cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From architecture to implementation of a wireless, multiple antenna testbed

This paper describes the design and development of a wireless, multiple antenna testbed. The discussed wireless testbed, built with off-the-shelf components, is fully calibrated and has been used in many field trials. The author addresses the complete design flow from the frequency plan and the decision of the architecture to the actual implementation on multiple PCBs. The decisions are often driven by the availability of components on the market. A big challenge in multiple antenna systems is the distribution of the controlling and data signals, which significantly increases the complexity compared to single antenna systems. Most of the ideas discussed are kept very general and can be applied to any kind of wireless testbed.
Equine intervertebral disk disease: A case report

Abstract Intervertebral disk disease is common in humans and dogs but is rarely reported in horses. In this case report, we describe an 11-year-old American Saddlebred gelding with a 2-month history of pain and progressive neurological abnormalities (ataxia, conscious proprioceptive deficits involving all four limbs, toe dragging, and restricted neck flexion) while being worked as a Saddleseat show horse. Radiographs of the cervical spine showed a loss of the intervertebral disk space at C 6 –C 7 . At necropsy, nearly complete loss of the intervertebral disk at C 6 –C 7 was seen, with marked eburnation and subchondral sclerosis of the adjacent vertebral endplates that were confirmed by histopathology. Many of the marrow spaces of the affected vertebral bodies were filled with cartilage and others contained variable amounts of fibrous connective tissue (myelofibrosis). To our knowledge, these pathological lesions are rarely reported in the literature and appear to represent a chronic, end-stage phase of cervical vertebral stenosis.
Dendritic Sodium Spikes Are Variable Triggers of Axonal Action Potentials in Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Neurons

Several early studies suggested that spikes can be generated in the dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons, but their functional significance and the conditions under which they occur remain poorly understood. Here, we provide direct evidence from simultaneous dendritic and somatic patch-pipette recordings that excitatory synaptic inputs can elicit dendritic sodium spikes prior to axonal action potential initiation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Both the probability and amplitude of dendritic spikes depended on the previous synaptic and firing history of the cell. Moreover, some dendritic spikes occurred in the absence of somatic action potentials, indicating that their propagation to the soma and axon is unreliable. We show that dendritic spikes contribute a variable depolarization that summates with the synaptic potential and can act as a trigger for action potential initiation in the axon.
Devitrification of Natural Glass

Many aspects of the history of natural glasses are related to the physicochemical properties of silicate melts. Glasses are thermodynamically unstable; with time and under a variety of conditions, they become crystalline. When little water is present, devitrification may be described in much the same terms as those which apply to the crystallization of silicate melts. The writer uses simple rate theory and the available experimental data to set an approximate lower limit to the time required for thermal reconstruction of natural glasses as a function of temperature. The time required for a glass at 300° C to become a felsite is estimated to be at least a million years, at 400° C, at least a few thousand years. The secular disappearance of strain birefringence in volcanic glasses at low temperatures indicates an intermediate stage in the process of devitrification. Devitrification along fractures in most volcanic glasses, however, is dependent upon water. In a number of samples, the width of the layer hydrothermally reconstructed is moderate to vanishingly small. The geologic ages of these glasses indicate that the rate of devitrification at low temperature (around 20° C) is no more than about 4–5 μ in 100 million years. Hydrothermal reconstruction is very sensitive to temperature; the depth of devitrification generally varies substantially among macroscopically unaltered samples from a single flow. In the least devitrified specimens, the depth of devitrification seems to be related to the age of the flow. Presumably, the diffusion of water controls the rate of hydrothermal reconstruction. The diffusion constant at 20° C is estimated to be 10^(−23) cm^2/sec, and pressure-bomb experiments indicate an activation energy of 30 kcal/mole. Time-temperature relationships are estimated for hydrothermal reconstruction. In contrast to thermal reconstruction, devitrification in the presence of water requires only a short time (within experimental range) at temperatures no more than about 300° C.
Lax–Hopf Based Incorporation of Internal Boundary Conditions Into Hamilton–Jacobi Equation. Part I: Theory

This article proposes a new approach for computing a semi-explicit form of the solution to a class of Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) partial differential equations (PDEs), using control techniques based on viability theory. We characterize the epigraph of the value function solving the HJ PDE as a capture basin of a target through an auxiliary dynamical system, called ?characteristic system?. The properties of capture basins enable us to define components as building blocks of the solution to the HJ PDE in the Barron/Jensen-Frankowska sense. These components can encode initial conditions, boundary conditions, and internal ?boundary? conditions, which are the topic of this article. A generalized Lax-Hopf formula is derived, and enables us to formulate the necessary and sufficient conditions for a mixed initial and boundary conditions problem with multiple internal boundary conditions to be well posed. We illustrate the capabilities of the method with a data assimilation problem for reconstruction of highway traffic flow using Lagrangian measurements generated from Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) traffic data.
Benign Metachronous Bilateral Ovarian and Mediastinal Teratomas With an Elevated Alpha-Fetoprotein

