cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Breast Cancer Among Asian Americans

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Studies of breast cancer incidence have shown consistently two to threefold higher incidence rates among Asian-American women living in the United States (USA) relative to Asian women living in Asia. For example, breast cancer incidence in Japanese Americans is now approaching rates in Non-Hispanic (NH) Whites after two or three generations living in the USA. Epidemiologic data from studies conducted in Asian Americans, NH Whites, and in Asia reviewed in this chapter show that differences between incidence rates in NH Whites and US-born Asians are explained, in part, by menstrual and reproductive factors, body size, and use of hormonal replacement therapy. Changing prevalence of risk factors likely have had a major role in explaining the rise in breast cancer incidence with migration while the magnitude of risk associations for most of the risk factors are comparable to those of NH Whites. We review etiological risk factors that may explain the continued differences in rates between Asian Americans, Asians, and NH White women.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Impacts

This chapter explains the physics of climate change, including the greenhouse effect and climate feedbacks, as a prelude to discussing assessments of global warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The critical importance of methane leakage by the oil and gas industry to near-term climate change mitigation is discussed, including estimates of site-specific, regional, and global leakage rates based on observational studies using both top-down and bottom-up measurement approaches. The role of super-emitting facilities in quantifying methane leakage is emphasized. Efforts by the World Bank to reduce global flaring of natural gas associated with oil production, and the possible contribution of the oil and gas industry to increased radiative forcing by tropospheric ozone are also discussed.
Self-protection against crime: what do schools do?

Most economic research about self-protection against crime concentrates on self-protection by individuals, households, and stores – private economic agents. We know much less about self-protection ...
Text messaging in the school lives of American high school girls

ABSTRACTDigital technologies open new windows for ethnographic explorations of cultural experiences. In this paper, we examine text messaging among academically talented teenage girls of colour at three US urban high schools. Texting introduced a new communication modality into the girls’ lives and created a space for new discourses mediating their participation in school. We draw on the concept of ‘serious play’ to reveal the paradoxical nature of the girls’ texting. At each school, distinct text-messaged discourses emerged – with implications for ethnographic studies of discourse and young people’s commitments to schooling.
Hookworm Eradication as a Natural Experiment for Schooling and Voting in the American South

Educational attainment is robustly associated with greater political participation, yet the causal nature of this finding remains contested. To assess this relationship, I leverage a natural experiment in the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission’s (RSC) anti-hookworm campaign, which exogenously expanded primary and secondary education in the early-twentieth century American South. I evaluate two RSC hookworm interventions: exposure to the campaign and proportion treated. I use genetic matching to control for observable factors that influenced the haphazard dispensing of treatment, and implement new matching methods for continuous campaign interventions. I also use a variety of methods to assess the robustness of the results to a number of alternative accounts. Throughout, I find a consistent positive effect of education on participation, suggesting additional evidence for a causal interpretation of the ‘education effect’.
Submesoscale Baroclinic Instability in the Bottom Boundary Layer

AbstractWeakly stratified layers over sloping topography can support a submesoscale baroclinic instability mode, a bottom boundary layer counterpart to surface mixed layer instabilities. The instab...
Random and Nonrandom Structures in Higher Dimensions

Higher-dimensional considerations are being increasingly invoked in connection with structural issues in noncrystalline solids. In this paper I survey some of these developments, including the dimensionality dependence of models of glass structure, the use of projections from higher dimensions for generating quasicrystal models for the icosahedral phase of Al−Mn, and the use of curved-space polytopes for modelling metallic glasses. I also briefly review part of what is known about close-packed lattices in higher dimensions.
New Testament Anthropology and the Claim of an Ethnographer's Voice

Dans l'ecriture du texte ethnologique, le choix du pronom personnel je pose les problemes des rapports entre l'objectivite et la subjectivite, entre la connaissance et la meconnaissance, ainsi que de la deontologie de la pratique anthropologique aupres de societes souvent exploitees culturellement. L'A. incite les lecteurs de textes ethnologiques a ne pas se laisser seduire prematurement par la presence du je ou encore du nous qui revelent trop souvent une imposture dans l'ethnologie conventionnelle que l'A. qualifie d'anthropologie de type Ancien Testament. Il prefere ce qu'il nomme la voix de l'ethnographe en tant qu'etat d'incertitude par rapport aux conditions du travail sur le terrain : le je est aussi le resultat et la revelation de l'histoire individuelle et de la culture personnelle de l'ethnologue.
Spezielle kardiologische Untersuchungsverfahren: invasiv

