medication regimen. Effective parent-adolescent communication about sex is associated with safer sexual health behaviors among AMSM, and parent-adolescent communication is one potential avenue to increase PrEP engagement among AMSM. Setting Participants included 636 AMSM in the United States who completed a cross-sectional online survey in 2015. Methods Self-reported data on PrEP awareness, attitudes about PrEP, and perceived behavioral control for PrEP usage as well as frequency and quality of parent-adolescent communication about HIV were collected from AMSM. Regression models predicting PrEP awareness, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control from communication constructs were estimated, adjusting for demographic covariates. Results Sixteen percent of AMSM were aware of PrEP. AMSM who reported more frequent communication about HIV with their parents were more likely to report being aware of PrEP. Among AMSM aware of PrEP, higher quality parent-adolescent communication about HIV was associated with higher perceived behavioral control for PrEP usage. Conclusions Despite high HIV incidence among AMSM in the United States, PrEP awareness is low in this population. Effective parent-adolescent communication about HIV and sexual health could increase AMSM engagement with PrEP and enhance PrEP adherence within future trials among AMSM.
Single Unit Transfusions in a Community Medical Center

Academic medical centers have implemented comprehensive patient blood management programs to reduce potential adverse transfusion effects. A retrospective study of single unit transfusions was conducted at a 319 bed community medical center to determine single unit transfusion practice patterns. Patient records of 535 single unit recipients were examined for gender, age and change in hemoglobin and hematocrit. Females (mean age 67) accounted for 64 % of recipients, with a mean increase in hemoglobin of 1.3 g/dL. Males (mean age 67) had a mean increase of 0.9 g/dL. An incidental finding was that laboratory assessment of hemoglobin was unavailable for 6% (pre transfusion) and 15% (post transfusion) of recipients. The proportion of single units transfused on a monthly basis ranged from 0.02% to 0.05%. No change toward increased use of single unit transfusion was identified. A formal patient blood management program is recommended as a next step in providing appropriate transfusion therapy.
May I Have Your Attention: An Analysis of Teacher Responses During A Multi-Year Professional Learning Program

ABSTRACTReform documents like the Next Generation Science Standards call for the integration of science practices and content. One such framework that leverages science practices to support learnin...
Vitamine D et chirurgie orthopédique

Abstract Introduction Vitamin D plays an important role in the musculoskeletal system of the human body. Here, we review the most current literature on vitamin D as it relates to orthopaedic surgery and the musculoskeletal system, focusing largely on non-fracture applications. Materials and Methods A literature review was performed on the basic science of vitamin D metabolism, epidemiology of vitamin D levels, role of vitamin D within the musculoskeletal system, and the correlation of vitamin D with injuries and orthopaedic surgical outcomes. Results The existing literature suggests vitamin D plays multiple roles in the musculoskeletal system. Recent research has shed light on the importance of vitamin D in the setting of soft tissue healing and recovery in addition to affecting postoperative outcomes after common orthopaedic procedures. Conclusions Given the widespread prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, orthopaedic surgeons should be aware of the current evidence regarding clinical implications in patients with musculoskeletal complaints.
The Random Matrix Theory of the Classical Compact Groups

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive overview of foundational results and recent progress in the study of random matrices from the classical compact groups, drawing on the subject's deep connections to geometry, analysis, algebra, physics, and statistics. The book sets a foundation with an introduction to the groups themselves and six different constructions of Haar measure. Classical and recent results are then presented in a digested, accessible form, including the following: results on the joint distributions of the entries; an extensive treatment of eigenvalue distributions, including the Weyl integration formula, moment formulae, and limit theorems and large deviations for the spectral measures; concentration of measure with applications both within random matrix theory and in high dimensional geometry; and results on characteristic polynomials with connections to the Riemann zeta function. This book will be a useful reference for researchers and an accessible introduction for students in related fields.
The Serotonin Brainstem Hypothesis for the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of postneonatal infant mortality in the United States today, with an overall rate of 0.39/1000 live births. It is defined as the sudden and unexpected death of an infant <12 months of age that remains unexplained after a complete autopsy, death scene investigation, and review of the clinical history. The serotonin brainstem hypothesis has been a leading hypothesis for SIDS over the last 2 decades. Our laboratory has studied this hypothesis over time with a variety of tissue techniques, including tissue receptor autoradiography, high performance liquid chromatography, Western blot analysis, immunocytochemistry, and proteomics. The purpose of this article is to review the progress in our laboratory toward supporting this hypothesis. We conclude that an important subset of SIDS infants has serotonergic abnormalities resulting from a "core lesion" in the medullary reticular formation comprised of nuclei that contain serotonin neurons. This lesion could lead to a failure of protective brainstem responses to homeostatic challenges during sleep in a critical developmental period which cause sleep-related sudden death.
Finding Dental Harm to Patients through Electronic Health Record-Based Triggers.

