cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyroid Bed Fine-Needle Aspiration Experience at a Large Tertiary Care Center

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid bed (TB) lesions is a common diagnostic modality in monitoring patients for recurrent cancer after a thyroidectomy. To elucidate the value of TB FNA, we reviewed our experience at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD. We identified 57 TB FNA specimens from 50 patients. Of the patients, 36 were being followed up for papillary carcinoma, 7 for medullary carcinoma, 4 for follicular carcinoma (1 also had papillary carcinoma), and 1 for poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma; 3 had previous benign diagnoses. TB FNA yielded diagnostic material in 49 of 57 cases. Of 37 malignant or atypical FNA samples, 32 had surgical follow-up; 30 of 32 were confirmed malignant. The FNA result was benign in 12 of 57, including 6 cases of benign thyroid and 1 case of parathyroid tissue. Immunohistochemical staining was contributory in 5 of 57 cases. TB FNA is a highly reliable tool for diagnosing recurrent thyroid carcinoma. Residual benign thyroid and parathyroid tissue are potential pitfalls; awareness of these and judicious use of immunohistochemical staining can prevent misdiagnoses.
Specific absorption rates in muscle tissues for passive UHF RFID tag backscatter

In this paper, we describe the specific absorption rates for RF propagation in muscle tissues and present an evaluative study for radiation reflected by a passive UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. A derivation of UHF RFID tag backscatter theory is presented. This theory is merged with the biological effects of RF propagation in muscle tissues to form a general theory. This general theory is then used to analyze the workings of a passive tag operating on human muscle tissues. Enhanced theoretical as well as analytical evaluations are performed to exemplify the field penetration due to the skin effect and the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in human muscle tissues. It is shown that the SAR in muscle tissues for a passive UHF RFID tag in the near-field, is less than two orders of magnitude than the FCC limitation for safe RF exposure on tissues.
On values and democratic policy making: the deceptively fragile consensus around market-oriented medical care.

Market-oriented strategies, embodied in managed competition, have become the primary focus of contemporary U.S. health policy. This dominance reflects the emergence of a bipartisan coalition of support among political elites. This study traces the historical evolution of elite support for the market and suggests that the con- sensus favoring managed competition is deceptively fragile, with support riven by cleavages in the values used to judge fairness in the allocation of medical care. A unique data set of matched questions asked of both policy elites and the general pub- lic is used to document these differences in ethical norms. The implications of these cleavages help to explain three puzzling aspects of contemporary U.S. health policy: (1) the persisting inability to translate the principles of managed competition into politically feasible reforms, (2) the repeated failures to implement demonstration proj- ects intended to test competitive pricing within the Medicare program, and (3) the inability of state regulations to assuage the public's concerns about managed care. Some prescriptions for a more revealing and effective treatment of market reforms in health policy conclude this study.
Reaction Kinetics of a Selected Number of Elementary Processes Involved in the Thermal Decomposition of 9-Methylphenanthrene Using Density Functional Theory

With the use of general transition state theory and density functional theory, six reference reactions that are thought to play an essential role in the thermal cracking process of 9-methylphenanthrene have been studied. At the uB3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level, the transition state structures could be located on the 0 K potential energy surface for the three propagation reactions which induce no net creation/annihilation of radicals, and the calculated activation energies and preexponential frequency factor generally correspond well to experimental values. The transition states for two termination reactions were determined by replacement of a phenanthrenic by a phenylic aromatic moiety; it followed that such model reactions represent well systems with larger aromatic units. Only for the initiation reaction the transition state could not be located; in this case the activation energy was approximated by the change in overall enthalpy.
A META-ANALYTIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF NOISE ON PERFORMANCE: MODERATING EFFECTS OF TASK AND NOISE CHARACTERISTICS

In many modern environments noise is a pervasive and influential source of stress. Whether it is the acute result of impulse noise or the chronic effects of prolonged exposure to active machinery the challenge of noise faces many who must accomplish vital performance duties. While noise can have diffuse effects which are shared in common with any chronic form of stress, its influence can also vary as a function of the characteristics of the task and of the noise itself. Here, we provide a quantitative evaluation of those influences so that their most harmful effects can be mitigated, their most beneficial effects exploited and any residual effects incorporated and synthesized into selection, training and design strategies to facilitate human performance.
A “virtually minimal” visuo-haptic training of attention in severe traumatic brain injury