Das vorliegende Kapitel befast sich mit den allgemeinen Grundlagen der invasiven kardiologischen Diagnostik und beschreibt v.a. die technischen Gesichtspunkte. Auf die genauen Befunde bei den einzelnen Krankheitsbildern wird nur in geringem Mase eingegangen. Sie werden in den folgenden speziellen Abschnitten behandelt. Dieses Kapitel zeigt die Vielfalt der zur Verfugung stehenden Untersuchungsverfahren zusammen mit einigen technischen Details und den bei der Anwendung zu treffenden Vorsichtsmasnahmen. Dargelegt werden ferner die Indikationen, mogliche Komplikationen sowie die zur Beurteilung der Ergebnisse notwendigen Grundlagen. Es ist hervorzuheben, das der Untersucher bezuglich der Auswahl der anzuwendenden Methoden eine gewisse Entscheidungsfreiheit besitzt. Eine wesentliche Rolle spielt dabei die Vertrautheit des Arztes mit der jeweiligen Untersuchungstechnik.
Charge and Current in Solids: The Classical Drift–Diffusion Model

The first chapter reviews the steady-state “drift–diffusion model” of charge transport in solids that electrical engineers typically learn in their first undergraduate solid state device course. Physics undergraduates are less exposed to this topic, but should be able to grasp the concept easily. This chapter introduces the basic drift–diffusion model, starting with two important assumptions about the nature of charge conduction in solids, and emphasizes the notion that this model is valid only as long as nonlocal transport effects are absent. It ends with an introduction to the so-called “equations of state” (also known as drift–diffusion equations) that are used to compute the carrier concentration and current density in a solid state device self-consistently. Only steady-state transport is considered.
Does a hyperlink function as an endorsement

Websites often provide hyperlinks to other sites featuring related content. Does this imply an endorsement of the content presented on those linked sites? We answered this question with a 2 x 2 between-subjects factorial experiment in which we systematically varied source credibility (high vs. low) and source sequence (linking vs. linked). All study participants (N = 572) read a dubious story questioning the value of sunscreen, with a link at the bottom to a related story with the same claim. Results show that user perceptions of interest value (i.e., appeal) do transfer over from the linking site to the linked site. However, the source signal is quite salient when it comes to evaluations of newsworthiness and trustworthiness, with users taking note of the differences in credibility. Design implications of these findings for persuasive communications are discussed.
Infections of the Urinary Tract

Urinary tract infections are the most common of all bacterial infections, accounting for more than 7 million physician visits each year, as well as resulting in over 1 million hospital admissions annually in the U.S. (1–3). In this era of managed care, an approach to the care of the patient with urinary tract infection not only requires a knowledge of the microbiology and pathogenesis of this disease entity but also needs to focus on the most cost-effective therapeutic strategies.
Mechanotransduction caused by a point force in the extracellular space

The mechanical bidomain model is a mathematical description of biological tissue that focuses on mechanotransduction. The model’s fundamental hypothesis is that differences in the intracellular and extracellular displacements activate integrins, causing a cascade of biological effects. This paper presents analytical solutions of the bidomain equations for an extracellular point force. The intra- and extracellular spaces are incompressible, isotropic, and coupled. The expressions for the intra- and extracellular displacements each contain three terms: a monodomain term that is identical in the two spaces, and two bidomain terms, one of which decays exponentially. Near the origin the intracellular displacement remains finite and the extracellular displacement diverges. Far from the origin the monodomain displacement decays in inverse proportion to the distance, the strain decays as the distance squared, and the difference between the intra- and extracellular displacements decays as the distance cubed. These predictions could be tested by applying a force to a magnetic nanoparticle embedded in the extracellular matrix and recording the mechanotransduction response.
Postinfarction Myocardial Calcifications on Cardiac Computed Tomography: Implications for Mapping and Ablation in Patients With Nontolerated Ventricular Tachycardias.

Background: Postinfarction ventricular tachycardia (VT) generally involves myocardial fibers surrounded by scar. Calcification of scar tissue has been described, but the relationship between calcifications within endocardial scar and VTs is unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of myocardial calcifications as detected by cardiac computed tomography (CT) and the benefit for mapping and ablation focusing on nontolerated VTs. Methods: Fifty-six consecutive postinfarction patients had a cardiac CT performed before a VT ablation procedure. Another 56 consecutive patients with prior infarction without VT who had cardiac CTs served as a control group. Results: Myocardial calcifications were identified in 39 of 56 patients (70%) in the postinfarction group with VT, compared with 6 of 56 patients (11%) in the control group without VT. Calcifications were associated with VT when compared with a control group. A calcification volume of 0.538 cm3 distinguished patients with calcification-ass...
Invasive shrub cover and tree species composition influence exotic earthworms