Teratomas are a common form of non-seminomatous germ cell tumor histologically composed of tissues derived from multiple cell lines of the primary embryonic germ cell layers. There are few cases reported in the literature that describe multiple locations with recurrence of benign teratomas, none of which describe an elevated AFP. We describe a case of metachronous bilateral recurrent ovarian and mediastinal teratomas with a curiously elevated α-fetoprotein. We may be describing a novel syndrome of recurrent metachronous teratomas. Because of the uncertainty of this case, the patient will require close follow-up over the next several years.
Numerical models of subduction and forearc deformation

presence of a low-strength megathrust and regional compression. Successful finite element models produce an outer arc at the top of the trench slope, and forearc basin with geometry characteristic of natural analogues. These structural features occur by upward inelastic bending of the lithospheric wedge overlying the megathrust. This mechanically unstable behaviour may dissipate significant energy and cause the megathrust to migrate continuously by accretion, tectonic erosion, or abandonment and reinitiation farther offshore. Upward bending in the overriding plate is promoted by low megathrust dip, low megathrust shear strength, and high horizontal compression in the overriding plate.
Carbon cycling in cultivated land and its global significance

Long-term data from Sanborn Field, one of the oldest experimental fields in the USA, were used to determine the direction of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in cultivated land. Changes in agriculture in the last 50 years including introduction of more productive varieties, wide scale use of mineral fertilizers and reduced tillage caused increases in total net annual production (TNAP), yields and SOC content. TNAP of winter wheat more than doubled during the last century, rising from 2.0–2.5 to 5–6 Mg ha–1 of carbon, TNAP of corn rose from 3–4 to 9.5–11.0 Mg ha–1 of carbon. Amounts of carbon returned annually with crop residues increased even more drastically, from less than 1 Mg ha–1 in the beginning of the century to 3–3.5 Mg ha–1 for wheat and 5–6 Mg ha–1 for corn in the 90s. These amounts increased in a higher proportion because in the early 50s removal of postharvest residues from the field was discontinued. SOC during the first half of the century, when carbon input was low, was mineralized at a high rate: 89 and 114 g m–2 y–1 under untreated wheat and corn, respectively. Application of manure decreased losses by half, but still the SOC balance remained negative. Since 1950, the direction of the carbon dynamics has reversed: soil under wheat monocrop (with mineral fertilizer) accumulated carbon at a rate about 50 g m–2 y–1, three year rotation (corn/wheat/clover) with manure and nitrogen applications sequestered 150 g m2 y–1 of carbon. Applying conservative estimates of carbon sequestration documented on Sanborn Field to the wheat and corn production area in the USA, suggests that carbon losses to the atmosphere from these soils were decreased by at least 32 Tg annually during the last 40–50 years. Our computations prove that cultivated soils under proper management exercise a positive influence in the current imbalance in the global carbon budget.
The timing of nonmodal phonation in vowels

Abstract In a language where breathiness or laryngealization is a contrastive property of vowels, such nonmodal phonation lasts longer and is more differentiated from modal phonation than in a language where nonmodal phonation results from the influence of preceding consonants. In Tagalog, breathy phonation occurs incidentally on vowels after /h/, and laryngealized phonation occurs after glottal stops. Mazatec, on the other hand, employs breathy and laryngealized vowels as separate phonemes that contrast with modal vowels. Several acoustic measures show that nonmodal and modal vowels are differentiated more strongly and over a longer duration in Mazatec than in Tagalog. An experiment examined words from six male and six female speakers of each of those languages, with corroborating modal and breathy vowels from four male and four female speakers of Chong, and modal and laryngealized vowels from one male speaker of Mpi. From each speaker, three vowels of each phonation type were analyzed. To determine the time course of phonation effects, measurements were made at 25 ms intervals through each vowel. The measurements were the amplitude differences between the first and second harmonic and between the first harmonic and the second formant, and cepstral peak prominence (a measure of periodicity).
Application of TSA formulation for inversion of a metallic object's electromagnetic properties from EMI data