Although common during the early stages of recovery from severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), attention deficits have been scarcely investigated. Encouraging evidence suggests beneficial effects of attention training in more chronic and higher functioning patients. Interactive technology may provide new opportunities for rehabilitation in inpatients who are earlier in their recovery. We designed a “virtually minimal” approach using robot-rendered haptics in a virtual environment to train severely injured inpatients in the early stages of recovery to sustain attention to a visuo-motor task. 21 inpatients with severe TBI completed repetitive reaching toward targets that were both seen and felt. Patients were tested over two consecutive days, experiencing 3 conditions (no haptic feedback, a break-through force, and haptic nudge) in 12 successive, 4-minute blocks. The interactive visuo-haptic environments were well-tolerated and engaging. Patients typically remained attentive to the task. However, patients exhibited attention loss both before (prolonged initiation) and during (pauses during motion) a movement. Compared to no haptic feedback, patients benefited from haptic nudge cues but not break-through forces. As training progressed, patients increased the number of targets acquired and spontaneously improved from one day to the next. Interactive visuo-haptic environments could be beneficial for attention training for severe TBI patients in the early stages of recovery and warrants further and more prolonged clinical testing.
Fast all optical modulation of Quantum Cascade Laser

Illuminating the quantum cascade laser front facet with femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser, fast modulations are observed in the laser current and optical emission at frequencies up to 2.87 GHz, limited by the testing equipment.
The Effects of Water, Season, and Colony Composition on Foraging Preferences of Pheidole ceres [Hymenoptera: Formicidae]

Field colonies of the ant Pheidole ceres were presented with a choice between a protein source and a carbohydrate source, under wet and dry conditions, at three different times in the year. These time periods corresponded with different reproductive (the production of sexuals) and growth (the production of workers) stages of the colony. Moisture had no effect on the forging behavior of P. ceres but the colonies did change their foraging preferences during different times of the year. This behavior correlated with the amount of larvae in the colony. However, lab experiments demonstrated that larvae did not directly influence the foraging decisions of the workers but that adult reproductives did.
Aggregate Structures of Carboxylic Acids and Amides

A configurational analysis of hydrogen-bonded aggregates of carboxylic acids and amides has been developed using a notation derived from graph theory. This concept of aggregate structure, independent of crystal structure, is useful for making correlations between intermolecular interactions in different phases, and for comparing physicochemical properties of isostructural aggregates. The analysis also provides a means for assessing the role of intermolecular bonds on the course of reactions or phase transformations which take place in aggregate structures.
neXtream: A Multi-Device, Social Approach to Video Content Consumption

Video content has become available on an increasingly diverse set of devices and from an ever growing number of sources, creating a vast amount of choice for viewers. At the same time, the varying methods of viewing, interacting with, and sharing content have diverged. This paper introduces neXtream, a new approach to delivering video by integrating multiple devices, content sources, and social networks. This concept is developed following research in social television and converged applications, providing both personalization features and social interaction. NeXtream delivers video by dynamically generating streams of video customized to a viewer, while facilitating a common dialog between users around the content, creating both a user- and community-centric viewing experience. NeXtream integrates smartphones, PCs, and TVs to deliver video content to viewers. The paper presents the system concept, theory, and architecture, and describes the developed prototype.
Temporal dynamics of inotropic, chronotropic, and metabolic responses during β1- and β2-AR stimulation in the isolated, perfused rat heart

During the β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR)-mediated stress response in the heart, the relations between functional responses and metabolism are ill defined, with the distinction between β1- and β2-AR ...
Side by side comparison of 18F-DEG-VS-NT and 18F-FBEM-NT for NTR1 targeted imaging

160 Objectives Based on our newly developed reagent 18F-vinyl sulfone (18F-DEG-VS), 18F-DEG-VS-NT has been developed for neurotensin receptor (NTR) targeted imaging. In this work, we investigate whether this thio-reactive synthon demonstrates benefits compared with the well established 18F-FBEM labeling method. Methods Based on the well established 18F-FBEM and our newly developed 18F-vinyl sulfone reagents, 18F-FBEM-NT and 18F-DEG-VS-NT were synthesized for NTR1 targeted imaging. In vivo PET scans and metabolic stability studies were carried out using nude mice bearing HT29 xenografts. Results 18F-FBEM-NT and 18F-DEG-VS-NT were obtained in >90% yield based on HPLC integration. Both agents demonstrated good stability in PBS solution (>95% after 4h incubation). However, the metabolic stability study demonstrated that these agents had several metabolites in vivo, which might due to the short half life of neurotensin analog (no degradation was observed for 18F-FBEM-cRGDyC and 18F-DEG-VS-cRGDyC). No obvious bone uptake was observed in imaging study indicating in vivo defluorination is neglectable. Although both tracers demonstrated no significant difference in stability studies, 18F-DEG-VS-NT did have significantly lower abdomen background and higher tumor uptake compared with 18F-FBEM-NT. Conclusions Compared with 18F-FBEM-NT, 18F-DEG-VS-NT showed better imaging quality and contrast in in vivo imaging experiment. Research Support This work was supported by the grant from Larry L. Hillblom Foundation (2013-D-015-SUP), Jonas Bros Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society (121991-MRSG-12-034-01-CCE), and the USC Department of Radiology.
Using retroviruses to study the nuclear export of mRNA.