Abstract Forest ecosystems are often invaded by multiple exotic species that, when combined, may amplify negative impacts on native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. These patterns are often determined from plot-level experiments, but it is less clear how interactions among native and exotic species vary across landscapes. Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is an invasive understory shrub in eastern forests, observed to reduce understory plant diversity and alter litter decomposition rates. Exotic earthworms may aid this process by increasing decomposition rates and nutrient fluxes in forest soils. We hypothesized that honeysuckle increases exotic earthworm density and biomass in forest soils by providing a preferred litter resource and beneficial abiotic conditions. We established 15 transects, each 100-m long, in a stratified random design across a 245-ha deciduous forest in southwestern Ohio, USA. We measured honeysuckle shrub cover and canopy tree cover along the entire transect, and sampled earthworms and standing litter biomass at intervals along each transect. We found little evidence for Amur honeysuckle effects on earthworm density but found a strong positive effect of honeysuckle cover on earthworm biomass. We also recorded an effect of species composition of canopy trees on earthworm density and biomass. Moreover, multivariate analyses indicated a shift of earthworm community composition along an oak-elm gradient of tree species composition. Standing litter biomass was lowest in areas of high earthworm biomass and in the forest interior. Our results demonstrate that landscape-level variation in tree species composition and honeysuckle invasion drive exotic earthworm density and biomass. Our findings suggest invasion of exotic shrubs may facilitate invasion by nonnative earthworms.
Ions Everywhere? Mg2+ in the μ-Opioid GPCR and Atomic Details of Their Impact on Function

Filizola and co-workers have applied a combination of long-time molecular dynamics and oscillating chemical potential grand canonical Monte Carlo/molecular dynamics to investigate the distribution of Mg2+ and Na+ in the μ-opioid receptor and their impact on its function. Results indicate atomic details of potential mechanisms by which Mg2+ leads to increased efficacy of opioid analgesics. The presence of information flow between the extracellular loops and the intracellular region of the G-protein-coupled receptors that interacts with G-proteins in the presence of Mg2+ may be a phenomenon occurring in other G-protein-coupled receptors and, therefore, potentially of broad impact.
Who Prices Credit Rating Inflation

Credit rating agencies (CRAs) are less likely and slower to downgrade firms with performance-sensitive debt (PSD) if these downgrades increase borrowing costs. This effect is stronger when CRAs rate their most profitable clients and is not driven by selection into PSD contracts or by borrowers hiding information. Moreover, originating banks are aware of and price the CRAs' conflicts of interest, and sell loans with more embedded conflicts more frequently. In contrast, secondary market participants do not price conflicts of interest to the same extent. The recent settlements between the major CRAs and the U.S. government do not prevent rating inflation.
Domestic Politics and the Effectiveness of Regional Human Rights Courts

Under what conditions are regional human rights courts effective? I argue that in order for regional human rights courts to be effective, they should deter future human rights abuses and this is mo...
Cerebral ischemic and hemorrhagic complications of coronavirus disease 2019.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 is associated with neurological manifestations including stroke.ObjectivesWe present a case series of coronavirus disease 2019 patients from two institutions ...
Asymptotic Properties for Methods Combining the Minimum Hellinger Distance Estimate and the Bayesian Nonparametric Density Estimate

In frequentist inference, minimizing the Hellinger distance between a kernel density estimate and a parametric family produces estimators that are both robust to outliers and statistically efficient when the parametric family contains the data-generating distribution. This paper seeks to extend these results to the use of nonparametric Bayesian density estimators within disparity methods. We propose two estimators: one replaces the kernel density estimator with the expected posterior density using a random histogram prior; the other transforms the posterior over densities into a posterior over parameters through minimizing the Hellinger distance for each density. We show that it is possible to adapt the mathematical machinery of efficient influence functions from semiparametric models to demonstrate that both our estimators are efficient in the sense of achieving the Cramer-Rao lower bound. We further demonstrate a Bernstein-von-Mises result for our second estimator, indicating that its posterior is asymptotically Gaussian. In addition, the robustness properties of classical minimum Hellinger distance estimators continue to hold.
Identifying step-level complexity in procedures: Integration of natural language processing into the Complexity Index for Procedures—Step level (CIPS)

Abstract Task complexity plays an important role in performance and procedure adherence. While studies have attempted to assess the contribution of different aspects of task complexity and their relationship to workers’ performance and procedure adherence, only a few have focused on application-specific measurement of task complexity. Further, generalizable methods of operationalizing task complexity that are used to both write and evaluate a wide range of routine or non-routine procedures is largely absent. This paper introduces a novel framework to quantify the step-level complexity of written procedures based on attributes such as decision complexity, need for judgment, interdependency of instructions, multiplicity of instructions, and excess information. This framework was incorporated with natural language processing and artificial intelligence to create a tool for procedure writers for identifying complex elements in procedures steps. The proposed technique has been illustrated through examples as well as an application to a tool for procedure writers. This method can be used both to support writers when constructing procedures as well as to examine the complexity of existing procedures. Further, the complexity index is applicable across several high-risk industries in which written procedures are prevalent, improving the linguistic complexity of the procedures and thus reducing the likelihood of human errors with procedures associated with complexity.
Suggestions for Improving the Investigation of Gesture in Aphasia.