Background:Patients may be inadvertently harmed while undergoing dental treatments. To improve care, we must first determine the types and frequency of harms that patients experience, but identifyi...
Minimally Invasive Surgery Strategies: Changing the Treatment of Spine Tumors

Innovation in surgical technique and contemporary spinal instrumentation paired with intraoperative navigation/imaging concepts allows for safer and less-invasive surgical approaches. The combination of stereotactic body radiotherapy, contemporary surgical adjuncts, and less-invasive techniques serves to minimize blood loss, soft tissue injury, and length of hospital stay without compromising surgical efficacy, potentially enabling patients to begin adjuvant treatment sooner.
Tissue Tolerance Coupled With Ionic Discrimination Can Potentially Minimize the Energy Cost of Salinity Tolerance in Rice

Salinity is one of the major constraints in rice production. To date, development of salt-tolerant rice cultivar is primarily focused on salt-exclusion strategies, which incur greater energy cost. The present study aimed to evaluate a balancing strategy of ionic discrimination vis-a-vis tissue tolerance, which could potentially minimize the energy cost of salt tolerance in rice. Four rice genotypes, viz., FL478, IR29, Kamini, and AC847, were grown hydroponically and subjected to salt stress equivalent to 12 dS m-1 at early vegetative stage. Different physiological observations (leaf chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence traits, and tissue Na+ and K+ content) and visual scoring suggested a superior Na+-partitioning strategy operating in FL478. A very low tissue Na+/K+ ratio in the leaves of FL478 after 7 days of stress hinted the existence of selective ion transport mechanism in this genotype. On the contrary, Kamini, an equally salt-tolerant genotype, was found to possess a higher leaf Na+/K+ ratio than does FL478 under similar stress condition. Salt-induced expression of different Na+ and K+ transporters indicated significant upregulation of SOS, HKT, NHX, and HAK groups of transporters in both leaves and roots of FL478, followed by Kamini. The expression of plasma membrane and vacuolar H+ pumps (OsAHA1, OsAHA7, and OsV-ATPase) were also upregulated in these two genotypes. On the other hand, IR29 and AC847 showed greater salt susceptibility owing to excess upward transport of Na+ and eventually died within a few days of stress imposition. But in the "leaf clip" assay, it was found that both IR29 and Kamini had high tissue-tolerance and chlorophyll-retention abilities. On the contrary, FL478, although having higher ionic-discrimination ability, showed the least degree of tissue tolerance as evident from the LC50 score (amount of Na+ required to reduce the initial chlorophyll content to half) of 336 mmol g-1 as against 459 and 424 mmol g-1 for IR29 and Kamini, respectively. Overall, the present study indicated that two components (ionic selectivity and tissue tolerance) of salt tolerance mechanism are distinct in rice. Unique genotypes like Kamini could effectively balance both of these strategies to achieve considerable salt tolerance, perhaps with lesser energy cost.
Conflict in abundance and peacebuilding in scarcity: Challenges and opportunities in addressing climate change and conflict

Abstract Over the past decade, academic and policy communities have given significant attention to the potential connections between climate change and conflict (climate-conflict). While the degree to which climate change alters conflict outcomes remains a topic of considerable debate in academic communities, policy organizations are already being tasked with incorporating climate-conflict into policy and programming. This article investigates how climate-conflict discourses inform development policy and, in turn, how the structures of development enable or constrain institutions’ ability to address climate-conflict priorities. Drawing upon mixed-methods and multi-sited data collection, including nine months of participant observation, interviews, a survey of local government officials, and a document review, I investigated the ways in which development practitioners seek to address climate-conflict. Data collection focused on two particular programs being implemented by Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian and development NGO, in Karamoja, Uganda, a region emerging from a period of violent conflict manifesting largely between ethnically defined pastoralist groups. In examining how the wider discourses of climate-conflict inform these programs, I demonstrate why there exists such a wide disparity between the demand for development programming that addresses the conflict risks of climate change and the distinct lack of clarity regarding what such programming might entail. More specifically, I identify the following overlapping challenges facing development agencies seeking to address climate-conflict: complex spatial scales across disconnected geographies, imprecise and limiting discursive framings, and challenges related to program governance. In addition to identifying these barriers, I also demonstrate that clearer paths for development intervention emerge when the narrow conceptualizations of climate-conflict are widened beyond climate change’s role as a driver of conflict or ‘threat multiplier’.
CH4 and CO2 diffuse gas emissions before, during and after a Steamboat Geyser eruption