Estimating electric conductivity /spl sigma/ (S/m) and magnetic permeability /spl mu/ (F/m) is of great interest both for industry, mineral exploration, and for geophysical discrimination of buried objects such as unexploded ordnance (UXO). We present here a technique for inferring physical parameters of a metallic object in the EMI frequency range (from tens of Hz to several hundred kHz). Electric conductivity and magnetic permeability are inferred by an inversion algorithm operating on inphase and quadrature received components. The forward model is based on the BIE-TSA formulation, which works well over the majority of the EMI frequency range, especially for magnetic material. The formulation is organized so that most matrices related to object geometry need only be calculated once and the Jacobian matrix can be constructed easily from these matrices. Therefore, both forward solution and Jacobian matrix can be calculated quickly. For material with high magnetic permeability, forward solutions indicate that the scattered field is mostly only sensitive to the ratio of /spl sigma/ and /spl mu/. In this case the inversion algorithm becomes ill conditioned and some kind of regularization is needed. The performance of the inversion algorithm was studied under different kinds of regularization, via both theoretical analysis and numerical experiments. An optimized method for choosing regularization is suggested which may also benefit more general inverse problems.
Thickness and Histologic and Histochemical Properties of the Superior Pharyngeal Constrictor Muscle in Velocardiofacial Syndrome

BackgroundVelocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) is one of the most common multiple anomaly syndromes in humans. Pharyngeal hypotonia, one of the most common findings in VCFS, contributes to hypernasal s...
Optimal buffer-constrained source quantization and fast approximations

The description of the buffer-constrained quantization problem is formalized. For a given set of admissible quantizers for coding a discrete nonstationary signal sequence in a buffer-constrained environment, and for any global distortion minimization criterion that is additive over the individual elements of the sequence, the optimal solution and slightly suboptimal but much faster approximations are formulated. The problem is first defined as one of constrained, discrete optimization, and its equivalence to some problems in integer programming is established. Dynamic programming using the Viterbi algorithm is shown to provide a way of computing the optimal solution. A heuristic algorithm based on Lagrangian optimization and using an operational rate-distortion framework that, with much-reduced computing complexity, approaches the optimally achievable SNR is provided. >
Hyaluronan Enhances Contraction of Collagen by Smooth Muscle Cells and Adventitial Fibroblasts Role of CD44 and Implications for Constrictive Remodeling

Remodeling contributes to restenosis when cells shrink the artery wall at sites of injury. This may be analogous to wound healing, where tissue remodeling achieves wound contraction. Hyaluronan (HA) is prominent in wound matrix and inhibits fetal scarring. HA is also produced in the artery wall after angioplasty, where it may inhibit constrictive remodeling. This hypothesis was tested in vitro using a model of matrix contraction. Primate aortic smooth muscle cells and adventitial fibroblasts were seeded into collagen I gels containing increasing amounts of HA (0% to 50%, wt/wt). Both cell types reduced the diameter of collagen alone approximately 65% at 18 hours. HA significantly increased gel contraction (diameter in mm: 0% HA, 7. 7+/-0.9; 2%, 7.1+/-0.7; 10%, 6.7+/-0.5; 50%, 5.6+/-0.9; P /=10%), cell spreading and telopodia, and pericellular accumulation of collagen fibrils. These effects were mediated in part by cellular HA binding, because an antibody against CD44 receptors blocked pericellular collagen accumulation and enhanced gel contraction without altering cell shape. The role of CD44 was specific, because inhibiting receptor for hyaluronic acid-mediated motility (RHAMM) had no effect. Blocking ss(1)-integrins completely inhibited contraction of collagen, but gels containing HA required CD44 and ss(1)-integrin blockade for complete inhibition. Enhanced collagen reorganization and contraction were not attributable to increased collagenase activity, because the metalloproteinase inhibitor batimastat had no effect. In summary, HA enhanced collagen reorganization by the cell types most likely to mediate constrictive remodeling after angioplasty. These effects were CD44-dependent, thus providing a potential target for therapies to prevent constrictive remodeling and restenosis.
Racial Differences in Response to Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Infection: An AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Study Analysis

Background. In the United States, black individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have higher rates of virologic failure on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and of death compared to white individuals. The cause for these disparities is uncertain. We sought to examine differences in virologic outcomes among antiretroviralnaive clinical trial participants starting randomized ART and to investigate factors to explain the differences. Methods. Individual-level data from participants initiating ART in 5 AIDS Clinical Trials Group studies were analyzed. Included studies were those conducted during 1998–2006 with a primary outcome of virologic failure. The primary outcome measure was time to virologic failure, regardless of ART changes. Results. A total of 2495 individuals (1151 black; 1344 white) were included with a median follow-up of 129 weeks. Compared to whites, blacks had an increased hazard of virologic failure (hazard ratio [HR]; 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–1.9; P< .001), with no evidence of heterogeneity across regimens (P= .97); the association remained after adjustment for measured confounders (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2–1.6; P< .001). Increased hazard of virologic failure was associated with younger age, higher pretreatment HIV type 1 RNA level, lower pretreatment CD4 cell count, hepatitis C antibody, less education, and recent nonadherence to treatment. Sensitivity analyses with different endpoint definitions demonstrated similar results. Conclusions. In this analysis, blacks had a 40% higher virologic failure risk than whites that was not explained by measured confounders. The observation was consistent over a range of regimens, suggesting that the difference may be driven by social factors; however, biological factors cannot be ruled out. Further research should identify the sources of racial disparities and develop strategies to reduce them.
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders

As with the right to refuse other unwanted medical treatment, constitutional support for the right of an individual to reject unwanted resuscitation is derived from the “right to privacy” and from the liberty interest protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.1 National concern with well-publicized legal cases centering on patient self-determination relative to life-preserving treatment and resuscitation, such as those involving Karen Ann Quinlan (1976) and Nancy Cruzan (1990), led to congressional passage of the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990,2 which mandates that all institutions receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds inform all patients of their right to execute an advance care directive.3 The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has included a similar requirement as one of its standards.4 Similar guidelines for appropriate use of DNR orders are expressed in the 1991 Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association.5
Celebrating Our Elders Who Led Us Across the Bridge: A Call to Action for the Academy

This issue of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development launches an inaugural series, Hearing Our Elders, and introduces the Honorable Congressman John Lewis as the series' 1st guest. The social, environmental, and political contexts within which the civil rights and multicultural counseling movements were shaped and unfolded are highlighted as are the incredible contributions by this history-making icon to these 2 momentous and consequential social reform campaigns. The article, with excerpts from an interview with Congressman Lewis, illuminates central and overlapping themes of both movements that, in turn, represent cornerstones of the Hearing Our Elders series. The authors conclude with an invitation to guess the name of the next historic hero to be featured in the Hearing Our Elders series. Este numero del Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development inaugura una nueva serie, Escuchar a Nuestros Mayores, y presenta al Honorable Congresista John Lewis como primer invitado. Se destaca el contexto social, medioambiental y politico en el que se formaron y desarrollaron los movimientos por los derechos sociales y la consejeria multicultural, asi como tambien las increibles contribuciones realizadas por este icono de gran influencia en la historia a estas dos significativas y trascendentales campanas de reforma social. El articulo, a traves de extractos obtenidos de una entrevista con el Congresista Lewis, ilumina temas centrales y comunes de ambos movimientos que, a su vez, representan los fundamentos de la serie Escuchar a Nuestros Mayores. Los autores concluyen con una invitacion a adivinar el nombre de la proxima figura historica heroica que protagonizara la serie Escuchar a Nuestros Mayores.
Careful work: building public cultural geographies

We live in an age of engagement – a much-hyped scenario where hundreds of millions of people around the world are perceived to be everywhere connected electronically through the ‘breaking news’ of ...
Interactive effects of nitrogen fertilization and irrigation on grain yield, canopy temperature, and nitrogen use efficiency in overhead sprinkler-irrigated durum wheat

Abstract Nitrogen and irrigation management are crucial in the production of high protein irrigated durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) in arid regions. However, as the availability of irrigation water decreases and potential costs and regulation of nitrogen (N) increase, there is a need to better understand how irrigation levels interacts with N fertilizer rates. A two-year field experiment was conducted in Maricopa, Arizona USA on a Casa Grande sandy loam to assess effects of N fertilizer and irrigation rates on grain yield, grain N, canopy temperatures yellow berry, and N use efficiency. Five rates of N fertilizer as urea ammonium nitrate (0, 84, 168, 252, and 336 kg N ha−1) were applied in three equal splits at Zadoks stages 30, 32, and 39. Ten un-randomized, sequential rates of irrigation ranging from 0.35 to 1.14 fraction of a non-deficit base irrigation treatment (maintained >45% soil water depletion) were applied by sequentially varying the nozzles in a gradient in an overhead sprinkler system. Irrigation plus rain ranged from 230 to 660 mm in the first season, and 180 to 600 mm in the second season. Grain yield was maximum in 2013 at the 252 kg N ha−1 fertilizer rate and at the 10th water level (1.14 irrigation), and between 168 kg and 252 kg N ha−1 at the 8th water level (1.0 irrigation) in 2014. The maximum grain yield of 7500 kg ha−1 in 2013 was reduced to 5000 kg ha−1 in 2014 due to a warmer, shorter growing season. Economic optimum N rate was at water level 8 both years (196 and 138 kg N ha−1 in 2013, and 2014, respectively). Recovery efficiency of added N was high in this system (i.e., >70%) at N fertilizer and water levels that maximized biomass and grain yields. Grain N was maximum at a lower water level (level 3 or 0.50–0.54 irrigation), was positively affected by N fertilizer rate, and was negatively related to yellow berry incidence. Canopy temperature minus air temperature values decreased linearly with increasing irrigation level. Nitrogen fertilizer applications reduced canopy temperature when water levels >0.54 and 0.69 irrigation fraction in 2013, and 2014, respectively. The study results suggested that canopy temperature and weather data that reflects the grain-filling period could be used to improve irrigation and N management, respectively. In short, irrigated durum wheat growers on this soil would achieve the economically optimum grain yield, with the least risk of yield or protein reduction, by applying 200 kg N ha−1 at the base irrigation level which maintains root zone soil moisture depletion below 45%.
Family correlates of childhood binge eating: A systematic review