Purpose When we speak, we gesture, and indeed, persons with aphasia gesture more frequently. The reason(s) for this is still being investigated, spurring an increase in the number of studies of ges...
The Effects of Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain on Fetal Macrosomia Among American Indian/Alaska Native Women

The American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population is a high-risk group across many health indicators, including fetal macrosomia. We aimed to investigate the effects of prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on macrosomia and explore possible racial and geographical variations among AI/AN women. This retrospective cohort study was conducted from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in eight states (2004–2011) among live, singleton, term births to AI/AN women 20 years or older. Prevalence of macrosomia (birth weight ≥ 4000 g) by select characteristics were estimated; differences were assessed with Chi-squares. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for effects on macrosomia of BMI and GWG (enumerating the pounds women deviated from the Institute of Medicine guidelines for GWG) controlling for other factors in the total sample and stratified by race and state of residence. The prevalence of macrosomia was 14 %, ranging from 8 to 21 % (Utah–Alaska). Among AI/AN women, 30 % were obese prepregnancy and 50 % had excess GWG. Significant independent effects were found for macrosomia of prepregnancy overweight (aOR 1.27; 95 % Confidence Interval 1.01–1.59), obesity (aOR 1.63; 1.29–2.07), and excess GWG (aOR 1.16; 1.13–1.20 per five pounds gained beyond appropriate). Adjusted estimates varied between race and state. Prepregnancy BMI and GWG are independent factors for macrosomia among AI/AN women. Future research should prioritize development, testing, and implementation of weight management programs, which account for variations among AI/AN women, both before and during pregnancy for BMI regulation and GWG control.
Ocean Basin Impact of Ambient Noise on Marine Mammal Detectability, Distribution, and Acoustic Communication - YIP

Abstract : The ultimate goal of this research is to enhance the understanding of global ocean noise and how variability in sound level impacts marine mammal acoustic communication and signal detection. How short term variability and long term changes of ocean basin acoustics impact signal detection will be considered by examining 1) the variability in low frequency ocean sound levels and sources, and 2) the relationship of sound variability on signal detection as it relates to marine mammal active acoustic space and acoustic communication. This work increases the spatial range and time scale of prior studies conducted at a local or regional scale. The comparison of acoustic time series from different ocean basins provides a synoptic perspective for observing and monitoring ocean noise on multiple times scales in both hemispheres as economic and climate conditions change. Quantified changes in the acoustic environment can then be applied to the investigation of ocean noise issues related to general signal detection tasks, as well as marine mammal acoustic communication and impacts.
Biofeedback-assisted relaxation therapy in neurocardiogenic syncope: a pilot study.

This controlled pilot study explored the effects of biofeedback assisted relaxation (BFRT) in neurocardiogenic syncope. Twenty-two patients who completed a 2-week pretest, were randomized to either treatment or wait list control, followed by a 2-week posttreatment/control period. Treatment comprised electromyograph and thermal biofeedback, autogenic and progressive relaxation, and symptom-specific recommendations. Significant differences (p < .05) between groups were observed in the headache index and loss of consciousness, favoring the BFRT group. Both groups decreased state anxiety and depression. The Millon Behavioral Health Inventory was used to assess patients' coping style and adjustment to illness. The majority of the adult participants evidenced illness overreaction, preoccupation with illness, depressive feelings, and tendencies to nonadherence to therapy. BFRT is of potential benefit to patients with neurocardiogenic syncope, but further study is necessary to define the influence of coping style on outcome.
Heat pipe radiators for solar dynamic space power system heat rejection

The paper presents the results of a concept development study of heat rejection systems for Space Station solar dynamic power systems. The thermal performance and weights of each of the heat rejection subsystems have been addressed in detail, and critical technologies which require development tests and evaluation for successful demonstration were assessed and identified. Baseline and several alternate heat rejection system configurations and optimum designs were developed for both Brayton and Rankine cycles. The thermal performance, mass properties, assembly requirements, reliability, maintenance requirements, and life cycle costs were determined for each of the system configurations. Trade studies were performed on each configuration with respect to the heat pipe wall thickness and the amount of redundancy to determine the effects on system reliability, maintenance requirements, and life cycle costs. An optimum design was then selected for each configuration.
Assessing treatment effects with surrogate survival outcomes using an internal validation subsample