Several non-exclusive approaches can be taken to identify and then characterize cellular proteins involved in the nucleocytoplasmic transport of protein or RNA molecules. One approach that has been extremely useful is the genetic identification of factors required for the nucleocytoplasmic transport of a particular macromolecule, e.g. nuclear export of poly(A)+ RNA, by screening yeast conditional mutants for, in this case, nuclear accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA at the restrictive temperature. While this kind of approach has led to the identification of gene products that play a direct or indirect role in several transport pathways, including mRNA export (Amberg et al. 1992; Kadowaki et al. 1994), it can be difficult to subsequently discern the biochemical role played by a particular genetically identified gene product. An alternative strategy is to use protein binding affinity, either in vitro or using the yeast two-hybrid protein:protein interaction assay, to identify factors that specifically bind to a relevant protein target. For example, the G-protein Ran, in its GTP-βound form, is a critical cofactor for nuclear transport mediated by all members of the extensive importin-β/karyopherin-β family of transport factors (Melchior et al. 1993; Moore and Blobel 1993; Izaurralde et al. 1997). The identification of human proteins that can bind to the GTP-, but not GDP-, bound form of Ran in vitro has therefore facilitated the identification of several nuclear transport factors, including CAS and exportin t (Kutay et al. 1997, 1998). Conversely, use of the two-hybrid assay allowed the initial identification of transportin/ karyopherin-β2, the import factor specific for the unusual type of nuclear localization signal (NLS) present in the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1; Pollard et al. 1996; Fridell et al. 1997).
Counter Transference in the Face of Compassionate Care.

As the social worker on the palliative team, maintaining professional boundaries goes beyond being mindful of ethical practice; it is an essential component to psychological well-being. Being cogni...
WiEnum: Node enumeration in wireless networks

Assigning unique consecutive numerical identifiers (IDs) to the nodes of a multi-hop wireless network is an important problem, as it enables critical functions such as resource distribution (e.g., TDMA time slots) and leader election. If also used as a mean to “shorten” otherwise assigned node IDs node enumeration saves energy and imposes lower complexity. In this paper we present an efficient scheme for enumerating the N nodes of a multi-hop wireless network. Our protocol, called WiEnum for Wireless Enumeration, is distributed and, by means of the sole exchange of packets among neighbors, terminates with each node having a unique ID in the range 1 to N. Through Castalia-based simulations we demonstrate the effectiveness of WiEnum in assigning unique, short IDs by comparing its performance to that of another leading algorithm for ID assignments, termed SIDA. Our results show that, in terms of completion time (i.e., the time it takes till each node gets its unique ID) WiEnum outperforms SIDA, especially in networks with higher number of nodes and density. At the same time, WiEnum keeps energy consumption to levels that are always lower than those of SIDA.
Energy and Energy Types

Energy has far reaching impact in everyday life, industrial development, and understanding the various processes and natural phenomena. Energy is the capacity to do work. Total energy is the sum of all forms of the energy a system possesses. In the absence of magnetic, electrical, and surface tension effects, the total energy of a system consists of the kinetic, potential, and internal energies. This chapter discusses the concept of energy and the primary and secondary types of energies. Primary energy is extracted or captured directly from the environment, while the secondary energy is converted from the primary energy in the form of electricity or fuel. Primary energies are nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels), renewable energy, and waste. Nonrenewable energy resources are coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear, while renewable energy resources are solar, bioenergy, wind, and geothermal. Energy density and the impact of fossil fuels on the global warming are also discussed briefly. There are nine solved examples within the text and 56 practice problems at end of the chapter.
Is cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) a chloride channel or a chloride pump

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a member of the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. It is located primarily in the apical membrane of epithelial cells, including airway, intestine, pancreas and sweat duct, which plays a critical role in epithelial ion-transport and fluid homeostasis. Mutation of CFTR can lead to cystic fibrosis which is an all-too-common genetic disease among Caucasians. Interestingly, CFTR has the structure of an ABC transporter, but it behaves in most ways like an anion channel. Many publications have stated that CFTR is an ATP-gated chloride channel, which is open or closed stochastically depending on ATP binding. In recent years, researchers have had a second thought about this topic and proposed that CFTR is a “leaky” chloride pump. Here, we bring together the latest information about the structure and function of CFTR, intending to clarify this phenomenon.
A novel approach for next-generation sequencing of circulating tumor cells.