Abstract Objective Binge Eating Disorder is the most prevalent eating disorder in the US, and binge eating has been identified in children as young as five. As part of a larger registered systematic review, we identified family correlates of binge eating in children (C-BE) aged 12 and under. Method Using established guidelines, we searched PubMed and PsycInfo for peer-reviewed studies published in English between 1980 and April 2015 that examined family correlates and predictors of C-BE. This yielded 736 records for review; after exclusions fifteen studies were reviewed. Risk of bias was assessed. A risk factor typology was used to classify correlates. Results Nine of the included studies were cross-sectional and six longitudinal. Family weight teasing and parent emotional unresponsiveness were correlates of C-BE. Parent weight, education/socio-economic situation, and parent race/ethnicity were not associated with C-BE in any study reviewed. There was insufficient or unclear evidence regarding associations between C-BE and parent disordered eating, weight or thinness concern, harsh discipline, maternal dieting, attachment security, and mealtimes and feeding practices. Limitations included too few studies on many of the correlates to summarize, inconsistency of findings, homogenous samples, and predominately cross-sectional designs. Discussion Weight-related teasing in families and parental emotional unresponsiveness are correlates of C-BE and important areas to address in parent education and eating disorder prevention programs with families. Further longitudinal studies on putative risk factors for binge eating in childhood are needed to address current limitations, enable synthesis across studies, and inform public health efforts to prevent binge eating problems in children.
Serum unconjugated estriol in normal and abnormal pregnancy

A radioimmunoassay with the use of less than 0.5 ml. of pregnancy serum has been employed to determine the levels of unconjugated estriol in the second half of pregnancy. Sephadex LH-20 was used to separate estriol from estradiol and estrone. In the assay, the bound hormone was separated from the unbound hormone by dextran-coated charcoal. The water blank was below the sensitivity of the assay. Serum unconjugated estriol values revealed a rise in the mean estriol from 4.2 ng- per milliliter at 20 weeks to 14.9 ng. per milliliter at term. In pregnancies complicated by anencephaly and fetal death, the levels were significantly below the normal. In 5 mildly affected diabetic patients, the serum estriol values remained normal and there were no perinatal deaths. The outcome in 8 complicated by hypertension, anemia, leukemia, the nephrotic syndrome, and rheumatic heart disease is described.
State responses to biotechnology

This article reviews biotechnology legislation in the 50 states for 11 policy areas spanning 1990–2010, an era of immense growth in biotechnology, genetic knowledge, and significant policy development. Policies regarding health insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, DNA data bank collection, biotech research protection, biotech promotion and support, employment discrimination, genetic counselor licensing, human cloning, and genetic privacy each represent major policy responses arising from biotechnology and coinciding with key areas of state regulation (insurance, criminal justice, economic development, labor law, health and safety, privacy, and property rights). This analysis seeks to answer three questions regarding biotechnology legislation at the state level: who is acting (policy adoption), when is policy adopted (policy timing), and what is policy doing (policy content). Theoretical concerns examine state ideology (conservative or liberal), policy type (economic or moral), and the role of external events (federal law, news events, etc.) on state policy adoption. Findings suggest ideological patterns in adoption, timing, and content of biotech policy. Findings also suggest economic policies tend to be more uniform in content than moral policies, and findings also document a clear link between federal policy development, external events, and state policy response.
Afghanistan Environmental Protection

New means of environmental protection in Afghanistan are now fairly well developed in the law of the country, with five main environmental pillars to provide fundamental underpinnings to their new National Environmental Protection Agency. These pillars that have been established are: (1) environmental institutions and coordination; (2) environmental law and policy; (3) environmental impact assessment; (4) environmental information and assessment; and (5) community-based natural resource management. A set of so-called equator principles have been established to set standards for determining, assessing, and managing social and environmental risks in the financing of resource-exploitation projects.
Best Practices for an Integrated Population Health Management (PHM) Program