BackgroundIn studies with surrogate outcomes available for all subjects and true outcomes available for only a subsample, survival analysis methods are needed that incorporate both endpoints in order to assess treatment effects.MethodsWe develop a semiparametric estimated likelihood method for the proportional hazards model with discrete time data and a binary covariate of interest. Our proposed method allows for real-time validation of surrogate outcomes and flexible censoring mechanisms.ResultsOur proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal. Through numerical studies, we showed that our proposed method for estimating a covariate effect is unbiased compared to the naive estimator that uses only surrogate endpoints and is more efficient with moderate missingness compared to the complete-case estimator that uses only true endpoints. We further demonstrated the advantages of our proposed method in comparison with existing approaches when there is real-time validation. We also illustrated the ...
SEARCH BEHAVIOR OF ASYMMETRICALLY INFORMED VOTERS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

This paper experimentally investigates individual level search within a spatial election model. In our model the voter is required to cast a ballot for one of two candidates. However, the voter's task is made non-trivial since, even though the location of one candidate is known, the location of a second candidate is unknown. To reduce uncertainty regarding the unknown candidate's location, the voter may undertake an information search. We find that search in this environment is a function of the cost of search, the quality of information, and the voter's location on the issue space.
Effects of Genetic Variation on the E. coli Host-Circuit Interface

Predictable operation of engineered biological circuitry requires the knowledge of host factors that compete or interfere with designed function. Here, we perform a detailed analysis of the interaction between constitutive expression from a test circuit and cell-growth properties in a subset of genetic variants of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Differences in generic cellular parameters such as ribosome availability and growth rate are the main determinants (89%) of strain-specific differences of circuit performance in laboratory-adapted strains but are responsible for only 35% of expression variation across 88 mutants of E. coli BW25113. In the latter strains, we identify specific cell functions, such as nitrogen metabolism, that directly modulate circuit behavior. Finally, we expose aspects of carbon metabolism that act in a strain- and sequence-specific manner. This method of dissecting interactions between host factors and heterologous circuits enables the discovery of mechanisms of interference necessary for the development of design principles for predictable cellular engineering.
Pairing and charge-density-wave correlations in the Holstein model at half-filling.

Etude du modele de Holstein bidimensionnel pour un remplissage de moitie en utilisant les methodes Monte Carlo quantiques et a travers les techniques diagrammatiques des perturbations dans l'approximation de Migdal-Eliashberg. Cette derniere se montre tres precise tant que l'auto-energie des phonons est prise en compte de facon auto-coherente. Les corrections de vertex ne sont pas necessaires
Line emission from H II blister models

Numerical techniques to calculate the thermal and geometric properties of line emission from H II 'blister' regions are presented. It is assumed that the density distributions of the H II regions are a function of two dimensions, with rotational symmetry specifying the shape in three-dimensions. The thermal and ionization equilibrium equations of the problem are solved by spherical modeling, and a spherical sector approximation is used to simplify the three-dimensional treatment of diffuse ionizing radiation. The global properties of H II 'blister' regions near the edges of a molecular cloud are simulated by means of the geometry/density distribution, and the results are compared with observational data. It is shown that there is a monotonic increase of peak surface brightness from the i = 0 deg (pole-on) observational position to the i = 90 deg (edge-on) position. The enhancement of the line peak intensity from the edge-on to the pole-on positions is found to depend on the density, stratification, ionization, and electron temperature weighting. It is found that as i increases, the position of peak line brightness of the lower excitation species is displaced to the high-density side of the high excitation species.
Use of stapling instruments to aid in the removal of ovarian tumours in mares.

Summary Ovarian granulosa theca cell tumours were removed surgically in 10 mares. Stapling instruments were used to facilitate haemostasis of the ovarian pedicle in five out of 10 cases and as a sole method of haemostasis in the remaining five cases. Postoperative haemorrhage from the ovarian pedicle was suspected in only one case. All cases survived long term follow-up from six months to four years. Results from this series of cases indicate that stapling instruments provide a rapid, easy and efficient means of ligating ovarian pedicles when performing ovariectomy in the mare.
Surgical management of ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms with large intraparenchymal or sylvian fissure hematomas.

BACKGROUND Craniotomy for hematoma evacuation and aneurysm clipping is the treatment modality of choice for ruptured middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms with intracranial hematomas. Recent literature suggests that endovascular coil embolization followed by hematoma evacuation can be an acceptable alternative. OBJECTIVE To determine neurological outcomes in patients with ruptured MCA aneurysms and intraparenchymal or sylvian fissure hematomas. METHODS The records of 49 patients with ruptured MCA aneurysms with large intracranial hematomas treated with hematoma evacuation and aneurysm clipping between January 2000 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Within this cohort, 35 patients (71.4%) were Hunt and Hess grade IV or V on presentation. The mean hematoma volume was 100.4 ± 77.2 mL. Craniectomy was performed in 40 patients (81.6%). Angiographic vasospasm developed in 15 patients (30.6%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 28.6% (14 patients). At a mean of 25.3 ± 34.0 months follow-up, a good outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score 0-3) was observed in 18 patients (36.7%). Significant factors associated with poor outcome or death (mRS scores of 4-6) included increasing age (P < .01), increasing Hunt and Hess grade (P = .03), increasing modified Fisher grade (P = .01), presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (P < .01), decreasing percentage of hematoma evacuation (P < .05), need for craniectomy (P <. 01), need for external ventricular drainage (P = .04), and angiographic vasospasm (P = .02). CONCLUSION MCA aneurysm rupture with concomitant large intraparenchymal or sylvian fissure hematoma formation carries a grave prognosis. Simultaneous hematoma evacuation and aneurysm clipping with or without craniectomy can be an effective treatment modality.
A wide spectrum of EGFR mutations in glioblastoma is detected by a single clinical oncology targeted next-generation sequencing panel