Background Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of surgically resected solid tumor samples has become integral to personalized medicine approaches for cancer treatment and monitoring. Liquid biopsies, or the enrichment and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood, can provide noninvasive detection of evolving tumor mutations to improve cancer patient care. However, the application of solid tumor NGS approaches to circulating tumor samples has been hampered by the low-input DNA available from rare CTCs. Moreover, whole genome amplification (WGA) approaches used to generate sufficient input DNA are often incompatible with blood collection tube preservatives used to facilitate clinical sample batching. Methods To address this, we have developed a novel approach combining tumor cell isolation from preserved blood with Repli-G WGA and Illumina TruSeq Amplicon Cancer Panel-based NGS. We purified cell pools ranging from 10 to 1000 cells from three different cell lines, and quantitatively demonstrate comparable quality of DNA extracted from preserved versus unpreserved samples. Results Preservation and WGA were compatible with the generation of high-quality libraries. Known point mutations and gene amplification were detected for libraries that had been prepared from amplified DNA from preserved blood. Conclusion These spiking experiments provide proof of concept of a clinically applicable workflow for real-time monitoring of patient tumor using noninvasive liquid biopsies.
The Personality Assessment Inventory

Introduction Th e Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) is a self-report inventory intended to provide clinically useful information about a host of important client variables in professional and research settings. It contains 344 items that are answered on a four-alternative scale, with the options of Totally False, Slightly True, Mainly True, and Very True. Th e 344 items make up 22 non-overlapping full scales: 4 validity, 11 clinical, 5 treatment consideration, and 2 interpersonal. Ten of the full scales include subscales that facilitate the assessment of the breadth of measured constructs. Several additional indicators are also available to augment PAI interpretation (see Tables 5.1 and 5.2 for PAI scales and indices). Th is chapter provides a brief overview of the theory and procedures employed in developing the PAI and highlights relevant research and practical applications of the PAI in a variety of assessment contexts. More detailed discussion is available in primary sources (Morey, 1996, 2003, 2007; Morey & Hopwood, 2007; Blais, Baity, & Hopwood, 2010).
Two Tests of the Hypothesis of Nonspecificity in the Hoplitis Complex (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

This is a study of the degree to which phenetic similarities among species of bees of the Hoplitis complex, evaluated by numerical taxonomy, are the same in the 2 sexes and in different body regions. A study was carried out on 97 species, partitioning the 122 recorded characters into 69 found in females and in both sexes vs. 53 found only in males. Furthermore, using the same 122 characters, 60 head characters were compared with 62 nonhead characters. The phenograms showing the classifications of these bees based on all characters and on the subsets indicated are shown in 5 figures. The cophenetic correlations based on correlation matrices are 0.71 for sexes and 0.61 for head vs. nonhead characters. The discrepancies among the phenograms are numerous and in some cases would result in major differences in the classification. Reasons for the partial failure of the nonspecificity hypothesis and the consequences of this fact for numercial taxonomy are discussed.
Influence of thyroidectomy on experimental ascites.

SummaryAmelioration of experimental canine ascites produced by supradiaphragmatic caval constriction occurred in 7 of 8 dogs following total thyroidectomy. This improvement was accompanied by increase in sodium and water excretion. Dogs treated by a sham operation exhibited neither a natruresis nor relief of their ascites. Possible mechanisms to explain these results are discussed.
Functional characterization of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C-beta 1 and -beta 3 in intestinal smooth muscle

Soluble and membrane phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases obtained separately from dispersed circular and longitudinal intestinal muscle cells were characterized for substrate specificity and G...
THE RELATION BETWEEN RADIUS OF INVESTIGATION AND FORMATION DAMAGE

The radius of investigation for formation damage has been formulated in this paper.The radius of investigation depends on the extent and scope of formation damage.If the degree and scope of the formation permeability decreased is more,its radius of investigation is less.If skin factor of formation damage is more,its radius of investigation is less.When the formation damage is very serious,the effect of the skin factor for formation damage or permeability decreased on radius of investigation should be considered.
Putting it all Together: Law Schools' Role in Improving Appellate Practice