Large employers are beginning to create much more robust and potentially effective systems of integrated health management interventions. This organization-wide activity is referred to as a "Population Health Management" (PHM) approach. Best practices are also beginning to emerge in this area, and a number of technical developments are helping shape the patterns of response from innovative employers. This initiative is rapidly emerging as a critical part of overall business and health care strategy.
A Tight Glycemic Control Initiative in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Hospitalwide

Article-at-a-Glance Background In 2002, tight glycemic control (TGC) was mandated at Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit) to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs). The Five Steps for Improvement The TGC initiative was developed in terms of the five primary steps of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) framework for leadership for improvement to drive practice change and maintain continuous improvement. In terms of Steps 1–3 (set direction, establish the foundation, and build will), in April 2002 the chief executive officer of the Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit) announced a hospitalwide initiative to reduce SSIs. For steps 4 and 5 (generate ideas and execute change), the 40-bed surgical intensive care unit (SICU) was designated the practice-change setting. TGC protocols were implemented in cardiothoracic patients, followed by all SICU patients, with target glucose ranges moving from the initial Responding to a Changing Evidence Base In 2009, as studies began to show that the recommended glucose target of 80–110mg/dL was not associated with clinical improvement in ICU patients and perhaps may cause harm (increased mortality), the target ranges were modified. Lessons Learned Barriers to adoption of new practice change must be integrated into the planning process. Leadership champions are required across multiple levels of the organization to drive change to the bedside for effective and lasting improvement. Conclusions A universal TGC protocol continues to be used throughout the hospital, with modifications and next-generation improvements occurring as evidence arises.
Non-Invasive Differentiation of Benign Renal Tumors from Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinomas Using Clinically Translatable Hyperpolarized 13C Pyruvate Magnetic Resonance

Localized renal tumors are increasingly detected incidentally at imaging. Conventional imaging cannot reliably differentiate the 20% of these tumors that are benign from malignant renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), leading to unnecessary surgical resection and resulting morbidity associated with surgery. Here, we investigated hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate metabolism in live patient-derived renal tumor tissue slices using a novel magnetic resonance (MR) -compatible bioreactor platform. We demonstrated for the first time that clear cell RCCs (ccRCCs), which account for 70-80% of all RCCs, have increased lactate production as well as rapid lactate efflux compared to benign renal tumors. This difference is attributed to increased lactate dehydrogenase A and monocarboxylate transporter 4 expression in ccRCCs. This distinctive metabolic phenotype can be used to differentiate RCCs from benign renal tumors using clinically translatable hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate MR.
Peripheral Developments (1923–1936)

In the six years that preceded the signing of the 1927 Fisheries Agreement, Persia and the RSFSR (Soviet Russia) had managed to transact a series of agreements that did not have as much allure as oil or fish but that nevertheless were important markers in the evolution of Russian-Persian jurisdictional limits in the Caspian area.
Sleep in family caregivers of ICU survivors for two months post-ICU discharge

Summary Objective To describe changes in sleep quality in family caregivers of ICU survivors from the patients’ ICU admission until two months post-ICU discharge. Design Descriptive repeated measure design. Setting Academic hospital medical ICU. Main outcome measures Subjective sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) and objective sleep/wake variables (SenseWear Armband™) were measured in family caregivers at patients’ ICU admission, within two weeks post-ICU discharge and two months post-ICU discharge. Results In 28 family caregivers of ICU survivors, most caregivers reported poor sleep quality (i.e. PSQI >5) across the three time points (64.3% during patients’ ICU admission, 53.6% at each post-ICU time point). Worse trends in sleep quality and objective sleep/wake pattern were observed in caregivers who were employed, and a non-spouse. There were trends of worsening sleep quality in caregivers of patients unable to return home within two months post-ICU discharge compared to patients able to return home. Conclusions Poor sleep quality was highly prevalent and persisted in family caregivers of ICU survivors for two months post-ICU discharge. Our data support the need for a larger longitudinal study to examine risk factors associated with sleep quality in family caregivers of ICU survivors to develop targeted interventions.
Certain Heat Conduction Problems In a Perforated Circular Cyliner

Employing a new class of basis functions, certain steady-state two-dimensional heat conduction problems for a multihole circular cylinder are solved. It is assumed that the outer boundary of the cylinder is subject to convection, while the cases of the following inner boundary conditions are investigated. (1) The inner boundaries are subject to a constant temperature. (2) The inner boundaries are subject to convection. (3) The inner circular cylinders consist of a different material containing uniform heat sources. It is also assumed that the properties of the materials involved, and the factors such as the convection heat transfer coefficients are temperature independent. Numerical results for all of the three aforementioned cases are presented, and for a particular case, the result is compared with that of a previous investigator.
Molybdenum-Cofactor Deficiency and Seizures