With the advent of large-scale genomic analysis, the genetic landscape of glioblastoma (GBM) has become more clear, including characteristic genetic alterations in EGFR. In routine clinical practice, genetic alterations in GBMs are identified using several disparate techniques that consume already limited amounts of tissue and add to overall testing costs. In this study, we sought to determine if the full spectrum of EGFR mutations in GBMs could be detected using a single next generation sequencing (NGS) based oncology assay in 34 consecutive cases. Using a battery of informatics tools to identify single nucleotide variants, insertions and deletions, and amplification (including variants EGFRvIII and EGFRvV), twenty-one of the 34 (62%) individuals had at least one alteration in EGFR by sequencing, consistent with published datasets. Mutations detected include several single nucleotide variants, amplification (confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization), and the variants EGFRvIII and EGFRvV (confirmed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification). Here we show that a single NGS assay can identify the full spectrum of relevant EGFR mutations. Overall, sequencing based diagnostics have the potential to maximize the amount of genetic information obtained from GBMs and simultaneously reduce the total time, required specimen material, and costs associated with current multimodality studies.
Instrument design and in orbit performance of planetary lidars developed at NASA GSFC

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has developed a series of space lidars over the past 15 years and successfully mapped Mars, Earth, Mercury and Moon. Each of these space lidars had its special challenges in measurement requirements and operation environments. Each made a major advancement in space lidar technologies. This paper gives a brief overview of these space lidar systems.
Predictors of rate of return to work after surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome

Objective. To evaluate the impact of patient demographics, clinical features, and job-related factors on the time until return to work after carpal tunnel release surgery. Methods. We employed a cross-sectional community-based study of 59 patients who had undergone carpal tunnel release surgery. Sociodemographic, clinical, and job-related characteristics and time to return to work were obtained by interview and from medical records. Exposure to ergonomic risk was derived from an independently validated job matrix. Time to return to work after surgery was analyzed by survival techniques. Results. Median time to return to work was 5 weeks. After adjustment, the relative rate (RR) of return to work per week after surgery was most strongly decreased by the receipt of workers' compensation, RR 0.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1–0.5), and by the exposure to bending and twisting of the hand prior to surgery, RR 0.7 (95% CI 0.5–0.9) per hour. Female gender was another predictor of decreased return to work, RR 0.5 (95% CI 0.3–0.8). Conclusions. Patients receiving workers' compensation, those exposed to higher levels of bending and twisting of their hands and wrists, and women were slower to return to work after carpal tunnel release surgery.
Relativistic kinematics for elastic pion-nucleus scattering

An ambiguity in the kinematic transformation of the pion-nucleon scattering amplitude from the pion-nucleus center-of-mass frame to the pion-nucleon center-of-mass frame is removed by (1) the requirement of time-reversal invariance and (2) the requirement that the relative momentum be uniquely defined. The first-order optical potential is obtained by an approximate evaluation of the target ground state matrix element of the transformed pion-nucleon amplitude. Our procedure results in elastic differential cross sections that are significantly different from those obtained using previous kinematic transformations. Terms in the transformed two-body amplitudes proportional to the total three momentum squared as prescribed by relativistic potential theory are found to have negligible effects on elastic pion-nucleus scattering.
Excess enthalpies for (pentane+methanol) at the temperatures (283.15, 298.15, and 363.15) K and the pressures (0.4, 5, and 15) MPa