and addendum and was improperly argumentative in parts of the brief, such as the informational statement, that needed to be objective."4 Besides the technical requirements for briefs, appellants must pay attention to the completeness of their arguments. Generally, an appellate court is only bound to review matters that are briefed and argued by the appellant."5 Some appellants lose because they fail to address all of the grounds of the lower court's decision. When the trial court expressly bases its decision on multiple independent grounds and the appellant challenges only one of those grounds, the appellate court may affirm the lower court's decision without addressing any of the appellant's grounds for appeal.1 6 That was the case in Pugh v. State,1 7 in which the court refused to reverse an evidentiary ruling on relevancy grounds because the circuit court excluded the evidence on hearsay grounds as well."8 Additionally, litigants may lose their appeals because they fail to show the prejudice resulting from the error they allege. 9 Unless the appellant can show the appellate court how it was damaged by the lower court's ruling, the court will have no reason to remedy the alleged error.'20 Another appellate-practice error is the disrespectful tone taken by some brief writers. An inappropriate tone usually results from ignorance about the appellate court's limited role. Appellants must be sensitive to this role, keeping in mind the court's hesitancy to overstep its constitutional and institutional boundaries. Appellate judges, for APP. P. CIV. 6(b)); Calaway v. Dickson, 360 Ark. 463, 201 S.W.3d 931 (2005) (ordering rebriefing for failure to abstract a hearing in accordance with ARK. SUP. Cr. R.
The smooth loci of spiral Schubert varieties of type $$\widetilde{A}_{2}$$

Spiral Schubert varieties are conjecturally the only Schubert varieties in type \(\widetilde{A}_{2}\) for which rational smoothness at a torus-fixed point is not detected by the number of torus-invariant curves passing through that point. In this paper we determine the locus of smooth points of a spiral Schubert variety of type \(\widetilde{A}_{2}\). This continues the study begun in [7], where the locus of rationally smooth points was determined. The main result describes the smooth locus in terms of the action of the Weyl group on \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\); using this result, we identify the maximal singular points of these varieties. We make key use of the results of [7] relating the Bruhat order to the Weyl group action on \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\).
Cellular Senescence: At the Nexus of Mechanisms of Age- and Obesity-Related Metabolic Dysfunction

Obesity is a leading risk factor for diabetes and its co-morbidities. Adipose dysfunction occurs in obesity-related diabetes, but mechanisms responsible have been unclear. Although senescent cells accumulate in adipose tissue in obese humans and rodents, a causal role for senescent cells remains to be proven. Cellular senescence results in replicative arrest, resistance to apoptosis, and a pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). We found that inhibiting the SASP or reducing senescent cell burden alleviates metabolic and adipose tissue dysfunction in obese mice. We reduced senescent cell abundance either by intermittent activation of drug-inducible “suicide” genes driven by the p16Ink4a promoter in transgenic mice or by treatment with senolytic drugs – drugs that selectively induce apoptosis in senescent cells. Reducing senescent cell burden improved enhanced insulin sensitivity without affecting body weight or food intake. Mediators of insulin resistance, including inflammatory cytokines and immune cell chemokines, were decreased by targeting senescent cells, while insulin-sensitizing adipogenic transcription factors were increased. Our findings implicate senescence in obesity-related inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Intermittent treatment with senolytic agents is a potential strategy for treating obesity-related diabetes.
What is medicinal chemistry? – Demystifying a rapidly evolving discipline!

Medicinal chemistry is a scientific discipline that has progressed rapidly over the last few decades. Facilitated by the technological advancement, the early understanding of medicinal chemistry as “synthesizing bioactive molecules” has become the connecting bridge of a variety of related scientific disciplines. This opinion article will guide you through a brief evolution of this discipline and discuss what medicinal chemistry has evolved to be in this era.
Speaking from the Heart: Empathetic Language

This chapter explores motivating language’s empathetic language dimension. We begin with including a broad scope of empathy—civility, perspective taking, empathy, and compassion—to capture this form of leader talk. This chapter also explains how leaders incorporate diverse and progressive categories of empathy or emotional bonding with followers into their speech through empathetic language. These categories include politeness/cordiality, work empathy, achievement, personal goals, performancepraise, personal experiences, effort, and barriers.
Post Classification and Recommendation for an Online Smoking Cessation Community

There are an increasing number of health-related communities and forums developed on the Internet, where people discuss certain health issues and exchange social support with each other. However, due to the huge amount and loose structure of user-generated content in the health communities, it is difficult for users to find relevant topics or peers to discuss with. In this paper, we focus on an online smoking cessation forum, QuitStop. We extract user discussion content from the forum, apply machine learning technology to classify posts in the forum, and develop recommendation techniques to help users find valuable topics. Using text and health feature sets, the classifiers are developed and optimized to categorize posts in terms of user intentions and social support types. The recommender systems are then developed to make a recommendation of posts to users, in which the classification results are incorporated in the neighbor-based collaborative filtering approach. It is found that the combination of text and health feature sets can achieve satisfactory classification result. Integrating classification result could help relieving cold start problem in the recommendation. It can greatly improve the recall of recommendation when limited knowledge is known for a thread.
A Test of Policymakers' Formal and Lay Theories Regarding Healthcare Prices