The clinical, biochemical, and neuropathological findings in two neonates with molybdenum-cofactor deficiency presenting with convulsions are reported from the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Negotiating the Great Recession: How Teacher Collective Bargaining Outcomes Change in Times of Financial Duress:

This article examines how teacher collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), teacher salaries, and class sizes changed during the Great Recession. Using a district-level data set of California teache...
Associations of Radiomic Data Extracted from Static and Respiratory-Gated CT Scans with Disease Recurrence in Lung Cancer Patients Treated with SBRT

Radiomics aims to quantitatively capture the complex tumor phenotype contained in medical images to associate them with clinical outcomes. This study investigates the impact of different types of computed tomography (CT) images on the prognostic performance of radiomic features for disease recurrence in early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). 112 early stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT that had static free breathing (FB) and average intensity projection (AIP) images were analyzed. Nineteen radiomic features were selected from each image type (FB or AIP) for analysis based on stability and variance. The selected FB and AIP radiomic feature sets had 6 common radiomic features between both image types and 13 unique features. The prognostic performances of the features for distant metastasis (DM) and locoregional recurrence (LRR) were evaluated using the concordance index (CI) and compared with two conventional features (tumor volume and maximum diameter). P-values were corrected for multiple testing using the false discovery rate procedure. None of the FB radiomic features were associated with DM, however, seven AIP radiomic features, that described tumor shape and heterogeneity, were (CI range: 0.638–0.676). Conventional features from FB images were not associated with DM, however, AIP conventional features were (CI range: 0.643–0.658). Radiomic and conventional multivariate models were compared between FB and AIP images using cross validation. The differences between the models were assessed using a permutation test. AIP radiomic multivariate models (median CI = 0.667) outperformed all other models (median CI range: 0.601–0.630) in predicting DM. None of the imaging features were prognostic of LRR. Therefore, image type impacts the performance of radiomic models in their association with disease recurrence. AIP images contained more information than FB images that were associated with disease recurrence in early stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT, which suggests that AIP images may potentially be more optimal for the development of an imaging biomarker.
Towards quantifying surgical suturing skill with force, motion and image sensor data

This work contributes towards the vision of a suture platform that is able to objectively quantify suturing skill by integrating data from multiple sensing modalities. A first step towards such a platform is the synchronization of data from multiple sensor streams and perhaps even multiple systems. We present the design of a novel suture platform with force and motion sensors as well as video capture for recording hand motion. Software methods to synchronize these data, as well as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that extracts suture cycle data is created. Results indicate that sensor data was successfully synchronized using time-offset calculation. Sensor data was extracted for individual suture cycles for all participants including average force, peak force, average acceleration, peak acceleration and time to complete suture. Our results indicate the viability of the system to synchronize sensor data, enabling its use to provide objective feedback to trainees regarding their suturing skills.
Ophthalmic Complications Following Acoustic Neuroma Resection.

Background Past studies have shown high rates of ocular complications with the need for ophthalmic surgery following acoustic neuroma resection (ANR). Objective To determine the rates of ophthalmic complications, referrals, and surgery following ANR, and the factors associated with poor outcomes. Methods A retrospective study of ophthalmic outcomes in patients who underwent ANR was conducted, following institutional review board approval. Surgical approach, tumor size, tumor characteristics, completeness of resection, postoperative House-Brackmann grades, ocular complications, referrals to ophthalmology, and ophthalmic treatments were recorded. Results Between 2007 and 2012, 174 patients underwent ANR. There were 3 surgical groups: retrosigmoid (n = 97), translabyrinthine (n = 59), and combined retrosigmoid and translabyrinthine (n = 18). Median tumor size was 2.2 cm. Postoperatively, 30% of patients had facial nerve dysfunction (House-Brackmann ≥3), which recovered to 19% by 1 mo and 8.6% by 1 yr following ANR. Fifty-six (32.9%) patients experienced ocular complications postoperatively, with lagophthalmos, dry eye, and blurry vision as the most common complications. Thirty-six (67.9%) of the patients who required ophthalmic treatment were managed nonsurgically, with just 13 (7.6%) patients requiring referral to an ophthalmologist. In total, only 9 (5.3%) patients received an ophthalmic procedure. Patients with tumors >2 cm, those undergoing combined retrosigmoid and translabyrinthine resection, and those with severe facial nerve dysfunction which did not improve in the first month following surgery were more likely to have poor ophthalmic outcomes. Conclusion We present lower rates of ophthalmic complications following ANR than previously reported. Improved surgical technique, better postoperative eye care, and facial nerve monitoring most likely accounted for the improved ocular outcomes.
Toward self-adapting computation in cells: building spiking neural network with cell signaling pathways