Abstract Excess molar enthalpies are reported over the composition range from x ≈ 0.02 to x ≈ 0.96 for {xCH3(CH2)3CH3 + (1 - x )CH3OH} at the temperatures (283.15, 298.15, and 363.15) K and the pressures (0.4, 5, and 15) MPa. The excess molar enthalpies obtained at the pressure and temperature conditions where both components are liquid are positive and have a small pressure coefficient, but a large temperature coefficient CEp,m. These results are typical of those obtained when a liquid alkane is mixed with a liquid alkanol at temperatures well below the critical temperature of the alkane. (Liquid + liquid) equilibrium is present at T = 283.15 K. The resulting HEm (x) curves show a linear region where incomplete mixing occurs. At p = 0.4 MPa and T = 363.15 K, pentane is gaseous and methanol is liquid, and HEm (x) changes from a small negative value at low x to a large positive value at higher x with a linear HEm (x) between, resulting from (vapor + liquid) equilibrium. The negative HEm (x) is due principally to a contribution resulting from the condensation of the gaseous pentane into the liquid methanol, while the large positive region results principally from the vaporization of the liquid methanol into the gaseous pentane.
Deficiency in the Inhibitory Serine-Phosphorylation of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Increases Sensitivity to Mood Disturbances

Bipolar disorder, characterized by extreme manic and depressive moods, is a prevalent debilitating disease of unknown etiology. Because mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and mood-regulating neuromodulators increase the inhibitory serine-phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), we hypothesized that deficient GSK3 serine-phosphorylation may increase vulnerability to mood-related behavioral disturbances. This was tested by measuring behavioral characteristics of GSK3α/β21A/21A/9A/9A knockin mice with serine-to-alanine mutations to block inhibitory serine-phosphorylation of GSK3. GSK3 knockin mice displayed increased susceptibility to amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and to stress-induced depressive-like behaviors. Furthermore, serine-phosphorylation of GSK3 was reduced during both mood-related behavioral responses in wild-type mouse brain and in blood cells from patients with bipolar disorder. Therefore, proper control of GSK3 by serine-phosphorylation, which is targeted by agents therapeutic for bipolar disorder, is an important mechanism that regulates mood stabilization, and mice with disabled GSK3 serine-phosphorylation may provide a valuable model to study bipolar disorder.
Anterior shoulder instability in sport: Current management recommendations

In the young athlete, anterior shoulder dislocations are common injuries that usually result in recurrent instability, and often require surgical treatment. Nonoperative treatment remains the initial recommended course for most conditions. Operative treatment has advanced to more anatomical repairs, both open and arthroscopic. The purpose of this paper is to review the evaluation and treatment of anterior shoulder instability, to include acute dislocations, acute subluxations and recurrent instability.
Estimation error bounds for frame denoising

A subspace-based method for denoising with a frame works as follows: If a signal is known to have a sparse representation with respect to the frame, the signal can be estimated from a noise-corrupted observation of the signal by finding the best sparse approximation to the observation. The ability to remove noise in this manner depends on the frame being designed to efficiently represent the signal while it inefficiently represents the noise. This paper gives bounds to show how inefficiently white Gaussian noise is represented by sparse linear combinations of frame vectors. The bounds hold for any frame so they are generally loose for frames designed to represent structured signals. Nevertheless, the bounds can be combined with knowledge of the approximation efficiency of a given family of frames for a given signal class to study the merit of frame redundancy for denoising.
A Developmental Study of Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements in Normal Children from 7 to 15 Years of Age

Abstract Objective To examine age-related changes in smooth pursuit tracking. Method Using infrared occulography, smooth pursuit eye movements are examined in 53 normal 7− to 15-year-old children during 6° and 12°/second visual pursuit. In addition to smooth pursuit gain and saccadic frequency, measures of mean amplitude per second are introduced to facilitate comparison across age and target speed. Results The 6°/second task is found to be easier than the 12°/second task. Age is correlated with smooth pursuit system performance but not saccadic system performance during 12°/second pursuit. No measure correlates with age during 6°/second pursuit. Conclusions Eye movements improve as children age. The future use of smooth pursuit eye movements to study children and adolescents with and at risk for schizophrenia must control for developmental changes.
Development of a fast and simple liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitation of argatroban in patient plasma samples.

Abstract An ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method for the direct measurement of argatroban in human plasma was developed and compared with the activity-based Hemoclot Thrombin Inhibitors assay. UPLC–MS/MS was performed using diclofenac as an internal standard. In summary, argatroban and diclofenac were extracted from 100 μL of plasma using a methanol precipitation protocol, and chromatographic separation was performed on an ACQUITY™ TQD mass spectrometer using a UPLC C18 BEH 1.7 μm column with a water and methanol gradient containing 0.1% formic acid. The detection and quantitation were performed using positive ion electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The UPLC–MS/MS method was linear over the concentration range of 0.003–3.0 μg/mL, with a lower limit of quantitation for argatroban of 0.003 μg/mL. The intra- and inter-assay imprecision was less than 12% at the plasma argatroban concentrations tested. Good correlation was demonstrated between the UPLC–MS/MS method and the indirect activity-based assay for determination of argatroban. However, increased plasma fibrinogen levels caused underestimation of argatroban levels using the indirect activity-based assay, whereas the UPLC–MS/MS method was unaffected. UPLC–MS/MS provides a relatively simple, sensitive, and rapid means of argatroban monitoring. It has successfully been applied to assess plasma argatroban concentrations in hospitalized patients and may provide a more accurate determination of argatroban concentrations than an activity-based assay in certain clinical conditions.
Prevalence of hydrocephalus in 157 patients with vestibular schwannoma