Abstract Politicians, think tanks, and advocacy groups have proposed paths to reduce prices and improve outcomes in the US healthcare market. These paths tend to follow a combination of formal neoclassical economic theory and lay theory which posits solutions focused on increasing competition, reducing regulations, and normative beliefs about price→quality and price→cost relationships. We identify these formal and informal theories and test five tenets of healthcare reform. Our results, based on over 7 million consumer/hospital interactions across the US, when combined with other empirical work, suggest that increased competition among hospitals is associated with lower hospital procedure prices; yet increased competition among insurers is associated with higher prices. Policymakers should not, in the current environment, rely on the tenet that reducing regulations will reduce hospital prices, nor should they assume that healthcare quality and price are positively correlated. We discuss the complexity of ...
Controlling Closed-Chain Robots with Compliant SMA Actuators: Algorithms and Experiments

In this paper we present algorithms, devices, simulations, and experiments concerning a robot that locomotes using novel compliant, sheet-based, shape memory alloy actuators. Specifically, we describe the theory and practical implementation of a provably correct algorithm capable of generating locomotion gaits in closed-loop linkages. We implement this algorithm in a distributed fashion on the HexRoller, a closed-chain robot with six low-stiffness actuators. We describe these actuators in detail and characterize their performance along with that of the robot.
Correlation between solubility parameters and recovery of phenolic compounds from fast pyrolysis bio-oil by diesel extraction

Abstract Fast pyrolysis bio-oils (fpBO) were extracted with two alternative commercial transportation fuels, hydrocarbon diesel and bio-diesel. The extraction of fpBO with commercial diesel fuel provided a yield of 4.3 wt%, but the yield increased significantly to 26.6 wt% when bio-diesel was the extractant. The molecular weight of fpBO before and after extraction were consistent with the loss of a more soluble, low molecular weight fraction from the crude fpBO. The relative energy difference (RED), based on the Hansen solubility parameter (HSP), is used to examine the extraction efficiency of specific compounds in the two different ‘solvents’. Differences in the RED values could be used to rationalize differences in the partitioning of common fpBO phenolics.
248 THE EFFECT OF PASTEURIZATION ON CYTOKINES IN HUMAN MILK.

Donor human milk is being used in neonatal intensive care units to feed preterm infants. Pasteurization is part of the process for preparing donor human milk for safe consumption. Pasteurized donor human milk is not as effective as mother9s own breast milk in the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. In this study, we examine three factors that have been demonstrated to play a role in intestinal protection and assay their concentration in donor human milk samples pre- and postpasteurization. Seventeen paired pre- and postpasteurization samples were obtained from the Mother9s Milk Bank of Austin. Samples were centrifuged to attain the aqueous phase of the milk. IL-10, erythropoietin (EPO), and transforming growth factor B1 (TGF-B1) were assayed in the aqueous phase using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The concentrations of these factors were as follows (mean ± SEM): Pasteurization significantly reduced the concentration of IL-10 and EPO but did not affect the concentration of TGF-B1 in paired donor breast milk samples. Concentrations of IL-10 and EPO were below the assay range in 7 of 17 samples, although not the same samples in each assay. However, our values were within the range of previously reported concentrations of IL-10 and EPO in human milk. We conclude that the pasteurization of human milk for use in feeding preterm infants significantly reduces the concentration of certain cytokines that have been demonstrated to play a role in intestinal protection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the effect of pasteurization on the concentration of these cytokines in breast milk. We speculate that this may partially explain the clinical evidence that donor human milk is not as effective as the mother9s own milk in the prevention of NEC in preterm infants.
Photonic MOS Based on “Optical Property Inversion”

Most dielectric materials have very weak electro-optic properties, whereas the optical properties of some plasmonic materials may be greatly tuned, especially around their plasma frequency, where dielectric constant is transiting between positive (“dielectric state”) and negative (“metallic state”) values. In this talk, we will review some of our recent work on electro-optical modulation and introduce a new concept, photonic MOS based on “optical property inversion”. This concept may provide inspiration for the development of nanophotonic devices. While the whole paper only discusses theory and modelling, some new experimental results will be presented in the on-site talk. Throughout this report, “static dielectric constant”, ɛ, refers to material dielectric constant in the DC or radio frequency (RF) regime; “optical dielectric constant”, e, represents material dielectric constant in the near-infrared regime. This paper was re-written based on an Arxiv file [1].
Multistage Complex Contagions in Random Multiplex Networks