Abstract Steamboat Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin in the northwestern part of Yellowstone National Park is the highest erupting active geyser in the world with jets of fluids observed to be as high as 115 m. Steamboat eruptions increased from 11 between 2000 and 2017 to 131 between 19 April 2018 and 21 February 2021. Recurrence intervals are now irregular, averaging 8 ± 4 (1σ) days between each event. To examine whether changes in gas emissions could serve as eruption precursors for Steamboat, on June 12, 2019 we made continuous measurements of the diffuse emissions of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) ~30 m from the geyser before and after a single eruption event. These results showed steady fluxes during the 2.5 h, except for a sharp decrease of 58% for CH4 and 50% for CO2 10–25 min before the eruption. These precursor measurements were followed by the eruption and 3.5 h of measurements that showed fluxes quickly returning to previously measured values. Similarly, precursor carbon isotope measurements of CH4 (δ13C-CH4) and CO2 (δ13C-CO2) were both distinctly lighter (−35.7 ± 2.1‰ and −6.2 ± 0.4‰, respectively) than the non-precursor measurements (−27.5 ± 0.3‰; −3.9 ± 0.1‰, respectively) that reflected a deep source. This suggests that the diffuse emissions of deeply sourced gas was interrupted near the commencement of this one observed eruption at Steamboat.
Exploring optical coherence tomography imaging depth to differentiate tissues at surgical margins.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging modality that provides real-time visualization of tissue microstructure. The goals of this study were to assess OCT image tissue depths (TD) with image processing, and other objective characteristics of tissue types at surgical margins in canine soft tissue sarcoma (STS). In this study, a single observer reviewed 248 images of four tissue types (sarcoma, skeletal muscle, adipose and fascia) collected from 24 dogs with STS. The observer evaluated for tissue characteristics and measured TDs utilizing ImageJ software. Images were evaluated in normal, Threshold and Binary conditions. Measurements were repeated one week later to evaluate for intra-observer variability. In all three image processing conditions, the order of TD from greatest to least light penetration was adipose, skeletal muscle, fascia and sarcoma tissue. Neovascularization was observed in 53.2% sarcoma, and lines of fascia surrounding muscle bundles was present in 93.5% of skeletal muscle images. These observed differences between tissue types in OCT images can be utilized to improve observer evaluation, aid in development of algorithms, and improve the accuracy of surgical margin assessment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Safe Transitions and Congregate Living in the Age of COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 represents a grave risk to residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether establishment of an appropriate-use committee was associated with a reduction in SNF utilization. DESIGNS, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study at NorthShore University HealthSystem, a multihospital integrated health system in northern Illinois. Participants were patients hospitalized from March 19, 2019, to July 16, 2020. INTERVENTION: Creation of a multidisciplinary committee to assess appropriateness of discharge to SNF following hospitalization. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: Primary outcome was total discharges to SNFs. Secondary outcomes were new discharges to SNFs, readmissions, length of stay (LOS), and COVID-19 incidence following discharge. RESULTS: Matched populations pre and post intervention were each 4424 patients. Post intervention, there was a relative reduction in total SNF discharges of 49.7% (odds ratio [OR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.38-0.47) and in new SNF discharges of 66.9% (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.25-0.34). Differences in readmissions and LOS were not statistically significant. For patients discharged to a SNF, 2.99% (95% CI, 1.59%-4.39%) developed COVID-19 within 30 days, compared with 0.26% (95% CI, 0.29%-0.93%) of patients discharged to other settings (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Implementing a review committee to assess for appropriateness of SNF use after a hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic is highly effective. There was no negative impact on safety or efficiency of hospital care, and reduced SNF use likely prevented several cases of COVID-19. This model could serve as a template for other hospitals to reduce the risks of COVID-19 in SNFs and as part of a value-based care strategy.