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of hydrocephalus in patients with vestibular schwannoma. A second objective was to investigate possible etiologies for hydrocephalus in this population by attempting to correlate the incidence and severity of hydrocephalus with tumor volume and extent of fourth ventricular compression. The MRI examinations of 157 adult patients with vestibular schwannoma were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor size was quantified, and the presence of accompanying hydrocephalus was assessed, categorized as communicating type or non-communicating type and then rated as mild, moderate or severe (grades 1-3). Next, the degree of fourth ventricular distortion caused by tumor mass effect was evaluated and categorized as mild, moderate or severe (grades 1-3). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to test the relationships between tumor volume and (1) the extent of fourth ventricular effacement and (2) severity of hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus was present in 28/157 (18%) cases and was categorized as mild in 11/28 (39%), moderate in 15/28 (54%) and severe in 2/28 (7%). Communicating-type hydrocephalus was present in 17/28 (61%) and non-communicating type in 11/28 (39%). There was a positive correlation between the grade of non-communicating hydrocephalus and tumor volume (r=0.38; P<0.001) and between the severity of fourth ventricular compression and extent of hydrocephalus in this group(r=0.43; P<0.001). In patients who were classified as having communicating hydrocephalus, the correlation between tumor volume and the severity of hydrocephalus was poor (r=0.19; P=0.02) as was the correlation between the extent of fourth ventricular distortion and the severity of hydrocephalus (r=0.21; P<0.01). There is a high prevalence of hydrocephalus in patients with vestibular schwannoma. In a minority of cases non-communicating type hydrocephalus is present and the severity of hydrocephalus can be attributed to the affect of tumor volume on fourth ventricular compression. More commonly, however, communicating-type hydrocephalus exists and the correlation between the severity of fourth ventricular compression and extent of hydrocephalus is poor. Therefore, other etiologies for hydrocephalus, such as tumor protein sloughing, are likely relevant.
Acetaminophen and Diphenhydramine Premedication for Allergic and Febrile Nonhemolytic Transfusion Reactions: Good Prophylaxis or Bad Practice?

Febrile nonhemolytic and allergic reactions are the most common transfusion reactions, but usually do not cause significant morbidity. In an attempt to prevent these reactions, US physicians prescribe acetaminophen or diphenhydramine premedication before more than 50% of blood component transfusions. Acetaminophen and diphenhydramine are effective therapies for fever and allergy, respectively, so their use in transfusion has some biologic rationale. However, these medications also have potential toxicity, particularly in ill patients, and in the studies performed to date, they have failed to prevent transfusion reactions. Whether the benefits of routine prophylaxis with acetaminophen and diphenhydramine outweigh their risks and cost requires reexamination, particularly in light of the low reaction rates reported at many institutions even when premedication is not prescribed.
Definition of the elements required for the activity of the rat aromatase promoter in steroidogenic cell lines.

Abstract The rate limiting step in estrogen biosynthesis is catalysed by an enzyme complex that includes the aromatase cytochrome P450 (CYP19), and regulation of the synthesis of this steroidogenic P450 is the level at which estrogen synthesis is controlled. In the rat, initiation of aromatase mRNA transcription occurs immediately 5′ to the initiator methionine (proximal promoter) in the rat ovary and in two rat Leydig tumor cell lines that express high levels of aromatase (R2C and H540). Although the same site of transcription initiation is employed in both the Leydig tumor cells and in granulosa cells, the patterns of aromatase expression are distinctive. To define the mechanisms controlling aromatase expression in these model cell lines, we have studied the proximal promoter of the rat aromatase using transfection and gel mobility shift assays. These experiments indicate that the SF-1 motif is required for the expression of the reporter gene in each steroidogenic cell line, and that different combinations of CRE-like elements (particularly those located at −169 and −231) are required for full promoter activity in each steroidogenic cell line. In keeping with the results of the functional assays, we were able to demonstrate the binding of nuclear proteins from each of the Leydig tumor cells to the SF-1 motif in mobility shift assays. Nuclear proteins which bind to the CRE-like elements at −169 and −231 were detected in each of the steroidogenic cell lines, but different complexes were observed using extracts from the Leydig tumor cell lines compared to those visualized using extracts prepared from Y1 cells, an adrenocortical tumor cell line that expresses low levels of aromatase activity. Our findings suggest that, in these model steroidogenic cell lines, differences in the proteins that bind to different combinations of elements within the rat aromatase promoter are responsible for the different patterns and levels of aromatase expression which are observed.