Complex contagion models have been developed to understand a wide range of social phenomena, such as adoption of cultural fads, the diffusion of belief, norms, and innovations in social networks, and the rise of collective action to join a riot. Most existing works focus on contagions where individuals’ states are represented by binary variables, and propagation takes place over a single isolated network. However, characterization of an individual's standing on a given matter as a binary state might be overly simplistic as most of our opinions, feelings, and perceptions vary over more than two states. Also, most real-world contagions take place over multiple networks (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) or involve multiplex networks where individuals engage in different types of relationships (e.g., acquaintance, coworker, family, etc.). To this end, this paper studies multistage complex contagions that take place over multilayer or multiplex networks. Under a linear threshold based contagion model, we first give analytic results for the expected size of global cascades, that is, cases where a randomly chosen node can initiate a propagation that eventually reaches a positive fraction of the whole population. Next, we analytically derive the probability of triggering global cascades. Then, analytic results are confirmed and supported by an extensive numerical study. In addition, we demonstrate how the dynamics of complex contagions is affected by the extra weight exerted by hyperactive nodes and by the structural properties of the networks. In particular, we reveal an interesting connection between the assortativity of a network and the impact of hyperactive nodes on the cascade size.
Synergies between Climate Policies and the Sustainable Development Goals in Haiti

Addressing climate change is an important priority area for Haiti as evidenced by Haiti’s Nationally Determined Contribution of 2015, the National Climate Change Policy of 2016 and the National Adaptation Plan of Action updated in 2017, but it is not Haiti’s only development priority. Balancing many different national priorities can be challenging, and so identifying areas of synergy, where more than one goal can be met at the same time, can help Haiti to achieve its climate goals and other development goals at the same time. One way to identify connections between climate priorities and other priorities is through the Sustainable Development Goals. The goal of this analysis was to identify how Haiti’s climate priorities align with the SDGs, synergies between achieving climate priorities and the SDGs, and any gaps in terms of SDGs that are not addressed in Haiti’s climate policies. We identified climate priorities and actions as articulated in Haiti’s three major climate policies: Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement, the National Climate Change Policy, and the National Adaptation Programme of Action. These policies included 99 adaptation actions, 19 mitigation actions, and 12 cross-cutting actions. The SDGs are not explicitly mentioned in any of Haiti’s climate policies, but there are many areas of synergy that can be found between Haiti’s climate policies and the SDGs and the analysis found that there are many opportunities for Haiti to achieve its targets for the SDGs and its climate goals at the same time. The most common connections were with SDG 15: Life on Land (9 priorities). Other common connections were with SDG 2: No Hunger (4 priorities) and SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy (3 priorities). The fisheries and coastal zone, agriculture and food security, health, water resources, health, energy, and human establishments and culture sectors had particularly strong connections. A strong case can be made that investments in climate action will help to achieve many of the SDGs, as investing in climate action also means investing directly in the implementation of many SDGs.
The Polish Underground Home Army (AK) and the Jews: What Postwar Jewish Testimonies and Wartime Documents Reveal:

This article is part of the special cluster titled Conceptualizations of the Holocaust in Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine since the 1990s, guest edited by Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe.The att...
Effect of Calcium Source and Irrigation on Soil and Plant Cation Concentrations in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

ABSTRACT Calcium improves seed formation and development of peanut kernels. Two primary sources of Ca fertilization in peanut are gypsum (CaSO4) and dolomitic lime (CaMg[CO3]2+CaCO3). Objectives of...
Tocilizumab for treatment of patients with severe COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study.

Abstract Background Tocilizumab was approved for chimeric antigen receptor T–cell therapy induced cytokine release syndrome and it may provide clinical benefit for selected COVID–19 patients. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed hypoxic COVID–19 patients who were consecutively admitted between March 13, 2020 and April 19, 2020. Patients with lung infiltrates and elevated inflammatory markers received a single dose of tocilizumab if no contraindication was present. Systemic steroid, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin were concomitantly used for majority of the patients. Findings Of the 51 patients included for analysis, 28 (55%) received tocilizumab and 23 (45%) did not receive tocilizumab. Tocilizumab cohort required more invasive ventilation (68% vs. 22%) at baseline and during entire hospitalization (75% vs. 48%). The median time to clinical improvement in tocilizumab vs. no tocilizumab cohorts was 8 days (Interquartile range [IQR]: 6·25 – 9·75 days) vs. 13 days (IQR: 9·75 – 15·25 days) among patients who required mechanical ventilation at any time (Hazard ratio for clinical improvement: 1·83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0·57 – 5·84) and 6·5 days vs. 7 days among all patients (Hazard ratio for clinical improvement: 1·14, 95% CI: 0·55 – 2·38), respectively. The median duration of vasopressor support and invasive mechanical ventilation were 2 days (IQR: 1·75 – 4·25 days) vs. 5 days (IQR: 4 – 8 days), p = 0.039, and 7 days (IQR: 4 – 14 days) vs. 10 days (IQR: 5 – 15 days) in tocilizumab vs. no tocilizumab cohorts, p = 0.11, respectively. Similar rates of hospital–acquired infections occurred in both cohorts (18% in tocilizumab and 22% in no tocilizumab cohort). Interpretation In patients with severe COVID-19, tocilizumab was associated with significantly shorter duration of vasopressor support. Although not statistically significant, tocilizumab also resulted in shorter median time to clinical improvement and shorter duration of invasive ventilation. These findings require validation from ongoing clinical trials of Tocilizumab in COVID–19 patients.
On general asymptotically second-order efficient purely sequential fixed-width confidence interval (FWCI) and minimum risk point estimation (MRPE) strategies for a normal mean and optimality