Following the realization that computation is an inherent attribute of evolving organisms, implementing desired computation in synthesized biochemical systems becomes an important pursuit for synthetic biology. Considering the stochastic nature of biochemical reactions, the always changing environment, and the infeasibility to analyze complete dynamics of designed systems over all probable conditions, autonomous self-adjustment is necessary for systems to be robust against internal and external variations. However, to date, the essential self-adapting capability remains missing from most synthetic designs. The deficiency hinders the robustness of designed systems, limiting applicable scenarios. To remedy the deficiency, we propose a cell-compatible way that exploits the similarities between two biological signal transmission media, i.e., cell signaling pathways and action potential of spiking neurons. Given the ubiquity and versatility of cell signaling pathways preserved across various cells and organisms, the proposed method can potentially embed self-adapting neuromorphic computation into biochemical reaction systems of a broader realm.
Effect of exercise intensity on Nrf2 signalling in young men

AbstractIntroduction: The transcription factor Nrf2 is the master regulator of antioxidant defence. Recent data indicate a single bout of moderate-intensity stationary cycling at a constant workload upregulates Nrf2 signalling in young, but not older men; however, the role of exercise intensity on Nrf2 activation has not been tested. We hypothesised that a high-intensity interval session would elicit a greater Nrf2 response than moderate aerobic exercise.Methods: Nrf2 signalling in response to two 30-min cycling protocols (high-intensity interval and constant workload) was compared in young men (25 ± 1y, n = 16). Participants completed exercise trials in random order with blood collected pre-, immediately post-, and 30-mins post exercise. Five participants completed a control trial without any physical activity. Nrf2 signalling was determined by measuring protein expression of Nrf2 in whole cell and nuclear fractions. Plasma 8-isoprostanes as well as peripheral mononuclear cell glutathione reductase (GR) ...
A Monstrous(ly-Feminine) Whiteness: Gender, Genre, and the Abject Horror of the Past in American Horror Story: Coven

Since its premiere in 2011, Ryan Murphy’s serialized FX show American Horror Story has pushed against the limits of basic cable television in terms of its depictions of explicit sex and violence on...
UES Restrictive Disorders

The upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is a complex muscle structure that is composed of the cricopharyngeus muscle, the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, and the proximal cervical esophagus. The UES plays an important role in the swallowing process and marks the transition from the pharyngeal deglutitive phase to the esophageal phase. Adequate UES opening is therefore essential for an effective swallow. Failed or diminished UES opening results in incomplete pharyngeal clearance, post-deglutitive residual, and potential post-deglutitive aspiration. Disordered UES opening can be the result of abnormal UES distensibility, such as Zenker’s diverticulum, cricopharyngeal bar, or lack of neural relaxation, such as cricopharyngeal achalasia. Alternatively, it can be due to weak pharyngeal propulsion alone or in addition to failed UES relaxation. For this review, we focus on intrinsic UES restrictive disorders. Major diagnostic tools include videofluoroscopy, endoscopic evaluation of the pharynx and esophagus, and pharyngoesophageal manometry. Treatment options for UES restrictive disorders depend on the underlying etiology and may include surgical or endoscopic methods.
School Psychology and Cultural Competence: Room to Grow?.

This study investigated how the concept of cultural competence was represented in three 2010 policy documents on service delivery, ethics, and credentialing by the National Association of School Ps...
BMI Health Report Cards: Parents' Perceptions and Reactions.

In 2003, Arkansas became the first state to require body mass index (BMI) testing in public schools to raise awareness of the growing obesity epidemic among children and adolescents. Limited inform...
Application of LiDAR and Connected Vehicle Data to Evaluate the Impact of Work Zone Geometry on Freeway Traffic Operations

Extensive literature exists regarding recommendations for lane widths, merging tapers, and work zone geometry to provide safe and efficient traffic operations. However, it is often infeasible or un...
A Simplified Protocol for Apoptosis Assay by DNA Content Analysis

Apoptotic cells possess specific morphological and biochemical markers. Various methods have been developed to detect apoptosis based on these markers. One of the most common is the fragmentation of genomic DNA. In addition to electrophoresis for the identification of the characteristic 200 base pair ladders and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling, DNA content analysis is often employed. This technique is based on the fact that permeablized apoptotic cells release fragmented DNA, resulting in DNA content that is less than that in live diploid cells. Although widely used, we have found that the number of apoptotic cells detected by DNA content analysis is often lower than that detected by other methods. We have developed a simplified version of the flow cytometry-based protocol that detects a number of apoptotic cells closer to that detected by other methods, and which requires a dramatically reduced number of cells. In addition, this simplified protocol allows preparation of a large number of samples at the same time.