We develop a generalized class of purely sequential sampling strategies associated with both fixed-width confidence interval (FWCI) and minimum risk point estimation (MRPE) problems for the unknown mean $$\mu $$ of a normally distributed population having its variance $$\sigma ^{2}$$ also unknown. Under this newly proposed general class of associated estimation strategies, we develop a variety of asymptotic first-order and asymptotic second-order properties such as asymptotic consistency, first-order efficiency, first-order risk efficiency, second-order efficiency, and second-order regret analysis. Next, we proceed to locate an optimal strategy within our newly built large class of possibilities. Such optimality is defined as having been associated with the minimal second-order asymptotic variance of a stopping time within the general class of proposed strategies. We follow through by exploring both the FWCI and MRPE problems with the help of data analysis from simulations.
Collecting COVID at the California State University: Shared Approaches, Divergent Implementations

COVID-19 is a paradigm-shattering development which will have far-ranging effects, many still unforeseen and unanticipated. Community collecting initiatives provide insight and local-level perspect...
Design Challenges of High Gain Broadband Monopole Antenna

This paper presents challenges associated with the design of compact high gain broadband monopole antennas. In this article, we shall present various techniques that can be adopted to improve the gain and bandwidth performance of the monopole antenna. We have surveyed various techniques used to design miniaturized high gain broadband monopole antennas and analyzed each based on some figure of merit with the aim of identifying areas of improvement for each technique.
The first non-radiographic axial spondyloarthrits with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Case report of a 21-year-old female developing non-radiographic axialspondyloarthritis in the setting of a preceding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We felt this was a unique case as some cases of psoriatic arthropathy and reactive arthropathy but none, to our knowledge of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. CASE PRESENTATION: Twenty one-year-old female presented in June 2020 with inflammatory symptoms with general work-up per primary care provider being negative. Upon further work-up per Rheumatology, felt to have inflammatory back pain with X-rays of SI joints showing grade II sclerosis. Further work-up including magnetic resonance imaging was positive demonstrating bone edema and erosions of SI joint. This prompted further investigation and she had had some vague symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 several months prior including loss of smell, fatigue, and malaise. SARS-CoV-2 semiquanitative antibodies where done that where high positive. She was treated with cetrolizumab and had prompt improvement over the course of the next week. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 triggering autoimmunity is still unknown at this time. However, it is important that insights be gained into the type of disease that can be triggered by this infection. As the pandemic continues to rage on, Rheumatologist need to be increasing aware that patients presenting with various forms of inflammatory arthritis may be triggered by an antecedent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Following these cases may help to determine how they differ from other forms of inflammatory arthropathy.
Association between personality and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Nearly half of adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), characterized by cognitive impairments in two or more cognitive domains, whic...
Evaluation of ECOSTRESS Thermal Data over South Florida Estuaries.

Operational coarse-resolution satellite thermal sensors designed for global oceans are often insufficient for evaluating surface temperature of small water bodies. Here, the quality of the thermal data, collected by the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS), over several South Florida estuaries, Chesapeake Bay, and Lake Okeechobee is evaluated using both in situ and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data. Overall, for SST between ~6 and ~32 °C, ECOSTRESS LST (Land Surface Temperature, used as a surrogate for SST in this study) appears to be slightly underestimated, with the underestimation being more severe at night (−1.13 °C) than during the day (−0.64 °C), in spring and summer (−1.25 ± 1.39 °C) than in autumn and winter (−0.57 ± 0.98 °C), and after May 2019 when two of the five bands failed. The root-mean-square uncertainties of ECOSTRESS SST are generally within 1–2 °C. Spatial analysis further suggests that ECOSTRESS SST covers waters closer to shore and reveals more spatial features than MODIS, with comparable image noise. From these observations, after proper georeferencing and empirical correction of the negative bias, ECOSTRESS SST may be used to evaluate the thermal environments of small water bodies, thus filling gaps in the coarse-resolution satellite data.